Searching Military records around 1894 UK

[janjim]

Thank you Max.   Think our man has made his story up on the marriage certificate. 
Jan

[majm]

Thank you Max.   Think our man has made his story up on the marriage certificate. 
Jan

Sorry,  but why do you think your chap made his story up when marrying  ....   MaxD explained circumstances where  the Military did not retain the records .....

I am sure that, just as in NSW, Australia,  so too in England,  that civil registration of births did NOT include any Surname for the baby,  until the systems changed in the 1960s. . 

So I am sure that in England, in the 1890s and 1900s the informant, if baby's mum, would give her THEN known by surname,, so  If married, even if separated from husband she may have given Greenfield or even a doube barrel name,  and she may well have continued to do so for several years.   Yes,  John Greenfield may have changed his names and birth info on official records,  but so far,  there is nothing to suggest that the info on the marriage cert for John would be made up by him or anyone else,  or that William and John are one and the same person.

JM

[janjim]

JM,
The whole story on Greenfield/Broadbridge is very confusing.  One side of the family descendants believes that he was always a Broadbridge, but changed his name to Greenfield for whatever reason.

Our side of the family, in researching, seems to believe that Greenfield maybe died in 1904 and that his wife Ada then formed a relationship with a Broadbridge and moved to Handsworth, where she had more children, but this time with the surname of Greenfield/Broadbridge.

We continue our search, and felt that if we could find more information on John Greenfield with the Army Service Corp at Aldershot, this might solve the story.

jan

[majm]

1881 UK Census

There's William BROADBRIDGE, born circa 1870, Fulham with his mother, a widow, at May Street, Fulham
 https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q273-7BH7

There's John GREENFIELD, born circa 1871, with his father, a widower, at Eli Street, Fulham
https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q273-7TGH 

To me, that's two different lads.

I cannot see where any of Ada's five children used the double barrel surname GREENFIELD-BROADBRIDGE.  I can see where two of the younger ones had Greenfield as one of their Christening names, but NOT a surname.

JM

[janjim]

Hi again, yes I have been going through Ancestry for quite a while today, and found William Broadbridge with his Mother in 1871 census.   Been looking at Greenfield too.
I have to disagree with you on the double barrel name, I have found all of the younger children born since 1903 with the Greenfield/Broadbridge surname.  The three older children, Mabel Edith Kate Greenfield b. 1895, Charles John Greenfield b. 1897 d. 1897 and Charles William J. Greenfield b. 1898.   Then there is a gap of about 5 years before the older children arrive starting 1903 through to 1911.     
The eldest child Mabel Greenfield, actually took on the name of Mabel Broadbridge, there is one of her books "Too Old at Forty" available on her life as a Missionary in China.

1881 UK Census

There's William BROADBRIDGE, born circa 1870, Fulham with his mother, a widow, at May Street, Fulham
 https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q273-7BH7

There's John GREENFIELD, born circa 1871, with his father, a widower, at Eli Street, Fulham
https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q273-7TGH 

To me, that's two different lads.

I cannot see where any of Ada's five children used the double barrel surname GREENFIELD-BROADBRIDGE.  I can see where two of the younger ones had Greenfield as one of their Christening names, but NOT a surname.

JM

[majm]

Where do you see the surname as GREENFIELD/BROADBRIDGE?  1911, it is Broadbridge... as I mentioned in an earlier post ...I can see  baptisms in  parish registers where two of the younger ones have Greenfield as one of the Christian names  but mum and dad are BROADBRIDGE.  I cannot see where the double barrel surnames appear on any registers ... civil or parish.   I see nothing odd in Mabel becoming known as Broadbridge when an adult.  Afterall it had become the surname of her mum when Mabel was a child.  I am sure  that happened many times in England for it certainly happened throughout NSW across the generations ... children became known by the surname mum used at any given time .... children's surnames at school could change from class to class, particularly if dad was no longer around.

To me,  the only mystery you have is simply what happened to John ... afterall,  you can find Ada and her children...  he was there in 1901 ...

JM

[janjim]

majm, yes I agree with you then, Greenfield definitely appears as one of the Christian names on the baptisms then.
In fact Probate records for the eldest daughter Mabel Broadbridge, appear as Mabel Edith Kate Greenfield, etc. etc. Broadbridge.

Yes I agree with you also that the bottom line is, we are trying to determine whether John Greenfield, her husband she married in 1894 was in fact still with her, (but changed his name) when they moved to Handsworth or whether she had a new partner by the name of William Broadbridge.

Of course it was Ada's perogative to give the children whatever names she chose, so obviously she felt maybe more comfortable with giving them the Greenfield name as well, to make life a bit easier for the younger children born to her, if she had taken on a new partner.

I think we are convinced now that John Greenfield must have died, there is one registration in 1904 of a death, but in Camberwell, London, seems out of the ordinary seeing they lived at Newbury in Berkshire.   Maybe he just disappeared off the face of the earth, as several other of our families have done.     

Jan

Jan

[rosie99]

Deceasedonline has the details for the 1904 burial

Greenfield - John
burial date 28 July 1904
location Southwark
Grave details and 5 other burials £1.50
Burial register scan £2.00

[jonw65]

Have you discounted the William Broadbridge bn c1869 who was living in Fulham with his widowed mother Harriet

1871 -RG10/69 f96 p35
1881-  RG11/66 f44 p17
1891- RG12/46 f132 p30 - William age 20 Railway Engine Cleaner bn Fulham

A question springs to mind.
If John and William were two different people, where is William Broadbridge in 1901?