Hi there
I'm hoping someone cleverer than me might be able to help me in locating my 3rd Great-Grandmother Meleanor WATTS (1828 - 1890)
According to census returns she was born in Creeting, Suffolk c. 1828 and I have her death certificate which states she died in 1890 in Holborn.
She was married to John Watts (born c. 1811 in St. Peters, Suffolk / death unknown). Although both originally from Suffolk, all the records I have relating to them since are in Middlesex (mostly Shoreditch).
I am descended from their daughter Clara Matilda Watts (1873 - 1953) and on her birth certificate it gives Meleanor's maiden name as what looks like PRIME. However I have never had any joy locating her using this name.
To try and explore this further, I ordered birth certificates for two of Meleanor's older children: Meleanor Eliza (b. 1848) and Gerald Massey (b. 1852). Interestingly Meleanor Eliza turns out to be registered under WILLIAMS and not Watts. Meleanor Snr gives her name as Williams, formerly LOCKWOOD. The father is named as John Williams.
Gerald Massey is a Watts with John Watts named as the father. On this certificate Meleanor gives her name as Watts, formerly Lockwood.
I think Meleanor Watts/Prime/Williams/Lockwood is the same person but I'm struggling to find a marriage record for her to John Watts under any of these surnames. My guess is that John Williams died and she married John Watts at some point between the birth of baby Meleanor and Gerald.
Obviously Meleanor is not the most common name - her children all seemingly name one of their daughters Meleanor so there's more of them in the latter records - but the original is still proving very difficult to trace!
If anyone can help locate a possible marriage record for John and Meleanor I would be very grateful of the help.
In case it's useful, their other children that I've managed to find are: Arthur (1854), Jane (1857), William (1865) and John Page (1870) - all born in Middlesex.
Thanks!
