Genealogy Chat

Can someone help me find the marriage of Alfred Harry Brooks to Mary Draper? I don't have much to go on. Alfred was born in Edmonton on 1883. On his daughter, Sarah Ruby Brooks, birth certificate dated 8th March 1911 the mother is named as Mary Brooks formally Draper, leading me to believe that Alfred and Mary were married - but I cannot find their marriage registered. I have looked under Alfred Brooks, Brook, Brookes and Brooke between the years of 1901 (when he would have been 18) right up to March 1911 when Sarah Ruby Brooks was born but nothing Many thanks Lyndsey

Lyndsey - please could you say where the daughter Sarah Ruby Brooks was born, still in Edmonton? Also please confirm where you have looked, online (BMD/Ancestry) or in registries Do you have Alfred on 1901 census to rule out he was married before that?

Lyndsey-- If his occupation on his daughters birth cert is plasterer then this could be him on 1901 census Alfred Brooks abt 1883 Edmonton, Middlesex, England Son Edmonton Middlesex Arthur W Brooks abt 1852 Hertfordshire, England Head Edmonton Middlesex Frank Brooks abt 1892 Edmonton, Middlesex, England Son Edmonton Middlesex Leonard Brooks abt 1897 Edmonton, Middlesex, England Son Edmonton Middlesex Olive Brooks abt 1885 Edmonton, Middlesex, England Daughter Edmonton Middlesex Sarah Brooks abt 1856 Hertfordshire, England Wife Edmonton Middlesex Bren

Hi Lindsey. I have the same problem finding a marriage of my grandmother. Ihave her birth and marriage cert which gives her fathers name. Her mother gave her name as Douglas formerly Smedly. Grandmother on the 1891 census as nurse child and on the 1901 as lodger with the same family but no parents marriage or deaths found. I can only think they never married at all and her mother lied when she registered her birth. My dad spoke of a Scottish grandfather so Im thinking this is the Douglas mentioned. Perhaps you need to look outside of England and Wales. Margaret

Thank you everyone for your replies. Sarah Ruby was born at 15 Gordon Road in Edmonton on 8th March 1911. The records I have been looking at are Ancestry BMD Bren - yes Alfred was a Plasterer. What was the address for the Brooks you found on the 1901 census? Lyndsey

Another possibly suspicious factor in this is that there appears to be no further Brook(e/s) with Draper births after the one you have, up to 1920 (I looked on Family Relatives). Given the age of the groom and therefore the likely age of the bride, there might easiy have been more children. Unless you know that something happened to Alfred or Mary, then it could be that their relationship was of short duration and they never married. Merry

There is this marriage? Marriages Jun 1898 Alderman Charlotte Peterbro' 3b 529 Brooke Alfred Peterboro 3b 529 Draper Mary Ann Peterbro' 3b 529 HILL William Peterboro 3b 529 Georgina.

A big thank you to every one helping me Georgina – I don’t think this can be the correct marriage entry , Alfred was born in 1883 and would only have been aged 15 years in 1898. I’m trying to get this mystery a bit clearer in my head – Arthur William Brooks (b.1852 Edmonton) married Sarah Freeman (b.1857 Edmonton) on 26th February 1882 – I have a copy of the marriage certificate so I know that to be fact. They had 4 children -, all born in Edmonton – Alfred (b.1883) Olive (b.1884) Frank (b.1892) and Leonard (b.1897). Alfred had a child with Mary Draper called Sarah Ruby, born 11th March 1911 at 15 Gordon Road, Edmonton. I have a copy of the birth certificate so I know that to be fact too. The certificate reads like Alfred and Mary are married but as I can’t find an entry maybe as Merry suggests they were not married after all. I’m in touch with Sarah Ruby’s granddaughter who maintains that she grew up being told by her Grandmother that Sarah Freeman was her (Sarah Ruby’s) mother and she had been named after her. BUT she wasn’t – Sarah Freeman was her Grandmother, Mary Draper was her mother! Why would she do that? Apparently Sarah Ruby would never talk about any other members of her family except the odd derogatory remark about Leonard who she referred to as her brother and not her Uncle. We’ve been trying to find a link between Arthur and Sarah Brooks (nee Freeman) and Alfred Brooks which Bren seems to have done through posting the 1901 census records – Alfred W Brooks and Sarah Brooks as the parents with Alfred Brooks being the oldest child and Frank, Leonard and Olive being his siblings. If we could find out the address where they were all living in 1901 it might give us a clue as to what the heck was going on in that family!!! All suggestions welcome Thanks for listening! Lyndsey .

Maybe it would be helpful to find out who was living at 15 Gordon Road Edmonton in 1911?? It might be Mary Draper's home (or parents home). The electoral rolls might give you any men aged over 21. Who registered the birth of Sarah Ruby? I guess Alfred and Mary split up when Sarah Ruby was born and so she was brought up by her paternal grandparents (probably less usual than the maternal grandparents doing it). Makes me wonder if Mary Draper was not anywhere near her family (despite what I said about the electoral rolls, above!!).....maybe they didn't even know she had a child? Merry

Thanks Merry, Sarah Ruby's birth certificate says her birth was regisitered by her mother Mary Brooks (nee Draper). How do I set about finding out on an electrol roll who the occupants of 15 Gordon Road were in 1911? Having no idea whether Mary was local to Edmonton or not can anybody suggest how I can find out more about her? Thanks Lyndsey

My first port of call would be Edmonton Public Library. here's their website: http://www.ep(.)ca/ (remove brackets) I couldn't easily see a ''contact us'' bit, but it may be there somewhere!! Merry

Merry - I think the URL you were giving was for the Edmonton Public Library in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada (however the 'l' was missing - i.e., http://www.epl*ca). According to the Enfield Web site 'The year 1991 saw the closure of Houndsfield Library and the former Edmonton Central Library and their replacement by a new library in the Edmonton Green shopping centre.' This branch can be contacted by e-mail at: edmonton.green.library_at_enfield.gov.uk (replace the _at_ with the usual symbol - for some reason, GR doesn't let you use it). Hope this helps - Tim

Many thanks to you both Lyndsey

Tim!!!! lol I didn't even notice (obviously!!!) Merry