What is the biggest mystery in your tree?

[Bill749]

Hi Northern Rose

The most recent was my grandfather born in 1905 who was registered as Mitchell Henry Clegg and 3 months later christened Richard Henry Clegg. Nobody knew about his registration name until I had spent a year trying to find his birth certificate. Why did his parents change their mind about his name?

"Mitchell" and "Richard" would sound very similar to a registrar who was a bit Mutt & Jeff  - maybe whoever registered the birth couldn't read, so didn't notice the error.

Regards, Bill

[Bill749]

My biggest mystery will not be published until after the death of the individual concerned but, amonst others, I have these.

My family lived and farmed for many years at Napchester, near Whitfield, in the parish of Northbourne, Kent.  Since they were much closer to Whitfield church than Northbourne, all of their christenings, etc., took place there.  However, I could not find the baptism of one of my ancestors in the 1600s.  I had his siblings, and he was mentioned in the will of his father, all at Whitfield/Napchester.

I worked my way out, eventually finding a baptism that would fit in Barham, a few miles up the road.  There were no other baptisms for 50 years either way to indicate another family of the same name, so I was more or less forced to accept him as mine.

But I couldn't find his parents' marriage either, until someone pointed me to St Margaret's at Cliffe, a few miles in the opposite direction!

I couldn't work out why the first child would be baptised at Barham, but someone suggested that the first child was often baptised in the in-laws' parish.  Unfortunately, I couldn't find the mother's baptism at either St Margaret's or Barham!  So why were they married in St Margaret's?  Was she in service?  Where did she come from?  Why was the firstborn baptised in Barham?

I have included them in my history, with a note of caution, but I'm pretty certain I have the right father from the will of 1721, which takes me neatly back to my earliest known ancestor who died in 1622 - he has been my ultimate brick wall for several years now!

I have another ancestor in the same line - slightly later, who also married away from home.  Both parties lived in Alkham and he had lands in Northbourne, but their marriage took place at Acrise!!  Again, only a few miles up the road, but why??

Regards, Bill

[Comosus]

William Scholey born about 1841 in Leeds.  He doesn't seem to appear on the census before the 1871 and died in 1879, aged 38.  No birth, no baptism.  I've tried looking for William Scully and other similar surnames but I still can't find anything.  He just seems to appear from nowhere.  Also, I have his marriage but his wife's father's name is wrong (put down as John when it was Patrick).  As William's father was also put down as John, I have no way of knowing if it really is his father's name.

Andrew

[Su]

This one belongs to my sis-in-law, but as I am doing her research for her, it's just as much mine.

Her great grandfather Abel Swann Birch was born in Missouri abt 1840.  His Mother Mary Bearpark, met and married John Birch, Horse Dealer in Harrogate 1836.  Sometime after that they left for America.  Was John Birch and American or English?

On the 1840 Chariton Missouri Census, I found a Mary Birch, a Samuel Birch and a Washington Birch.
Were they related to John Birch?

Abel Swann Birch named one of his sons Washington Birch (my sis-in-law's grandfather) which is too much of a coincidence for there not to be a connection.

Did they go by waggon train on the Santa Fey trail or by steamboat to Missouri?  Somewhere along the line John Birch died (was he killed by injuns?).  Mary is next found on the 1851 back in Harrogate with Abel Swann Birch now called Abel S.B.Wallace, who has a three year old half sister Emma Wallace.

Did Mary marry someone Wallace in America?  Or did she marry him in UK?  I can't find a marriage.  On the census Emma is born Harrogate.  Grub kindly found a marriage of a Mary Jane Birch to a William Wallace in Chariton Missouri in 1839, was this our Mary?  Was she a saloon girl?  On the 1851 she is landlady of the Bay Horse Pub Harrogate, once again a Widow.

In 1852 she married Robert White. By 1871 she was a Widow yet again.  Was she polishing these husbands off ?

Where did the Swann come from in Swann Birch?

If only we could read between the lines...what wonderful stories we might come up with.  Meanwhile it's doing my head in.

Su

[GordonD]

One of my biggest mysteries in my tree is Francis Lauchlan born around 1840.

