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General => The Common Room => Topic started by: jinks on Thursday 07 March 19 23:50 GMT (UK)
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I have been doing some research into my Step Fathers family (Irish Roots) and knew of the surname Levison so wasn't to surprised to find the marriage in 1906 James Atherton to an Ann Levison in Blackburn, Lancashire then I started to hit problems.
Ann was born Ormskirk circa 1872 but couldn't really find any good matches especially since I had found a Ann Levison in the 1901 living in Blackburn, born Ormskirk with a sister Sarah and niece Mary E Levison.
Mary E Levison is found in a later census with the Atherton family so that seemed a certainty that she was some sort of relative.
So at this point I knew that Ann had a sister called Sarah and niece called Mary, I found Mary E Levison listed in 1891 (in Ormskirk) shown as Grandchild to Mary Levison also on the census were two more siblings for Ann namely Michael and Catherine.
Michael and Catherine both later move to Blackburn
But I could no trace of a Mary Levison with children Catherine, Sarah, Ann and Michael also couldn't find any Births - with the same maiden name / year of birth
Then I played a wild card and got a hit on Lehane / Lehan / Leighan and other variations also more children were added Bridget and Mary.
I have took into account the strong Irish Accent and I really can't see that it is a mistransciption but a deliberate change of surname
N.B. Michael also uses Benedict for Military Service and Benedict is quoted as a middle name on his marriage!
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Looks more to me like a spelling variation?
Or an Anglicisation of the surname? To appear less "Irish"?
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Don't forget to use Livingstone too!
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If people could neither read nor write they were reliant on others to spell their names correctly (or incorrectly as is more often the case). This, I suspect, is the reason why my Sidgwick family from County Durham appear in various documents as Shedwick, Cedric, Siggsworth and Sedgwick. The latter stuck, and the family name since the 1901 census has been Sedgwick.
Another example in the same family is that one Walter Sidgwick from the Durham area appears in a census with his entire family (wife and several children) living in Stoke-on-Trent with them all using the surname Rainbow. Still haven't worked out what that was all about!
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Don't forget to use Livingstone too!
Lancashire BMD shows births
Livingston mmn Cannon
1863 Thomas
1865 Peter
Levingstone mmn Cannon
1867 Peter
Livingstone mmn Cannon
1869 Mary
1871 Michael
1873 Ann
1876 John
Levison mmn Cannon
1879 James
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I am not sure if these are your family. :-\
The above children have parents Michael and Catherine and you mention those names but I am not sure if you mean the parents. You have a grandma Mary.
I am now thinking these are not yours so will check a bit more.
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Yes, they do look very likely but I can’t see Sarah in the births or in 1881 with the family.
1891 3404/77
Sarah Levison 16yrs b Ormskirk is a servant in Blackburn.
There is
Sarah Lehan mmn Haren 1874 and
Michael Lehan mmn Haren
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My family changed their name from Raine (their father) to Kirby (their mother's previous husband who died way before any of the children were conceived) in the 1860s.
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I knew a whole family of Longbottoms, including cousins, uncles, everyone, who all changed their name to Long at the same time. Every one of them had suffered teasing at school, and the usual nicknames so when a young baby was due in the family, they all decided that he/she wasn't going to suffer in the same way.
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An acquaintance of mine adopted a totally fictitious family name for herself & the children after the husband's business went bankrupt & they split up. Everyone knew about it as they didn't move away but the new name stuck.
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My Great Great Grandfather changed his name from Dulston to Warren in the 1870's, and all of his siblings followed suite.
I think it was because their Mother committed suicide and their Father was committed to a Lunatic Asylum!
Presumably none of them wanted to be associated with that name, - but it made them very tricky to research...
Romilly.
