Desperate to find Mary Hanah

[Guest]

I am searching for Mary Hannah Grant Nee Copeland.
She and husband Gorge Nelson Grant appear to have parted in or shortly after 1881.
They appeared on the 1881 Scottish census in Perth (the normally livedin Derby) I have been unable to find Mary Hannah since then.

George Nelson Grant remarried in1910 stating that he was a widower, but t appears that he was NOT.

I discovered Mary Hannah on another family tree (Roads of Buckingam) but when I contacted the author, she said she knew nothing about Mary Hannah!
so I cannot understand why she is on her tree!
I can only hope that someone somewhere knows about Mary Hannah and can help me.
She was born in 1850 in Derby, her father William Copeland and mother Benedicta Harris, do you know of her? where did she go and when did she die, according to the tree where she appeared, she had died in 1919, but I cannot find the entry in the indexes!!so what name did she appear under?
do you know about her??

[Mary from Italy]

I'm a bit puzzled about this couple.

Do you have their marriage cert?

There's an incorrect entry in FreeBMD, but I assume these are their marriage entries:

Marriages Jun 1868 (>99%)
Bratby Anne Elizabeth M Derby 7b 647
Copeland Mary Hannah Derby 7b 647

Marriages Jun 1868 (>99%)
BARDILL John Shardlow 7b 617
Covell Sarah Shardlow 7b 617
GRANT George Nelson Derby 7b 617
Makey Robert Shardlow 7b 617
Sallis Mary Ann Shardlow 7b 617

I've looked at the image for George, and it does appear to say 7b 617, but that doesn't match Derby, so it's presumably 7b 647, which matches Mary's entry.

Where have you found them in 1871?

This is the only George Grant with wife Mary in Derbyshire in 1871, but I don't think it's your couple:

Class: RG10; Piece: 3573; Folio: 53; Page: 3

They have three children with them: Edward P, Effie and George N.

Edward's age matches this birth:

Births Dec 1864
GRANT Edward Plews Derby 7b 361

which makes it extremely likely that these were his parents:

Marriages Dec 1863
BUCKLAND John Shardlow 7b 665
Grant George Nelson Shardlow 7b 665
Street Mary Plews Shardlow 7b 665

The couple in Perth in 1881, Nelson and Mary Grant, have a child Mabel with them, but the other three are missing.

Can you give us details of any certificates you have?

[Mary from Italy]

There's an extracted entry on the IGI that confirms the marriage of George Grant and Mary Copeland, and gives their ages:

Event(s):

Parents:
Father: WILLIAM COPELAND

Marriages:
Spouse: GEORGE NELSON GRANT
Marriage: 22 APR 1868 Saint Alkmund, Derby, Derby, England

Husband Age at Marriage: 26
Wife Age at Marriage: 19

[Mary from Italy]

IGI extracted entry for marriage of George Nelson Grant and the other Mary:

GEORGE NELSON GRANT
Male

Event(s):

Marriages:
Spouse: MARY PLEWS STREET
Marriage: 01 DEC 1863 Ockbrook, Derby, England

[Mary from Italy]

Possible death of Mary Plews Grant:

Deaths Dec 1866

Grant Mary P 22 Derby 7b 235

So the two George Nelson Grants are probably the same man.

[Mary from Italy]

Birth of George's first wife:

Births Sep 1844
Street Mary Plews Shardlow 19 560

[Mary from Italy]

So the Mary Hannah Grant in 1871 would be Mary Copeland; Edward would be her stepson, and Effie and George Nelson jr would be her children.

So if Nelson and Mary Grant in Perth in 1881 are George Nelson and Mary Hannah, where are those three children?

[Mary from Italy]

The children aren't with Mary's mother Benedicta in 1881.

By that time her husband William has died, and she's remarried twice: to Robert Strange in 1873 and to John Ross in 1874. Can't see a death for Robert.

There are no obvious deaths or marriages for the children in England, but there's one hit on Scotland's People for a death for Edward Plews Grant.

Can't see an obvious death for Mary in Scotland, but it may not have been registered with her middle name.

[KiteRunner]

Mary Hannah could also become Mary Anna - and that could easily be mistaken for Mary Ann!

[Mary from Italy]

Yes, unfortunately there are loads of possible deaths; I haven't found a likely one in England, based on her age, but there are lots of Mary Grants in Scotland.

It looks as though the children may have moved to Scotland too.

In 1881 there's an Effie Grant living with grandparents called Martin in Edinburgh, and a George Grant at an industrial school in Perth; both of about the right age and born in England. No idea how the Martins fit in, though, and I can't see Edward.

[Mary from Italy]

The George Nelson Grant in Derby in 1871 is a "sorter travelling P.O.", whatever that may be (sorter for some kind of mobile post office?), and the Nelson Grant in Perth in 1881 is an army pensioner, so I'm still not convinced they're the same person.

[Mary from Italy]

In 1891 a G. Nelson Grant, retired travelling sorter born in Scotland, is living in Lambeth with a "wife" Annie, born in Bermondsey.

Can't see a likely marriage.

Class: RG12; Piece: 401; Folio 16; Page 25

[Mary from Italy]

This is presumably the 1910 marriage that BlueEyes mentioned:

Marriages Sep 1910
Forster Annie M Derby 7b 1235
Grant George N Derby 7b 1235
Mills Ernest M Derby 7b 1235
Packer Annie Derby 7b 1235

and both possible wives are called Annie.

[Mary from Italy]

Here are George and Annie in 1901, still in London:

Class: RG13; Piece: 179; Folio: 34; Page: 15

[Mary from Italy]

This could well be George's death - the age would be right:

Deaths Dec 1919
Grant George N 78 Leicester 7a 196

[Mary from Italy]

Yes, that's him.

George Nelson Grant was buried at Welford Road Cemetery, Leicester, on 29th October 1919. His address is given as "the Mortuary, Leicester", so presumably he was just passing through when he died, not resident there.

He's buried in a common grave in the unconsecrated part of the cemetery with 4 other people (3 babies and an adult) who don't appear to be related to him.

Maybe it was too expensive for him to be taken back to Derby, or wherever he was living at the time, for burial.

[Uncle John]

The George Nelson Grant in Derby in 1871 is a "sorter travelling P.O.", whatever that may be (sorter for some kind of mobile post office?)

This is the Night Train crossing the border,
bringing the cheque and the postal order
(Night Mail, W H Auden)

Travelling Post Office trains ran until as recently as 5-10 years ago.