Mysterious Great Great Grandmother

[Thecatisboss]

My great grandfather was a Canadian First World War soldier who married an English girl. His parents were I believe both English, and sent to Canada as children. I've tracked his Father's family down as they wrote letters and stayed in contact apparently. However his mother I've drawn a blank on as I cannot find any birth record for her under the name she was known as.

I suspect she may have been illegitimate/mother remarried situation but can't find any info - any ideas please?

@Thecatisboss Did your great grandfather have any siblings? Sometimes it pays to go sideways in your research, as it can throw up information and records that you wouldn't have found otherwise. You might also find that other people are researching that side, and they may have had more luck than you in finding details of the missing link.

@Tambora many thanks for the reply.

He had lots of siblings (not uncommon of course then!) which I've found on the Canadian census and birth records. I've also found his parents marriage record online, it's then his mother I have trouble with, her name was Florence Mabel Grace Searle and she married Thomas Thorn in the 1890s.

I believe there may be family trees on Ancestry which are linked but I'm not a member unfortunately.

You are right about siblings helping as well - that's how I tracked further back from my great grandfather and his father as my great grandfather on his enlistment papers for WW1 put his father's sister in London as next of kin which really helped confirming the family.

One of my Great Great Grandmothers were tricky - one was a serial bigamist, which led to a fair amount of confusion when looking at records etc, none of her children had their father listed on their BCs. Lots of sideways and diagonal searching had to be done to line it all up!

@MoesBar it's strange you should say that as there is a family rumour about bigamy! Though this was one of the men involved.

There is a marriage certificate for Thomas and Florence on Ancestry which gives both of their parents . They were married 12 May 1891 in Ontario and it very helpfully gives both their parents.

Florence’s were Edward George Searle and Louisa Searle.
Thomas’s were Thomas Henry and Mary Ann

There is someone who has Florence Mabel Grace Searle on their tree on Ancestry but the parents they have put don’t match up with what’s on the wedding certificate. The wedding certificate has her full name , Florence Mabel Grace Searle on it and says she was born in Essex in about 1873 A’s was 18 when she married.

Thomas was born in London and married age 22.

Just thinking you might not have wanted that posting on here ? I will get it deleted if you would prefer - apologies.

@FoolsAssassin thanks for that and it's fine to stay.

That is the information I've got for them too and Thomas parents info is all correct and I have his birth certificate and have traced his family back a way.

However the parents for her on her wedding certificate don't tie up with any birth record for a Florence Searle as I've spent many hours on bmd tracking down Searle's!

That's why I wondered if she was illegitimate as it was so common to put a father down on the marriage cert even if you didn't have one (DH family tree did this a bit!)

That other person on Ancestry who has put other parents down may have more info especially if based in Canada as my side of the family has been based in UK and lost contact with that side.

Did Edward and Louisa exist? I assume you've tried searching for just Florence's forenames without a surname, in a different order or with Louisa's maiden name?

I've just found what I believe to be their marriage record on BMD in 1875 so a few years after I searched initially (when I first started out I believed the dates people said and when they were married) so my search criteria was wrong.

If that's the right record then indicates her maiden name was Wilson and Louisa might have been registered under that....

I 've found a possibe record for Edward and Louis's on the 1891 census but Florence not listed with them. Struggling to post a screenshot. If it's them she had a fair few older and younger siblings .

Suspect the other person has used the Ancestry suggestion that comes up for Florence.

1891 census

Florence is in Canada in 1891 so it would make sense that she's not there (still wonder why both children were sent to Canada so young! Though I know that there was a spate of sending labourers out to the colonies.)

I never trust Ancestry suggestions unless I can prove it as well with other sources!

I said Ancestry but I meant any family tree websites suggestions as I used to be a member of Findmypast but my membership has lapsed.

Oh yes, course she was in Canada then, I had it in my head it was 1899 for some reason!

Will have a look at passenger lists a minute.

@FoolsAssassin thank you very very much!

Just speculating that as Florence was born before Louisa & Edward's marriage she might not have been Edward's which might explain why she was sent to Canada.

I think I will be ordering that marriage cert and then a few birth certs soon as it is a fairly common name!

There’s a copy of it on Ancestry .

Thankyou but I meant the marriage cert of Louisa Wilson and Edward Searle in 1875. I've found Thomas Thorn and Florence's marriage in the Canadian records previously.

I see! I had my second jab today and am beginning to think I might not be totally with it after all

@FoolsAssassin I hope you are feeling better soon. I had my first recently and got away with a sore arm - DH however felt terrible!

Thank you. I am wondering why I can't find the Searle Family I put up the screen shot of the 1891 census, on the 1881 census. Maybe I am just not seeing them right in front of me.

There was a George Searle who sailed between the UK and Canada a couple of times,Date of birth abt 1847 on on one record. Departed London and arrived Quebec May 1970 then a much later crossing in 1917 from Liverpool to New Brunswick, Canada made by a Captain George Searle. So a Searle who went to Canada.

Its always so frustrating trying to find a missing family (some of DH family used 1 surname for christenings, marriages and another for census's it made tracking them back extra entertaining!)I

That's interesting about George Searle I wonder if he's related.

We have similar issues with mine. A lot go by middle names too. Just looking at the actual handwritten census for the 1891 record and it doesn't appear to match the transcript page. I can see Edward and Louisa, then Edward (age 15), William (12), Ellen (10), Harry (7), Alfred (5) and Arthur( 8 months).

They are Linden Cottages and I have seen them on the 1881 census but no Florence so probably a red herring or I guess another alternative is they weren't married and Florence went to be raised by another family member and ended up in Canada that way.

I read some articles several years ago about the children sent out to Canada and Australia and how many of them were very badly treated which is terribly sad.

I think Thomas was in a reform school before going as his father died young in his early 40s.

For some reason I think of Florence and Thomas as young teenagers going and how scared they must have been.

I know, it feels horrible thinking about it now. I think things were very different then. My DH's aunt was a '£10 Pom' leaving my FIL who was a lot younger, after their Mother died. She didn't come back and made a life over there.

Have sent you a quick PM as found a few other bits and pieces might be worth considering of you don't get anywhere with those certificates.