Genealogy Chat

I have searched through the marriage index for a possible marriage of my gran,Florence Emmerline Pickin b 1901.I know that she married my grandfather in Finsbury 1940 (Arthur Pelling) and have her marriage cert,but i understand that she may have been married before, either to a Cotton, Day or Palmer or all 3. No idea of a first name only that she would have married somewhere in London .She lived in Islington.I know its a long shot but worth a try. Can anyone help? Thankyou

Donna if her maiden name was Pickin what was her surname when she married your grandfather? Georgina.

If you have the cert it will tell you her status at the time. It will also tell you her father's name.............. What is her status? What is his name? Georgina.......... She was Pickin when she married in 1940........I've checked on findmypast. Reg

I have just looked up the marriage to your grandfather & her surname was Pickin, was she a spinster on the marriage certificate or what other names does it list? Thanks Reg I just looked. Georgina.

This would seem to be the answer............birth reg'n Name: Florence Emmeline Pickin Year of Registration: 1901 Quarter of Registration: Jul-Aug-Sep District: Stepney (To 1921) County: London, Middlesex Volume: 1c Page: 359 Reg

Donna we cant help you unless you help us with more info. Georgina.

Donna what might help if you posted exactly what is on the marriage cert including witnesses as they can sometimes help

Her marriage cert is straight forward married Arthur Henry Pelling 6/7/1940 ,Finsbury. Her name Florence Emmerline Pickin(spinster) .Her fathers name Albert Edward Pickin. The puzzle starts when youlook at her 7 childrens birth certs.They all have surname of Pelling. chidrens cert reads as follows-- Arthur Noel Pelling b1932 St Pancras ,mothers name formally Palmer. William Charles Pelling c 1933 ,Islington,mothers name formally Palmer. Patrick Jubilee Pelling b1935 ,Islington ,mothers name formally Day. Sheila Pelling b1936,Islington,mothers name formally Day. Robert Pelling b1939, Finsbury,mothers name late Day -Cotton, Edward Pelling b1941 Amersham,mothers name formally Pickin. Roy Pelling b1942 Ashton,mothers name formally Pickin. I have been told by family members that she did marry and her husband got run down by a tram???? If you notice she only used her real name after she actually married Arthur Pelling in 1940.Hope this helps .I am totally confused by it.Thanks Donna

By the way she did start life as a Pickin .I have her birth cert and have traced her parents and grandparents.Thanks

Surely the answer is that your grandfather was married before, and the children born before the 1940 marriage are his by his first wife, and possibly his second also. They wouldn't have the surname Pelling if he wasn't their father............ Reg

Sorry, All children had same parents Arthur and Florence.If you took one look at the chidren they are a mix if their parents.My dad is the second eldest and remembers his mum when he was a young boy and his brothers when they were babies.

Yes ,she used Florence most of the time,but on odd occasions Emmerline her second name.

It seems to be stumping a few people.Anyone else got a problem like this one ? It can't be usual to put all these different names on her childrens birth certificates for no apparant reason.Why different names when she was living with childrens father and why not keep to the same name,ie the last one she was before she was married.Would it be possible to lead a double life? The mind boggles...

I think that this would be because she wasn't married when the earlier children were born. I'm sure people thought that somebody checked up on the info given on the certs and therefore made something up so that nobody could check. Quite why she decided on a different surname for different children I wouldn't know. I have a case of a second marriage where the bride looks to be illegitimate but I think she has left off her father because having knocked a few years off her age he would have died well before she was born. Her details for her first marriage were perfectly correct - so it wasn't ignorance.

Thanks for your reply .I am having one last ditch attempt looking through the marriage index.Maybe my eyes were sleeppy.I have been told by family members that she was married before she met grandad.She told stories of Pedler Palmer ,a boxer.Maybe he was one of the husbands also she is supposed to have married first one really young.On the other hand she could have had a good imagination.Thanks Donna.

Backtracking a bit here... Do you have all seven childrens birth certs? the first one you mention was born 10 YEARS before you say she was married, and yet he has her married name- That confuses me a bit, then 6 more the same... You might do it once, twice maybe ...but 7 times THEN marry the man? Why bother?

If You Google Pedlar Palmer , he was born in 1876...sems a bit old to have been married to a girl born in 1901. he didnt die until feb 1949 ( his real name was Thomas) Palmer died of pneumonia at Brighton, England. he'd have been 56 when he fathered the first one, (if it was the boxer chappie) Thats going some...

My grandad ARTHUR was acually 23 years his wifes senior. He was born in 1878-she was born in 1901. He did have a previous marriage to an Alice Walker in 1899 and had several children.Gran said that she had more chidren than just the 7.Perhaps we're dealing with a couple of rabbits.... Any thing is possilble in this family. Found Pedler Palmer boxer on google,his wifes name wasn't Florence .Right location though.