Help needed: Lawrence/Marks

[TracyL]

Hello .  Can anyone help me find information on my grandfather's parents.  He was adopted some time after his birth, but I do have his birth certificate.  It gives the following information:

Father: Arthur Day Lawrence
Mother: Mercy Lawrence (formerly Marks)
Child's Name: Arthur Aubrey Lawrence  b. 8th April 1905
Birth Address: Laburnum Cottage, Marsh Lane, Erdington
Registered by mother, living at 1 Aylesford Street, Leamington

I have access to Ancestry.co and have been unable to track down a marriage or indeed anyone called Arthur Day Lawrence.  There are two Mercy Marks in the area on the 1901 census, but nothing to link with the above. Have been to the records office and still cannot find these people or a marriage! Could this certificate be a work of fiction?

Does anyone have any idea how I can take this further.  Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.
Tracy

[jim1]

Hello Tracy
Firstly, welcome to Rootschat.
Looking at your family I think you are partly right when you ask if it's a work of fiction.I doubt if these two were ever married.It seems to me highly unlikely a married couple would give up a child for adoption and looking at her home address it looks like a classic case of a girl being sent to a relative before she begins "to show."As for the birth cert. I think it was a face-saving exercise.
You say you have 2 Mercy's in the area in 1901,I only found 1,the other being in Hackney London.Mercy B.1880 Stafford seems your best option right age and some might say right occupation.
I have found a 'possible' in Stafford in 1881 but the entry is Muree Marks but it could easily be a mistranscription,this sort of thing happens all the time.You would need to look at the original image to find out.
As for Arthur Day Lawrence he may not have used his middle name so don't be put off because you can't find him.A clue is the name Day,it was quite commonplace for a child to be given its mother's maiden name as a middle name,so I would say there is a Lawrence married to a Day in the family.Sometimes we have to dig deep to find our rellies.
Hope this helps.Regards Jim

[TracyL]

Hi Jim

Thank you for your welcome and I must say I am excited to receive a reply!

Of the two Mercy Marks I found, the barmaid at the Coventry Cross Hotel does seem a likely suspect.  I did waste a lot of time on the coincidence of there being an Edith L Marks, neice to Joseph Lee,the Head, staying there in 1901.  This tracked back to a wealthy family of bankers (living in Hove in 1891). Joseph's wife was the link, being a sister to the banker's wife.  I believe the 'Muree' you found in 1881 is the same person as the Mercy at the Coventry Cross and she pops up in 1891 with her family but under 'Markes'.  Again I have tracked this family back but no clues as to her connection with Arthur Lawrence.  One strange coincidence, again, is that there are a family of Lawrence's live just streets away from the Coventry Cross Hotel, including an Arthur George Lawrence, and the mother's maiden name was Lee.  Have tried to connect her with Joseph Lee but with no success. 

The other Mercy Marks I found was from Whilton Locks, Whilton.  I think she was Mercy Beatrice Marks who married in 1909 in Daventry (but no real proof).

The adoption of my grandfather has alway seemed odd in that when he discover he was adopted at 14 he ran away and joined the army (lying about his age) using his real name.  The mystery of my grandfather was the driving force behind me entering into the family history world and, although I have only been doing this intensively for a few months I have made great progress on all other areas of the family tree, but this mystery is still the thing that I cannot make any progress on at all.  My grandfather died aged 49, before I was born, and no-one in the family had any additional information at all.

Apologies for the long and rambling reply, but I have tried everything I can think of to unravel this with no success at all.  I had really hoped to understand who these people were and what happened. 

Thank you for your help.
Kind regards
Tracy

[jim1]

Don't rule anything out just yet they may not be coincidences,take a step back and look at this again.Arthur George could indeed be Arthur Day if he is the right age.See if you can find a link to the Day middle name.This was his local and we all fancy the barmaid in our local.She may have taken out an illigitimacy order against him which may be worth looking into.Have you tried to get his military records?Your doing fine....keep digging and keep sending those posts.Jim

[TracyL]

Hi Jim
Thank you for the encouragement!  It is so frustrating to find so many little clues, follow them down a  path which leads to more clues only to find you've spent days chasing a red herring, but that's probably why this becomes so addictive!

I have tried to find a Day/Lawrence link, but with no luck so far. Finding that obviously depends on have the right Mercy and Arthur in the first place though.  I have also tried to find a birth record for the Mercy from Walsall Foreign who ended up at the Coventry Cross, with no success.  Was it common not to register a birth? Strangely, I have found several for other members of that family.   

Can you tell me what an illigitimacy order is and how I might find it?

You are right that I need to stand back from this and re-look at it - I have gone round in so many circles that I have probably lost the real focus!

Thanks for your help.
Tracy

[jim1]

An illegitimacy or bastardy order was taken out by the mother against the father in order to claim child allowance.Any records that exist will be held at the B'ham Archives here:
http://www.birmingham.gov.uk/GenerateContent?CONTENT_ITEM_ID=7298&CONTENT_ITEM_TYPE=0&MENU_ID=10468
It's quite possible the birth wasn't registered or the records were lost or misplaced,the system relied on the local Parishes submitting the records to the local Register Office every 3 months,they didn't always do it.I'll have a look at your Cov. Lawrences and see if I can find anything.
I've also looked at the Staff. Marks' and noticed a Mary born in 1880 and wondered if someone has the name wrong.
Regards Jim

[TracyL]

Forgot to include that Arthur Day Lawrence's occupation was 'Accountant' on the birth certificate.  Possibly more fiction, but was there any sort of directory or register of accountants in 1905?

Tracy

[jim1]

If Arthur was self-employed he may appear in a commercial directory,there are some online,I'll have a look.
What was Arthur George's occupation?Jim

[TracyL]

Hi Jim

In 1901 he was a groom/domestic living at Spring House, Kenilworth working for Williams Evans, 75, Retired Solicitor and his family plus several other servants. 

Thanks again.
Tracy