changing surname

[Jean McGurn]

Still, all is not lost, I have been told that my Croxall's did originate in Staffordshire/Derbyshire so maybe I have a connection with the Walter who's birth certificate arrived today.

I once sent off for a birth certificate and discovered it wasn't the one I wanted.  However many months later I discovered that the father of the child was indeed related to my branch.

He turned out to be a brother I never knew existed. So don't despair Helen, you may have opened a branch line.

Jean

 

[Helen1955]

Oh Jean don't I know it!

Last year after searching for my maternal Grandmother's birth records I sent off for the only certificate that seemed to fit only to find when it arrived that all the details on it; fathers name, maiden name etc was wrong.

So, I put it away and then 8 months later, after approaching the same birth from a different angle I realised it had been my Grandmother's certificate all along. Her mother, my Great Grandmother had not been married to the man my Grandmother thought was her father when my Grandmother was born!

To cover up my Grandmother's illegitimacy her Mother had given her Fathers name instead of the real Fathers and her Mother's maiden name as her own.

In any case although £7 for a certificate is a lot of money to "waste" I feel that if it stops me wasting my valuable time researching the wrong line then it is no waste at all.

I have just realised you posted your message at 5.37am looks like you not wasting anytime sleeping!!

Helen

[angelan]

Hello again Helen

Have been in touch with you before due to our shared Croxall Connection (William Croxall and Elizabeth Scattergood) Have only just come across this thread today.

I have just had a look for a birth registration for Walter but was also unable to find this. I tried Croxall and Cross which I'm sure you also tried. I know that Croxall was regularly mis-spelled.

It's possible that Walter's birth registration may have been difficult to read or transcribed incorrectly. I have had this happen before. It took me such a long time to find my grandfather's birth certificate. Eventually I found him on freebmd with the final 2 letters of his surname missing, so I assume this part of his name must have been unreadable on the original registration document.

Hope you are making progress now that you have located the correct Croxalls

Angela

[Helen1955]

Hi Angela

I haven't done much family history research recently, we have been away on holiday.

I am off to Chard next weekend to do a bit on Charles Cross, father of John Charles Cross and therefore grandfather of Walter and his siblings.

Census returns indicate Charles Cross came from the Chard/Winsham area and I am trying to work out why an Ag Lab and son of a small farmer should become an engineer in Redditch.

Chard has links to early powered flight, a local landowner set up a workshop to make airplanes. It was quite important in the area so I want to access the archives and see if I can find any record of Charles.

Keep your fingers crossed, I'll let you know how I get on.

Helen

[Gatacre]

In the 1891 census of St Stephen's Parish. Redditch  at
8 Prospect Road I have found the following family.  I do hope this is the one you seek

Baby Cross   age 1/12 Daur
John Charles Cross Head age 33 Machinist
Maria Cross Wife   age 32
Henry son age 13 Scholar
Charles Edward son age 11 Scholar
Fred son age 9 Scholar
Frank son age 7  Scholar
WALTER son age 5 Scholar
Effie  daur age 2

All born Redditch        Worcestershire

[Gatacre]

Sorry, I now realize that you must have the 1891 census return .  I note that the father John Charles is a Machinist which is not a skilled job of work and many people changed their occupations.

[GEORGE SAINT]

i have a miles stable in my family history born 1806 on igi, it show him as stable, in 1841 census as Myles stable, and in 1851 as Myles stables he had me pulling my hair out, (if i had any lol) what i think happened very few could read or write, even those who wrote the census in some cases only had the barest of education specially in the rural districts, miles became Myles and stable became stables (which you would agree is a easy mistake to make) so his kin went with the name stables surnames changes over the years automatically. so i wouldnt worry to much

[Helen1955]

Thanks for that,

John Carles was listed as a machinist but we know his father Charles Cross was an engineer that owned a factory in Redditch, making amongst other things, harpoons. John Charles, the eldest son also trained as an engineer in some records but not as you say on the census.

As to the children of John Charles I have all the births of his children both before he married and after, a total of 11 in all, except Walter who's date of birth is given as 1886 the year his parents married.

What I and several other roots chatters are trying to find is Walters Birth cert.

Helen

[regross]

He may have been born before the wedding and registered under another surname, grandmother's maiden name etc.  It

 is also possible that he was "adopted/fostered " by your family and was actually another family's child. This happened in my research, I had my grandmother handwritten family tree with the date of birth of her sister-in-law. But could not find a birth for her or any child by that name in that year and those either side.

It took three years to prove Annie Clarke b 1894  in Shelford was in fact Annie Crane born 1894 Shelford.  Tracing her death under her second husband's surname, confirmed she had married the man we had for the her husband on the hand written tree, and both marriage certificates and her death certificate gave her maiden name as Crane!!!

She grew up with the Clarke family as their eldest daughter she too was born the year that the Couple married. She was my father's Aunty Annie!!!!!

Keep looking

Robyn in Australia