The winner of WDWTYA? 4th July 2008 is......

[Merry Monty Montgomery]

Kath nr the Crooked Spire

Well done Kath!!!

[Kath nr the Crooked Spire]

Oh lovely....thanks very much, I will gather up the information and I'll be back.

[Kath nr the Crooked Spire]

My grandmother Elizabeth Ann Mitchell was born in Derby on 2nd October 1879.
I have her birth certificate.

I know nothing about Elizabeth’s parents other than their names which were Michael Mitchell and Mary formerly Bowarth (but I believe it was Booth)

I have Elizabeth’s baptism certificate which gives Michael and Mary nee Booth as her parents. She was baptised a catholic.

1881 census Elizabeth aged 1 is a nurse child lodging in Matlock with the woman who is named as her god mother on her baptism certificate

1891 census RG12/2757
Elizabeth is living with Mary Booth and Mathew Holland

1901 she is married to my grandfather.

Elizabeth was brought up as Elizabeth Booth not Mitchell. She married in the name of Elizabeth Booth and gave her fathers name of John Booth deceased

I have a theory that she was not brought up by her mother but possibly her mother’s brother and wife but I’ve been unable to find out for sure and what happened to her parents.

I don’t expect a miracle, I have worked on this for quite a long time but I am grateful for any ideas.

[Merry Monty Montgomery]

I'm obviously missing something (lol no comments thankyou :()

Why would Mary Booth, who Elizabeth is with in 1891, not be her mother?

[Kath nr the Crooked Spire]

I had tried to work out how Mary who started out a as a Booth and then became a Mitchell by marrying Michael (haven't found the marriage) and then would marry a John Booth (the deceased father on marriage certificate) I haven't found any marriages to prove this.

Also I am sure that I remember my mother saying that grandma was an orphan or something similar, but I was only young at the time.

The other thing is a family story that she was brought up by her mother's brother. Her birth certificate was dated 1942 I imagine she would need it for pension purpose, when it came she realised that she had been celebrating her birthday on the wrong date. She was an only child too.

[Merry Monty Montgomery]

I had tried to work out how Mary who started out a as a Booth and then became a Mitchell by marrying Michael (haven't found the marriage) and then would marry a John Booth (the deceased father on marriage certificate) I haven't found any marriages to prove this.

Oops, I didn't imagine those bits were real!!

I just thought Mary Booth pretended to be married to Michael Mitchell. Then she carried on a Booth and as she had a child, started calling herself a widow (I notice she is a single widow in 1881 lolol). Then when her daughter married she made up a father's name to hide her illegitimacy (or because she didn't know she was illegitimate)

[Merry Monty Montgomery]

Did Michael Mitchell have an occupation on Elizabeth's birth cert?

[Kath nr the Crooked Spire]

I first worked on the theory that Mary was her mother but I couldn't make any links to trace her, it is possible that she is. The place of birth of Mary in the 1891 census is unreadable or isn't a place I have heard of.

[Kath nr the Crooked Spire]

Yes he was a fish hawker, I found evidence of his existance in the same street that she was born in the Gale newspaper.

I thought maybe she didn't marry Michael and perhaps grandma didn't know anything about her father but she must have known the name she was born with to be able to send for the certificate.

[Merry Monty Montgomery]

I thought maybe she didn't marry Michael and perhaps grandma didn't know anything about her father but she must have known the name she was born with to be able to send for the certificate.

Maye she didn't discover her birth name until after her marriage?

[Kath nr the Crooked Spire]

I have a cousin who was told that grandma was brought from Ireland after her mother died to be looked after by her mother's brother. There is supposed to be an Irish connection somewhere.

I also have an auntie living who is 91, she has always thought Elizabeth (her mother) was born in Ireland andI have to remind her that we have the birth certificate showing her birth in Derby. My Aunt is by no means forgetful, I do wonder if she is holding something back.

[Merry Monty Montgomery]

Possibly!

What date was Michael Mitchell in the Gale newspaper?

[Kath nr the Crooked Spire]

It was around the time of grandmas birth, he really should have been on the 1881 census for Derby but I couldn't find him.

Thinking that god mothers are often relatives I had also tried to link up the Elizabeth Brooks or Bucks from the 81 census that grandma was being looked after by but its just my luck that her husband wasn't with her on that night so I have no idea who she was married to. I thought maybe she was Mary Booths sister.

[Kath nr the Crooked Spire]

The piece in the newspaper describes Michael being set upon by a group of men and that his basket of mussells were spilled all over the ground, so that bit seems true. Oh there was also a god father who came from the same area he seems quite a character ...lol ..... hes in the newspaper on several occasions.

[Merry Monty Montgomery]

You said Elizabeth is living with her godparent in 1881. Is that Elizabeth Brooks? I'm a bit confused - who is called Bucks?

[Merry Monty Montgomery]

I know it's a long shot, but have you checked Elizabeth's birth address on the 1881 census?

[Kath nr the Crooked Spire]

Merry Ancestry says Brooks and family search says Bucks so I am not sure about her name.

I have been to the place where she was born, there are no houses now but I have pictures of them.
I have trawled through the census for that area; she was born at no 1 Little Bridge Street in Derby but no 1 seems to be missing from the census or it is called no 1 Court. Its strange the numbers are not in sequence on the census, as I remember it goes down to a certain door number on the page, I went to the next page expecting no 1 but it isn't there.

[Merry Monty Montgomery]

Merry Ancestry says Brooks and family search says Bucks so I am not sure about her name.

What does it say on the baptism for the godmother though?

[Merry Monty Montgomery]

There's a Michael Mitchell, fish hawker, on the 1891 census.

He's born Chesterfield abt 1859 and married to Florence.

RG12; Piece: 2654; Folio 40; Page 73

[Kath nr the Crooked Spire]

What does it say on the baptism for the godmother though?

It says Brooks - when I found her baptism certificate it confirmed that the Elizabeth Ann Mitchell that I had found on the 81 census in Matlock was her.
You have worked hard and I know there isn't much thats obvious to be found, ideas have a limit too, we can resume another day if you like.....she has been a headache to both me and my cousin....lol