Author Topic: Missing entries in the civil marriage index for ABBOTT 1839  (Read 3293 times)

Offline clontarf

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Missing entries in the civil marriage index for ABBOTT 1839
« on: Tuesday 05 June 18 02:14 BST (UK) »
The civil marriage index for the Jan-Mar quarter 1839 has no entries for ABBOT(T).  Every other quarter around that period has 20-30 entires for ABBOTT. 

Abbotts did get married in early 1839 because parish registers exist for them.  I have found the Abbott spouse for 8 of these parish registers in the civil index, so the marriage entry does exist in the civil register.  Just the Abbott half is missing from the index.  The index visible online is a typescript.  Looking at other missing names from 1839 Q1, it seems one to two pages of the original handwritten index have either not been typed or are missing.

Is there any way of checking the original handwritten indexes?

I am looking for a possible marriage for a Jabez ABBOTT to Eliza in the first quarter 1839, probably in London/Middlesex/Essex.

Offline avm228

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Re: Missing entries in the civil marriage index for ABBOTT 1839
« Reply #1 on: Tuesday 05 June 18 03:03 BST (UK) »
Did they have children in England, and if so what mother’s maiden name is shown on their birth registrations?
Ayr: Barnes, Wylie
Caithness: MacGregor
Essex: Eldred (Pebmarsh)
Gloucs: Timbrell (Winchcomb)
Hants: Stares (Wickham)
Lincs: Maw, Jackson (Epworth, Belton)
London: Pierce
Suffolk: Markham (Framlingham)
Surrey: Gosling (Richmond)
Wilts: Matthews, Tarrant (Calne, Preshute)
Worcs: Milward (Redditch)
Yorks: Beaumont, Crook, Moore, Styring (Huddersfield); Middleton (Church Fenton); Exley, Gelder (High Hoyland); Barnes, Birchinall (Sheffield); Kenyon, Wood (Cumberworth/Denby Dale)

Offline Annette7

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Re: Missing entries in the civil marriage index for ABBOTT 1839
« Reply #2 on: Tuesday 05 June 18 03:57 BST (UK) »
I suspect this is from the baptism of an Eliza Abbott bp.17/5/1840 at Whitechapel (born 29th April), dau. of Jabez Abbott and Eliza - Jabez a farmer.  I note he remarried in 1841.

My thoughts are that when he remarried 1841 he was indeed a widower BUT not previously married to an Eliza.  It looks like Jabez first married a Sarah Clemson Carter in 1835 - she was buried 16/2/1837 Poplar.

I suspect that he had a 'liaison' with an Eliza and had a daughter of the same name baptised in 1840.  There was only one Jabez Abbott who was a farmer and in 1841 he was living alone in East Ham with 2 servants.

There are only 2 Eliza Abbott birth registrations in the area in 1840 - one in June quarter Shoreditch - no mmn so illegitimate.   The other in Sept.qtr. 1840 Bethnal Green, mmn Boomer (and parents are a John and Mary).   Jabez' daughter Eliza may well have been registered in her mothers maiden name which of course we don't know.

Annette



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Offline clontarf

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Re: Missing entries in the civil marriage index for ABBOTT 1839
« Reply #3 on: Tuesday 05 June 18 06:41 BST (UK) »
Hi Annette,

Thank you for your suggestions.   Yes, this query arose from the 1840 baptism of Eliza.  And yes, Jabez did first marry Sarah Clemson Carter in 1835 and then Ellen King in 1841.  His daughter from the first marriage, Sarah Carter Abbott was born 7 Jan 1837 and was baptised at East Ham.

Because Jabez is the only one who is farmer in the area at this time, it does seem probable 1840 Eliza is his daughter.  I too suspect a "liaison", however ....

Jabez had 11 children with Ellen King, 4 of whom have surnames as middle names.  The first two John Venables Abbott and Ann Venables Abbott are named after Ellen King's stepfather.  The others, Ellen Sheriff Nicoll and Donald Nicoll, might offer a clue to Eliza's name.  Neither Nicoll or Sheriff appear anywhere in Ellen King's ancestry or cousins.  Since Nicoll is used twice it must have meant something special to either Jabez or Ellen.  But would Ellen have accepted two of her children being named after her husband's former mistress?  The simplest explanation for the two surnames would be that they are Jabez's grandmother's names (his mother was a Williams).  But no one else in his very large family has so honoured them; and I have seen a suggestion his paternal grandmother may have been Mary Ring (one of his sisters is Mary Ring Abbott).  On the other hand if Jabez was married (very briefly) to Eliza, I think it possible he may have wanted to preserve her memory in the names of his later children.

