Flora Marie Dorette Sophie McDonald

[groat]

I'm posting this in the London section simply because I have to start somewhere and London was where Flora was in 1905. Maybe the Yorkshire section would be more appropriate?

Flora Marie Dorette Sophie McDonald was my grandmother. She died on February 12th 1915 aged 37 at Mellor Brook, Blackburn and was buried at Blackburn Cemetery on February 15th.

Both her maiden and her married surname were McDonald.

She was the wife of John McDonald born around 1874 (I haven’t found his birth record yet but he had older siblings born 1872 and 1873). They were married 6th September 1905 at the Church of Our Lady of Victories, High Street, Kensington. Her address in the Wedding Report was given as St John’s Wood Park and her parents listed as Mr John and Mrs McDonald of Scarborough. In the BMD index she appears as Mary Dorette S F McDonald. Her husband (my grandfather) was in the army and his address for the marriage was given as The Curragh.

This is all the information I can find about her and her parents. No census records – no birth record – nothing prior to her marriage in 1905. With such a distinctive name you’d think it would be easy to track down her origins. Has anyone any suggestions as to where I might look next?

Regards,

Ian

PS I have a photo of Flora if it might help but I don't know how to post it!
+++
+++

[katherinem]

Hi groat,

What were the names of the witnesses on John and Flora's marriage certificate?

Kath

[dawnsh]

Hi groat

Does the marriage cert give an occupation for her father?

We should be able to find her in the 1881, 91 and 01 censuses unless her father was also in the army and they were abroad at the time.

Dawn

[lizdb]

In the BMD index she appears as Mary Dorette S F McDonald. –

no birth record –

So - have you found birth or Not? !!!

[suzard]

There is a birth reg on FreeBMD
transcribed as
Do*Te Sophia M MacDonald
Sept 1876
Kensington
1a 51

image reads (to me)
as
Dorette Sophia M MacDonald

(note spelling of "McDonald")

Suz

[carol8353]

Well done Suz,and there was me about to suggest how Scottish the whole name sounds ,and to suggest that Groat looks there 

Carol

[groat]

What an avalanche of replies!

I don't have the marriage certificate - I have a "Wedding Report" filled in by hand and intended for publication in the Acton Express. It gives the names of the bride and groom and their parents, best man, bridesmaids and guests, etc, but no details as to occupations or who the witnesses were.

No Lizdb, I hadn't found the birth record (but it seems Suzard now has!) - the BMD record I found was the marriage in 1905.

If Suz's discovery is the right one - and it certainly looks like it - Flora seems to have deducted a couple of years off her age at some stage.

If she was born in Kensington and married in Kensington, where might the Scarborough connection fit in?

I'm pretty sure there's no Scottish connection on the McDonald side of my family (John McDonald's parents were Irish) unless something appears in Flora's background. The Scottish side is my maternal side of the family investigated elsewhere on this site.

Thanks for all your responses - I feel as though I've got somewhere already!

Regards,

Ian
+++

[carol8353]

Ian

As regards her age-don't forget that it wasn't Flora giving the info to the registrar on her death,but distressed rellies who may not have remembered the exact date.

Carol

[dawnsh]

Still might help to get the actual marriage cert for names and occupations for fathers (the marriage report may not be accurate eg not using real names but names the fathers might be known by, my dad is known as John but his 'real' name is Walter). Then you should have a better chance of finding them in the 1901 census.

Freebmd

Sept 1/4 1905

John McDonald &  Mary Dorette S F McDonald Kensington 1a 460