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Topics - DianaCanada

Pages: [1] 2 3 4 ... 11
1
Ancestral Family Tree DNA Testing / Brickwall Connections, DNA matches
« on: Saturday 20 April 24 16:06 BST (UK)  »
For many many years one of my worst brick walls is still standing.

My great-great grandmother, Mary Ann Lounce (her spelling, most likely it should have been Lownds or Lowndes was b. ca 1826 in either Mobberley or Knutsford, Cheshire (1851 census, 1861 census).  Through a lot of diligent research I have discovered her mother was Hannah Lownds who married Matthew Irving (later morphed into Irvin, Hervin) in 1827 at Manchester Cathedral.

I have not found a suitable baptism for Mary Ann, nor a possible first marriage for Hannah, and it has been hard to find a baptism under Lownds for Hannah as she has various birth years, but I think she was likely born around 1805.  1841 gives out of county (they were in Huddersfield by that point) and 1851 is very messed up, from my examination of the household, I think there are several mistakes, with Hannah's bp given as Wales.  By that point Mary Ann has married Joseph Ford.

I was able to connect the family as after Mary Ann died (1862) my great-grandmother and her brothers lived with Mary Ann's brother (half-brother?) in Huddersfield.

Using my DNA matches I have found several matches to a Lowndes family in Staffordshire, around Burslem.  I have four matches (technically 5 but two are mother and son) and my brother has one I do not have to people who descend from John Lowndes and Hannah Colclough (also appears as Coldough?), through two of their sons - two of the matches have dates that don't agree, so I need to look into that.

The matches range from 7-8 cM to me or my brother. 

Does this seem feasible?  I have looked at the matches other lines, and none even come close to my areas of ancestors (mainly E. Sussex, Lancashire, and Yorkshire).  The Lownds' line is my only connection to Cheshire and I have nothing back 7 generations or so in my other lines that touch on Staffordshire. 

Looking at the map I can see how a Lowndes/Lownds might have easily ended up around Mobberley from Staffordshire, not that far really.

Any thoughts or opinions appreciated!

2
Canada / Looking for Edward James Bentley & Gertrude Maria Woods Bentley
« on: Thursday 11 April 24 14:51 BST (UK)  »
Edward "Ted" James Bentley was born in Kidderminster, Worcs. on 12 Mar 1885 and moved to Canada and married (1) Plaisenterie "Daisy" Willis in 1910 in Toronto.  They divorced and he married (2) Gertrude Maria Woods in Toronto in 1924.
Family story says he died in the 1960's, possibly in Toronto, but no trace of his death found, or that of his second wife Gertrude.
He and Gertrude are on a voters list in 1935 at 339 Queensdale, York East.
Any help appreciated!

3
The Common Room / Death Certificate on FreeBMD but not Gov.UK
« on: Tuesday 26 March 24 15:10 GMT (UK)  »
I have been buying all of my direct ancestor's death certificates over the past few years, those of course who died after civil registration began.
Looking for Rhoda Kemp Errey (wife of Edward), b. 10 Nov 1788 (Independent Chapel, Heathfield, Sussex, baptism, daughter of James and Sarah), with Edward in Warbleton, Sussex in 1841 (as Rodah).  He is widowed by 1851 and dies in 1863.
Fortunately with her less than common first and last names, I was able to do some searches on FreeBMD and came up with Rhoda Enye dying in the right district (Hailsham) in Dec 1841.  Went to Gov.UK to see what age they assigned her, but could not find her under Enye or anything else remotely like Errey.  They won't let me search by first name only!
Would this mean the FreeBMD reference would not work?

4
The Common Room / Should I believe the newspaper?
« on: Friday 22 March 24 14:01 GMT (UK)  »
Trying to track down an Ernest Henry Sweetman, b. 6 Sep 1895 (1939 register), who married Millie Bradford in 1918.  They are together in 1939, with two sons and a possible redacted third son born in 1928, in Heathfield, Sussex.

