Genealogy Chat

Hi I am fairly new to this and I am not sure if someone can offer me some advice?
I am doing our family tree but struggling with my dads side. Unfortunately he passed away so I cannot ask him for any details and my mum has given me what she remembers...
Anyway, his mum was called Alice Duckwith born in Tynemouth in 1904. On her birth cert her mum Ada Eleanor S(cannot read name) Duckwith. No fathers name entered. When Alice married Henry Stewart (from Morpeth c1888) in 1926 he was 38 and she was 21 and now called RAMSHAW.
I have search bdm and cannot find any marridges to either Ada or Alice to a Ramshaw so wondered if Alice could have been adopted? If so is there a way of checking this?
Also the only Ada Eleanor S I can find is recorded on the register as DUCKWORTH born in 1885 in Southsheilds.
Also as Henry was 38 when he married which wasquite late back then and my mum remember poss an older sister called Edna how can I see if he was married before as stewart is a really common name in the area?
Sorry for so many questions and thanks for reading
Regards
Pat

Birth for Alice Duckwith

Tynemouth 1904 A-J 10b 266.

Trying to find Ada Eleanor on census at the moment - not having much luck. Quite a few Duckwiths, all from Yorkshire.

marriage
Alice Ramshaw 1926 Stewart Tynemouth Northumberland
View Record
Henry Stewart 1926 Duckwith Tynemouth Northumberland
View Record
Henry Stewart 1926 Ramshaw Tynemouth Northumberland
So she is Ramshaw/Duckwith

England & Wales, FreeBMD Marriage Index: 1837-1983
about Henry Stewart
Name: Henry Stewart
Year of Registration: 1926
Quarter of Registration: Jan-Feb-Mar
Spouse's Surname: Duckwith
District: Tynemouth
County: Northumberland
Volume: 10b
Page: 330a (click to see others on page)

Is there a father's name on the marriage cert?

Whose sister is Edna?

just relied and lost it will try again!
Just reread the marridge cert
Henrys dad - John William Stewart - Fisherman deceased
Alice Duckwith says "otherwise Ramshaw" - no family recorded
His address looks like 4 point street hers 12 queen street both north shields
On her birth cert the address is recorded as 1 point street tyneside so I guess they could have been neighbours at one time?
He is recorded as bacholour her as spinster so does this mean they were not married b4.
Thanks for your help we have been struggling!
Pat

Sorry Edna was supposed to be my dads older sister - so Henrys oldest child if mum hasn't got this wrong.
Alice was pregnant with Dad when they married. (about 5 months)

This is the only John Stewart I can find at the moment who happens to be a fisherman - do you think he is Henry's dad?


1881 England Census
about John Stewart
Name: John Stewart
Age: 32
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1849
Relation: Head
Spouse's Name: Dorothy
Gender: Male
Where born: Alnmouth, Northumberland, England

Civil Parish: Alnmouth
County/Island: Northumberland
Country: England

Street address: Front St
Condition as to marriage: Married
Education:

Employment status:

View Image
Occupation: Fisherman

Registration district: Alnwick
Sub registration district: Warkworth
ED, institution, or vessel: 13
Neighbors: View others on page
Household Members:
Name Age
John Stewart 32
Dorothy Stewart 44
John G. Stewart 6

View
Original
Record

View original image

This looks like part of the same family as well. The Henry here is a nephew. The head of household is also Henry aged 40, a fisherman. Possibly John William's brother? There is also a son John W:


1891 England Census
about Henry Stewart
Name: Henry Stewart
Age: 6
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1885
Relation: Nephew
Gender: Male
Where born: Alnmouth, Northumberland, England

Civil Parish: Alnmouth
Ecclesiastical parish: Alnmouth
Town: Alnmouth
County/Island: Northumberland
Country: England

Street address:

Occupation:

Condition as to marriage:

Education:

Employment status:

View Image

Registration district: Alnwick
Sub registration district: Warkworth
ED, institution, or vessel: 13
Neighbors: View others on page
Household Members:
Name Age
Henry Stewart 40
Eleanor Stewart 38
Elizabeth Stewart 19
Henry Stewart 6
John W Stewart 1

View
Original
Record

View original image

I'm having trouble finding Ada Eleanor Duckwith on th 1901 census. Can you have a guess at the name that begins with 'S' on Alice's birth cert? I'm just wondering whether this is a surname and whether she is under 's' on the census.

