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  • Change of Surname

    Hi, I've not been on here for some time and when I was here, I got a lot of help and I need some help again please.

    I have discovered that my father's family surname of Dennis is not the original family name, it was Fitzpatrick, one of the Dennis ancestors decided that what with the Irish troubles and the dislike of the Irish by the English, he decided to change it to Dennis, now the problem is, I don't think it was legally done as I can't find anything to say it was, so I think this ancestor just said something like 'From now on we will have the surname Dennis'. A relative who I have never spoken to via another member of the family said it was swopped, now if that's the case, was this relative originally called Dennis Fitzpatrick, did the wife of this ancestor have a surname of Dennis and they took that, I wish I knew.

    Is there any way I can find some sort of link to put the two surnames together. This is how it stands at the moment with the Surname of Dennis.

    My father - Philip Charles Harry Dennis b.1913 - Romford, Essex
    My grandfather - John Dennis b.1877 - Hammersmith, London
    My great grandfather - Charles Dennis b.1858 - Cawnpore, India
    My great great grandfather - John Dennis (that's what it says on Charles' marriage certificate and it also said he was a soldier deceased, marriage was in 1880) b.1825 approx - I believe born in Ireland.

    I have no information at all on my great great grandfather, did his father, my gt,gt,gt grandfather change the names and is there any possible way to find out? There's my problem.

    If anyone can advise or help I would be most grateful.

  • #2
    It was quite legal in England at least to change your name without doing anyhting more than announcing that "as from hence forth I, John Smith , will be known as James Black. I will not be responsible for any debt incurred by John Smith after this date."

    All you had to do was then let people who had to know, eg bank, employer, know that your name had changed.

    It was legal as long as it was not done with the intent to defraud, commit a crime, or for any such illegal purpose.

    Some people would put a notice in the local newspaper announcing the above ........... almost all newspapers had a legal column. I used to see such notices relatively frequently in my local home town newspaper in Lancashire back in the 50s.

    In fact, I saw 2 such notices in the newspaper in this very large city in Canada just a couple of weeks ago.

    So your family's change of name was not done illegally, they just took the cheap way of doing it.


    I suggest that if you are finding your ancestors before your father with the changed name, then it was done before them, as there is not after-the-event changing of names in the records! You just have to see if you can actually find the ancestor who might have changed it, ie, present in one record as Dennis but then is Fitzpatrick before that.

    It's going to be very tricky!!
    My grandmother, on the beach, South Bay, Scarborough, undated photo (poss. 1929 or 1930)

    Researching Cadd, Schofield, Cottrell in Lancashire, Buckinghamshire; Taylor, Park in Westmorland; Hayhurst in Yorkshire, Westmorland, Lancashire; Hughes, Roberts in Wales.

    Comment


    • #3
      I have two different families whose surname changed completely. Interestingly though, one family did keep the original name as a middle name for two generations. One of the families was probably from Ireland so could be the same reason as above ... to sound less Irish. The other family had the head commit suicide and they moved 60 miles away and mostly called themselves a different, completely unrelated name BUT continued to register marriages and deaths with their original name.

      Given the poor circumstances of both families I am sure they did nothing official, just started calling themselves something different.
      This is apparently still legal in England and Wales (so long as it is not done for fraud) although good luck with all the digital records and identity these days!
      Anne

      Comment


      • #4
        Is this Charles in 1881? 28, Church Street, Kensington, London & Middlesex, England

        James Wilks Head Married Male 23 1858 Baker Employs 1 Man -
        Maria Wilks Wife Married Female 23 1858 - -
        Charles Dennis Visitor Married Male 23 1858 Baker India

        I cannot find the son John on this census.

        What records do you have the family on?
        Was his father John with British Army or East India Company?
        Kat

        My avatar is my mother 1921 - 2012

        Comment


        • #5
          How do you know it was originally Fitzgerald? You need to try that evidence first. Dennis sounds fairly Irish to me.

          I have a family that went bankrupt in 1830 and started using the wife's maiden name. How that would have fooled anyone in a small Lancashire village I do not know, but there you go.