The first mystery is if he was the father of my great-great grandfather William. William was born in March 1869 in New Monkland, Lanarkshire and was the illegitimate child of Margaret Muir. The first record I have of Francis is when he married Margaret in June 1870  in New Monkland. The only census that I definitely have him on is the 1881 when he was aged 41 and living in New Monkland. His birthplace is given as Airdrie, Lanarkshire (the major town in New Monkland parish). He died in 1886 aged 46 in Airdrie. Both his marriage and death certificate give his parents as James Lauchlan and Agnes McGowan. His father according to these was dead before 1870 but based on these certificates his mother died between 1870 and 1886. Cannot find a death for an Agnes Lauchlan in this time. The only James Lauchlan and an Agnes that were having children in the New/Old Monkland area around the time when Francis was born were James Lauchlan and Agnes Cook  (but they were married  in 1841).  The closet I can get to a Lauchlan/McGowan pairing is James McLauchlan and Agnes McEwan in 1849 in Greenock but a bit too late.

Cannot find Francis, Margaret or William on the 1871 although definitely place them in New Monkland in 1869 when William born, 1870 for the wedding and in 1881 on the census. Also although Margaret and her parents (William Muir and Agnes Howie) originally from Ayrshire it is Margaret's mother who registered the birth and her parents are in New Monkland on the 1881 so missing her parents on the 1871 although think they should be in New Monkland (have searched in Ayrshire, Lanarkshire, Renfrewshire and Dunbartonshire for her parents!).

Cannot locate Francis on the 1851 or 1861.

Have got a possible 1841 census for him in Clarkston in Airdrie in New Monkland. The Francis Lauchlan in this case is aged 5 born in the county and living with a James McLauchlan aged 50 and a Jane McGowan aged 40 both born in Ireland. Also a Thomas and a William Lauchlan in the household both aged 10 and born in the county. There is a death in Hamilton in 1878 of a Jane Lachlan the widow of James who was a coalpit enginekeeper (as was Francis' father) and although no forenames for the parents the surname was McGowan and the mother's maiden name is Fuller. (The witnesses at Francis' wedding look like they have the surname Fuller so possibly cousins).  That death was registered by a son John Lachlan. Obviously he is not on the 1841 with the group that I have so he maybe older or younger than the ones on there.

Had a brief look for Francis in England on '51-'71 but nothing really matches up. If my '41 is correct maybe he was in Ireland for a time.

To complicate matters is the spelling of Lauchlan. I've used the spelling which my gran and her father used throughout this message but each of the brothers of my great grandfather spelt the name in different ways- Lauchlan, Lauchlin, Laughlan and Laughlin and what data I have found for Francis spells the name as Laughlan, Laughland and Lachlan. So do tend to search La*hl?n when looking and occasionally La*hl?n*.

That is one of my big mysteries. Others include where in Ireland my 'Irish' were actually from, the father of my great grandmother who was illegitimate and people who are elusive on individual censuses.

Gordon

[Matty]

My tree contains four mysteries two are in the same family.

Ellen Ingham gave birth to a daughter in 1844 Mary Jane Ingham -- no name for a Father in either her birth or marriage certificates.

Mary Jane Ingham gave birth in 1866 to a daughter Mary Ellen Ingham again no name for her father on either birth or marriage certificates.

Next is the elusive John Thomas McNutt born 1862 and on the census's from 1871 to 1891 then completely disappeared! no marriage or deaths -- the alien's have got him?

Then a family tragedy Richmael Smith died in a snow storm in March 1837 and "lies buried in a Tottington Church Yard" (from a book on the area) but can I find which Church??   


Matty

[patpat]

My mystery is my Great Grandad.. William HEDEKER he married Thirza Hoe nee Churcher at Fareham in Hants on 1st Feb 1889.
On marraige cert it says Widower, age 52 ,Sailor ,son of James Hedeker Shoemaker.
That is all i have , never found him on any census( so dont know where he was from), not found his first wife or her death or his death. He died before 1896 as he wife remarried.

[PaulaToo]

Probably no use to you what so ever, patpat, but I have two Thirzas in my tree, Thirza Byles and Thirza Smith her niece, from the beginning of the early 1800s, and a Hannah Churcher just a little earlier.
They are all from Southsea/Portsea in Hampshire. Have you tried searching that particular area? You never know you might find a family connection you can work from.

[d.weaving]

I'm not going to even reply on this one