Genealogy Chat

Hi, This has really got me stumped and no idea where to go or what to do next. My nan married my grandad in 1936 and her name was Freda Stanley. On her marraige certificate her father is Charles Stanley. I managed to trace her d.o.b (2/9/1909) from her death cert. However I could not find her anywhere until my uncle remembered that for a reason unknown to us her surname was actually changed and that her surname at birth was Constant. Bingo! I found her straightaway and ordered her birth cert. Using her cert I found her father Charles Constant her mother Caroline Morland. This is where it gets really confusing: 1881 census Richard Morland age 30yrs born Holborn, Middlesex wife Caroline age 26yrs born Westminster, Middlesex daur Caroline (my gr grandmother) age 4yrs born Plumstead, daur Emily age 2yrs born Plumstead I cannot find anything on the above after that. 1881 census Caroline Constant age 37yrs widow born Waltham, Kent daur Julia age 9yrs, Plumstead son Charles age 7yrs (my gr grandad) Plumstead daur Florence 4yrs son Willian 1yr (died 1yr later) 1891 census Caroline dissappeared!! Francis Standing 42yrs wife Annie 43yrs Step son Charles Constant 17yrs (gr grandad) Step daur Ethel 6yrs brother Thomas by 1901 Charles has left the address but his sister Florence and Ethel are residing with the Standings as step daurs? What next, I have been trying to see if there is a family connection between the Standings and Constants and no luck as yet. I have tried every avenue I can think of. Does anybody have any ideas where I go from here? Laurie lodger Thomas Tusdale

hi laurie not sure i can help but i will tell you my story i could not find my mums eldest siblings untill one died and i found that he had been registerd under a different name,once i found him i also found two others they too had been registered as taylor the parents george taylor and cissie taylor nee wilson.by the time the 4th child came along they were back to using thier real names again.for what ever reason they changed thier names for 6 years i now think it may have beeb due to bankrupcey.In those days anything like that would have been a big disgrace.this doesnt help you much but they could change names very easily.I hope you find the missing link,its so frustrating isnt it.At the moment im looking through newspapers of the time just incase something gives me a lead Good hunting Jan

Laurie This is a very interesting one!!! I am not saying I have the answer, but here is a coincidence for you but..... I have spent a while looking at these families, and noticed that there is a Caroline Ann Constant who married in Woolwich district in the September quarter 1890. Also, Francis Alfred Standing married Annie Eliza Kelly in Woolowich district in the September quarter 1890. Coincidence?.....here is the cunning bit.... the reference number for Caroline Ann Constant's marriage is 1d 184 the reference number for Francis Alfred Standing and Annie Eliza Kelly's marriage is 1d 1884 I think that if you try to get a marriage certificate for either of these, it will give you some kind of answer. However, or better way of getting to the bottom of this might be to go to the Plumstead parish records. I think that they might be kept in the Metropolitan archive. I have a theory that Caroline Ann Constant might be Annie Eliza Kelly !!! I think this because the 1891 census shows that both were born in Waltham, Kent. How and why the names (and the ages) were changed, I cannot begin to imagine. The marriage certificate may shed some light!!! Hope this helps. In my search, I found some information on the family, which I can give to you, if you wanted to e-mail me at [email protected] Best wishes Neil

Hi Neil, Janet, Thank you so much for your replies. Neil I have emailed you. Janet goodluck. I think our ancestors done it deliberately just to confuse us!! Laurie

Neil, re the reference number for Caroline Ann Constant's marriage is 1d 184 the reference number for Francis Alfred Standing and Annie Eliza Kelly's marriage is 1d 1884 Could one be a misprint, and they are actually the same.

Janet, re name change. Did they have witness protection schemes then?

Hi Janet, You could have a point about bankruptcy as I'm sure my g grandmother had her own business in 1881. Carol, that's also another option about witness protection. Laurie

Hi Laurie I think my anscestors are sitting on a cloud somewhere smiling and rubbing thier hands together saying" she will never get to the bottom of this one"Good luck with your quest. Jan Carol I never gave witness protection a thought but I will now.I will ask on the tips board,see if any one knows or has info on it.Thanks,good hunting Jan