Marriage??? William FOXTON with a Elizabeth CARRUTHERS

[LisaRobinson87]

Hi All

I'm just wondering would it be possible for a couple never to get married and the women just to have taking the man's name?

I have a William Foxton with a Elizabeth Carruthers, Elizabeth as far as i know was born in Scotland and William was born in Staithes Yorkshire i've looked hard and cant seem to pin point a marriage for the pair and they only appear first on the 1871 census in Stokesley. I have there first child William born abt 1853 in Staithes i have yet to locate a actual birth record for him also, i'm hoping some can help shed light on this mystery.

[stanmapstone]

Hi All

I'm just wondering would it be possible for a couple never to get married and the women just to have taking the man's name?

It is entirely possible.

Stan

[LisaRobinson87]

The Family's really stumping me i've left them and returned to them so many times i've lost count

[rosie99]

Have you looked in Scotland for a marriage 

As for William (1853) It is not unusual for a birth that early not to be registered

[LisaRobinson87]

I have i've even tried various names i can only find them from the 1871 census also so the earlier 2 censuses they are missing also

[lizdb]

Lets start from basics - what you DO know.

Here is the 1871 census-
West Row, Stokesley
William Foxton 48 cartman bn Staithes Yorkshire
Elizabeth 38 wife bn Glasgow
William 18 bn Staithes
John 16 bn Stokelsey
Isabella 14 bn Whitby

How do you know Elizabeth's maiden name was Carruthers? Do you have a birth cert for one of the children?

[LisaRobinson87]

That is the census i have and i don't have any birth certs for any of the children i got most of the information from another family who has researched the family tree for sometime but no longer do it because they are getting on in years. There is another tree on ancestry who have been looking into there child George and on his death cert it has both of his parents names on, Elizabeths madian name is spelt Crudden and then she is also on his marriage record and her name is then spelt Currdas.

[lizdb]

I think therefore you have explained why you cant find a marriage to an Elizabeth Carruthers! There is as yet no evidence her name was even Carruthers.

I wouldn't take any notice of what an online tree says - unless they can back it up. Has the person with the tree obtained a birth cert for one of the children and it gives her maiden name as Carruthers? If not - where have they got the name from? If they have no evidence, then just forget it.

[lizdb]

Here is the family in 1881, so we can see a wider picture of who there is.

Arguments Yard, Whitby
William Foxton 59 fish salesman bn Staithes
Elizabeth 47 Hawker and charwoman bn Scotland
Mary Ann Beston 21 married daughter Fishermans wife bn Stokeley
Joseph Foxton 14 son bn Stokesly
Margaret 9 dtr bn Stokesly
Richard 6 bn Staithes
Esther 4 bn Loftus
Christiana 9 mths bn Whitby

Have you found MAry Ann and Joseph in 1871?