If Eliza is the daughter of Jabez Abbott of Wall End Farm, then I think she must have died young.  She is not with Jabez in the 1841 census or with her half sister Sarah who is living with her maternal grandfather, John Carter.  But I have been unable to find a plausible death - for her or her mother.

I have tried to find a civil registration for an Eliza Nicoll or Sheriff in 1840, but nothing seems to fit.  Jabez has acknowledged her as his daughter at the baptism.  Would he then register her under her mother's name if she was illegitimate?

If Jabez did marry Eliza then unless the original indexers of the civil register have completely bizarrely misread Abbott, the marriage must have taken place between Feb and June 1837 or in the first quarter 1839, which is why I am wondering if there are any other avenues besides the published indexes to look at the civil register.  First quarter 1839 would actually fit quite well with Eliza's birth in Apr 1840 if she is legitimate.  I have so far checked registers for Whitechapel, Poplar and 25 parishes in western Essex (including East and West Ham),  looking for the potential marriage.

If Eliza is illegitimate, and her mother's name was not Nicoll or Sheriff, then I suppose there is not much chance of finding out what happened to her.





Offline stanmapstone

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Re: Missing entries in the civil marriage index for ABBOTT 1839
« Reply #4 on: Tuesday 05 June 18 08:37 BST (UK) »
You could read "The Marriage Records of England & Wales, A Comedy of Errors" in two volumes, by Michael Foster. The study reveals the infinite variety of ways in which the records have suffered from errors and omissions.
http://homepages.paradise.net.nz/mikefost/

Stan
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Offline Mean_genie

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Re: Missing entries in the civil marriage index for ABBOTT 1839
« Reply #5 on: Tuesday 05 June 18 08:55 BST (UK) »
Unfortunately when some of the early handwritten index volumes were replaced with typed copies the originals were withdrawn. Several years ago the GRO still had some (but not all) of the withdrawn volumes, but they were not accessible to the public.

There is an outside chance that a copy might still exist. The typed copies were made around the same time that the indexes were being microfilmed; if the filming was done before this particular volume was typed, you will be able to see the handwritten version on film. But it has to be the microFILM version, not the more recent (and much more widely available) microFICHE version. But if the film version shows typed pages, there is no way of getting at the old handwritten version  :(

Offline clontarf

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Re: Missing entries in the civil marriage index for ABBOTT 1839
« Reply #6 on: Tuesday 05 June 18 09:49 BST (UK) »
I have just found all the baptisms of the children of Jabez Abbott and Ellen King, plus several of their marriages in the registers of St Mary Magdalene, East Ham.

If Eliza Abbott 1840 is this Jabez Abbott's child, then the fact that she is not baptised at East Ham would be consistent with her being illegitimate.  That impression would be strengthened if I could show there is no marriage for a Jabez Abbott and Eliza recorded in Q1 1839.

Thank you, Mean_genie for that information about the handwritten indexes.  The local LDS library did have some scattered reels of the microfilm version, but unfortunately Q1 1839 was not among them.  Does anyone know if the GRO indexes are included in the LDS digitisation project and, if so, are they using the microfiche or microfilm edition?

Offline jonw65

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Re: Missing entries in the civil marriage index for ABBOTT 1839
« Reply #7 on: Tuesday 05 June 18 10:30 BST (UK) »
Does anyone know if the GRO indexes are included in the LDS digitisation project and, if so, are they using the microfiche or microfilm edition?

LDS catalogue
Index to the civil registration of births, marriages and deaths for England and Wales, 1837-1980
Microfilms of manuscripts in St. Catherine's House, London.
The microfilms are listed here (long list!)
https://www.familysearch.org/search/catalog/47767?availability=Family%20History%20Library

Only a minority have been digitized, you will need film 506966 for March qtr 1839 marriages (not done yet)

Offline clontarf

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Re: Missing entries in the civil marriage index for ABBOTT 1839
« Reply #8 on: Tuesday 05 June 18 10:55 BST (UK) »
Thank you jonw65.  I will follow that up - I am a little out of touch with the local process for accessing LDS films.  Of course it still may only show the typed index, but there is a faint hope.