How can I contact the person who left a postem on FreeBMD, knowing the IP ?

[joger]

Lots of very interesting things you found there, thank you for your efforts.

[LizzieL]

For anyone who has access to Ancestry, there's a bit more to this story. 1857 Settlement papers for mary Ann Godfrey widow of George Godfrey (he died 6 years earlier) and illeg child Caroline. It mentions her marriage place and maiden name of Petty. Her father Edward and mother Elizabeth both dead.

So this is for the Caroline Godfrey  born 1857 with a postem , am I right? Is there a possibility to see if she has a middle name (Markham, by any chance )?

yes for the Postem Caroline - GRO index confirms her mother's maiden name was Petty. No mention of a middle name.

[LizzieL]

Mother's maiden name was Petty according to GRO index. The only marriage I can find with a male Godfrey and female Petty is George Godfrey to Mary Ann Petty in St Sepulchre on 11 May  1845.  George is a painter and glazier and his father is John. Her father is Edward. Can't find them on later censuses and can't find any other children with mother's maiden name Petty. There is a possibility for Caroline age 3 in Central London District School, Hanwell in West London in 1861, no pob. If she was born 2nd Q, the chances are her birthday would be just after census day, so she would not have quite got to her 4th birthday. sounds like she might be orphaned or placed in the school because parents unable to look after her.

Piece: 781 Folio: 147 Page Number: 22

For the Caroline Godfrey 1857 with a postem?

The marriage would be for the Mary Ann Godfrey nee Petty mentioned in the settlement papers, mother of the Postem Caroline. But as she was a widow in 1857 and George had died 6 years earlier  her father is unknown, unless he is named on her actual birth certificate. The Caroline on 1861 census is only a possibility, but a 3 year old in that type of school is a strong possibility for a child from that background.
I have been trying to find Mary Ann in 1851, George might have died by census day, depends how close to "died 6 years ago" it was. Not found her yet though. Also no sign of Caroline or Mary Ann in 1871, but Mary Ann might have died.
If Caroline (1857 postem) is the right one, she would be 30, almost 31 when she married. Where was she in the preceding years. In 1871 she would be 13, almost 14. If she was the one in the school in 1861, she might still be in an institution, slightly young to be working.

[joger]

I know nothing about where she was before the births of her children and her marriage , everything in France , Paris and surrounds. The only clue about her age is : she is said to be 49 in 1906, when her first daughter (also a Caroline ) married in Levallois Perret.

ADDED:
The mystery is that she was sometimes called Markham ( signed Markaham) and sometimes Godfrey (and she signed Godfrey). That's why I thought it might be because of a middle name.

But now I have another clue , if George Godfrey died more than 9 months before her birth , he cannot be her biological father and Markham could be the name of her biological father (according to the mother Mary Ann ), name taken by  Caroline for "romantic" reasons. 

Is it possible that Mary Ann , widow of G. Godfrey passed on the name Godfrey to Caroline, even if it was impossible that he was the father?

[LizzieL]

The marriage record mentioned on the other thread says Caroline was a spinster so we can dismiss Markham as a previous married name. Caroline (Postem) doesn't seem to have a middle name but could have acquired one later on, many of my relatives did but in all cases it was a typical forename not one like a surname.
Some possibilities:
Caroline (Postem) is illegitimate, possibly the name of her natural father, but given that she seems to be on her own as a very young child, it is unlikely she knew much about her family. Unless natural father named on her birth cert and she had seen a copy of that. But on the settlement record, no father was mentioned so I guess Mary Ann didn't disclose his identity.
Caroline (Postem) is in an institution school at young age, maybe she was "adopted" by a family called Markham. At this time adoption was not a legal process (not till 1927) so there are unlikely to be any records of an informal adoption. But maybe a search for a Caroline Markham age 13 in 1871 would turn something up.

[joger]

Ok, thank you, it clears up the story in some way.

[LizzieL]

But all this does assume that the Caroline that the Postem was added to is "your" Caroline and that the 3 year old Caroline in the institutional school is "Postem" Caroline.



 

[joger]

Yes , I agree, nothing is certain.Thanks anyway to all the chattters who answered.

[joger]

May I know in which parish or town were the Settlement papers found?