German British Subject

[Glynnis]

Thanks 'behindthe frogs'! Gosh, Ancestry is making a bomb out of those, aren't they? Just ordered it and will update this thread when it arrives.

Re: last comment, that's v helpful. Only thing no trace on British census prior to 1901. If he was here from a child he should at least be in 1851 census even if he was on a ship each census after that.

[jorose]

I'd imagine the name is quite easily mistranscribed, or have you found his wife there and she says he's at sea?
http://www.mariners-l.co.uk/UKCensuses.html - you might still be able to find him.

It is likely it is as C says; naturalisation was relatively expensive and involved a fair bit of paperwork (having gone through the process recently, I can tell you that hasn't changed!) and there wasn't a great deal of benefit to the average person, so many immigrants didn't bother.  Especially as at the period we're talking about (Representation of the People Act, 1884, through to the act of the same name in 1918), 40% of British men did not have the right to vote because they didn't meet the property qualifications.

[Redroger]

I would have thought that at the price of Ancestry subscriptions they could afford to give cut price certificates. No doubt they have shareholders to feed!

[Glynnis]

I have the marriage cert but it doesn't help a lot. Herman Maass lived at 29 Lime St Newport, was a Seaman M S, which I assume was Merchant Service, and his father (deceased) was Heer Maass, a 'boatman'.

[jorose]

Who were the witnesses at the marriage - they may be people he worked with.
Does his age at the marriage certificate match up with that from the later census info you  have?
Do you have Mary Ann and any children from her first marriage on the 1881 and 1891 censuses?

[Glynnis]

Thanks Jorose,
Witnesses were Thomas  and Mary Watkins who don't seem to have been family members.
Yes, his ages tie up. In the 1901 census he was 60, at his marriage in 1880 he was 40. At his death in 1901 he was 60 (must have just survived the census).
Although Mary Ann (Francis nee Bennet) lived in Cardiff, she married in Newport from the same address as Herman Maass. I have a feeling this was a secret marriage as in the 1881 and 1891 censuses she retained her previous married name of Francis.
In the 1901 census she is M.A. Maass. She was then living at 26, Harvey St, Canton, Cardiff.
In 1891 she was living in Canton Cardiff with her son William E, grandaughter Beatrice (Salmon) and her mother Elizabeth Bennett.
In 1881 she was living at 14 Penarth Rd, Leckwith, Cardiff with her mother and 4 of her children John, Bessie (Elizabeth), Mary Ann and William.
He may have been away at sea in 1881 and 1891 censuses.

[jorose]

Thomas and Mary Watkins (husband and wife) were the occupants of 29 Lime Street, St Woollos (Newport) in 1881.
This may have been a suitcase address - they would need to establish a "residence" in the parish, but they didn't necessarily live there, especially if Mary seems to have not told the rest of the family she was getting married!

[Glynnis]

That's brilliant! Thanks v much