In 1941 the eldest son is married in Uckfield, Sussex (he died in 1949, but probably has living children, so will not name him).  The newspaper report of 5 Jun 1941 says he was the son of Mrs. Sweetman and the late Mr. Sweetman.  It also mentions a brother Percy, who I cannot find in births but perhaps this was a nickname for one of his brothers.  It dos not match any of their initials.

I cannot find a death for his father Ernest Henry Sweetman.  I did find one of the right age who died in Maidstone district, Kent in Mar Q 1969.  There is also a marriage for a man by the same name in Maidstone district in Mar 1948.  I found nothing in the papers or in the probate index for either of these individuals.

Ernest's wife Millie died in Dec Q 1941, the same year her son married, but at least 4 months later.

Should I assume the newspaper was incorrect and that he was still alive?  Would the family have written up the report, or a local reporter?  A local person would likely have known Ernest was still alive. 


5
The Lighter Side / 2011 Census Computer database?
« on: Wednesday 06 March 24 21:57 GMT (UK)  »
I believe this is likely complete fiction but was just watching an episode of Silent Witness from 2020 and at one point a policewoman leapt on a computer at the Lyell Centre (not her own) and within seconds found a family in the 2011 Census Database! 
1) privacy laws protect the public from seeing this until ca 2111;
2) do police have access to this information? Assuming it has been digitized.  And if police have access, wouldn’t she have to jump through technical hoops to open it up?
Yes, I know, it’s fiction.

6
The Lighter Side / Immigrating and Returning Home
« on: Sunday 03 March 24 21:26 GMT (UK)  »
A number of years ago I read a book about immigration to the U.S. and there was an interesting section on people who moved there but then returned home.  Italians seemed to do that a lot. Of course, it would have been easier once transportation improved.
I have three cases I can think of in my own family (all 20th century) - my grandparents came to Canada in 1926, returning home to Lancashire a couple of years later, only to come back very soon after.  Good thing they did as my father would never have joined the Canadian army during WW2 and met my mother in England, and I wouldn’t exist.  My great grandfather immigrated to Springfield, Massachusetts early in the 20th century, only to return to spend his golden years running a guesthouse in Blackpool.  A first cousin of my mother’s lived in Australia for around 40 years before returning to retire back home in Sussex.

7
James William or William J. Gillespie was b. in Antrim, Ireland ca 1885 the son of William Gillespie (variously joiner, builder, etc.) and Naomi Woodhurst (b. Rye, Sussex, the daughter of Thomas Woodhurst and Naomi Oliver).  He was the only boy amongst 9 children and according to the information on the 1911, he should have still been alive, as his mother reported one child had died, and that was one of his sisters in 1899.
His father was born in Co. Donegal, Ireland.  Young James (1891) or William J. (1901), same age, so I figure is the same child, b. Antrim, all other children born in southern England, various locations around London, Essex, and Portsmouth. 
I have tried finding James/William with no luck.  I have not found a baptism or exact birth date for him.  I have looked at the 1911, 1921, 1939, Canadian and American censuses, immigration records, WWI records for Canada (a William of his age arrived in 1901 but no joy there either).
Any help appreciated.

8
I have a marriage certificate for George Hibbert and Mary White, who married in Saint Augustine Chapel (RC), Manchester on 19 May 1857 (although the top of the cert. has been filled in as 1853).

George, umbrella maker, 21, bach., son of William, labourer, of 4 Back Pump Street.
Mary, 26, spinster, daughter of James White, labourer, 7 Brook Street, Manchester.
Witnesses John (?, possibly Dolan) and Catherine O'Hara.

9
The Lighter Side / Woman as “Senior”
« on: Wednesday 14 February 24 22:08 GMT (UK)  »
When my ancestor Anna Maria (Pearse) Winch/Wynch died in January of 1755, shortly after giving birth to daughter Hannah, also my ancestor, she is buried in Alfriston, Sussex, as Anna Maria Wynch, Sen.  I don’t think I’ve ever seen a woman designated as senior.  It was handy though, to know it wasn’t her eldest daughter Anna Maria, as no age was given.

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