Hi All, I hope somebody may be able to point me in the right direction.
My paternal Grandfathers mother was born 16th Dec 1903 in the Stapleton Workhouse Bristol to Kate Sandford nee Beer and Ernest Sandford.
While trying to research her I have noticed that, interchangeably, she is sometimes recorded as Seaward or Seward.
This is what I have found:
1. She appears to have been registered in the first quarter of 1904 (Bristol 6a 207) as Seward.
2. Her father (Ernest Sandford) died in 1910
3. 1911 Census, she is recorded as Beatrice Seaward, living with her mother, Kate Sandford in the Beer household (Kate's family)
4. 1916, Kate remarries to William Martin and Beatrice is adopted as Beatrice Seward Martin
5. 1925, marries Clifford E Carpenter with Maiden Name Seaward (Bristol 6a 422)
6. 1925, gives birth to my grandfather Clifford S Carpenter and records mothers name as Sandford, also my grandfathers middle name (Bristol 6a 179)
7. 1926, My Grandfathers sister, Jean is born, mothers maiden name also as Sandford (Bristol 6a 123)
Kate and Ernest married in 1901 but she seems to have been in the workhouse by 1903, Ernest dies in 1910 and Kate remarried 6 years later. Could Kate have been ashamed of Ernest for some reason so changed her name slightly?
Basically, I hope someone can help me fathom as to why Beatrice would keep changing her name?
Many thanks
Pete Carpenter