Show Posts

This section allows you to view all posts made by this member. Note that you can only see posts made in areas you currently have access to.


Topics - bugbear

Pages: [1] 2 3 4 ... 46
1
Cornwall / Two Bessie Peters - one person?
« on: Friday 22 March 24 16:40 GMT (UK)  »
I have two lovely chains of records.

==========================================================

The earlier one, principally census 1861-1891 tells the tale of John Peters (1833-1881) and Catherine Spriddell (1839-1892), and their 4 children (Emma b1861, John Henry b1865, Bessie b1872, Frederick Charles b1874). The children's DOBs are from GRO records.

Everybody except Catherine (born St Kew) was born and lived in St Austell. John Peters (engineman) died in a boiler explosion in 1881; Catherine then became a grocer, and died in turn in 1892, leaving an estate of £90, with Bessie as executor. Bessie shows in both the censuses 1881-1891 after her birth.

Census cites; Class: Rg 9; Piece: 1548; Folio: 103; Page: 15; GSU roll: 542829, Class: RG10; Piece: 2265; Folio: 40; Page: 17; GSU roll: 834883, Class: RG12; Piece: 1823; Folio: 31; Page: 12; GSU roll: 6096933.

John and Catherine's marriage (1 May 1859) doesn't show in FreeBMD, but is on familysearch:
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HT-6XMB-VL?i=119&cc=1769414

==========================================================

The second chain starts with Alfred Edward Wyatt and wife Bessie having a child, Victoria Florence Maud Wyatt, in 1897. The GRO index confirms the child's MMN as Peters. They are living in Camden. In the 1901 census parents and child are at 2 King St. Alfred Wyatt enters the Colney Hatch Asylum in 1905, and dies there in 1906. His DOB calculates as 1868. I cannot find a marriage for Alfred and Bessie, and Alfred has proven hard to trace pre-1901.

In 1907 Bessie (now Wyatt) marries Frederick Amott (1865-1939) (frequently mistranscribed as Arnott).  The 1911 census (Walthamstow) shows a slew of children from Frederick's first marriage to Mary Jane Lillywhite (1869-1906), and one "Florence Arnott". Florence is a perfect match for Victoria Florence Maud Wyatt. All the other children show up neatly as surname Amott, MMN Lillywhite in the GRO index (pace transcription variations)

By 1921 (census) the family are at 108 Markfield Rd, Tottenham. Bessie Amott died 1938, Frederick a year later in 1939. Both were at No 108 in 1937, both deaths are registered in Edmonton, so likely both died at 108. In the 1939 Electoral register No 108 is occupied only by Frederick's youngest daughter Rosina and her Husband Donald Keep.

==========================================================

I think these 2 chains of records have Bessie Peters in common, but the connect is weaker than I like. The main link is the date - Bessie loses her last parent, and gains an inheritance in 1893, and Victoria Wyatt is born in 1897.

But there are problems. Whilst Bessie#1 is born and raised in St Austell, 3rd quarter 1872, Bessie #2 census ages go:

1901: 1873, St Columb
1911: 1874, St Columb
1921: 1875, St Austell

(perhaps she just preferred to age at 9 years per decade!)

So - do I have 1 Bessie or 2, and how can I make the answer to that question less ambiguous?

2
The Common Room / Marriage register - how big (for scanning)?
« on: Monday 15 January 24 17:08 GMT (UK)  »
I want to visit my local record office to scan some 1950s marriage registers from a church.

I think registers had been standardised by this time, and were centrally supplied.

Does anyone know how big they are (so I know what camera lens to use) ?

I've got several images (from family search and ancestry) but none of them have scaling item on!

3
The Common Room / Researching a beautiful london Actress... and failing
« on: Friday 12 January 24 14:28 GMT (UK)  »
On twitter, an account that normally posts (lovely) photographs from silent-era Hollywood published a photo of an English Actress - Julia James.

It also stated that "little is known of her" beyond b1890 d1964, and on stage 1905-1920.

"little is known" is a challenge.

A delve into the BNA revealed that in 1921 she Married Maurice Dollfus, a wealthy banker from France. FreeBMD confirmed the marriage.

Another article reported that in 1909 she (and her mother) was robbed of £1,500 in jewelry, (£147,000 in current terms). More importantly, the article gave an address; 52, Bloomsbury St.

Optimistically, I used FindMyPast to do an address search, and got a hit! Since I don't have a current FindMyPast sub, I got the Census from Ances*y.

