Genealogy Chat

I am trying to find the children of a Jane Wells,

Jane Wells (born abt 1856 in Leicester) had 2 illegitimate children that I know of before 1901:

Richard Hamer Wells (1894 – 1897)
Jane Hamer Wells (1895 – 1946)

I have no idea why both children have the middle name Hamer, as I’ve gone right back with the Wells family and haven’t come across this name.

I have been told by my granddad (son of Jane) that Jane had a few sisters although as his mother died when he was very young, he didn’t know their names. He did think that a sister of his mother married his dad’s brother Bernard Milton, but again he didn’t know a name.

Can anybody help me find maybe baptisms of Jane’s children or maybe a marriage for her so children would be under the married name?

I have Richard Hamer Wells baptism at St Peter’s church, Leicester and I know Jane stayed around the same area, but I can not find a baptism for her daughter Jane, and there are so many Jane Wells I would have to spend a fortune on certificates to be sure I had the right one! Her father’s name was John Wells who lived in Knighton, but was born in Husbands Bosworth.

Any help or advice where to look next would be brilliant!


Thanks for any help given,

Vicky X

Can you clarify which Jane was the mother of your grandfather............you don't give dates, so it's a little unclear.........

Reg

I presume you have this, although you don't mention it..........

Name: Richard Hamer Wells
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1895
Year of Registration: 1897
Quarter of Registration: Apr-May-Jun
Age at Death: 2
District: Leicester (1837-1974)
County: Leicestershire
Volume: 7a
Page: 161

Reg

Hi Reg, sorry.

Jane Hamer Wells born 1895 is the mother of my Grandfather.

Thanks

Vicky

Is this Jane and daughter Jane in 1901, but where's Richard?
Back of 38 Colton St., Leicester
Jane Wells, head, widow, 47, laundress, born Leicester
Jane H., dau, 5, born Leicester
Phoebe Hensman, single, boarder, 34, seamstress, born Warwick, Birmingham

If Jane Hamer Wells was your gt. g/mother, I think it unlikely that she had siblings........her mother was 47 in 1901...........

Reg

Hi, thanks for everybody who replied,

I did put in my original thread that Richard died when he was 2. I only found out about him when I was looking for a possible father with the name Hamer and Richard popped up.

My Grandad definitely knew she had sister’s and was really surprised that she had had a brother.

Thanks anyway for your help,

Vicky X

In 1891 Jane Wells, 37, born Leicester is a servant in London in the home of William Glover. She's single.

Oops, I didn't read the original post properly. I was looking for Richard in 1901 when he had died in 1897!

Is this grandad's parents' marriage?
John Milton & Jane H. Wells, March quarter 1922, Leicester.
Can't find a marriage of Bernard Milton though.

Hi Margaret,

Yes that’s the right marriage. I think I will have to trawl through the marriages to find Bernard’s marriage to see if that matches what I’ve been told.

Thanks for looking for me,

Vicky X

Victoria

Going back to the name Hamer....have you considered the naming patterns in families. The children may have been given their grandmother's maiden name?

Are you absolutely sure these children were illigitamate? Wells may be the mothers married name and Hamer her maiden name....you are not clear in your post. Jane is a very common name back then and it is possible that a gentleman had a wife and sister by this name....just to confuse research!

I may have got the wrong end of the stick, but perhaps a marriage of Jane Hamer to a Mr Wells is possible???

Dee

In 1901, Jane Wells described herself as a widow...............but that may have been for the sake of propriety

Reg

Hi Dee,

I did consider that when I first started looking at this side of the family, until I purchased Jane Hamer Wells birth certificate and it didn’t list a father. When I found out about Richard, I then purchased his birth certificate in the hope of shedding some light and again it listed no father and the mother was just listed as Jane Wells.

Interestingly, on both birth certificates the informant is listed as:
Jane Wells, Aunt, Present at birth, but I can not find another connection to a Jane Wells in the family!

Also on Jane Hamer Wells marriage cert in 1913, it lists her father as Richard Edward Wells. I would believe that she put this name to save face and to honour her brother but for the fact that she put a different middle name. There is a Richard and Jane Wells living in Leicester on the 1901 census, which is a bit of a coincidence, but again I can not find any connection between them and my Wells family.

Sorry to confuse you all, but my heads spinning with all the Jane’s and Richard’s!

Vicky X

You have completely lost me now.

What does it say on her death certificate about DOB/maiden name etc?

You may get more clues from that.

Dee

What was your grandfather's name, and what does it say on his birth certificate?

Hi Dee,

I don't have a death certificate for any of them. I don't know what happened to Jane Wells (born 1856, mother of Richard Hamer Wells and Jane Hamer Wells) after 1901.

Sorry I didn't mean to confuse you, all I mean is that on Richard Hamer Wells and Jane Hamer Wells birth certs, their mother is just Jane Wells. No maiden name.

Hi Mary,

My granddad is called Alan Milton born in 1933, on his birth cert is mothers name is Jane Hamer Milton formally Wells.

Thanks for your time and help,

Vicky X

hello vicky
have you looked at the marriage of harry hamer to ellen wells . in leicester 1886 could be a possible sister to jane wells. you say she was down as a aunt to the children .

That's a very interesting find, Rose. I've been looking at the censuses, and found 8 siblings for Jane Wells, but there isn't an Ellen among them.

Vicky, I've found burial details on the Welford Road burial disc for Jane Wells' parents John and Eliza, her brother Arthur and her son Richard. Do you already have them, or would you like them?

Hi Mary, I have Richard's but that's all. Could you give me the rest please?

Thanks so much,

Vicky