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Ok I had better explain the Levison family who are baptised with Levingstone etc are NOT the family that change from Lenehan to Levison when I went looking for a Ann Levison I went looking for a Levison family obviously not realising the name would in fact be Lehane or Lehan
Census 1871 Ormskirk, Lancashire, England
Andrew Lehan Head M 40 Ireland
Mary Lehan Wife F 36 Ireland
Mary Lehan Daughter F 13 Ormskirk, Lancashire
Catherine Lehan Daughter F 6 Ormskirk, Lancashire
Bridget Lehan Daughter F 3 Ormskirk, Lancashire
Anne Lehan Daughter F 0 Ormskirk, Lancashire
Census 1881 Court 1h Church St, Ormskirk, Lancashire, England
Andrew Lehane Head M 60 Mayo, Ireland
Mary Lehane Wife F 50 Mayo, Ireland
Catherine Lehane Daughter F 16 Ormskirk, Lancashire, England
Ann Lehane Daughter F 9 Ormskirk, Lancashire, England
Sarah Lehane Daughter F 7 Ormskirk, Lancashire, England
Bridget Lehane Daughter F 13 Ormskirk, Lancashire, England
Michael Lehane Son M 4 Ormskirk, Lancashire, England
Patrick Lehane Boarder M 41 Mayo, Ireland
John Gill Boarder M 22 Mayo, Ireland
Thos Kerrigan Boarder M 24 Mayo, Ireland
Census 1891 Preston New Road, Blackburn, Lancashire
Samuel Houlker Head M 69 Lancashire, England
Betty Houlker Wife F 67 Lancashire, England
Thomas Eastwood Son In Law M 30 Lancashire, England
Elizabeth Eastwood Daughter F 32 Lancashire, England
George E Eastwood Grandson M 9 Lancashire, England
Annie Levison Servant F 19 Lancashire, England
Census 1901 Adelaide Street, Blackburn, Lancashire
Annie Levison Head F 26 Ormskirk, Lancashire
Sarah Levison Sister F 23 Ormskirk, Lancashire
Mary Elizabeth Levison Niece F 13 Ormskirk, Lancashire
Annie Dargy Visitor F 20 Ireland
Mary Smithers Visitor F 25 Ireland
Kate Kavanagh Visitor F 33 Ireland
When Ann gets married
Census 1911 Blackburn, Lancashire, England
James Atherton Head M 45 Aughton, Lancashire
Annie Atherton Wife F 37 Ormskick, Lancashire
John Arnold Atherton Son M 14 Blackburn, Lancashire
James Francis Atherton Son M 12 Blackburn, Lancashire
Mary Atherton Daughter F 3 Blackburn, Lancashire
Hannah Atherton Daughter F 2 Blackburn, Lancashire
Mary Elizabeth Levison Visitor F 22 Ormskick, Lancashire
Andrew was born in 1831.
Andrews date of Birth fluctuates between 1821 and 1837
Married 1856
HARDEN Mary
LEIGHEN Andrew
Ormskirk Register Office or Registrar Attended Preston RM/4/196
Children
1857 LEAGHAN Mary HORAN Ormskirk Preston OK/9/67
1865 Catherine - No valid Birth Register Entry found
1868 LANE Bridget HAREN Ormskirk Preston OK/14/54
1871 LEIGH Ann ARDEN Ormskirk Preston OK/15/73
1875 LEHAN Sarah HAREN Ormskirk Preston OK/17/2
1877 LEHANE Michael HAREN Ormskirk Preston OK/18/52
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Sarah the Sister of Ann / Annie
Census 1891 King Street, Blackburn< Lancashire
Allen Wearing Head M 50 Cartmel, Lancashire, England
Elizabeth Wearing Wife F 39 Lancashire, England
Mary C Wearing Daughter F 1 Lancashire, England
Amelia Pearson Servant F 22 Whitby, Yorkshire, England
Sarah Levison Servant F 16 Lancashire, England
Census 1901 Adelaide Street, Blackburn, Lancashire
Annie Levison Head F 26 Ormskirk, Lancashire
Sarah Levison Sister F 23 Ormskirk, Lancashire
Mary Elizabeth Levison Niece F 13 Ormskirk, Lancashire
Annie Dargy Visitor F 20 Ireland
Mary Smithers Visitor F 25 Ireland
Kate Kavanagh Visitor F 33 Ireland
Census 1911 Blackburn, Lancashire, England
Mary Ann Marsh Head F 68 Skipton Nr Craven, Yorkshire
Sarah Levison Boarder F 32 Armskirk, Lancashire
Florence Emily Marsh Daughter F 28 Burnley, Lancashire
Sarah Ann Carntley Boarder F 26 St Helens, Lancashire
Margaret Ellen Carntley Boarder F 20 Blackburn, Lancashire
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Michael Benedict Lehane now Levison
Michael was born in 1877.
Military Service using Benedict Levison 1897 and 1916
Married 1904
LEVISON Michael Benedict
HEARNE Elizabeth
Blackburn Register Office or Registrar Attended Blackburn RM/155/178
Name Michael B Levison
Event Type Death
Registration Quarter Jan-Feb-Mar
Registration Year 1919
Registration District Blackburn
County Lancashire
Event Place Blackburn, Lancashire, England
Age 39
Birth Year (Estimated) 1880
Volume 8E
Page 729
Affiliate Line Number 22
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1865 Catherine - No valid Birth Register Entry found
Is a sticking point I've tried all variations I can think of, even using the maiden name instead of the married name but unable to find i will keep searching but its difficult with the amount of variations used!
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Oh that’s ok then - quite a few similarities and an odd change name but thankfully you seem to have it sorted.
Perhaps the two families were related somehow.
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I actually do wonder if something happened with Bridget she died in 1883
Bridget was born in 1868. She passed away in 1883.
