CHAPMAN or STOKES or CHAPMAN STOKES - Family Mystery

[auntie mandy]

Hi everyone

I need your help - I have a mystery to solve.

My G GF Albert Chapman was born on 30th March 1891 (surname on birth and marriage certificates is CHAPMAN). (parents listed as Mary (Harper) and Albert Chapman).

My GG GF Albert Chapman was born in c1863 – unable to find a birth certificate.
I have found him and his family in the 1891 and 1901 census' with the surname CHAPMAN.
I have purchased his marriage certificate which gives his name as Albert Chapman Stokes (wife Mary Harper)(SEP 1882 AXBRIDGE 5c 8050. His father is listed as William Chapman Stokes (my GGG GF) (occupation Cutler).

My GGG GF William George Stokes / William Chapman Stokes was born c1837 – unable to find a birth certificate.

My GGGGF Richard Chapman Stokes was born on the 14th January 1801 (igi P006281/1800-1822/0254603-0254607/FILM 0821156)


It is my GGG GF William who has caused all the problems -
In 1857 he married using the name William George Stokes
In 1871 census he used the name William George Stokes
In 1881 census he used the name William Chapman
In 1882 used the name William Chapman Stokes (on son's marriage certificate)
In 1886 he married using the name William Chapman Stokes
In 1896 he died using the name William Chapman Stokes

In the 1851census William is married to Anabella – although they didn’t marry until 1857 !
In the 1881 census William is married to Mary  A – although they didn’t marry until 1886 !


Now I don't know if the family were
Stokes or Chapman or Chapman-Stokes or sometimes Chapman is a middle name and Stokes the surname


I have trawled the census' and have found the following entries for my GGG GF William
C1851 – H107/1936/320/33   - William Stokes (age 23, occupation tinman) wife Arabella
C1861 – RG9/1603/55/17   - Wm Stokes (age 36, occupation labourer) married to Arabele.
C1871 – RG10/2355/45/12   - William G Stokes (age 43, occupation cutler/grinder) wife Arabella
C1881 – RG11/2410/34/19   - William Chapman (age 42, occupation grinder) wife Mary A
C1891 – RG12/1920/141/38   - William Chapman (age 52, occupation surgical cutler) no wife

I have found the following :

Marriage references :
28th June 1857 – William George Stokes, a chimney sweep married Arabella Bruford, at the Church of St Decumans, Somerset.  William and Arabella were living in Watchett (JUN 1857 Williton 5c 543)

1886 - William Chapman Stokes married Mary Ann Winter. (JUN 1886 Bedminster 5c 1149)

Death references :
Mary Chapman Stokes       age 42    JUN 1895 Axbridge 5c 371
William Chapman Stokes    age 59   MAR 1896 Axbridge 5c 362

I cannot find a death reference for Arabella Stokes



I have found the following children :
William George Stokes   MAR 1851 Bridgwater 10 368
John Stokes      JUN 1851 Bridgwater 10 373
Mary Stokes      SEP 1855 Bridgwater 5c 410
William Bruford Stokes   SEP 1858 Williton 5c 362
Arthur Richard Stokes   MAR 1861 Williton 5c 384
Albert
Francis Edwin Stokes   JUN 1866 Williton5c 397
Henry George
Gowen Stokes      DEC 1870 Williton 5c 332
Hannah Selina Chapman   SEP1874 Axbridge 5c 595
Charles Chapman   SEP 1882 Wells 5c 518
Walter Chapman      DEC 1886 Wells 5c 49 [35]



I would like find the following :

The birth certificate for my GG GF Albert Chapman born in c1863 ?

Why did my GG GF Albert drop the Stokes from his name ?

Why did my GGG GF William continuously changed his name (bigamy perhaps?)



Sorry to be so long winded, but I am unsure of what to say.

Thank you for staying with me til the end, any help or advice anyone can give will be gratefully received

Mandy

[auntie mandy]

5˝ years on and I am still no further with my family mystery !!!
 
These Chapman's, Stokes' or Chapman Stokes are like the scarlet pimpernel.

     

[warncoort]

Where was Albert 1863 said to be born,and where were the family living in each census?

[LMFAO]

Hi Mandy
I have been having a look to see if I can help with your complicated family .Have come up with some ideas see what you think.
Your first query with regards to Alberts birth like you I cannot find it and I cannot find a death or other trace of Arabella.
 William George Stokes / William Chapman Stokes was born c1837 cannot find birth......  This is because he was born before general registration.In 1851 he is living as husband and wife with Arabella he gives his age as 23 c.1828
His marriage to Mary Ann Winter confirms his father
William Chapman Stokes married Mary Ann Winter 1/4/1886 St Lukes Bedminster. They were both widowed her father Thomas Winter his father Richard Chapman Stokes source IGI
Richard Chapman Stokes born 14/1/1801 baptised 8/4/1804 Saint Mays Lambeth father William mother Elizabeth.
I found the burial for  another child for Richard and his wife Ann
Selina Jane Stokes burial 29/12/1835 Congleton Cheshire father Richard Chapman Stokes [traveller] mother Ann Stokes
They went on to have another daughter named Selina Jane who married
George Burton married Selina Jane Stokes 13/3/1862 Mitcham Surrey his father Edward her father Richard Chapman Stokes [source IGI]
She was widowed and remarried Henry Underwood Coring 24/3/1873 St Johns Walworth his father Richard Coring hers Richard Chapman Stokes.[source IGI]
On census returns William does give Nottingham as place of birth and also Middlesex however  I think this is probably his baptism
William George Stokes Ilkeston Derby [which is very near to Nottingham] 5/9/1830 father Richard Stokes mother Ann [source IGI]

The family in 1841
West Gate Oil Mill Fold Rotherham Yorkshire
Richard Stokes 1802 general dealer on transcription birth place Warwickshire same for all the  children but this is not on the census
Ann Stokes 1802 Ireland
Richard Stokes 1828
William Stokes 1830
Selina Stokes 1836

It appears Richard died sometime between 1841-1851 as in 1851 his wife has remarried although again I cannot find evidence of it.
1851
New Street Saint Mary Newington Surrey
Josh Norris  1806 Wandsworth
Mary Ann Norris 1806 Dublin Ireland
Selina Jane Stokey [daughter] 1837 Sheffield

The Stokes Chapman name may possibly come from this marriage the parents of Richard??
William Stokes married Elizabeth Chapman 9/4/1798 Clewer Berkshire
   
   

[Pheno]

Hi, on a very quick read of the census info in your initial post it seems like when recorded as being with Arabella he used the surname Stokes and by the time he is recorded as being with Mary Ann he was using the surname Chapman and had taken 10 years off his age.

Maybe you can't find a death for Arabella Stokes because she hadn't died but had been abandoned.  Have you looked for her in subsequent censuses?  Was he maintaining two families?  As you suggested - Bigamy?

Have just thrown that in as it was the first thing that struck me on reading through the info.

Pheno

[paulvalang]

Hello Mandy

How far have you got with searching the family tree?

I am searching and am having trouble with William Chapman Stokes.

Gowen Stokes born in 1870 is my great-grandfather.

Regards
Paul

[auntie mandy]

Hello Paul

Gowen Chapman 1870 is the brother of my gg grandfather Albert Chapman 1863
Their father being William George Chapman Stokes

I have compiled quite a bit of information on the family.

Regards

Mandy