Francis Blake Harriet Hirst

[zeta]

Hi Ellyn

No hurry on the e mail of the family tree i know how these things take time to do.  Everything seems to develop into a project! And there is just not enough hours in a day.

What might be of interest to you and which I forgot about : -  My brother gave me a copy of a newly published book on the Burke's Peerage World Book of Blakes.  He gave me it about 15 years ago as he was interested then in tracing family history.  Well this book even lists my mother Catherine Blake (nee Mulroy and maiden name Johnson) as living in Swindon.  Which she did then until she died in 2001. -Well actually Woottton Bassett but that is part of Swindon.  I had moved her here in 1986

I have just looked for this book amongst my stuff as I have not looked at it in years - It was printed in the USA by Halbert's Family Heritage Copyright MCMXCIV and it is numbered 02372.  How my brother came across it I do not know.  Of course it will list only the name Blake and so is the male lineage but it might be of interst to you and open new lines of enquiry.  There is no ISBN number on it.  And why Burkes Peerage of World Books should want to list a load of Blakes I do not know!   There is even a coat of arms for the name Blake according to this  book.  It might be worth googling Burkes Peerage to see if they are still in existence as a company.  Anyhow I just thought I would mention it.  Mind you - you want to establish the link between Carroll and Blake.  After all your years of effort in tracing the family tree I am willing to  find out how I have a DNA and the results can be sent to you so at least you would know that you have been on the right track.   

If Winifred Carroll Clarke only had three  children, my grandad   Francis Blake and Catherine Carroll and another?  Looking back at the posts on this if my grandad had his name changed from Clarke to Blake in 1881-1911 census perhaps it ccurred around the time when Winifred's husband Philip Clarke was murdered in the bar fight - 1882 if I am reading these posts correctly.  Especially if according to the posts my grandad Francis Blake  put his fathers surname on his marriage certificate to Harriet Hirst as Blake perhaps that was the only name he ever knew.


In which case Philip Clarke may have been the one to change the name to Blake before he was murdered in 1882 and so one wonders why he would have done that.     

I am only deducing things from the posts so I will be better informed when  I understand the family connections a bit better.

All for now

Dany

[NorahEllyn]

Oh good point.  Since he wasn't born until after the 1871 census, I'm kinda stuck.  But since he was the only child residing with Philip and Winifred, it seems unlikely that Philip had any issues with him and changed his name.  I'm seriously thinking that Winifred was living with a man by the name of Blake and she did what so many common-law wives did in the Courts, she just used his last name for "appearances".  Of course, he probably absconded and as it appears Winifred either wasn't able or couldn't be on her own due to societal issues, she found another man who fathered Catherine and bingo, he was gone as well prior to the relationship with Philip.

It appears that Winifred DID have one more child, either by Philip Clarke, or even another man after his death in 1882--I know a child died by 1911 as she stated in the 1911 Census that she had had 3 children, and 2 were still living.   Yet, I've always wondered if that other child did survive, and she considered Catherine to be "dead."  Or was she in contact with my Catherine all along and knew that Kate had died by the time of the 1911 census?  It wasn't unheard of for home children to remain in contact with parents and siblings.

You and I will have to see what we can find!  Wouldn't it be wild to find another sibling for our mutual ancestors out there!

I almost have the pages done and they'll be uploaded today...of course with the time difference I may not get done before you're snoozing, but you can muddle through it all tomorrow. 

NE