This listed a mother, a brother and a sister, as well as Julia Herself.

I can find no other UK records for any of the 4. I strongly suspect a name change.

Can anyone do better? To provide motivation, I attach her portrait, from 1912 (she was 20).


4
The Common Room / Brightsolid - British Newspaper Archive/FindMyPast - New year Offers?
« on: Thursday 11 January 24 16:00 GMT (UK)  »
Anybody seen/had anything? I'm an ex-subscriber of both, but I've had nothing in their emails.

They used to do offers in the new year...

5
London and Middlesex / Missing Charles Gandar in 1861
« on: Friday 29 September 23 12:21 BST (UK)  »
I have several records for Charles Buck Gandar (1814-1886), including his children being born in Kenningon.

I have found newspaper records stating he acquired the License of the Lord Holland Tavern, Holland Street, South Lambeth in 1852 and it was transferred from him in September 1861.

So I very much expect him to be at (or very near) the Lord Holland Tavern for the 1861 census.

But I can't find the entry.

Is this one of the missing censuses, or am I just bad at searching?

I've tried Anc*y and FindMyPast to no avail.

6
Handwriting Deciphering & Recognition / 1766 occupation "Greave"?
« on: Friday 18 August 23 10:41 BST (UK)  »
I have an apprentice record of 1766 (on Anc*y).

I cannot make out (or understand) what the master's job is. It seems to say "Greave", which I know from too much of my youth playing Dungeons and Dragons is a piece of leg armour.

Anc*y record link: https://www.ancestry.co.uk/discoveryui-content/view/20886:1851

It may be relevant that in an 1815 Enclosure map of Kenninghall, a "John Foster" appear to own a substantial amount of land - around 80 acres.

EDIT; I included the "Irwin" record because I thought it was the same occupation as the Foster one

7
Ancestral Family Tree DNA Testing / Still a lot of ignorance out there
« on: Tuesday 27 June 23 08:42 BST (UK)  »
This story has been doing the rounds, of (yet another) married couple who discover they're "cousins".

TL;DR DNA match at 62 cM, they're definitely NOT first cousins.

And yet the wife was "sick to her stomach"  ???

https://www.joe.co.uk/life/wife-was-sick-to-her-stomach-when-she-discovered-husband-of-17-years-is-her-cousin-398301


8
One of my SO's direct ancestors is Sarah Ann West (b1836 Bethnal Green). (her marriage was discussed here 9 years (!!!!) ago: https://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=675926.0).

After William Cole died in 1884, I lose track of her. I have a very dubious census record for 1891 (RG12/187/112 p4).

But other than that, nothing after 1881. No Census, no unambiguous Death, nothing.

But I knew (from a family letter obtained from a cousin of SO) that she was buried at Tottenham Cemetery, as were her daughter (Jessie Amelia Cole) and Son in law (John Thomas Bice).

So in 2020 I contacted the organisation that runs the cemetery (found via this thread

https://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=838333.0

)

I got no reply, but assuming COVID has caused that, I asked again in May 2023.

And got a reply.

Sarah Ann Cole was indeed buried there - in 1923 (along with the two Bices).

Acting on this, I went to FindMyPast (via my local library) and found her clearly in the 1921 Census. Yay!

But I'm still missing convincing census records between 1881 and 1921, and I've tried Ancestry and FindMyPast (who have different transcriptions). No luck.

Can anyone do better?

 

9
The Common Room / Emma Constance Womack - where in 1911, 1921?
« on: Monday 12 June 23 10:55 BST (UK)  »
I have a great Aunt; She was born in Kenninghall, Norfolk 1882, then lived in Ovington, Norfolk until at least 1903. She shows in 1891, 1901 Census.

From 1916-1918 she served with the YMCA in Rouen.

She did a Social Study testamur at Bristol University, 1919-1921, and then from 1922-1938 she was in charge of personnel/welfare/sports at Grouts silk factory, Great Yarmouth.

In 1928 she travelled to Australia, most likely to visit her sister, Helen Beatrice Womack, who married an Australian. Her brother, George Edward Womack had travelled to Aus in 1908, stayed, joined the Australian Army in 1914, and died at Gallipolli.

All very nice, educated middle class.

But I can't find Emma Constance Womack in the England 1911 Census, nor the England 1921.

I have a World Sub to FindMyPast, and have looked at Australian Records, and can't see here there either.

So - can anyone find her?

All very middle class, well meaning, educated.

Pages: [1] 2 3 4 ... 46