CONNON Family - Edgbaston?

[Mountainman]

Hi Everyone,

I wonder if you could help me on this little problem.

My Great Grandmother was born in 1878 and died in 1966 in Birmingham. Her mother, Mary Ann Burns worked in a big house and "got into trouble" through one of the sons of the house. The affair was hushed up and he was sent off to Australia and Mary Anne received a small allowance to look after Sarah. (This is the story anyway)

When Sarah died in 1966, it was discovered that the name given on her birth certificate for her mother was not Mary Ann Burns but Mary Ann Connon. No father's name. She never married.

I have looked around for a Connon family in Birmingham during this time period but without success. Could anyone else have a look - new pair of eyes?

Also, was it possible to register your name in this way on a birth certificate when you were not entitled to?

Any info greatly appreciated.

David

[Manchester Rambler]

Two thoughts:

1.  It was definitely possible to bluff the registrar when registering a birth - my g-grandmother and her own mother both gave "married" names they weren't entitled to. 

2.  Could the name be Connor, not Connon?  I see that Mary Ann's parents were Irish, and wonder if Connor might be her mother's maiden name?

Rambler

[Mountainman]

Hi Rambler,

Thanks for the reply.

I'm looking at the birth certificate now and it's very clear (for once) - Connon!!

David

[Manchester Rambler]

I might have known it wouldn't be that easy!  Back to the drawing board...   

Does the birth cert give Sarah's name as Connon, or just Mary Ann's?  (I mean, is she Sarah Burns, dau of Mary Ann Connon, or are they both Connon?)  Not sure whether that would make any difference...

There are a few Connon families in Birmingham on the 1871 census who don't seem to show up in 1881 - will try to cross-check, and see if they've been mistranscribed.

Back later!

Rambler

[Mountainman]

The BC gives  mother's name as Mary Ann Connon , her daughter just marked as Sarah.

Happy Hunting!!

[Manchester Rambler]

Well, looking at censuses, the same people at different times show up under Connor, Conner, Connon and even Condon... 

Some are more consistent than others - probably the ones who could actually spell and/or had decent handwriting!

I presume this is Sarah with her mother and grandmother in 1881?

RG11/2998/85/25
7 Back 108 Dale End, Birmingham

Mary Burns  Head  M  63  b Ireland
Mary Ann Burns  Dau  U  27  Press Military Buttons  b Birmingham
John Burns  Son  U  24  Metal Roller  b Birmingham
Sarah Burns  G-Dau  2  b Birmingham

No inspiration striking as to why the birth cert says Connon!

Rambler

[jim1]

Hello both
I know I might be stating the obvious but it couldn't be the father's name could it?
Jim

[Manchester Rambler]

It might be the father's name, obviously.  (Although it seems slightly odd that she pinched his surname, but didn't name him as her "husband".)

It might be a related family name, or even one picked out of thin air to avoid bringing shame on the Burns family!  (An odd one to pick at random, though?)

Perhaps Mary Ann's birth name was Connon, although she normally used the name Burns - if she was born before her parents' marriage, for instance?  (A quick look at Free BMD makes that one look unlikely, I admit.)

But that's all guesswork, unless we can find some sort of link between the Burns and Connon families - if Mary Ann had been a servant in a Connon household in 1871, for instance, the family story would have started to look very likely!

David - have you located Mary Ann/Sarah on other censuses? 

Rambler

[Mountainman]

Good Afternoon Both !

The first mention I can find of the Burns family is on the 1861 census with a father Patrick and a few other siblings.
I suppose after they had arrived from Ireland.

I can find no trace of them in the 1871 census.

The 1881 census you have and in the 1891 census I traced Mary Anne working as a press worker and living in a boarding house and Sarah as a domestic servant.

I went through many of the Connons, Connors etc in B'ham but couldn't find any whose family circumstances were well enough to employ domestic servants or who would be shamed enough to send the son off to Australia - seems a long way for a " sin of youth". As you noted , Connon would seem to be Irish and there were not that many Irish living in big houses at this time!

Many thanks for your help in this. Not an easy nut to crack!

Best regards,


David