Name Bridget Lehane
Event Type Death
Registration Quarter Jul-Aug-Sep
Registration Year 1883
Registration District Ormskirk
County Lancashire
Event Place Ormskirk, Lancashire, England
Age 13
Birth Year (Estimated) 1870
Volume 8B
Page 548
Affiliate Line Number 340
that's when the family appeared to change from Lehane / Lehan to Levison
And we had a whole famiiy called Smellie that changed the name to Smilie so suppose its not totally uncommon just couldn't see why Lehan / Lehane would become Levison
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And Heywood thanks for the Levingstone Births etc I will be using them but a completely different Family So I need to create new profiles! Hence why I haven't removed them at the moment! A saying comes to mind Oh what a tangled web we weave when we practice to deceive!
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I have a family who changed their name to that of the maternal grandmother. I later discovered that it was a condition in her will - she'd been the last one of that name and wanted it to be carried on.
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Romilly that's one of lines I am thinking but havent found anything yet! I did think of the spelling / broad Irish accent too but Lehane / Leighan / Lehan to me anyway sounds nothing like Levison
My Step Father who started this off ::) was a Flannery so I've been made aware of the name
Ó Flannabhra which I might find as I move back!
Groom - I would love that to be the case ;D - but the money didn't find it's way down this line ;)
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I hope you*re keeping good records, jinks :)
Remember Michael Levison and Catherine Cannon
1861 2765/3/4
Michael Lehan (transcribed as Lekan but reads Lehan) is living with his Cannon in-laws.
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Varieties and synonymes of surnames and Christian names in Ireland : for the guidance of registration officers and the public in searching the indexes of births, deaths, and marriages
https://archive.org/stream/varietiessynonym00math#page/48/mode/2up
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I hope you*re keeping good records, jinks :)
Remember Michael Levison and Catherine Cannon
1861 2765/3/4
Michael Lehan (transcribed as Lehan but reads Lehan) is living with his Cannon in-laws.
I have removed from the 'Lehane's' Michael Levison born Ireland now has is very own Profile ;D working on the rest might need a strong coffee first!
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Now Heywood that is decidedly odd and I wonder why Catherine was still Cannon! Was he originally married to another Sister! oh dear, I'm digging
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The census shows Catherine is married but she has been dittoed as she is a daughter. Michael is shown as son in law.
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1851 2197/287/53
Transcription below but the name has Leigh then a squiggle - ends in ‘n’.
Michael Leighow 17yrs
Peter Leighow 15 yrs
Lodging with a Doran family in Ormskirk
Marriage 1860
Catherine Cannon and Michael Lean
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Cheers Heywood already found it and the marriage ;D
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When researching one of my particular lines a few years ago through the censuses (I forget exactly which one, may have been in Gloucestershire? or Shropshire?) I was amused to note the neighbouring family in 1841? had the delightful name of COCKHEAD. As I followed my line through a decade later the neighbours were COCKS. In future years they had the surname COX.
Can't imagine why they felt the need for change. ???
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This thread reminds me of a family I researched recently who also came from Ormskirk, though before Civil Registration.
Following the deaths of both parents, it looks like the Parish sent their children off to Bolton, which had a fast-growing cotton industry. There may have been financial incentives to the senders of "apprentices".
On the way, probably through some clerical error, the surname for all the children changed from ASHURST to ASHWORTH.
Ashworth is a surname virtually unknown in the Ormskirk records, but common in east Lancashire.
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This thread reminds me of a family I researched recently who also came from Ormskirk, though before Civil Registration.
Following the deaths of both parents, it looks like the Parish sent their children off to Bolton, which had a fast-growing cotton industry. There may have been financial incentives to the senders of "apprentices".
On the way, probably through some clerical error, the surname for all the children changed from ASHURST to ASHWORTH.
Ashworth is a surname virtually unknown in the Ormskirk records, but common in east Lancashire.
Just been looking at a Fielden family living in Blackburn, Lancashire ( A relatively common name in Blackburn so no surprise) but prior to moving there it looks like they could have been Fielding not sure yet still trying to working out if it just a corruption of Fielden or the original name was Fielding, before moving out they did come from Mellor (not far from Blackburn)
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Didn’t see this post before I made mine just now! ;D
My 3x Great Grandfather and all 5 of his brothers changed their name from Monk to Monckton (the latter with the occasional spelling variant as ‘Monkton’) at some point during a move from their village in Rock, Worcestershire to Wolverhampton and surroundings in the late 1820s/early 1830s. In my case I know it was a deliberate name change and not a mis-transcription or mistake because on the few occasions they go back to their home village, they go back to reporting their name as Monk and then switch back to Monckton when they leave.
It really is the central mystery of this part of my tree. I can find no reason as to *why* they changed their name.