          OC

          Comment


          • #6
            It sounds more like hearsay(the name change) rather than documented evidence. I agree with OC you need to find that evidence first.
            Kat

            My avatar is my mother 1921 - 2012

            Comment


            • #7
              In my french side, people add extra names to the surname every few generations. Seems to be family properties originally, but in the 19th century seems to be tacking mother's maiden name on the end.

              I have an ancestor who dropped his surname when he arrived in australia, and was known by his middle name, his mother's maiden name.

              One of my german families changed the spelling of their name in australia, changed a vowel. Though the original spelling is still found occasionally. Seems to be the anglo way of pronounciation. Though there was a rumour the wife of one of the emmigrant sons hated the family and convinced him to abandon them, changing the spelling wildly- supported by the weird and crazy spellings of their descendants.

              The story is probably true, you need the evidence. And possibly the reason? This is normally passed down in lore. Could have to do with inheritance (some inheritance required taking the name of the deceased, in order to inherit) bankruptcy, illegitimacy (perhaps the original ancestor was illegitimate), a murder.

              Comment


              • #8
                is this him:

                Name: Charles Fitz Dennis
                Electoral Date: 1884
                Street address: 14 Charles street
                Ward or Division/Constituency: Kensington
                County or Borough: Kensington and Chelsea, England
                Reference Number: MR/PER/B/060
                Carolyn
                Family Tree site

                Researching: Luggs, Freeman - Cornwall; Dayman, Hobbs, Heard - Devon; Wilson, Miles - Northants; Brett, Everett, Clark, Allum - Herts/Essex
                Also interested in Proctor, Woodruff

                Comment


                • #9
                  Looks good Carolyn!

                  Was taught at school that "fitz" was used for the illegitimate offspring of royalty and aristocracy. Not that that is any help at all, of course.

                  OC

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    I am assuming this is him:
                    Name: Charles Dennis
                    Age: 23
                    Estimated birth year: abt 1858
                    Relationship to Head: Visitor
                    Gender: Male
                    Where born: India
                    [Cawnpore, India]
                    Civil Parish: Kensington
                    County/Island: London
                    Country: England
                    Street address: 28 Church St
                    Marital status: Married
                    Education:
                    Employment status:
                    View image
                    Occupation: Baker
                    Registration district: Kensington
                    Sub registration district: Kensington Town
                    ED, institution, or vessel: 9a
                    Neighbors: View others on page
                    Piece: 24
                    Folio: 84
                    Page Number: 19

                    but confused as son john here is a different Dob to post 1
                    Carolyn
                    Family Tree site

                    Researching: Luggs, Freeman - Cornwall; Dayman, Hobbs, Heard - Devon; Wilson, Miles - Northants; Brett, Everett, Clark, Allum - Herts/Essex
                    Also interested in Proctor, Woodruff

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      I think this is also him:


                      now just Fitz Dennis a baker with father John a Soldier (dec'd)

                      Name: Fitz Dennis
                      Gender: Male
                      Marriage Age: 22
                      Record Type: Marriage
                      Birth Date: abt 1858
                      Marriage Date: 19 Dec 1880
                      Marriage Place: St John, Bethnal Green, Tower Hamlets, England
                      Father: John Dennis
                      Spouse: Eliza Banham
                      Carolyn
                      Family Tree site

                      Researching: Luggs, Freeman - Cornwall; Dayman, Hobbs, Heard - Devon; Wilson, Miles - Northants; Brett, Everett, Clark, Allum - Herts/Essex
                      Also interested in Proctor, Woodruff

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        My ex's great-great-grandfather was born Dennis James McCarthy, but was later known as James Carter. I found this with help from folks on Genes Renunited as one of James' sons was blind and retained the name McCarthy. The name change occurred between 1866 (when James' son Charles' birth was registered as McCarthy) and 1871 when they appear on the census as Carter. I think this is because in 1868 there was a "Fenian outrage" when forerunners of the IRA caused an explosion in Clerkenwell and there was a lot of anti-Irish feeling.
                        James & his wife were both registered as McCarthy on their death certs, but some of their children retained the Carter name including ex's great grandfather's line.
                        ~ with love from Little Nell~
                        Chowns, Dunt, Emms, Mealing, Purvey & Smoothy

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          I've discovered that some of my grandfather's ancestors moved from Yorkshire into Lancashire in the 1830s, with the name Scholefield.

