Confused by Edwin Werren from Worcester

[AbbyG]

I am really lost!

I can see from the 1911 census that Edward Werren from Worcester lived with his wife Ida Emily Werren and five children in Grimstone Street, Wolverhampton and had been married for 23 years (they lived in Atcham, Shropshire in 1901 when he was listed as Edwin Werren from Worcester).

What confuses me is that the three oldest children were all christened Hughes, rather than Werren (Edward in 1890, William Henry Hughes b/reg. Q3 1892, Upton and Albert Victor Hughes b/reg. Q4 1895, Walsall), whereas Rosina, the fourth child born in Q1 1898 (and all subsequent children) were christened Werren. It doesn't look like Ida married again between 1895-1898 (the 1911 census says she married around 1888 although I can't find any record of that either!), hence I am confused why the children suddenly started being named Werren rather than Hughes.

I have FindMyPast access but not ancestry. Can anyone please shed any light on the elusive Edwin/Edward Werren and why his name changed?

[Ruskie]

Welcome to rootschat Abby.

I will have a closer look soon, but what was Ida's maiden surname? Was it Hughes? My first thought was that Ida was either previously married (as you mention) or the children were born out of wedlock and took their mother's surname.

It might have just been easier to tell a fib or two on the censuses.

The names Edwin and Edward are sometimes either confused or interchangeable.

[Ruskie]

The children are Werren in the 1901 census.

Do you have the family in earlier censuses?

[rosie99]

Hi

Welcome to rootschat

Do you have any of the childrens birth certificates that give Ida's maiden name.

Ancestry is suggesting that Edwin was previously Hughes and Idas surname was Reynolds. 

Rosie

[AbbyG]

Thanks for the welcome Ruskie!

I'm not sure about Ida's maiden name as I couldn't find any marriage records for Edward/Edwin and Ida around 1888 when I presume they married. I think it is possible that she might be Ida Emma Reynolds whose birth was registered in Upton, Worcs in June 1869, but I'm not sure what happened to her after that. I did think that she might have had the 3 children between 1890-1895 before she married Edward/Edwin, but I couldn't find any record of that either! It's driving me nuts.

[AbbyG]

Hi Rosie, sorry I don't have any of the children's birth certificates.
I think Ida's maiden name was Reynolds (see my previous post), but I can't find any details of her marriage to Edwin or anyone else for that matter. I can see a reference to Edwin Hughes on ancestry (although I don't have full access) but I can't see why he changed his name (and presumably that of his children) to Werren.
Abby

[Ruskie]

I was just about to suggest that you purchase at least one of the children's birth certificates to cross check parent's names.

If you think it was Edwin/Edward who changed his surname, it is possible that he may have been illegitimate and sometimes used his mother's maiden name, and perhaps sometimes his father's or a step father's surname. This can happen - one surname tends to be used more on official documents, than the other, though it can vary. You will probably need to investigate further.

[AbbyG]

Ruskie, in response to your follow up question, the Ida Reynolds born in Great Malvern in 1869 lived with her parents (James/Anne) in Great Malvern in 1881 and at the home of Mary Ann Saunders (which I think was her mother's sister) in Great Malvern in 1891.  In both cases, Ida was shown as being unmarried, which made me question how she could have married Edwin Werren in 1888 as the 1911 census suggests. The children on the 1901 and 1911 census (named Werren) are relatively easy to trace, it is the parents that are confusing me, hence you're right about the need for me to get the birth certs sorted out!
Thanks Abby

[rosie99]

There is an Ancestry tree that says Edwin married Sarah Bond

1881 census
https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QKXZ-D363

They do not have a marriage for him c1888 either but have him with Ida Reynolds.  The tree has pictures of Ida & Edwin.

They have no details on the death of his first wife