It could be that Alice was illegitimate and that Ada Eleanor's real surname begins with 'S' and that she gave Alice the father's surname even though they were not married.

Sounds like Alice's father isn't named on the birth certificate because she was illegitimate - hence why you've found a birth registration for both an Alice Duckwith and an Ada Eleanor S Duckworth.

I would say the Duckworth/Duckwith thing is probably a spelling variant - sometimes people spelt their names in different ways and if the informant who registered Ada's birth (probably a parent?) was illiterate, they wouldn't know if the registrar had spelt it in the "right" or "wrong" way. (I've got a load in my tree who seem to switch between Grayson, Grayston and sometimes Graystone as and when they feel like it! And another lot that Masco, Maskew, Mascow, Mascough etc - more or less any old interpretation you can think of.)

It's also possible that Ada for some reason assumed the name Ramshaw for whatever reason - I think you can legally use any alias you want. Perhaps she even lived with a man named Ramshaw but never married him and Alice just assumed he was her stepfather so when she married Henry Stewart she gave her birth name but also mentioned that she was also known as Ramshaw?

So if Ada S Duckworth is the correct mother then this is her in 1891:


1891 England Census
about Ada S Duckworth
Name: Ada S Duckworth
Age: 6
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1885
Relation: Daughter
Father's Name: Henry
Mother's Name: Mary A
Gender: Female
Where born: South Shields, Durham, England

Civil Parish: Westoe
Ecclesiastical parish: Holy Trinity
County/Island: Durham
Country: England

Street address:

Occupation:

Condition as to marriage:

Education:

Employment status:

View Image

Registration district: South Shields
Sub registration district: Westoe
ED, institution, or vessel: 30
Neighbors: View others on page
Household Members:
Name Age
Henry Duckworth 40
Mary A Duckworth 42
Catherine Duckworth 16
Jane A Duckworth 14
William T Duckworth 8
Ada S Duckworth 6
Geo H Duckworth 2

View
Original
Record

View original image

And I think this is possibly Ada in 1901 as Catherine is her sister here and in 1891. Alice was also born in Tynemouth. Although she is down as Ada M:


1901 England Census
about Ada M Duckworth
Name: Ada M Duckworth
Age: 16
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1885
Relation: Sister
Gender: Female

Civil Parish: Tynemouth
Ecclesiastical parish: Tynemouth Christchurch
Town: North Shields
County/Island: Northumberland
Country: England

Street address:

Occupation:

Condition as to marriage:

Education:

Employment status:

View Image

Registration district: Tynemouth
Sub registration district: Tynemouth
ED, institution, or vessel: 27
Neighbors: View others on page
Household schedule number: 229
Household Members:
Name Age
Catherine Duckworth 26
Ada M Duckworth 16
Mary A Hunter 8

View
Original
Record

View original image
View blank

Ooooh, that's interesting! On the 1901 census Ada Eleanor is living with sister Catherine at 11 East Percy Street, Tynemouth. I went back a page on the census and guess who I found - Robert Ramshaw age 19, house painter. Will put details up next.

Here is Robert Ramshaw living at 10 Percy Street in 1901.


1901 England Census
about Robert Ramshaw
Name: Robert Ramshaw
Age: 19
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1882
Relation: Son
Father's Name: Robert
Mother's Name: Ann
Gender: Male
Where born: North Shields, Northumberland, England

Civil Parish: Tynemouth
Ecclesiastical parish: Tynemouth Christchurch
Town: North Shields
County/Island: Northumberland
Country: England

Street address:

Occupation:

Condition as to marriage:

Education:

Employment status:

View Image

Registration district: Tynemouth
Sub registration district: Tynemouth
ED, institution, or vessel: 27
Neighbors: View others on page
Household schedule number: 224
Household Members:
Name Age
Robert Ramshaw 46
Ann Ramshaw 45
Mary Taylor 23
Robert Ramshaw 19
James Ramshaw 13
William Ramshaw 12
Thomas Ramshaw 10
Margaret Ramshaw 16

View
Original
Record

View original image
V

It could be a coincidence, but there are also a lot of other Ramshaws in the area as well so might not mean anything!

I find it very hard to read it looks like a surname as a middlename?
Ada Eleanor Simklon? Duckwith
I will post it for you if there is a way to do it so you can look?
Henry was born c 1888 as was 38 in 1926 when he married Alice.
thanks again

marriage
Ada Simpson Dockworth 1905 Tynemouth