Hi Everyone,
This is my first post on RootsChat which I have to say I wish I'd discovered earlier. I am a Brit, born and raised in the Manchester area, and now living in South Carolina, USA. A few years ago I started to research my family history as I never met either of my Grandfathers and was curious about my roots. My Mother’s side of the family is all in the Manchester/Wigan area and I have been able to successfully research them back to the 1840’s.
My Father’s side of the family is not so straightforward. The only real information I have to go on is an old letter written by my Uncle, who was 13 years older than my Dad. The letter was very helpful as a start point but obviously left me with many questions. Unfortunately both my Father and Uncle have now passed so it's impossible to get any more details.
My Dad’s family roots are in the Essex/London area and my Grandmother was Ethel Emily Bailey (m.s. Daniels) who was born in 1892 in the district of St. Saviours in London. Her birth certificate states that her Mother’s maiden surname was Lowe, however I can find no record of a marriage between Daniels and Lowe. According to my Uncle’s letter she had a brother, whom he describes as Uncle Alf. The only record I can find that fits for an Alfred Daniels is actually Horace Alfred R Daniels born in 1899. On his birth certificate from the district of St. Olave, Southwark, London the parents first names are a match and the fathers occupation seems to be a reasonable match too. The Mother’s Maiden surname listed is Blow.
The letter does also name Uncle Alf’s wife, Violet, and that he had 3 children, the first of which was named Leonard. Based on the name Horace Alfred R Daniels, I have been able to find records for his wife and children that all fit and I am waiting on some additional certificates from the GRO to double check the names etc.
So being quite new to this my question is this. Based on the experience within the group does it seem likely that the maiden surname listed on my Grandmother’s birth certificate is simply a misspelling (Lowe v Blow) and that I can confidently move forward to follow the surname Blow? Or are there other things you suggest I check beforehand?
Thanks in advance for any help!!