Genealogy Chat

I think the best approach is the get that the certificate to establish if this could be the right person. The address may help but the names of the parents will tell you difinately if you have found the right birth certificate.

Regarding the 1901 census. Have you tried a search of Devon for a child Maggie, born c 1895 with a mother named Margaret.

I keep coming back to this one because of the stated place of birth. I have not been able to locate her anywhere else.

Margaret Hutchenson
Age: 39
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1862
Relation: Head
Gender: Female
Where born: Kennford, Devon, England

Civil Parish: East Stonehouse
Ecclesiastical parish: St Matthew
Town: East Stonehouse
County/Island: Devon
Country: England

Registration district: East Stonehouse
Sub registration district: East Stonehouse
ED, institution, or vessel: 6
Household schedule number: 327
Household Members: Name Age
Margaret Hutchenson 39
Maggie Hutchenson 6

The image appears to show the surname as HUTCHINSON.

So could this be your family.

Bear with me, this is all supposition. Could Henry Sparkes have died and Margaret remarried.

Dec 1894 possible marriage to John JEFFERY - bride Margaret Elizabeth SPARKES. (The other possible couple CRABB and STUBLEY are found together in the 1901 census).

June 1895. Death of a John JEFFERY registered in Stoke Damerel.

Deaths Jun 1895

Jeffery John 42 Stoke D. 5b 225

Age 42, so not an infant death.

Dec 1895 birth of Margaret Sparkes. (Why wasn't she registered as Jeffery?)

Mar 1896 marriage James HUTCHINSON to Margaret
Surname First name(s) District Vol Page

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Marriages Mar 1896 (>99%)
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Hutchinson James Plymouth 5b 383
JEFFERY Margaret Elizabeth Plymouth 5b 383

Her father's name will be shown on the marriage cert. See that's another £7 I've spent for you!

So if that theory holds water you needs to buy some certificates to confirm things or we are back to the drawing board.

Unanswered questions. Where is James HUTCHINSON in the 1901 census. There is one in Plymouth, listed as married but no family. However, if the marriage theory is right his age at time of marriage may help locate a likely candidate.

Why was Margaret (Maggie) registered as Sparkes?

Onto the 1911 census. Try searching for Margaret Hutchinson born KENN* and you get a hit of the right age..

Also try searching for Maggie HUTCHINSON and you find one in Plymouth, born c1895.

Now I am happy to concede that all of this is supposition - not a shread of evidence to link it all together but the certificates and 1911 census could go a long way to resolving your questions.

Sorry the response was longwinded but I wanted to split it up into (hopefully) logical steps.

Yes Ithink he may have died although Ihave searched 10 years of deaths ,or else he left .the family. Margaret Sparkes ,Henrys wife was called Hollett , The Hollett family lived at Kenn Devon. in 1891 Nellie and Fred who were Margarets children are there. Frederick Hollett grandfather.at the bakers shop. I have just joined ancestry free trial!!!!

Have you excluded this one?
Deaths Mar 1886

Surname Given Name

Sparkes Henry
Age 28
District E Stonehouse
Volume 5b
Page 275

I did not find that one in my research, Bearing in mind I keep every single scrap of paper with research on it,. Ihave a record of the year 1886 with a question mark for the first qtr. which would be Mar.? Isnt it just like it, Ihave four lines for every other year!!!! That could just be him but why would Henry and Margaret just go to E Stonehouse and leave their little ones at Kenn?? I wonder

The family Henry, Margaret, Nellie and Fred. must have all gone to Stonehouse to live. Henry died, children were sent to live with grandparents and Margaret stayed in Plymouth, found a job as cook.

The two children that were with their grandparents in 1891 would have been born around 1884 to 1886 if their ages are correct in the census.

Perhaps the children lived with grandparents after Henry died in order that Margaret could earn an income.

We are guessing. We don't know for sure that this is the right Henry.
Pete

To tell you the truthIam not too worried . It would tie up a loose end its true.Thanks for that research. I am blowed if I can find aMaggie Sparkes in any census . I wonder if she changed her name just after birth? Like you say I have to invest in 7 pound .I wish things were a little bit more concrete though.

I am wondering if Nellies brother Frederick Sparkes has anything to do with Maggie , if he did then Maggie would be my father Fernley Dymotts cousin.
Frederick Sparkes b 1884 Torquay married Edith Pinney 1904 in Devonport. Went to Portsmouth had one son Horace.

I realise I will have to get Maggie Sparks 1895 cert. The Sparkes family used the Sparks spelling way back , and changed to Sparkes when they moved to Torquay, this is what is making me hesitate about getting this cert. Why should the spelling Sparks suddenly appear out of the blue? again,and yet my instincts are telling me it might just be her.!!

Changes to spelling, spelling mistakes, names being spelt as they sound and mistranscriptions are are common. Here are some in my tree

Bateman mispelt as Baitman.

Roden mistranscribed as Kaden and Rochen.

Poole mistranscribed as Cool

Parkins became Perkins who once became Berkins

This is why its often so hard to find what we are looking for.


So missing an 'e' in Spark(e)s is quite normal I think.

Looking through the 1901 census for Margaret Sparks, I came across Dorothea M Jago b 1895 Plymouth alternate name Dorothea M Sparks.,what would alternate name mean? Does it mean adoption?M could be Maggie, is it the same person Pete found at east stonehouse?

Just to keep those interested informed ,I have just ordered Margaret Sparks birth. cert. I have a feeling M. Sparkes had another child i.e. Maggie or Margaret Sparks. Abig thank you for all the time, effort and interest you have shown. All is about to be revealed!!!!

Hello, birth cert. came for Margaret Sparks E. Stonehouse 1895. Father was George Sparks Mother Alice Sparks nee Ware. The interesting coincidence?? is, Nellie Sparkes second marriage was to Walter Ware.So I will have to investigate further!!! Best wishes to all.