May E Ballard

[groom]

http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=426414.msg2913723#msg2913723

I have just got a copy of my father's birth certificate.
He was born on 5th May 1911 at 139 Elm Park Mansions Chelsea.
His mother's name on cert is Mary Burdett of no occupation, father is unknown.
Mary does not appear on the 1911 census and her name is the only info I have.

So where is the Ballard name coming from?

[rosie99]

     

This looks like the Bournemouth Mary Ballard

Marriages Sep qtr 1905   - Fulham reg district
Ballard    Mary Ellen E       
Bristowe    Frederick T H       
Dawes    George Henry       
Forsgate    Annie Maud   

She married George Dawes    

[rosie99]

That child was born after 1911 census - have you noticed what it says about children for her 

Census was taken 2 April 1911

[gilesc]

Blimey you are all fantastic. My husband made the jump from Burdet to Ballard via May's sister Kate.
On my father's birth certificate the father 's name and occupation is left blank. And, NO I had never noticed the living child born before 1911. I could kick myself. And now I've got her marriage certificate online. Poor dad, he never found out his origins and didn't even know he was adopted until after he married my mum.
I can't thank you enough,
Carolyn

[rosie99]

Sorry, I am not sure what you mean.

Mary E Ballard born Bournemouth is married to George Daws and with him in 1911 so can't be the same person as May Burdet

[groom]

And now I've got her marriage certificate online.

What marriage certificate?

Can you explain the link between Burdett and Ballard - how did your husband get that through the sister?

[gilesc]

Morning ,
Absolute apologies to you all. My husband now thinks he had an "elderly moment" when he connected May to the Ballard family.
I don't know what to say. I am so so sorry to have wasted all your time and still can't quite believe how this happened.
I'll now delete all my Ballards in my tree and go back to trying to trace a marriage between a May, and someone called Burdet.
I'm so disappointed but at least I now know there are no Ballards in my tree.
Once again, thank you very much for spending the time you have .
Regards
Carolyn

[rosie99]

On your fathers birth certificate is their any indication that his mother was married, does it give any other surnames for her other than Burdett. 

If she is only named as Burdett on the birth I would be more inclined to treat her as single and ignore the widowed in 1911.  When women called themselves widows when they had children or were pregnant they tended to keep their original surname.  It is possible that she had another child before 1911 but that could also be an error.

[groom]

Glad that is sorted. So we are back to May Burnett who appears in the 1911 and who gave birth to your father in 1911 but with no information before or after that? As Rosie said, I would assume until proved otherwise that she was single, housekeepers out of courtesy were often called Mrs.

As she was a housekeeper to a single man not much older than she was in 1911, and your father was born in that house, my suspicions would be that Mr Grove was the father! Look who else was there and her profession, was that ready for the birth? Seems odd to me that a single man would allow his housekeeper to give birth in his house.