What's your opinion?

[frenchdressing]

I've had great trouble finding my gtx2 grandmother but now realise that was because her name had changed on the various census transcriptions. The following might be a bit rambling but hope you've got a little time to read on.

She was born Ann Brown in Woolhampton Berkshire in 1829.
In Jan 1857 she married Thomas Elliott in Hamstead. This was 6 weeks after their first daughter, Eliza Ann was born and 3 months after Thomas'  first wife died of Phttisis in the workhouse in Westminster. On the death cert. she'd been ill for 3 years.
In 1861 the family, with 2nd daughter Francis Olive born 1858, are living St. James Westminster.

I then found her in 1881 in Sutton, Lancashire, wife of Alfred Jones. I found that because  I found a grandson I knew about living with her . Also,  her 2 daughters were married in Sutton.  On the marriage cert. for Ann she gives her name as Ann Elliott, widow. Nothing unusual about that (except that she was 20 years younger than Alfred)  but where was she in 1871?

On the 1881 census with Alfred and Ann Jones there's an Ann Prescott, stepdaughter, born 1870 in Newcastle. On the 1891 census she was 'daughter'. I couldn't understand who she was as Ann was still named Elliott when she married in 1875.

I found Ann Prescot wife of Paul Prescot on the 1871 census living in Sutton with daughter's Ellen Prescot born Newcastle 1866, Ann Prescott, 1870 born Newcastle and Francis Prescot born St. James Westminster 1858. Was she my Ann?

I haven't found a marriage for Paul Prescott and Ann Elliott/Brown but thanks to help from people on here I found the birth for Ann Prescott  and today I recieved the birth cert.
Annie Prescot's parents were Paul Prescott and Ann Prescott, formerly Brown. No mention of Elliott.

So, did Ann Elliott leave Thomas for Paul and follow him to Newcastle before going to Sutton where Paul was from. On the 1861 census, Paul is a soldier stationed in Devon. Were they just living together and passed themselves off as man and wife?
Then did Ann meet Alfred and marry him as by that time Thomas had died? The street address on the 1871 census is next to the addresss given on all the Elliott girl's marriage certs.

I don't think that Paul Prescot had died as there is a Paul Prescot, same age and origin living as a lodger in Eccleston, close to Sutton.

The trouble is, there are so many deaths for Thomas Elliott I don't know where to start and can't afford to order so many certs. even with reference checking.

I'm sure that Ann Brown/Elliott is Ann Prescot as on the 1901 census she has her grandaughter, Ellen Clarke, daughter of Ellen Prescot living with her.
Despite the difference in age, Ann and Alfred stayed married until Ann died aged 76.

I feel very fond of Ann but she's knocked for six all the stories my grandmother used to tell me about her family. There'd never been 'any funny goings on'. I suppose she didn't know although her mother, Eliza Ann must have.

Should I just leave it as a mystery and think that Ann Brown was a very liberated woman for her time?

Regards

French

[meles]

I've not been through the records you have quoted, but your research sounds spot on. And, yes - if my gg grandmother is anything to go by - this could have happened.

I'll follow up the details at the weekend and let you know if there are any discrepancies from your reasonable assumpptions.

meles

[frenchdressing]

Thanks Meles,

I find it quite reassuring that our ancestors could be quite anticonformist.

French

[KathMc]

I too would follow up on all of this if I were you. It is very fascinating (only to a genealogist I am sure) and I would take a great pride in trying to uravel it all. I have a bit of all that with my grandmother, a woman ahead of her times for sure. I do think it is a bit sensitive for my mom, so I keep most of my research to myself, but I do have fun searching for it.

Please keep us posted as you unscramble all of this.

Kath

[forthefamily]

Wow French. You should follow it up as far as you can. Ann was a woman who lived life on her own terms. She would be a great character in a novel.

mab

[frenchdressing]

Thanks for your encouragements.

What surprises me also is how far she travelled.

She also kept her close family around her. She grought up her grandaughter, Louisa after Francis Olive died aged 19. She then had other grandchildren living with her at various times and in 1901 she's living in Tyldesley, Lancashire, to be near her daughter Eliza Ann. In fact, she's buried in the same grave.

Alfred Jones was also a very understanding man. He took on a woman much youngethan him and her daughters and granchildrend.

I wonder what Ann looked like?

Regards

French