Genealogy Chat

Top tip - using the Genes Reunited community

Welcome to the Genes Reunited community boards!

  • The Genes Reunited community is made up of millions of people with similar interests. Discover your family history and make life long friends along the way.
  • You will find a close knit but welcoming group of keen genealogists all prepared to offer advice and help to new members.
  • And it's not all serious business. The boards are often a place to relax and be entertained by all kinds of subjects.
  • The Genes community will go out of their way to help you, so don’t be shy about asking for help.

Boards

Quick Search

Single word search

Tools

Findmypast DNA Banner

Icons

  • New posts
  • No new posts
  • Thread closed
  • Stickied, new posts
  • Stickied, no new posts

using an alias

Login to Add Reply Watch This
ProfilePosted byOptionsPost Date

Dawn

Dawn Report 27 Jul 2011 12:38

can anyone advise me on how to go about finding out why someone would change their name ? My grandfather assumed the name of james burton but many years later we discover that he was actually henry barton ! , moving from tendring to Ipswich , maybe on the run ? Any suggestions on where to start finding out ? :-D

Potty

Potty Report 27 Jul 2011 13:05

There is only one letter difference between the two names. Where did you find him as Barton? That could be a mistranscription or a mis-hearing of Burton.

Jonesey

Jonesey Report 27 Jul 2011 13:17

It may depend on when the change, if there was one, occurred. There are numerous instances where boy/men pretended to be someone else in order to sign up for WW1 for example.

Researching:
Don't put off until tomorrow doing what you can do today. If you like doing it today you can do it again tomorrow. Be kind to your children for it is they who will decide which care home you end up in.

ChristinaS

ChristinaS Report 27 Jul 2011 18:12

Hi Dawn, How old was your grandfather when he changed his name? Did he get married and register his children using the name James Burton?

Is he on any censuses?

Norma

Norma Report 28 Jul 2011 08:16

Hi Dawn
One of my ancestors chaged their last name and that of her son my Great Grandfather from Davis tio Ives,this was because they moved up from Suffolk to Liverpool and ended up in a workhouse on poor relief.
She then remarried bigamously using her "acquired" surname.
I was given an explanation for this,it was as she had moved up from another area she had to change the county she was born in to that of liverpool and also to make sure she also changed her and her sons name. Benefit fraud even went on in the 19th century!!!
You could well find out that your ancestors situation could have been very similair
hope this helps
norma

Researching:
Bedford, Pickavance, Pell ,Powell .Murphy, Olsen .Brown ,Davis

Dawn

Dawn Report 29 Jul 2011 10:40

thank you all for your comments , they have been of great help . x :-D

Porkie_Pie

Porkie_Pie Report 29 Jul 2011 13:27

the barton/burton could be a mistranscription and the james to henry could just simply be that on of the names being a nickname due to another member of the family having the same christian name eg father with same name.

that was the case in my family

Roy