Genealogy Chat

I was so choked this morning when a birth cert arrived which I thought would reveal all on soldier Jenkins from Herefordshire and Ellen from Longcott. Not so, the maiden name of the mother was Harriet not Ellen. Another wasted £7 thought I. Now I had spent literally days trawling for Ellens in Berkshire because on the 1901 she appears asEllen, Longcot, Berks. But all I got was a headache. Just for fun, I enter this name, Harriet Hutton, Longcot, Berks in 1881 ancestry. Yes, you guessed it - there she is with mum Elizabeth and dad Charlie living on the Green in Longcott! She also appears as Harriet on the 1891 lodging with Tom the soldier (who was also shown as in Wellington barracks that night) and the baby Tom who we knew was born in Clerkenwell. Apart from them having all the birthplaces mixed up, - the baby apparently born Herefordshire (though its says Herts), the mother born Clerkenwell and the father born Berks, it is them. How on earth are we expected to find these people when they change names at will, turn up on two different census lists and with different birthplaces. Ah, yes, but we do, dont we.

So pleased that you got a result though after your initial disappointment. I had this problem too, also with Herefordshire and it was difficult trying to tell someone contacted through this site, that the Edward I had born in Glamorgan was one and the same as Henry born in Herefordshire. I don't think she's convinced!

Its incredible, isnt it I mean a total name change - unless the transcriber copied another persons name on the 1901, which Ive had before, he must have looked up or had a sip of tea then carried on. I suppose its easy when you think about it but it threw me the father was in barracks and single when he was also spending the night with this lady and obviously his son!

Edward was really Edward Henry, as was his father, so I suppose he may have been called by his second name to avoid confusion, so Henry listed in 1901 I could cope with. He was only born in 1893 in Wales so surely his parents would remember bringing him back to Herefordshire before 1901?

I think the lesson for everyone to be learned is dont discard possible info. I had seen that Harriet and Tom with him listed as soldier and the baby ages back but discarded it 1. Because she wasnt Ellen and 2. Because I had seen Tom listed in the barracks census for that night. So hold on to everything!!