Genealogy Chat

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Apologies for this very long message, but I wonder whether anyone can add a fresh pair of eyes to this pickle that my tree has reached, or whether anybody's resources, might reveal any new clues ? The problem concerns the two main branches of my maternal tree - Nobbs and Nobes. There are a number of possible solutions to the problem, but I can't get to a position that's reasonably certain/confirmed and not guessed. Other people I've spoken to with connections to these names, have generally only been looking at one or other (Nobbs or Nobes) and so appear to have been fairly relaxed about assuming records have been mistranscribed and have therefore interchanged the two names. My 'double trouble' has always been that I've got clearly defined (and 'confirmed' by certificates) branches of each version of the name (My gr-grandparents were a Nobes/Nobbs couple) and so have always been wary of doing that. That said, I've always expected that eventually the two branches would converge (thereby making all the descendents cousins of some sort) and think I might now have reached that point. Taking my Nobes branch first : I'd got as far back as my notorious Henry Nobes (always listed on certs/cens' as born in Guist) for whom no record exists of his baptism. On certs/cens' his age has been unusually consistent, placing his birth in 1808/9. Today I received the certificate for his third marriage in 1869 (the first two marriages were pre-1837), which gives his father as William Nobes. Now the fun starts : There is couple, William and Lydia Phillipo, who married in Guist. The more reliable sources quote this Wm as a Nobes, with the marriage on 20.4.1795. However, LDS record it as Nobbs (which will be important later !). These are my first potential parents of Henry. There is a second couple, which at first seem slightly weaker as they are in Little Snoring - William and Ellen Colby. These always seem to be listed as Nobes, but there are conflicting records on LDS as to the date and place of marriage (either Lt Walsingham, Kettlestone or Lt Snoring, on either 10.12.1792 or 23.11.1786) unless these are different couples/marriages. (One lists Eleanor Colby, one Ellen Colby - perhaps a mistake to assume these are the same people). The Norfolk Surname website has a Henry born to William and Ellen in 1805 (slightly out, date-wise, to be mine, but a possibility). Moving over to my Nobbs branch : Here I'd got back to William Nobbs and Sophia Legget, married on 18.3.1829 in Foulsham. The family is from Foulsham from then on, but I did not have a date or place of birth for William. I mentioned above that LDS list the William/Lydia Phillipo couple as Nobbs, and a fellow researcher has claimed that William & Lydia are the parents of my William Nobbs. LDS does give William and Lydia a son, William Nobbs, born in 1804 in Guist. I'd been so used to my Nobbs family being from Foulsham, that I never considered that William was from Guist instead. If you're still with me, you can probably guess where I'm going with this. Are my Henry Nobes and William Nobbs brothers, with parents William and Lydia ? This would mean that this would be the point where my Nobbs and Nobes families converge. Alternatively, are the Lt Snoring William and Ellen my Henry's parents ? This would still leave the issue open on whether William and Lydia are my William Nobbs' parents. If so, my Nobes and Nobbs line haven't yet come together. Any advise would be hugely appreciated. Simon

Simon, All I can suggest is a thorough check of the parish record for both spellings of the name. Do they seem to be interchangable or is there a change of rector and hence spelling. Could your William and Henry write? If not any change of spelling is possible. If they could write it is more likely for spellings to remain consistant. Be wary of the LDS records! they must be checked at every stage. Good luck Bob

Simon, Have had a quick squint at the IGI and all the records you mentioned are submitted by LDS members rather than extracted from the registers. These are notoriously unreliable. I really think your next step should be to look at the original registers for each of these parishes -especially as William appears to marry Eleanor on the same day in two separate parishes! You may well find that the registers swap backwards and forwards between the spellings according to who the incumbent or clerk was. In my tree I have the same problem with Evered/Everett/Everard with events in the same person's life recorded under different spellings. On post 1837 certificates it becomes apparent that these folk were illiterate, signing with a mark, so probably had no idea how to spell the name anyway. Then when their children became literate they adopted a spelling which became the one used by their branch. Good hunting Judith PS if you can't get access I am planning a trip to Norfolk Records office in a couple of weeks and will try to find time to have a look if you like.

Hi I remember reading that sometimes families fell out so they changed the spelling of the name so that they were not associated to them. It can also be down to accents when the name is pronounced that someone will spell it incorrectly. I have similar misspellings in my tree so it's difficult to see where the problem lies. Mary

i have found something similar, not much help to the original question, but one of my grandfather's half brothers was bought up by his aunt after his mother died during childbirth. they changed his name from Sear to Sears for some reason, and that's what his branch of the family became. Shows how easy it was for a name to become corrupted stew

Hello i dont know if you ever sorted your nobbs/nobes family out.Please take a look at my website i have a nobbs/nobes family tree on there.might help you in some way.Jenny
ps if you cant sign in through the browser bar try copy and pasting.

http://foulshamarchives.weebly.com/

Jennifer

As the original message was added in 2004 then you have more chance of a response if you try to contact Simon by clicking on his name and sending a personal message (PM).

Chris