One of the 10 year old brick walls in my tree, if anyone fancies a challenge!
We know my wife's great grandmother is Annie Curtis (nee Jones) from notes left by my wife's father, who knew her as she died when he was 18.
Working backwards, we have her death certificate:-
4th May 1942, Hammersmith aged 78
1911 Census (RG14PN256_RG78PN8_RD3_SD2_ED30_SN443):-
With my wife's GGF Caleb Curtis at 7 Barb Mews Hammersmith age 48 born Royston, Cambridge
1901 Census (RG13/50 Folio 54 Pages 34 & 35):-
Again with Caleb at 7 Barb Mews age 37 born Cambridge
1891 census (RG12/37 Folio 27 Pages 54 & 55):-
With Caleb at 10 Grove Mews Hammersmith age 29 born Cambridge
Then finally marriage to Caleb (widower age 39) 12 Jan 1889 Fulham Register Office aged 26, spinster, same address as Caleb, father William Jones (deceased) Labourer. The witnesses don't help as they are the same witnesses as Caleb's first marriage so won't be connected to Annie.
Annie and Caleb had 9 children, 2 of whom died in infancy. I have 2 of the certificates (my wife's grandfather and one of his brothers), but there aren't any more clues there, although she is named as Annie Curtis nee Jones.
We are certain all of this is correct, as Caleb was born in Beedon, Berks which is a very small village and there isn't anyone we could have confused him with.
We have spent years looking for Annie's birth and on the 1871 and 1881 census. There are a few loose matches, but most I have traced forward or eliminated due to occupation or social standing (servants in the household, employer of several men etc). We had resigned ourselves to never finding her.
However we have just found the WW1 service record for one of her sons. We know it is the correct one from the address, 7 Barb Mews and we know they lived there until Caleb's death in 1929. The next of kin on the form is Mary Ann Curtis, mother, 7 Barb Mews, not Annie! We have no idea why he has put her down as Mary Ann when all other documents have her as Annie.
So with renewed vigour I have just been searching again, but this time for Mary Ann Jones, but still no luck. There are a few Mary Ann Jones born in Cambridgeshire, but I have found them all on the 1871 census and they don't have the correct father. There is Mary Jones born in Royston in 1864 which I may order the certificate for when I can afford it, but I can't find her in 1871. I have found a possible match in 1881 (RG11; Piece: 3157; Folio: 4; Page: 2), but she is a servant in Leicester, so how can I tell if she is the correct one? Cambridgeshire is one of the few counties where Jones is not a very common name, but that doesn't help!
I think the two things that are really causing problems are firstly I don't know when her father William died; it could have been between her birth and the 1871 census, and I don't know when she moved to London.
We know my wife's great grandmother is Annie Curtis (nee Jones) from notes left by my wife's father, who knew her as she died when he was 18.
Working backwards, we have her death certificate:-
4th May 1942, Hammersmith aged 78
1911 Census (RG14PN256_RG78PN8_RD3_SD2_ED30_SN443):-
With my wife's GGF Caleb Curtis at 7 Barb Mews Hammersmith age 48 born Royston, Cambridge
1901 Census (RG13/50 Folio 54 Pages 34 & 35):-
Again with Caleb at 7 Barb Mews age 37 born Cambridge
1891 census (RG12/37 Folio 27 Pages 54 & 55):-
With Caleb at 10 Grove Mews Hammersmith age 29 born Cambridge
Then finally marriage to Caleb (widower age 39) 12 Jan 1889 Fulham Register Office aged 26, spinster, same address as Caleb, father William Jones (deceased) Labourer. The witnesses don't help as they are the same witnesses as Caleb's first marriage so won't be connected to Annie.
Annie and Caleb had 9 children, 2 of whom died in infancy. I have 2 of the certificates (my wife's grandfather and one of his brothers), but there aren't any more clues there, although she is named as Annie Curtis nee Jones.
We are certain all of this is correct, as Caleb was born in Beedon, Berks which is a very small village and there isn't anyone we could have confused him with.
We have spent years looking for Annie's birth and on the 1871 and 1881 census. There are a few loose matches, but most I have traced forward or eliminated due to occupation or social standing (servants in the household, employer of several men etc). We had resigned ourselves to never finding her.
However we have just found the WW1 service record for one of her sons. We know it is the correct one from the address, 7 Barb Mews and we know they lived there until Caleb's death in 1929. The next of kin on the form is Mary Ann Curtis, mother, 7 Barb Mews, not Annie! We have no idea why he has put her down as Mary Ann when all other documents have her as Annie.
So with renewed vigour I have just been searching again, but this time for Mary Ann Jones, but still no luck. There are a few Mary Ann Jones born in Cambridgeshire, but I have found them all on the 1871 census and they don't have the correct father. There is Mary Jones born in Royston in 1864 which I may order the certificate for when I can afford it, but I can't find her in 1871. I have found a possible match in 1881 (RG11; Piece: 3157; Folio: 4; Page: 2), but she is a servant in Leicester, so how can I tell if she is the correct one? Cambridgeshire is one of the few counties where Jones is not a very common name, but that doesn't help!
I think the two things that are really causing problems are firstly I don't know when her father William died; it could have been between her birth and the 1871 census, and I don't know when she moved to London.
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