Genealogy Chat

I am looking for my partners grandmother, Catherine Seal (b. c1876) before she married and changed her name to Barefield. SHe appears on the 1901 Census with her husband and 3 children in Hackney, London (although name spelt with a K). I am trying to track her in the 1881 and 1891 Census, but not sure how to check who she is.

I have found a Kate Seal on 1891, parents David and Eliza. On 1881, she isn't with them, but they have a Caroline the same age. Could Kate be a shortening of Caroline?

I have found another Kate R Seal on 1891 with John and Mary as parents. She then appears on the 1881 census as Katie R Seal.

I am pretty certain that she came from the London area but have also come across another Catherine Seal in Northants but she appears to still be single after 'mine' has married.

I will order Catherine and George's marriage certificate (can anyone confirm that this will have her parents names on?), but until then, what do you guys think?

Thanks in anticipation of some clear thinking !

Karen x

Probable marriage...on freebmd site

Marriages Dec 1892

>>BAREFIELD George Hackney 1b 908
CLARKE Charlotte Abigail Hackney 1b 908
Green Walter George Hackney 1b 908
>>Seal Catherine Hackney 1b 908


The marriage cert. will hopefully named the father's of the bride and groom....but not mothers.

Gwyn

Thanks Gwyn. I had found the marriage entry but was hoping to go further back on her side. Any ideas? I am fairly new to all this and so far have been tracing the family name, so at least I knew what name I was looking for! It's a bit harder with women isn't it?!

In 1901, your Katherine has birthplace as Bethnal Green.

The marriage cert would hopefull name her father and enable you to search more surely in previous census.

Gwyn

Kate with parents David and Eliza is listed in the 1881 census as having been born in Spitalfields, in 1891 Bethnal Green - so am thinking this one...

However, Kate with parents John and Mary was born in Hackney on both censuses, and Hackney is not exactly a million miles away so don't want to rule this out!

Thanks for your help - think I'll have to wait for the certificate to arrive before I go any further on this one!

Karen x

Hi Karen,

Just a couple more observations. There are births registered for Eliza, Caroline and Catherine Seal in the Whitechapel area in the 1870s (I haven't checked whether this would cover Spitalfields). The ages of Eliza and Caroline (daughters of David and Eliza) are given in 1881 as 9 and 5, so there is room there for an absent 7 year old child.

I have found this family who I am pretty sure are Katherine's parents in 1901. Katherine and George also appear on the census with their children, but just wondering if David is really David and Eliza's child... or George and Katherine's. Or indeed if they both had a son called David, born within a couple of years of one another... am now looking for a birth entry for David and Eliza's David!

Name Age
Ada Seal 16
Charlotte Seal 15
David Seal 49
David Seal 7
Elizabeth Seal 48
Harriet Seal 18

Davis Seal's birth

England & Wales, FreeBMD Birth Index: 1837-1983
about David Seal
Name: David Seal
Year of Registration: 1894
Quarter of Registration: Jan-Feb-Mar
District: Bethnal Green
County: Greater London, London, Middlesex
Volume: 1c
Page: 195 (click to see others on page)

David Barefield's birth

England & Wales, FreeBMD Birth Index: 1837-1983
about David Barefield
Name: David Barefield
Year of Registration: 1896
Quarter of Registration: Oct-Nov-Dec
District: West Ham
County: Essex, Greater London
Volume: 4a
Page: 396 (click to see others on page)

These would appear to be the correct records which make them 2 different people, only certs will tell you for certain

Thanks Claire! Just seemed a bit strange that Eliza Seal had a rather large gap between children - although I suppose in the late 1800s you didn't really have much choice on becoming pregnant - if you were sexually active it was a risk you had to take! Katherine Barefield seemed to name her children after her brothers and sisters anyway, so I suppose that fits! Wonder if Katherine Barefield had a miscarriage/stillbirth after she got married... guess I'll never know that one!

Karen x

There is an Ellen Harriet Barefield registered in Q3 1893 - George and Catherine were married in Q4 1892. On the 1901 Census, Ellen Harriet is with David and Eliza Barefield, as their daughter. Would it be possible that they brought her up as their daughter, despite her being their grandchild, and if so, is Ellen's birth certificate likely to be accurate as naming the correct parents?

Thanks, Karen x

As Ellen Barefield was born after the marriage, her birth cert should show the correct parents (no reason not to!). It is however possible that she was staying with her grandparents on the night of the census & been put down as child instead of grandchild. Only a cert will give you the answers, £7 from the GRO

Thanks Claire, will dfinitely order that certificate as I have a real suspicion that Ellen is the first child of George and Katherine, it fits in too well with her being pregnant when they married at 16 and 18, for no other apparent reason!

Karen x