Hannah Pope born about 1851

[Discoveringmypast]

Hi, can anyone help please with my search for information about the parents of Hannah Pope?

My 2 x great grandparents were Francis Morton b1849 Bedminster, Bristol and Hannah Pope b1850.  I originally thought Hannah's parents were George Pope and Hannah Kibbey from Almondsbury, Gloucestershire.  But I now I believe this is incorrect as according to Francis and Hannah's marriage cert I received today, Hannah's father was John Pope, a labourer.

Francis and Hannah were married 29 May 1871 in Bedminster, and in all the censuses after she was married (1881 – 1911) Hannah's birth place is shown as either Ashton / Bedminster, Somerset or Bedminster, Bristol.  (I know the boundary for Bedminster changed from Somerset to Bristol in 1899 which explains this.)  So, this seems to confirm she is not the Hannah from Almondsbury.

I have however, been having difficulty tracing Hannah's baptism to confirm the names of her parents which, according to the censuses, would have been around 1850/51.  The closest birth I can find is 1853 in Bedminster, so this is probably the right one.

I then found her in the 1861 census in Bedminster which I think is correct as her father is John, although she is recorded incorrectly as Joanna.  Her mother is shown as Sarah Ann which may also be further proof that this is the correct family as, when she married Francis Morton, they named their first child Sarah Ann.

What has muddled things a little is that on the marriage cert for Francis and Hannah, it shows they were both living in Parson Street, Bedminster.  As they were married about one month after the 1871 census, I thought I would check to see who she was living with.  I was unable to find her living with John and Sarah Ann, but strangely, I discovered that a ‘Emma Pope’ (visitor, born 1850) was living with Francis Morton and his mum!  If this was her with the wrong name, it was the first time her DOB was recorded as 1850.  Could it be because she would have only been 18 when she married Francis the following month?

I would love to solve this mystery but mostly to find her baptism to confirm I have the correct parents for her.

Any help would be appreciated!
Sue

[lizdb]

I have however, been having difficulty tracing Hannah's baptism to confirm the names of her parents which, according to the censuses, would have been around 1850/51.  The closest birth I can find is 1853 in Bedminster, so this is probably the right one.

IF that 1853 is the right one, then it is no good looking for a baptism around 1850!!


I am stuck at the first hurdle, not found her and Francis in 1881 yet ....!

[lizdb]

Ah got it, She is Joanna there too, age 30, bn Bedminster

[Discoveringmypast]

Hi - yes, Hannah seems to be frequently written as Joannah!

I've been doing quite a wide search for the baptisms of any of John and Sarah's children and also their marriage in parish records without any luck!  It appears that Sarah was at least 15 years younger than John and I would like to try to find their baptisms as well but I need her maiden name first, the censuses record her place of birth as Pill.

[lizdb]

I have often seen Hannah /Joanna interchangeable

Here is that 1861, just to get the details I front of us -
1861
Back Lanes, Bedminster
John Pope 70 grave digger bn Tickenham?
Sarah Ann 47 wife bn Pill
Sarah 11
Joanna 7
Charles 5
Samuel 9   children all bn Bedminster

[lizdb]

And here they are in 1871.  The Joanna has left home (so may be the Hannah that married Francis)

1871
Victoria Rd Bedminster
John 75 farmers servant bn Wranall
Sarah 59 bn Ashton
Samuel 22 masons labourer bn Ashton
Charles 16 bn Ashton

[lizdb]

Going back to 1851 before Joanna was born-

Bedminster
John 47 railway labourer bn Yatton
Sarah 36 charwoman bn Pill
Elizabeth 13
John 11
William 9
May 7
Sarah 2 bn Bedminster

Looking at the new gro index for the childrens births will give you Sarah's maiden name

[Discoveringmypast]

Thank you so much for your help - I'd forgotten you can now find the mother's maiden name in the new GRO search!  I've just checked and Hannah's mother's name was Harris and I've found a John Pope marrying Sarah Anne Harris in 1842.  According to the 1841 census, this was a couple of years after they had their first two children - Elizabeth was born in 1838 and John 1840.

Thank you very much for putting me on the right track, I think I am sure as I can be that John and Sarah Anne are my 3 x great grandparents.

I will probably never know the mystery of 'Emma' Pope in the 1871 census!

[Discoveringmypast]

Using the GRO search, I've been unable to find two of their children that appear in censuses.  May born about 1844 and Samuel born 1852 or 1849, depending which census you look at!

This is a confusing family!