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Following a ton of help from people on this board I can still find no trace of my great grandmother, so I'm now throwing it open to anyone anywhere who may be able to help.... I have no date of birth for Selina, but she would have been born between 1885 and 1895. She married in Pontypool Wales, and her father was James (a 'collier'). She doesn't seem to appear on any census in Monmouth, or anywhere else for that matter. If anyone sees this name on their travels, please, please let me know 'cos she is driving me batty!! Thank you, Sarah

Hi Sarah, What information have you got that leads you to the conclusion that she may have been born between 85 - 95 ... marriage cert (full age) ? If it is a marriage cert ... do the witness's not give any clues ? any other Finch as witness ? Elaine :-)

Hi Elaine I have her marriage cert, where she claims to be 21 on 1/1/1910 (they married in Llanhilleth and my grandfather's family were all from Monmouth) This would suggest she was born in 1889/90, but I can't find any confirmation of her birth anywhere at all for those years. The family gossip is that she was very young when she married my G-grandather (he was 28 on the cert) although no-one is quite sure how young, and my grandmother's birth cert shows that she was 7 months pregnant at the time of the marriage. Oh - and there were no finch's as witnesses :o( I've tried every variation of the name I can think of (and a couple of people have already tried to find her for me on censuses they have) but she seems to have never existed before her marriage... Any suggestions gratefully received Sarah

Hiya, Have had a general look around ... and probably trodden the same boards as everyone else ! Have you, or has anyone else actually looked for a birth for Selina Finch on 1837online? before I go and tread that path for you ! Did she have a middle initial or name on the wed cert ...? Have you by any chance found any connection to any of the witnesses ? Any chance she may have been living with any of them in 1901 ? I have found a Selina .... born Mon Newport aged 11 ... but she's not with any other Finch's so I'm wondering who she may have been ? if you give the names of the witnesses on the wed cert it may help ??? to check for them on the 1901, you never know your Selina may be tucked away with them somewhere. Now I'm grasping at straws but hey ... !! Elaine :-)

Hi Sarah, Are you still with us tonight by any chance ? If your not around I will go spend some time with son before bed ! Elaine :-)

Hi Elaine sorry - I ended up away from my puter all night after posting :o(( The witnesses on the marriage cert were a Miriam Jones, and (what looks like) Thomas Jones. I did find a Selina Finch on 1837, but that was in Dudley...and I can find no other connection to Dudley anywhere in my tree. I did try to work on the assumption Miriam was a Finch who married Thomas Jones, but that hasn't led anywhere yet either. (Selina supposedly had 2 sisters that I know of, Sarah and Charlotte (or Lottie...Selina also had a daughter she called Lottie at some point), but so far I can find no connection with the three girls, or to any of them with a father James (unless of course James wasn't the father of the other 2 girls) This is one of those cases where the more I look the more lost I get. Do you think its likely that the one I found born in Dudley could be the right one? (can't find anything to support that on the 1901 census though) Do you think I should just order the cert and see if that gives me any more clues? (I can always add it to my growing collection of 'wrong' certs if not lol) Thanks for taking the time to try to help me Sarah

Sarah, There aren't that many Lotties on FreeBMD but there is this one in Pontypool. Perhaps this is her sister. Births Mar 1903 Finch Lottie Pontypool 11a 166 Crista

Thanks Crista - I've made a note of that...could very well be connected! Sorry it took me a while to reply - I've been concentrating on my other names for the last few days, but every now and then I look back through everything I have to see if I can find a snippet I've missed. Have been using the 1901 census decoder and listing every name I can think of that may have had some connection to Selina, but nothing has come up so far. I can't even trace her marriage to her second husband - if I could get a copy of that cert it might help. Thanks anyway to everyone who has tried to help me Sarah

Think I've found her under Selina Miles, got the following on the decoder James Miles, 43, b Pontypool, Working Hand Pump at Colliery, Priscilla, wife, 40, b Coleford, Gloucester Elizabeth, 15 Selina, 12 Margaret, 10 Frederick, 7 Alfred, 2 Lillie, 5mths All children born Pontypool. Hope this helps George

wow - thanks George - that looks promising. Do you reckon its likely her name was changed to Finch? The marriage cert definitely says she was a spinster, surname Finch, and her father was James Finch, but I suppose if her name was changed for some reason it was likely she would state her father's name to be the same as hers. She does have on the cert that her father was a collier, so that bit matches up... It certainly gives me another angle to work on! Thank You!! Sarah

The there could be a heap of reasons for the change of surnames, main one: Enumerators error ie the census person had other things on his mind at the time

Sarah, Unfortunately, I think this family really is Miles as I can find births for 4 of the children on FreeBMD and the marriage to Priscilla Trinder, plus corroborating evidence on the 1881 census. Crista

George Following the info you found I've looked again and found a family with the surname Crimp (father james, daughter Selina) but chances are this isn't the right one, as james is listed as a Greengrocer! But again, it certainly looks like I need to widen my search and try to find them under a different surname. Do you reckon in years to come our ancestors will have these problems?? lol

Thanks Crista - at least I can eliminate that one from my list of possibles - seems its the only way forward.

Another possible reason for the change of surname is that she did'nt want her family to know she was getting married as she may have fallen out with them or they did'nt approve so she distanced herself by getting wed under a different surname.

Aaah now that is a distinct possibility! I know her husband's family didn't approve, so chances are hers didn't either!!

hi Sarah, Ihaven't found a birth for Selina, but i did find a possible birth for James her father on bmd, James joseph Finch born Monmouth 1860 if it's any help, hope it is a help june

Oh June - I'm starting to get all excited again! Thats another definite possible! Maybe I'll be able to eventually narrow all these possibles down into likelies, and then I won't have to spend quite so much on certs trying to confirm the info! lol Thank you June.

your very welcome Sarah, i know how you feel, i've just recently found my great great grandmothers birth after looking for it for nearly a year, it turned out she was born where she said she was on census, and on her marriage certificate she said her fathers name was John but infact it was isaac, funny things are ancestor did, makes it very hard for us to find them, but we keep trying, i'll keep an eye out and if i find any thing i'll let you know, all too happy to help, june

Sarah, I think the James that June found is this one: James Jos Finch, head, mar, 30, commissioned ? coast guard, Monmouthshire Mousnarith Ellen, wife, mar, 30, Cardiganshire Newquay Elizabeth E G, daur, 2, Cardiganshire Newquay at 1 Glau Dau?, Llanfaelog, Anglesey Source information: RG12/4678 Registration district: Holyhead Sub registration district: Bryngwran ED, institution, or vessel: 13 Folio: 106 Page: 9 Emma x