Help! Need to find grandmother-Nellie Earle!

[maufleury]

Hi! I'm new to the forum so I hope this is in the right place. I have been reading many of these posts and replies and it seems to be a wonderful site full of people who are willing to help. I'm from Canada and have been trying to trace my maternal grandmother for several years now. Her name was Nellie Earle and according to her death certificate here in Canada, she was born on March 19, 1890. On her marriage certificate she said her parents' names were Edward and Nellie and that she was born in London. I found an Edward and "Ellen" Earl on the 1891 census and they had a daughter named "Ellen". I thought this might be the one except the age, the spelling, and now the place of birth doesn't work out. I found her on the passenger list for the Empress of Britain and I'm 100% sure it is correct. She was transcribed as "Nelly Earle", age 17, from Sussex, a servant, destination Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. The date of sailing was March 22, 1907 and arrival in Halifax, March 30, 1907. I know for sure that Nellie Earle went to Saskatoon because I have her marriage certificate plus she is found in the Saskatoon directories. The age 17 matches perfectly with her year of birth. So right now, I'm looking for a Nellie Earle, born in 1890 in March. I found a record that matches in the 1891 census, BUT she is living with an aunt and uncle by the name of John and Mary Alcorn in Isfield, Sussex and it also says that Nellie was born in Uckfield, Sussex-Lewes. My problem is it doesn't give her parents' names so I'm stumped. What I have done is ordered the UK birth certificate for this Nellie Earle born in Uckfield and until it arrives, I'm not sure I have found the right one. I have had no luck finding her on the 1901 census, but some kind soul found a Nellie "Earls" living with Alfred Barham. She is listed as "nurse child", birthplace "unknown". The Barham family were living at Fletching Street, Mayfield-Uckfield. The person who sent me this thinks maybe Nellie was illegitimate. Any ideas?

[Orangeblossom]

This may not help yet, but I did find this...

Marriages Jun 1892
EARLE Edward Dennis
QUIGLEY Nellie
Camberwell 1d 1440

Would fit with the London theme.

I can't find them in 1891 or 1901 though lol

PS Welcome to the boards :D

[Christine in Herts]

Welcome to the Boards - I hope you continue to enjoy it here. I've found it a very supportive online environment for my researching, I have to say.

The trouble with "Nellie" is that it can appear as Ellen, Helen, Eleanor... And, of course, as any of those with variant spellings.

Christine

[Christine in Herts]

The names and ages are pretty near in these:
1891: RG12/294 fo 81 p 56 - 3 Anchor St, Limehouse
1901: RG13/324 fo 55 p 13 - 8 burgess St, Limehouse

Christine

[Christine in Herts]

Would she have had any reason to be inaccurate about her age? We see lots of cases - and I have at least one in my tree - where bride or groom elects to appear older or younger than they actually were. The usual reasons are [1] to marry without parental permission when they were under 21 or [2] to bring their age more into line with conventional expectations of the relative ages of bride and groom.

Christine

[maufleury]

Nellie Earle- partly solved!!!

Thank you, everyone for your support and help! I did receive my grandmother's birth certificate today and I KNOW it's the correct one. The birthdate exactly matches what my grandfather supplied on her death certificate here in Canada. Nellie Earl(e) was born on March 19, 1890 at High Street, Uckfield in the sub-district of Lindfield. Now, get this! Her mother was UNMARRIED and the mother's name was Elizabeth Earl(e). In the place for father's name and occupation there is a stroke through it. That explains quite a bit to me. For some reason, Elizabeth must have allowed others to raise the baby. That explains why my one year old grandmother was found living with an elderly aunt and uncle by the name of John and Mary Alcorn on the 1891 census. I will now search the 1901 census again. I did find a Nellie Earls listed as a nurse child with a family who did not know her place of birth. I need to find out more about Elizabeth Earl(e). Who were her parents? Did she raise her own daughter? Did Elizabeth ever get married? I have to find Elizabeth on the 1891 census and on free bmd. This is tricky and very challenging!!! I have e-mailed the library at Lindfield and the history group from there. Anybody have any thoughts on what I need to do now?

[Jessbowbag]

Welcome

So we want the mother's who? why? where? what? and when? now....
there is this marriage

would have been good if Mary was an Earl(e) but she isnt

John Allcorn /Mary Waller
1872
Apr-May-Jun
Lewes
Sussex, East Sussex
2b
248

[Christine in Herts]

This site may be of use to you, if you're researching Sussex connections:
Sussex Family History Group Home Page
and this particular page may be relevant.
SFHG - Sussex People Index

and this one:
Sussex Record Society - Home Page

Christine

[Darksecretz]

hi,

I know this could be MILES off the mark, but here goes... If Nellies mum was a Nellie, how would that get to Elizabeth on her Birth Cert?..

did abit of digging.. this may be totally wrong of course.. BUT

Birth

Eliza Elizabeth N Earl.
b. 1870.
sept Q Uckfield, East Sussex.
vol:2b.
page:96.

