1891 lookup request - Gurman

[lilirose03]

Hi z, thanks for that I imagine it must be her, but unfortunately I have no access to paid sites.

[z]

Hi

Sorry don't have a sub but maybe someone else can help although if curiousity gets the better of you then maybe a purchase of a couple of days could be justified - somehow

All the best

Z

[lilirose03]

Hi z,
I noticed on the site it said 15 free credits when you regisiter, wasn't sure if it would give them without purchasing a package but thought it was worth a try and it worked! I've read both the articles and it is her, in both instances having a falling out with George French's brother! Thank you so much

[groom]

So there is obviously a strong connection between the Gurmans and the French family. I'm inclined to go with your theory Lilirose, that the 3 youngest were George's children and that although Selina was pretty sure there was no chance of Noah returning, she couldn't remarry as there was no official proof.

As to not being able to find Noah's birth, it isn't that unusual at that period of time. Official registration hadn't long been introduced and quite a few people thought that having a child baptised and entered on the parish registers was the same thing. It wasn't until  1874 when the Births and Deaths Registration Act came into force which made it the responsibility of parents or the occupier of a house where a baby was born to register the birth within 42 days or they became liable to a £2 fine, which was a considerable amount of money at that time in the 19th century and roughly the equivalent of £100 today.   http://www.1837.com/civil-registration/

[lilirose03]

The articles are very interesting now I've sat and read through them properly, in both cases Selina was threatened by Walter Thomas/Thomas Walter French because she had thrown him out of the house. And it actually says in the one dated 22 July 1882 'the complainant (Selina) was a widow, living with the defendant's brother...'
that one in particular is well worth a read as it's quite entertaining!

[groom]

That must have been the Thomas who was living with them in 1881. Perhaps he was spoiling the cosy set up she had with George.  Isn't it great the things you discover about our ancestors?

[lilirose03]

I've never found anything this juicy on my own tree, I'm having great fun with these Gurmans!

Not too sure how I'm going to explain all this to my new parents-in-law though... I asked hubby if he'd told them about any of my findings yet and he said, laughing, 'oh no, I'm leaving it for you to tell them'...

In the 1882 article it says Thomas was accused of threating to beat Selina's brains out and he said he 'would rather put brains in than beat any out' - he claimed Selina chucked him out through spite because he told about her having a canary. Makes an amusing read and sounds like a bit of a storm in a teacup.

But in the 1885 article things sound to have become really nasty between them, she accuses him of threatening to 'do for her' in her front room with a large piece of wood.

[groom]

That will be interesting breaking that news to your new parents in law, as that means their name is not really Gurman but French.

I had a similar thing when I did my brother in law's tree. I traced his great grandfather Alfred's birth back to Wales and then discovered that he had been born illegitimate. His mother lived with her mother, who then re-married.  Alfred was baptised  under his mother's name and used that as a child in 1881. By 1891 he was using his step grandfather's surname and that is the name my brother in law has. So he has a name that really has no connection to his ancestors. He thought it was a laugh.

[lilirose03]

It can be awkward and a bit of a worry when you do a tree for someone else and find something unexpected like this, although I do always stress the point you never know what skeletons might come rattling out of the cupboard. I might remind them of that before telling them!

I wonder if there are records somewhere regarding the Comet? If the whole ship/boat went down? Or if it was just Noah, swept overboard or something? If he was still on the Comet at the time he vanished...

Noah was def on board in 1871 and if William George is George French's son as we suspect, then that only leaves a four year window as William was born Jun qtr 1875 so she probably fell pregnant late summer/early autumn 1874