Help with GG Grandmother

[Morfydd from Mid Glam]

I am wondering if someone can help me with a query regarding my GG Grandmother Jane Taylor, nee Cornelius.
She was born about 1833 in Redruth, Cornwall.
She married Joseph Robert Taylor in 1858 in Cornwall, but still appeared in the 1861 census in the house with her husband, but noted as Jane Cornelius, Housekeeper, with her two sons noted as John and Charles Taylor Cornelius and they were down as boarders.
I have her in the 1871 and 1881 census with her husband and family.
My problem is in the 1841 census I have her at 7 years, named as Jane Ham with her family and then in the 1851 census as Jane Cornelius with her Grandmother Mary Ham.
I would like to find out why her name changed from Ham to Cornelius in that ten years, I can't find a marriage for her or for her mother Mary Ham Jnr.
Sorry this is so long winded.
All help greatly appreciated.

[Mary from Italy]

Have you found a baptism for her?

The John and Mary in 1841 are evidently her grandparents, but the Mary living with them isn't necessarily her mother, as no relationships are given.

[Little Nell]

Don't know if this helps:

JANE CORNELIUS
Christening: 31 MAR 1835 Redruth, Cornwall
Parents: John Cornelius & Mary

batch # C053412

[Mary from Italy]

JOHN CORNELIUS
Male

Marriages:
Spouse: MARY HAM
Marriage: 23 NOV 1834 Redruth, Cornwall, England

(IGI, extracted entry)

[Little Nell]

so the problem is that in one census she appears as Jane Ham when you think she should be Cornelius?

I would say she's just been given her grandparents' names in error - its easily done, census enumerator asks illiterate grandfather his surname "Ham" and then the names of everyone in the household who are all lumped with same surname as grandpa just naturally gives the first names which he is familiar with.

[Little Nell]

IGI also has

MARY HAM
JOHN CORNELIUS
Marriage: 23 NOV 1834 Redruth, Cornwall
M053411

[Little Nell]

I see Mary beat me to it!

[Little Nell]

I can't find a likely John Cornelius on 1841 census though, just one in Redruth aged 50 and another also in Redruth aged 2.

Perhaps John Cornelius was a fisherman or working elsewhere and unrecorded?

[Little Nell]

Alternatively this could be him in the death indexes which would explain why Mary and Jane were with Mary's parents:

John Cornelius
1840 Apr-May-Jun Redruth 9 Page:138

[Morfydd from Mid Glam]

I love you people, you are amazing.
I looked for ages last night and couldn't find what you found.
For Heavens sake, I forgot to look on the IGI, I need shaking.
Thank you so much.

[Little Nell]

Lol, Morfydd!

[Morfydd from Mid Glam]

I really wanted to solve this bit of confusion, and thanks to you lot I have, as Jane and her family changed their name in the 1870s from Taylor to Jackson and I've recently found out this was because her son and daughter in law (my G Grandparents) had gone bankrupt while running some sort of shop in Cornwall.
They all moved to Wales and changed their surname because of the shame of the bankruptcy.
So my Dad's family has been known as Jackson ever since.
This is the family story mind, I don't know how true it is, don't know if I will ever be able to discover if the bankruptcy took place.
Perhaps I'll be calling for your expert help again soon. lol

[Mary from Italy]

Try searching here for the bankruptcy:

London Gazette Home Page

[Joy Dean]

You could try contacting the OPC for Redruth, too; and all Cornish census are free and are online :-)

Introduction

[Morfydd from Mid Glam]

Thank you Mary, I looked on the site a while ago, but didn't find anything.
Thanks Joy, I'll have a look at this site this evening.

[Chri C]

Robert and Jane were my G G Grandparents too and I could not understand the reason for the change of name. Your explanation appears ok (do you know what year the bankruptcy was), because I think the son would be too young to run a business then, unless it was the father Roberts business (sugar boiler).

[Morfydd from Mid Glam]

Hi, my grandparents, Rosina and John could have been the ones who went bankrupt, they were married in 1875, so would have been old wnough to run a business.
They were living in Wales in the 1881 census, so obviously left Cornwall sometime in the late 1870s
Who are you related to in the family?

[Chri C]

Hi, My G Grandfather was James Jackson b1870/1, (married 1891 to Catherine Ellen Hughes) and he was brother to John, Emily, (maybe an Elizabeth as well) Charles, Robert, George .
I think only Charles, Robert, George and James moved to Llanbeblig (1881 census). I presume I have the correct family tree here?

[Morfydd from Mid Glam]

You have the correct family tree.
Emily and Elizabeth were Robert Joseph's daughters from his first marriage.