I did find a Flora SMITH on the 1891 census aged 16 - so would suggest 1875 birth - born West Ham as a visitor with the Taylor family (which may indicate the age is guessed at) - and no corresponding Flora Smith birth - maybe she used her step fathers name
There is a Flora SMITH on the 1881 census in Colchester who is a visitor (but she is born Colchester)
In Olivia Ringers 1871 census she's working as a servant where the man of the house is called James - it is probably just a coincidence though
My great, great grandfather was illegitamate and have found his baptism which names his father - on his marriage certificate his father is correct first name and job, but with his (ergo his mother's) surname - all I imagine is when he was asked for father's name he said William - and they recorded the surname to match
Well that's a possibility ... Funnily enough my grandmothers first husband was a Taylor. Where was the Taylor family living when she visited?
I've also taken a chance and written to another descendant of Richard and Lavinia Ringer parents of Olivia to see if there was any hereditary bleeding disorders in her Ringer family and explained my situation in trying to work out who Florence possibly Flora is.
And how wonderful that the father of your 2 x great grandfather was named ... that would make it easier but can understand back then why they felt the need to cover things up I bet they just didn't expect generations later we would come along and uncover all their secrets!
I just seem to keep coming up against this in my family on both sides. We also knew about my dads grandparents as that wasn't a secret only they never said who their fathers were.
My mums side it seems liked to keep their secrets covered. I didn't find out until doing this that my other set of great grandparents Henry and Rose Fry (parents of Alfred who married Ethel Dolton) were first cousins! I'm in touch with my mother's cousin who still lives in England and she had been researching for some years so she knew. But she had been stumped by the grandfather of Rose and Henry a Richard Fry who married Sarah Elizabeth Stevens .. only thing was like my mystery woman there was no such person as Richard Fry until after the birth of his 4th child ... turned out he was born Richard Goffe illegitimate son of Martha Goffe and then up pops all his records and the baptisms of his first 3 sons .... then my cousin was looking at Henry Fry's enlistment papers and when it comes to writing down his wife's maiden name (which is Fry like his as they are cousins) he writes it down as Gough! So they obviously were aware of the name change to Fry but no one knows why it was changed.
My sister jokingly said well we are just all bastards aren't we! As it seems to be an issue in both sides of my family ... thankfully my paternal grandmothers side are all pretty easy!
Where's the who do you think you are team when you need them :-)
Blessings
Deb
