Genealogy Chat

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.

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!!!!

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?

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.

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.!!

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.

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.

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

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.

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

Have you excluded this one?
Deaths Mar 1886

Surname Given Name

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

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!!!!

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%)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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.

I am trying to establish Maggie Sparkes mother and father. Ihave only taken Maggies est. age from marriage cert. Ihave not been able to pick up Maggie in 1901 or 1911. Ithink Margaret Sparkes might have married again in either Dec. 1894 E.Stonehouse or Jun 1895 in Plym. perhaps she produced another child ie Maggie before she married again.I realise Iwill have to get a cert. BMD has not helped. I have not bought a wrong cert. yet but have a feeling my first may be close!!!!!!!

Sandii,

What are you trying to establish?

You have found Margaret Sparks in the 1891 census working as cook in the home of physician Chas A HINGSTON. She is listed as married, but is the only Sparks at that address. You have also located her children, living at the home of her parents.

Can you explain how you have arrived at the year of birth for Maggie? I assume it from her marriage certificate. ie the age that she admitted to at the time of her marriage. Was hubby younger?

There is a birth on FreeBMD that warrants further investigation. If I were you I would invest £7 in that birth certificate. (I am particularly good at spending others money!)

Births Dec 1895
Sparks Margaret
District: E. Stonehouse
Volume 5b
Page 270

This birth certificate will give her mother's maiden name and tell you if this is the Maggie you are trying to locate.

I assume that the next challenge is to locate either Margaret or Maggie in the 1901 census. Do you have access to the 1901 census on Ancestry?

Pete

By 1891, The children of Henry and Margaret are living at Kenn with their grandparents the Holletts. Magaret Sparkes is living in Plymouth as a cook. Henry WAlter Sparkes has either died or left. I have search many years of deaths and been unable to pick himup.
In the 1881 census living with Mary Laskey and H.W. Is Miriam Sparkes , his sister. She died at 19 could she have had a child? Hope this helps. Thank you all for your continued interest.

In 1881 Henry Walter is living with his married sister Mary Jane Laskey in Tormoham Torquay at 24 Melville Road.

Nellies father was Henry Walter Sparkes b. 1861 in Torquay Devon. Her mother was Margaret Hollett of Kenn Devon.

What about Nellie's marriage certificate? What is the name of her father?

Pete

Maggie Sparkes 1898, so her father was

Births Jun 1861
SPARKES Henry Walter Newton A 5b 161
Could Maggie (or the registrar) have made a mistake over Henry's middle name?

Where was Maggie born?

Could this be Henry on 1881

Ann H. SMITH Head W Female 32 Spon, Middlesex, England Annuitant
Frances SMITH Daur U Female 25 Islington, Middlesex, England Governess
Alice A. SMITH Daur U Female 23 Southend, Essex, England
James TAYLOR Boarder U Male 30 (B), The Netherlands Commission Agent
John SPARKE Boarder Male 24 Cornwall, England Warehouseman
Henry SPARKE Boarder U Male 20 Cornwall, England Warehouseman

Dwelling 18 Barnsbury Grove
Census Place London, Middlesex, England
Family History Library Film 1341052
Public Records Office Reference RG11
Piece / Folio 0241 / 21
Page Number 33