                          Some time before 1841, some of them changed the spelling to Schofield, and my grandfather had this spelling. But one of my gt grandfather's siblings changed the spelling back to Scholefield some time after his marriage and in between the birth of 2 of his children. Some of those children stayed with their birth surname but some switched from one to the other. At least that gt uncle did bring some different forenames in to the family ............. he worked in Russia for a time, and two of his sons were called Hermann and Emil. Makes a change from Harry, John, etc

                          I can trace the Scholefield all the way back to the birth place in Yorkshire, and back for several generations, but I can't make sense of when the actual changes took place, or why!
                          My grandmother, on the beach, South Bay, Scarborough, undated photo (poss. 1929 or 1930)

                          Researching Cadd, Schofield, Cottrell in Lancashire, Buckinghamshire; Taylor, Park in Westmorland; Hayhurst in Yorkshire, Westmorland, Lancashire; Hughes, Roberts in Wales.

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Hi Kat, yes it is Charles in 1881, I think he worked for Wilks. He married in 1880 under the name of Fitz Dennis to Eliza Banham, then in the 1881 census he'd become Charles Dennis, if you are talking about Charles' son John he wasn't born until 1887, Charles' father was called John Dennis, so says Charles' marriage certificate, so they would have been named Fitzpatrick before this, unless of course Charles didn't want to show a different father's surname on his marriage certificate. I only know the name of Charles' father, no mother, nothing, if I could find a birth certificate that would help, but being born in India, will be difficult.

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Yes, it is him, I have tons of stuff on Charles as Charles Dennis, but can't get back any farther than that. I can tell you every house he lived in from 1880 to 1903 when he died. I've tried for 2 years now trying to find out about his father John and can get nothing. Frustrating.

                              Comment


                              • #16
                                Sorry to correct you, but it was originally Fitzpatrick. I managed to find a couple of relatives, the only one that will speak to me has no contact with the rest of the family, but before the others discontinued contact with me (they didn't know I existed until I got in touch with them, bit of a shock for most), one of them gave me that information.

                                Comment


                                • #17
                                  Sorry, don't know why I typed Fitzgerald!

                                  How did your contact know they were originally called Fitzpatrick? What proof did they offer?

                                  OC

                                  Comment


                                  • #18
                                    That's fine by me, bit of aristocracy would be nice, runs in the family as I'm the illegitimate offspring as well. Also supposed to mean 'son of' apparrentley.

                                    Comment


                                    • #19
                                      Originally posted by PDennis View Post
                                      Hi Kat, yes it is Charles in 1881, I think he worked for Wilks. He married in 1880 under the name of Fitz Dennis to Eliza Banham, then in the 1881 census he'd become Charles Dennis, if you are talking about Charles' son John he wasn't born until 1887, Charles' father was called John Dennis, so says Charles' marriage certificate, so they would have been named Fitzpatrick before this, unless of course Charles didn't want to show a different father's surname on his marriage certificate. I only know the name of Charles' father, no mother, nothing, if I could find a birth certificate that would help, but being born in India, will be difficult.
                                      What documents do you have with Fitzpatrick? Does that not give any clues?

                                      I guess you are needing military records.
                                      Carolyn
                                      Family Tree site

                                      Researching: Luggs, Freeman - Cornwall; Dayman, Hobbs, Heard - Devon; Wilson, Miles - Northants; Brett, Everett, Clark, Allum - Herts/Essex
                                      Also interested in Proctor, Woodruff

                                      Comment


                                      • #20
                                        This is he, my error, hit wrong key, son John was born in 1887 or 1886 depending on which census you look at, not 1877, apologies.

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