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« on: Tuesday 09 August 16 02:18 BST (UK) »
Chempat
The marriage certificate only shows the bride's father's name and occupation. A marriage certificate does not provide anything else about the respective fathers. William STONE, if he was present, did not act as a witness, so I don't have his signature or mark. As I said in my original post all I have is his name and occupation of Labourer. I can assume that he was in his 20s if his daughter was born in 1899 (although she gave her age as 20 at the time of the marriage) and therefore search for him being born ~1879. Alice was a Farm Worker in 1916 so I suspect she wasn't at home. Both the bride and groom's residence is given as only Cheshunt. In 1911 the only Alice Stones, born between 1895 and 1905 with a father William, were in Essex - he was an Account Book Binder, and in Bermondsey - he was a Bookmaker, in neither case a Labourer. None in Herts, Suffolk, Kent or Middlesex.
Alice had 4 children, all identified, and she died in 1948. Her gravestone says she was born in 1899, so would have actually been 17 when she married, not 20. Her death notice gives no useful information. A search of Alice Stones with father William gives 528 hits, none near Hertfordshire, and so I can't establish her mother's maiden name.
The two witnesses on the marriage certificate appear to be a brother and sister who lived on a farm in Waltham Abbey, near Cheshunt, and not related, since through 4 censuses of that family there is no mention of the bride or groom. The groom (real name Henry Morris) amended the certificate afterwards to add Webb to both his name and his signature, the name of the two witnesses, but we know that he was trying to hide his identity. Family rumour says he ran away from home and 'joined up with some gypsies' hence posting on this site. Henry signed his own name, with an educated hand different to the Vicar, while Alice and the two witnesses gave their marks (in 1916). Finding out about the groom has been challenging since he was under the radar between 1896 and 1916, but I think we've cracked that one. I just want to establish Alice's pedigree.
Can you suggest another approach?