Genealogy Chat

hi i think tilly can be short for martilda if thats any help?

It might just be that the enumerator read it wrong - I think they used to drop off the forms at each address, somebody in the house who could write filled it in, then the enumerator collected it and copied it to a big census record. The potential for mis-spelling there would be huge. I just found a May Sutton in 1891 who became Mabel by 1901, for instance - I've never come across that as a short form of May before, but when you say it out loud, it makes sense.

Martha is a Biblical name in it's own right. What I CAN visualise is that in poor script writing, one name could be mistaken for the other. We had that trouble with a David and a Daniel. Gwyn

I've never heard of it being short for Matilda, but that doesn't mean it wasn't. People are recorded with all kinds on the censuses. Ozi. Where it's nearly 5 pm.

Sometimes people chose for whatever reason, to be known by their second name - having already been known by their first. Perhaps when they married there were too many people with the same/similar name. It could also indicate a different wife. Have you checked the BMDs - whichever is appropriate? Victoria (where it is 4pm)

Sime, Is this on a census? Can you post the details? Almost sounds like 2 different people unless one was a middle name. Rose

Thanks Rose You are as mad as me- still up at this hour. Just wondered as have a rellie as Matilda and then later as martha. sime

i think the name Martha is a name in its own right , Rosex

Hi is anyone as mad as me to be up at this un- godly hour. Just a ? is the name Martha short for Matilda. Thanks sime