Genealogy Chat

Hi

My research has come to a halt with one of my direct ancestors George Donaldson.

I have his marriage entry (that I took a copy of from the LMA).

The names are George Donaldson and Sarah HEALLANCE married 15th September 1789 St Leonards Shoreditch (then Middlesex but now Tower Hamlets London)

I dont have any other information for them. I have tried searching for a last name Heallance on GR but there are none. I don't even think it is a surname. I am guessing that the person who wrote the certificate out spelt her name wrong.

Can anyone please give me any suggestions as to what her surname might have been?

Am stuck!

Thanks for any help.
Kind regards
Angie

Long shot but Vallance?? i went to school with some...no other idea!

Healands?
Healey?

Try (advanced) search of IGI at:
http://www.familysearch.org/eng/default.asp


Results for: George Donaldson, London Greater, England, British Isles
Spouse: Sarah Heallance
Exact Spelling: Off
Batch Number: m040801

International Genealogical Index / British Isles - 1
Select records to download - (50 maximum)
1. GEORGE DONALDSON - International Genealogical Index
Gender: Male Marriage: 15 SEP 1789 Saint Leonards, Shoreditch, London, England


Results for: London Greater, England, British Isles
Father: George Donaldson, Mother: Sarah
Exact Spelling: Off
Batch Number: c040801

International Genealogical Index / British Isles - 4
Select records to download - (50 maximum)
1. GEORGE DONALDSON - International Genealogical Index
Gender: Male Birth: 06 OCT 1792

2. GEORGE DONALDSON - International Genealogical Index
Gender: Male Christening: 23 OCT 1792 Saint Leonards, Shoreditch, London, England

3. JANE DONALDSON - International Genealogical Index
Gender: Female Birth: 17 JUL 1791

4. JANE DONALDSON - International Genealogical Index
Gender: Female Christening: 02 AUG 1791 Saint Leonards, Shoreditch, London, England

There are some Healands on this site but mostly in Lincs.

Hi All, Thanks for the suggestions. I had already found the children and have got copies of the baptism entries but thats it now - stuck! The Donaldson's lived in and around the east of london for centuries thought maybe we would find a Scottish connection and have already been up the wrong tree from here. As found a few Donaldsons all married at the same church in the same decade. Put two and two together had them as brothers and started tracing family in Peebles Scotland! All wrong!!!!! So now I am stuck back in London with George and Sarah with no birth dates, and no death dates and no maiden name and I have no idea where to start to see if there is a will lol!

Thanks again for you help though, I will try some of the surnames that you have mentioned and see if I get a breakthrough!

Kind regards
Angela

Long shot - but what about Sarah E. Lance?
Best idea though is to plough through the parish records (if possible) for the marriage to find the original certificate and see if Sarah's surname has been mistranscribed.

Hi Maggie Winchester,

Yes it could be Sarah E. Lance I will check that one out.

I already have the original from the LMA, and when I found it I was ecstatic! But Sarah's surname is clearly written as Heallance! I don't think the person who was writing the certificates out that day could hear or spell as Heallance is not coming up on any search as a surname anywhere. So Sarah E. Lance could be it!

Thanks for suggesting it!
Kind regards
Angela

Could surname be HELLENS, ...or something similar.

I know the feeling of chasing an odd name.
IGI and parish records showed one of mine with surname BROCKHIS, which I couldn't find any trace of.
Luckily 2 of her children were born after 1837 so I sent for a birth cert to find her name.
It came back with her surname , 'formerly GREEN'.....Arrgh !

Eventually sent for other child's cert. which had the correct suspected surname, which I was able to trace.

Gwyn

Hi all

Thanks for all your input.

Maggie: I have checked births for a Sarah Lance on IGI but they come up with births in Dorset - this could be right but on the wedding certificate in Shoreditch she has marked with a X and it says ' of this parish' and George Donaldson has signed but it also says 'of this parish' so no clues there!

Gwyn: You were lucky to have been able to order the birth certs! But what a difference though Brockhis and Green!!

I have the baptisms for Jane and George Donaldson children of George and Sarah but they don't mention Sarahs maiden name!

Was hoping to find burials and/or wills but dont know where to start!

Thanks again all
Kind regards
Angela

Are there Bishops Transcripts available for the marriage?

I know that technically they should be the same, but there is just a chance that in copying the entry it might look slightly different, ..ie. more like a searcable name!

Gwyn

Thanks Sile, I will look into that.

Gwyn I never even thought of Bishops transcripts. Are they available to look at then? When I went to the LMA, I took the reference number off of familysearch IGI record and looked for them on the microfiche and this is where I found the marriage certificate, I had no idea that they may have been copied from a Bishop transcript record aswell... I am guessing that the LMA might hold records of the transcript?

Thanks again
Angela

Have a look at

www.rootsweb.com

Under Search Engines and Database click on World Tree Project and enter name in top two boxes

There seems to be about 4 million !!!! Donaldson listings but it is fairly easy to whizz through to see if you can find a matching spouse.

http://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/Corporation/LGNL_Services/Leisure_and_culture/Records_and_archives/london_generations.htm

It would appear that LMA has the Bishops Transcripts

Thank-you Pam

I will have a look and see. Ooooh it feels like I may be able to track them after all! Fingers x'd!

Kind regards
Angela

And we DEFINITELY want to know what the outcome is!!!

Hi Pam,

Thank-you I will check those websites.

Hi Sile,

Yes the marriage was by Banns! I feel a visit to the LMA, PRO and the Guildhall coming on!! lol!! Am excited!

I won't be able to go for a couple of months though as I'm not as local to London as I used to be! I will keep you informed!

Kind regards and thanks for all your help.

Angela

To all that replied, Dragonfly lady, Cynthia, mgnv, Pam, Maggie Winchester, Gwyn and Sile. A big thank-you! You have started me off on another search.... First of all I didn't realise that there were Bishops Transcripts and also I didn't realise that the familysearch website had so much info on their catalogues and I have started taking notes on what to search next! I have been doing this for nearly 5 years now and have completed and confirmed (with certificates and census) most of my Donaldson's (my surname) and also my mums direct ancestors. She will be just as pleased as me when I tell her that I have found new places to search. Both me and my mums direct ancestors lived in the East End of London for centuries! We' are now a bit stuck at late 1700's and although my Donaldson's are still in the East End of London, hers are now originating from Wiltshire!

This whole genealogy thing I find fascinating and this website is so useful, without it I wouldn't have been able to ask the question that I did and would probably never have gone on another search. So thank-you GR and thank-you to all that replied to my mail.

Kind regards
Angela

Hi all

Thanks Sile for the nugde!

I haven't researched further yet. My mother and I will be travelling to London during March (I hope). I no longer live within the greater London area and will have to make a special visit.

I will let you know when I have an update!
Take care
Angie

Dear An9ie, how about this for a laugh. My best friend is called Patricia Anne Jones. She once gave her name over the phone for something. She said "Patricia Anne with an "e", Jones". The receipt came back as Patricia Ann Withaney-Jones.

Don't trust anything, be creative.

Sarah Elley Ance

Sarah L.E. Ance

I found my great grandfather mistranscribed as William Hallam. He was William Holland. That took me two years and I found him by sheer pot luck, he was on the same page in 1881 as his sister Ann Hancock. I only found it by scrolling down the page and spotting him. Wonder if Ancestry have corrected it yet?

Margaret