Author Topic: Name Changes  (Read 3818 times)

Offline DRS

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Name Changes
« on: Sunday 08 August 10 15:38 BST (UK) »
Hi.  Does anyone know if there is a way of finding out about someone changing their name.  I have a couple of conflicting names on my family tree from around 1873-1897 and the only thing that could explain it is a name change, although we haven't worked out why a change would have happened in the first place.  Any suggestions would be welcome!

Offline stanmapstone

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Re: Name Changes
« Reply #1 on: Sunday 08 August 10 15:57 BST (UK) »
In law a person can change his or her name simply by using a different name with sufficient consistency to become generally known by that name, as long as it is not for fraudulent purposes. A change can begiven formal publicity, e.g. by means of a statutory declaration, deed poll, or newspaper advertisement, but this is not legally necessary.

Stan
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Online HeatherLynne

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Re: Name Changes
« Reply #2 on: Sunday 08 August 10 16:09 BST (UK) »
Have you searched The London Gazette?  A bit of a long shot but worth checking out  :)

Heather
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Offline Jeuel

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Re: Name Changes
« Reply #3 on: Sunday 08 August 10 18:40 BST (UK) »
You do not have to have any legal formalities to change your name.  You can call yourself what you like, provided you aren't trying to defraud anyone.

My husband's gt gt grandfather changed his surname from McCarthy to Carter between 1866 and 1871.  I assume its because he was in London and there was a Fenian (pre-IRA organisation) explosion in Clerkenwell in 1867 which caused a lot of anti-Irish feeling.  Not sure why he began calling himself James when his name was Dennis though - perhaps Dennis was connected with Irishness too.

More confusingly one of his children remained as McCarthy and two of his daughters married with McCarthy as their name.
Chowns in Buckinghamshire
Broad, Eplett & Pope in St Ervan/St Columb Major, Cornwall
Browning & Moore in Cambridge, St Andrew the Less
Emms, Mealing & Purvey in Cotswolds, Gloucestershire
Barnes, Dunt, Gray, Massingham in Norfolk
Higho in London
Matthews & Nash in Whichford, Warwickshire
Smoothy, Willsher in Coggeshall & Chelmsford, Essex


Offline DRS

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Re: Name Changes
« Reply #4 on: Monday 09 August 10 17:47 BST (UK) »
We've got a major headache.  We have a Henry Oliver Goldsmith Stowell marrying in April 1897 saying his dad is Henry Stowell (deceased).  Thers is no record of HOGS before this and the only entry we have on record is the 1901 census living in Poulton cum Seacombe, born in Bolton 1873.  Any ideas????

Offline jorose

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Re: Name Changes
« Reply #5 on: Tuesday 10 August 10 11:54 BST (UK) »
Who were the witnesses at his marriage?

Freebmd shows there is a Henry Oliver G. Smith b. Bolton Sep 1872 quarter.  Could this be him?
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Offline Jeuel

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Re: Name Changes
« Reply #6 on: Tuesday 10 August 10 17:42 BST (UK) »
Maybe HO was illegitimate but knew his father was called Stowell?  Or he might have been brought up with a stepfather called Stowell.

Have you tried looking for Henry Stowell in censuses - does the marriage cert give his occupation?

Are the witnesses to the marriage any clue?
Chowns in Buckinghamshire
Broad, Eplett & Pope in St Ervan/St Columb Major, Cornwall
Browning & Moore in Cambridge, St Andrew the Less
Emms, Mealing & Purvey in Cotswolds, Gloucestershire
Barnes, Dunt, Gray, Massingham in Norfolk
Higho in London
Matthews & Nash in Whichford, Warwickshire
Smoothy, Willsher in Coggeshall & Chelmsford, Essex

Offline jorose

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Re: Name Changes
« Reply #7 on: Wednesday 11 August 10 01:53 BST (UK) »
http://pilot.familysearch.org/recordsearch/start.html
 - there's also a Millicent Goldsmith Stowell marriage in 1908 which also lists her father as Henry Stowell. Similarly, no birth under that name.

Also interesting is the Robert Smith Stowell marriage to Esther Helles Goldsmith in 1870.

http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php/topic,471580.0.html
 - I see some work has been done on this family already. The same occupation between Henry Smith and Henry Stowell is telling; also note that there's a Henrietta Stowell living in the Poulton area in 1901 of the right age to be the same as Henrietta Smith in 1881.
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Offline DRS

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Re: Name Changes
« Reply #8 on: Sunday 05 September 10 20:16 BST (UK) »
Dear all, many thanks for your help on this subject so far but things have taken a more confusing turn.  We now have the birth certificate for HenryOliver Gould Smith for 17th August 1872 in Blton.  Father is Henry Smith, Plasterer, mother is Elizabeth Smith nee Orton.  The only marriage I can find for Elizabeth is to a Henry Smith Stowel (single L) in March 1882 in Salford.  Any ideas/help, pretty please???????

DRS