The full title is “The Impossible we perform daily, miracles take a little longer! Or, Many hands make light work!” This is the quote which I sent to Diane when she first approached me with a request for help, since I did not have any resources for Herefordshire. The story is an example of international co-operation between several players, with some caveats for anyone using the sources mentioned. (Ed.)

George Badham, Station Master, Tarrington This story began with a simple request from Mr. John Watkins of Tarrington on 1stJanuary 2005 asking whether I knew anything of George BADHAM, Stationmaster at Stoke Edith or Tarrington in the 1900s, and offering photos of him if I was interested.   Due to Tarrington being mentioned, I immediately assumed there would be a connection to my William BADHAM b. 1757 Mordiford and Margaret COLE b. 1753 in Tarrington. Wrong!

I contacted Peter and Harold for assistance, as well as my cousin in Surrey, Simon Fisher, as he has contacts around the world with access to various censuses.

The second email from John Watkins provided the information that both George and his wife Leah were buried in Tarrington Parish Churchyard - just outside John's back gate. The monumental inscription on their headstone gave us definite ages for George and Leah. The memorial records that Leah died on October 28^th1936 aged 76 and George died on August 9^th1939 aged seventy something although the lettering is not clear.In the 1881 Census, I found George, aged 18, born in Mordiford, Railway Porter, boarding with the MINCHIN family in Stroud, Gloucester, see Table 1.

The 1881 census showed Leah BROOKES, 20, born in Tarrington, General Servant, living at Gazardine House, Ashperton, Hereford, with the HOMES family (and, we later discovered, with George's sister), see Table 2.

The B1NS CD indicated George and Leah were married about 1884 at Tarrington.

The children were:

12^th Oct. 1884 Herbert John
28^th Mar. 1886 Ellen Louisa
25^th Sep. 1887 Jessie
27^th May 1894 Phyllis Isabel

Another helper, Ray in Perth, provided the following: the marriage of George Badham and Leah Brookes - 1883 September Qtr. Vol. 6a Page 799.

This was followed by an email from Robert Hodges in Tarrington, with some vital information from the Tarrington Parish Church Marriage Register - 6^th Sept. 1883 – George Badham, aged 20, railway signalman, son of William Badham to Leah Brookes, aged 22 daughter of William Brookes.

And also, although buried at Tarrington, at the time of their deaths George and Leah were living at 25 Northfield Road, Worcester. Leah was buried 31^st Oct. 1936, aged 76. George was buried 12^th August 1939, also aged 76.

Harold and Peter were able to send an extract from the 1891 Tarrington Census.

The information supplied for George as a railway employee fits with this 1891census entry at Tarrington, see Table 3.

This suggested that George was born 1862-3 and there was a baptism at Mordiford on the IGI 19^th Apr. 1863 George son of William and Emma BADHAM. Also there is a possible marriage for William and Emma at Worcester, St Swithin, 1^st May 1861 William BADHAM and Emma SANDERS, see Tables 4 and 5

We then set about finding George in the 1871 Hereford Census. Not a sign of him anywhere in the census held by B1NS. Simon contacted a researcher in Canada who laboriously waded through a film of the 1871 census. There was certainly no George, William or Emma BADHAM to be found. However, he eventually found the following, see Table 6.

 This was obviously the missing family, and we were very lucky to ever find it. We not only had BUSHAM to contend with, but also Norcliford (Mordiford) and a child called Sarah (Leah), so masterly interpretive skills were needed to sort out this family. Our eternal gratitude to the researcher in Canada for his work.  The next contribution was from Harold: This 1871 census entry makes it more definite that William was baptised at Mordiford 22^nd May 1834. This census shows brother James age 44 lodging with William and Emma. William baptised 1834 had a brother James baptised 5^th Nov. 1828, therefore aged 42.

Compare the names with the transcript shown in Table 6!

Therefore James is giving an age 2 years older than he is whereas William shows an age 2 years younger. This is not absolute proof but does increase the probability that the William suggested is correct. (I have seen successive censuses for the same person with age differences of 2 or 3 years.) The marriage lines for George showing father William again suggests we have the correct family, that is, parents William and Emma. William and brother James's parents being James and Anne (nee Link).

The search continues...