Lily Dowling

[DiD]

Many thanks fro everybody's welcome and help since I have joined the site. Only wish I had logged on for advice before joining GR.
I am trying to research my great grandmother Lillie/Lily Dowling. I can find the little minx listed as my great-grandfather George Thompson's mistress in the 1891 census, by 1901 they had married despite a 30 year age gap.
Would love to know a lot more about her!!!!
Di

[dicole]

Hi Di

If you have Lily's census entries, you should also have her age (birthdate) and place of birth (if she was truthful, of course). You could look on the freebmd website to find her birth registration to confirm that. You could also look at earlier census to find her when she lived with her parents as a child. You can also look at the 1911 census to see where she and George were then.

Depending on her birthdate, you might also find her baptism listed in the IGI, an index of baptisms etc.

Where do you want to go from there ?

Di

[AlanC]

You havent mentioned Where?

[KiteRunner]

I would say your next move is to order a copy of her marriage certificate to see what it says for her father's name and occupation, before you start looking for possible matches on previous censuses and birth registrations. That way you will have something to check possibles against to see if you find the right person.

[dicole]

Oh, dear, Kite, I slipped up there - marriage certificate first.

Especially as I have just been looking at freebmd, and this is not as straightforward as you might hope....perhaps the clue that she was listed living with George before their marriage should have been a hint !!

Di

[KiteRunner]

Would this be their marriage?
Marriages Sep 1897
Dowling Lilly Emma Portsea 2b 1054
HEBINGTON Edward Arthur Portsea 2b 1054
O'Driscoll Elizabeth Portsea 2b 1054
THOMPSON George Levien Portsea 2b 1054

Is that the right area for them?

[KiteRunner]

Oh yes, I see from looking at the 1891 census that it is the right area, and I bet that is their marriage. It should help a lot to know that her middle name was Emma - I hope. Unless she was one of those people who gave themselves a middle name, of course!

[dicole]

That's the marriage I thought too, Kite.

George Levien Thompson was also married in 1883, at Alverstoke.
So who is Lilley Levien Dowling born in 1888 at Portsea ??? I don't have access to the census to see if she is around in 1891.

[KiteRunner]

Oops, I've closed the window I had it in now, but there were quite a few Dowling children listed with George and Lily in 1891 so probably one of those.

George says he is married in 1891 and Lily is down as single and described as his mistress.

[dicole]

I have not seen many census entries that say "mistress". I guess his first wife was still alive. Is George Levien Thompson born 1890 with them too ?

[KiteRunner]

Geo. Levison Thompson Head M 55 French Polisher (Lodg. Ho.) Surrey Lambeth
Lillie Emma Dowling Mistress S 25 Hants Alverstoke
Ethel Rosina Dowling Daur 7 Scholar Hants Portsea
Maud Dowling Daur 6 Do Do
Lillie Dowling Daur 3 Do
Ernest Dowling Son 7 mo Do
then there is a servant and 2 lodgers.

[dicole]

This looks like Lilly in 1881 census, especially as her daughter has Rosina as a second name.

Source Citation: Class: RG11; Piece: 1165; Folio: 63; Page: 10; Line: ; GSU roll: 1341285

I also found Rosina and Henry in 1871 (I don't have sub to ancesty, so cannot give you the reference). I think Lilly was registered Lilly Mary in 1868, Rosina Ann Howell married Henry Dowling in Jun Q 1862.

di