Genealogy Chat

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If I order 16 cert’s my husband will kill me, so who can offer advice on how I can narrow this down!! The marriage cert for Lavinia Smith (was always feeling pleased that my lot had fairly unusual names….. now feeling so much empathy with anyone researching Smith Jones etc) has arrived and it does not help much. 1916 Hampshire Lavinia SMITH 27 Married Noah PIKE 30 Lavinia's father is down as Jabez Smith (Jabez is a family name but also can be known as Jacob, Job, John, Jay and Joseph!) I am struggling to find Lavinia and Jabez on Census. On Lavinia Pike’s grave from 1960 she is down as 72 I thought of ordering the death cert, but don’t think it will give me much more info than I have…..so… I looked for her birth registration from 1888-1889 and found 16! I can’t narrow it down by location as they are travellers and so she could have been born literally anywhere in the country and even the registration could have been done way after she was born and could have been done even in a different location to where she was born if they were travelling. Can anyone suggest a way to trace her, I know you can put down extra details, but as I don’t know the location or mothers name and as the father’s names could be any of the above I don’t know if this would help? Please, please can anyone help?????? At the moment I can’t see a way out of this!! Tracie

Is my maths right in thinking Lavina smith would have been 12 in 1901 !!!!!!!

She is not on the 1901 census(she would have been with Jabez her father at this time and there is no sign of them or Noah's families) - Being travellers this is not unusual. I cannot find a Lavinia with her father Jabez Smith on any other census. I need to find her mother to be able to do this. That's the problem. Also a census location will not help as they travelled, For the Pike side, I have traced some lines back to the 1841 census and they are never in the same location twice, and with children being born/christened all over the country! WHY DID NOAH MARRY A SMITH!!!! ARRRGGGHHHH

Sorry I thought you meant they were married 1916 !! must have read it wrong - thought I'd found her in 1901 - with her father John Smith !! Esta

Hi Tracie, I'm a little confused now after reading the replies! Did she marry in 1916? If so, how do you know that she would have been with Noah in 1901? Or am I reading the dates wrongly as well? Sam

Oh.....Sam am I glad it's not just me !!:)

Well I'm still confused - this is what I found in 1901 - could be a long shot but lavinas age and fathers names fit if nothing else !!! Bertha Smith 8 Sittingbourne, Kent, England Daughter Sittingbourne Kent Betsy Smith 43 Sheppy,Sheerness Wife Sittingbourne Kent Dorothy Smith 1 Sittingbourne, Kent, England Daughter Sittingbourne Kent Elsie Smith 6 Sittingbourne, Kent, England Daughter Sittingbourne Kent Herbert Smith 16 Sittingbourne, Kent, England Son Sittingbourne Kent John Smith 49 Faversham;Preston, Kent, England Head Sittingbourne Kent Lavinia Smith 12 Sittingbourne, Kent, England Daughter Sittingbourne Kent Mary Ann Smith 19 Sittingbourne, Kent, England Daughter Sittingbourne Kent Richard Smith 14 Sittingbourne, Kent, England Son Sittingbourne Kent Does it help ??? Esta

Sorry everyone Lavinia married Noah in 1916, they would have been together for some time before this as they already had 2 son's eldest one born 1910. Jabez occupation is Hawker The witnesses are 2 of Noah's sisters (we know quite a bit about the Pike side but nothing about the Smith side Lavinia would have been about 12 in 1901, but the travellers use a lot of leeway in there ages !! In theory she would be with her father Jabez in 1901 and 1891, but as Jabez could use so many other first names, I really need to find her mothers name, which I assume will be on he birth Cert. Sorry for the confusion, I hope this is clearer now

Hi Esta It is possible that they could be the family, but it would be very unusual for them all to be born in the same place, also all the names are very British and besides Lavinia and Mary, they are not the names my traveller families would really use. There are quite a few Jabez smith's, let alone any of the other versions of his name, in the census so it would be very difficult to track them down without having more details. Thank you all for looking. Would you know if the mother would be on the birth cert? Also how wide would I be able to put a check on the certificates using all of the fathers names, and would I be charged for them looking if they don't match. Also what happens if all the Lavinia’s have fathers with the name John!! would i be charged for every Cert? I am sorry that I have confused so many people, it is just that I am feeling very stuck and trying to fathom how to find her actual birth cert has addled my brain!!

Hi Tracie, Try contacting the Romany and Traveller Family History Society. A friend of mine got loads of help from them a few years back. http://website.lineone.net/~rtfhs/ Best wishes, Cazza