Surname Changes

[MrsLizzy]

Glad to hear it!  But I recommend always using a solicitor if you want the job done right!

 

[tarajobrien]

Thanks everyone

sounds very difficult (especially form Australia), will keep the advise in mind for when i win the lotto and can spend my days doing my geneology!!! (i wish)

Went to the library yesterday to look at St Catherine's Index and Elijah was alive in 1901 and on a daughter's 1912 marriage certificate it is stated that he is deceased, so looked between those years and no Elijah Miles is recorded!! Maybe his death was recorded under Elijah Smith? (or he wasn't really deceased at the time of the marriage - but writing that about your father isn't very nice - but she wasn't actually the age 21 that she stated on the certificate) that will have to be another day - any surname but Smith!!!

thanks
Tara 

[Jane Masri]

Tara, if you go here  http://www.catalogue.nationalarchives.gov.uk/rdleaflet.asp?sLeafletURL=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Ecatalogue%2Enationalarchives%2Egov%2Euk%2FLeaflets%2Fri2250%2Ehtm&lBack=-1
You will get information from the National Archives about changes of name.  Also if you go to the home page and type in. 'Change of Name', you will get a list of All the information documents on the subject.  Annoyingly, the documents cannot be searched online, so you'll HAVE to win the lotto.
Happy Hunting,
Jane

[tarajobrien]

thanks Jane

much appreciated


Tara

[Clincher]

I have read this with extra interest because I used to work in the Law Courts in the Strand, London where, amongst other things, deed polls of change of names can be enrolled and entered in a register.
As far as looking for evidence of deeds enrolled in the 1860s go, I looked at the National Archive link and came across this bit:                                                                      Unpublished finding aids
 Indexes and calendars to the close rolls, which comprise brief notes of enrolments kept year by year when the rolls themselves were compiled, or soon afterwards, are in C 275.
Did anyone make these available to you?
 

[Frances]

Hi Clincher,
This is very interesting to us, at it will be followed up at the NA as soon as we can travel there again. We did research before we visited Kew and when we were there we asked at least three people if they could help us. They typed away at their computers without any success. How disappointing that they did not find what you have. We did make another visit and found all the records we went for but on that occasion left the change of name alone.

Thank-you for this help, it is much appreciated. I will let you know how it went after we have followed it up on another visit.

Kind Regards, Frances

[Clincher]

I have no idea what C275 is or where it is but I hope it does the trick for you. It is described as an unpublished aid. Perhaps this has been interpreted by someone as meaning that the public is denied access to C275. But this would be an absurd interpretation if the documents themselves are available to the public but an index/calendar to them is not.
I have found in this genealogy lark that if I am faced with a labyrinth/mountain/maze of documents it's a good idea to ask myself how would the people of yore go about what I am trying to do and sometimes that line of thought will lead me to an easier route.
Just a final thought: not every change of name got enrolled so you may be looking for something which is not there. I hope that last sentence doedn't make you

[Frances]

Thanks for that Clincher. Yes we did know that not all name changes were registered. We are following a 'Family Story' handed down of course. In doing so we have searched every book containing the initial D at the FRC from the first hand written ones up to date. So far everything has been proved correct, and the person concerned did say that it had been registered offically. It is very hard to let this go, any little snippet of info just has to be examined as much as possible. Thanks again, Frances