[Christine in Herts]

Julie's find looks as if it may be this one:


ELIZA ELIZABETH NANCY <EARL>
Christening:
14 AUG 1870 Rotherfield, Sussex,
Father: AMBROSE EARL
Mother: CHARLOTTE NANCY presumed EARL?
Batch: C148352

Christine

[Christine in Herts]

The marriage Jess found must be this one:

Marriage:
23 JUN 1872 All Saints, Lewes, Sussex
Groom: JOHN ALLCORN
Father: ANDREW ALLCORN
Spouse: MARY WALLER
Father: JOHN WALLER
Batch: M148092

Christine

[maufleury]

Thank you!!!

Oh I think you people have helped me a lot!!! My grandmother, Nellie Earl(e) did give her parents' names as Edward and Nellie Earle on her marriage certificiate from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. But maybe she just made up those names. So it looks like the N may have been short for Nancy, not Nellie! It has given me something to go back and read and check out for myself. This is amazing! I don't know how you people found this information! Thank you once again and I will read it over and go from there.

[maufleury]

I am thinking by the place names and dates, that these latest findings on births, marriages, and christenings are correct! Now I'm thinking that on the 1891 census, John and Mary Alcorn, are quite old. I wonder if John may have been married twice and that Mary Waller was his second wife. I will try to work on that to see if I can find the tie-in between Earl(e) and Alcorn. Do you think the 1891 census is correct in calling my grandmother, Nellie Earle, their niece? Could she be a great niece? Something to work on. I also need to find out what happened with Elizabeth Earl(e). Did she ever get married? Did she ever have other children? Did she die young? I'm sure free bmd will help. I will also try Christine's suggestions for the Sussex family history pages. I think I've already joined some of them.

[Breckland Jane]

Mary Waller seems to be John Alcorn' second wife, first wife Elizabeth.

I've found a possilble connection between the Waller and Earl names in that a John Earl maried Elizabeth Waller in 1857 in Lewes. In 1861 census they are in Brighton with a 1 year old daughter Elizabeth. Could there be a possibility that this Elizabeth born 1860 was the mother of Nellie? However, I haven't yet found a connection between Mary Waller and Elizabeth Waller - still looking.

Jane

[Jessbowbag]

Oh Jane- that does sound exciting!!

[Breckland Jane]

If this is the right Elizabeth Earl, she doesn't seem to have married. In all the census records from 1881 to 1901 she is an unmarried servant.

Jane

[Jessbowbag]

father John? widowed soon after a son of the same name?

[Breckland Jane]

Have found Elizabeth Waller baptism, father John mother Ester. Couldn't find Mary's baptism.

BUT on 1841 census have found possible family - Class HO107 Piece 1120 Book 4 Folio 18 page 31

[maufleury]

So John Earl married Elizabeth Waller and they had a daughter Elizabeth Earl. Then Elizabeth Waller's sister Mary Waller, married John Alcorn, then John and Mary would be Elizabeth Earl's aunt and uncle. Then Elizabeth Earl's daughter, Nellie Earle (my grandmother) would be a great niece of John and Mary Alcorn. That makes perfect sense to me!!! We may be on to something here! Has anyone found Elizabeth Earl's death? You all say it seems as if she never did get married. I guess the next thing is, where was my grandmother, Nellie Earl(e) at the time of the 1901 census? I can't seem to find her living with John and Mary Alcorn after the 1891 census. I do know that she left England from Liverpool on the Empress of Britain on March 22, 1907 and arrived in Halifax, Canada on March 30, 1907. She was a second class passenger on the Empress of Britain. She was heading to Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada as a 17 year old girl. All I really want to do is trace my grandmother and her family from the time of her birth in 1890 until her death in 1938. It would be great to know if she ever had any siblings and things like that. I am not trying to trace the family back to the dark ages. Once again, thank you for all of the wonderful help!

[Darksecretz]

This Could be Nellie in 1901.

Nellie Earls.
age 11 abt. 1890.
occupation: Child Nurse.
where born: N.

Mayfield St Dunstan, Sussex.

Class: RG13; Piece: 898; Folio: 93; Page: 5.