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Hello could anyone help please with this.

Elise thought she was a Canadian called Blanch Olive Dallas but when she went to get her pension she found out she was not Canadian or called Blanch. But her name was Elise Matthews and she was from New zealand.

it turns out Elise had been adopted and taken to Canada. I belive Elise was born 31/12/1901 and passed away 1964 now i think she was born in Auckland,New Zealand.

I have a shipping document that has Elise as(Blance Dallas) arriving in London Elise is aged 5 and her adoppted mother Annie Dallas is aged 26 and a house wife.

now my cousins wrote to New Zealand for Elise birth cert and other info but they said we must have birth certs of Elise's adopted parents and her birth parents.

is there a way of getting around this ?. Elise daughter is now 70 years old and i would love to be able to get some info for her.

Elise as(Blance Dallas) arriving in London Elise is aged 5 and her adoppted mother Annie Dallas is aged 26 and a house wife.

<<When was that?

UK Incoming Passenger Lists, 1878-1960
about Mrs Annie Dallas
Name: Mrs Annie Dallas
Birth Date: abt 1880
Age: 26
Port of Departure: Wellington, New Zealand
Arrival Date: 9 Nov 1906
Port of Arrival: London, England
Ports of Voyage: Wellington, Montevideo and Tenerife
Ship Name: Rimutaka
Search Ship Database: View the 'Rimutaka' in the 'Passenger Ships and Images' database
Shipping Line: New Zealand Shipping Company Ltd
Official Number: 111355

Blanche was with her - aged 5.


Dea x

Just trying to find it on the form Minnie

Yes Dea that is the one very sorry everyone i am very slow was just double checking.

Elise full date of birth is 31/12/1901

Strange!! - They appear to be both marked as 'Scottish' on the Ships document?

Did they remain in the UK - If so, in what area?

Dea x

From what im told she goes to live with Annie in Canada then later in her life Elise lives in Yorkshire my mum says she can always remember Elise shouting its only me mar when she would vist Eliza Stirk. I will try and tell you how we come across Elise Matthews on my tree.

My mums uncle Arthur Benn was married to Elise Matthews and they had a daughter but then divorced. Then Arthur married my Dads mum you still with me lol i used to call Arthur my grandad but he was my mums uncle. I call Arthur and Elise's daughter my auntie who is now 70 and wants to find out a bit on her mum.

Also i think Arthur meets Elise in Canada as Arthur went across the United States and Canada playing oh downs. i always remember as a kid
a fiddle on the wall i thought it was ornamental. but it was Arthur's I have been told he would play it at christmas i never saw him play it as we never went over christmas day.

Did they marry in Canada ? Cant find a marriage in England/Wales of Arthur Benn to Blanche Olive Dallas -nor can I find a death c1965 of Elise Benn -did she marry again after the divorce?

Found the birth of the daughter 1939 Mar Q Leeds North mothers maiden name Dallas so Elise was getting on a bit when the daughter was born -is there a possibility she was married before she married Arthur?

Im told she died here(Leeds,Yorkshire) of a brain haemorrhage.
she is down as Blanch Olive Benn age 62, Leeds , October.

I will have to order her death cert as shouldnt she of been buried under Elise Matthews. And she must of still been married to Arthur Benn.

I have also just found a Annie Dallas working as a servant in London Clapham aged 23 where it says where born: CANADA. So they must stay in London for a bit as Annie has a job. And thats on the 1901 census.

Findmypast passenger list 1890 shows a-

Blanche Dallas bn abt 1860 sailing from London Port to Wellington NZ,maybe there is a connection with names?

You will need to see full information for details with credits.

An Elsie Mathews also sailed to Philadelphia aged abt 4 showing on the same trip and time,
Mathews,John bn abt 1875,
Mathews Terence bn abt 1879.
Mathews Chas bn abt 1895.



No females names show on same trip.

Thank you for that Kay I will looking into that

Annie Dallas is 23 and single in 1901 when she is working as a servant in London.
Then as MRS Annie Dallas she is with Miss Blanche Dallas arriving 9/11/1906 London from Wellington New zealand
And 15/4/1911 as just Annie Dallas she arrived Liverpool from Canada
Is there no husband in evidence?
If not how was she able to afford all these passages? And be allowed to adopt a child?
Was the Blanche Dallas b 1860 her mother? Hence the renaming of the adopted child
I think it would be a good idea to change the thread title to include New Zealand births to catch the eye of researchers out there who could help -I cant believe it could be so difficult to get a birth cert for a birth in 1901 -its not as if it could be used for identity fraud

This it what we thought but when we wrote to New Zealand they said we had to have birth certs of both birth parents and adopted parents which we have no chance. I will have a chat with Elise's daughter when i can get hold of her she maybe 70 years old but she is in walking clubs and does line dancing.

I wonder if there is a connection with the older Dallas's you found and maybe some fibs along the way. I thought they just came to London for a bit then off to Canada. At any rate Elise must of spent some time in Canada at some piont as she had a Canadian excent.

I suspect that Annie will end up being her mum!!

How to prove it ?? _ I don't know quite yet!!

There are experts out there who may be able to help.

Dea x

Yeah Dea so it would seem Annie works for a bit in London maybe her husband comes over later ? or indeed she only works in London for a little then goes back to canada.

at least i have more to go on thanks Dea and Gillian