Hi there,
I am surprised that the question of who was Miss Elsie NICHOLS has only arisen now, and only as a result of the newspaper cutting becoming available via TROVE. I would have anticipated that the question as to who was Miss Elsie NICHOLS would have arisen back when the earlier researcher obtained Sophia’s 1907 marriage certificate and then researched the names of the witnesses on that document. Perhaps the document records Elsie as simply as “E NICHOLS”. and the researcher compiling that 97 page document was not interested in establishing any family relationships in respect of witnesses.
The various spellings of the surnames is of course understandable, afterall, the early electoral rolls were established by the local police making enquiries and then recording the responses.
Re Helsey M Nichols, mother Annie A, birth registered Cassilis in 1885, and your question ‘Is “Helsey” a name ? “ ; there was no definitive lists of ‘names’ that were approved for use. Even in the 1880s there’s many a child whose given names include family surnames (with various spellings), and of course, the index for those 1880s births that you can see at NSW BDM online was not actually commenced until a volunteer project was established in the 1930s.
So it is possible that Helsey is a mis-read of the entry held by NSW BDM. Of course, when spoken aloud, “Helsey” could be “Elsie”. Births were registered by the informant providing verbal answers to verbal questions at the rural registrar's office, often located at the local court house, so the spelling is dependent on the deputy registrar's talents.
Perhaps that birth registration would be a document that should be obtained. NSW Birth Certs can be quite informative, including details of where the mother was born, and her then age, plus where the baby was born, and the midwife attending the birth (often a female family member in the rural districts).
Cheers, JM