One last try... can anyone help?

[JenB]

I see Hilda 'Harper' was born in the 3rd quarter of 1899.
If she is also Hilda 'Wilson', this makes her exactly the right age at the time of the 1901 census.

Lily/Susannah also sounds good.

Jennifer

[jorose]

If those are the right extra children, then Lilian May Harper may be the one who married in Portsmouth in 1922, to Frank E. Colbourne - there are a couple of children listed on freebmd also.

If this is her, her husband died in WWII:
http://www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=2369554

Henry J. A. Harper m. Daisy E. Lanison in 1920 in Portsmouth - or that's how it's indexed on freebmd, I think her name might properly be Daisy Ethel Lainson (b. 1893). One child indexed on freebmd.

[emmsthheight]

Wow!

I enjoyed reading that and you've given me an idea for a friend's research!  I've never heard of Susannan being a pet name for Lily!  I wonder if I am the only one with an unexplained Lily appearing!

Thank you all.  I must look up my Christian names and see if there are any more mysteries I can solve!

Best wishes

Emms

[~Rachel~]

This is wonderful!!! Jorose - the surname Colbourne rang a bell with me immediately. I just went and dug out some of my old scribbled notes and sure enough my grandad told me his aunt May Harper married to become Colbourne... I can't believe how well this is all fitting together. Needless to say I never managed to find a birth for May Harper, it must be because she was actually Lilian May!

I was actually going to give up on this forever as well. 

[JenB]

Isn't it nice when things suddenly start to slot into place   

I wonder why they started to call themselves Wilson?

[jorose]

The navy record of Frank Edward Colbourne is shown on http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documentsonline/ - you may not want to pay for this details as it probably won't have anything on Lilian or the family, but just for completeness!

On Ancestry there also appears to be a death for a Lilian May Colbourne in 1986 in Hampshire, I wonder if this is her?

Incidentally I think the street they were on in 1901 is not 'Gledden' but 'Glidden Street'.

[JenB]

Incidentally I think the street they were on in 1901 is not 'Gledden' but 'Glidden Street'.

Yes, you're right.

[~Rachel~]

I really have no idea why they decided to be Wilson instead! I thought prehaps George JA Harper's mother remarried to become Wilson... but I can't find that marriage and in any case I don't see why George would then change his surname when he was a fully grown adult. I think it's probably one of those mysteries that will never be resolved!

Incidentally I found an Annie Wilson of the right age and birthplace - but she's listed on the census as being adopted by another family.

AND the best bit... just went through all the copies of birth certs I have and guess what... one of the Harper children was born at 6 Glidden Street! So that seals it!

Ahhh I love rootschat.

[JenB]

one of the Harper children was born at 6 Glidden Street! So that seals it!

Ahhh I love rootschat.

An excellent result