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I finally made the decision ................

ProfilePosted byOptionsPost Date

SylviaInCanada

SylviaInCanada Report 31 Oct 2021 17:22

....... to buy the pdf death certificate for a woman who MIGHT be my great grandmother.

Maternal grandfather never mentioned anything about his family, not did my mother (who knew some of them!), but in doing my research I discovered that his mother was on the 1891 Census but not the 1891. EDIT:- 1901 Census. Easy assumption was that she had died. I also found out, of course, that she had a hard life, living in poor conditions, losing several children at young ages, especially in the 1890s when the last 2 were born and died within about 2 years.

But I could never find a death certificate. She varied in being called Hannah or Annie.

Then I asked for help, and someone eventually found an Annie, right age, working as housekeeper for a local theatre manager.

I'm fairly certain it was her, as she had a daughter with her the same name and age as the last surviving child born while with her husband.

Finally about 3 years ago, I found what could be her death in March quarter 1924.

Now, I've finally decided to pay £7 to see if it is her.

Fingers crossed I haven't wasted my money!



Edited ca 12:30 am, corrected date of census

Florence61

Florence61 Report 31 Oct 2021 17:27

Good luck Sylvia. When ive made a discovery like this, i get so excited waiting for the cert...Am i the only one who is like this?

Florence in the hebrides

ZZzzz

ZZzzz Report 31 Oct 2021 18:03

Good luck and fingers crossed that it is the one you need to knock down that brick wall.
Florence you aren't the only one, I do too.

JoyLouise

JoyLouise Report 31 Oct 2021 19:02

Keeping my fingers crossed for you Sylvia, but it sounds as though you’ve done your homework well and truly so it should be a good buy.

LindainHerriotCountry

LindainHerriotCountry Report 31 Oct 2021 19:24

I hope it is her.
I couldn’t find my great grandmother’s death even though m6 mother insisted she was about thirteen when her grandmother died. I did buy the only likely certificate, but it wasn’t her :-(
After my mother died I took another punt on a certificate several years after that. It was the correct one. My mothe4 would hav3 been eighteen not thirteen :-S :-S

SylviaInCanada

SylviaInCanada Report 31 Oct 2021 23:22

Thanks everyone. i really hope it does solve the problem.

Then the problem will be the daughter, who had very common forename and surname for the area.

I also get excite waiting for the information!

Shirley~I,m getting the hang of it

Shirley~I,m getting the hang of it Report 1 Nov 2021 08:51

Sylvia

With a bit of luck the daughter may be the informant on the death cert

Fingers crossed :-D

SylviaInCanada

SylviaInCanada Report 1 Nov 2021 16:33

Shirley ............... that is hat I am hoping, especially as it seems that the theatre manager died earlier than this woman.


I've literally just realised that I might get some more information next January ............... another record to add to the "small" list to pay for ;-)

SylviaInCanada

SylviaInCanada Report 4 Nov 2021 17:05

It's not her :-( :-(

That is unless she had a sister-i-l I knew nothing about, who reported the death, and gave a completely different name and occupation for her dead husband! :-D


Roll on January

Florence61

Florence61 Report 5 Nov 2021 13:06

Aw Sylvia, what a disappointment! Back to the drawing board i guess. Good luck.

Florence in the hebrides

SylviaInCanada

SylviaInCanada Report 5 Nov 2021 16:57

Thank you, Florence ..........


Yes, back to the drawing board, with a bit of hope that the 1921 Census will give me a hint about her

Shirley~I,m getting the hang of it

Shirley~I,m getting the hang of it Report 5 Nov 2021 17:06

I had this problem with my FIL mother

She never married his dad and aged 6 he was put in a childrens home c1907 and had no more contact with any of his family he knew he had a sister though
From his birth cert I was able to trace back both sides of his family

Out of the blue a few years ago I was contacted through ancestry by a living relation of one of the mums siblings who knew the sister married a Canadian soldier in 1919 and went to Canada
I bought the marriage cert ,which was in Kent although they lived in Birmingham and had a different second Christian name for her so I had passed over it several times previously as not her

The contact had known dads mum and that she had died in a hospital in Birmingham c1931/2 but that she had never married but had many men “friends”
I was never able to find her death as she must have been using another surname and told porkies about her age

Not worth buying possibly death certs as no way of knowing if might be her :-(

SylviaInCanada

SylviaInCanada Report 6 Nov 2021 17:27

Shirley ................ that's hard.

Mine should not be that hard!!

My great-grandmother was in her 40s when she apparently left home. At that point she had 5 living children, plus 2 dead, and 2 more died after the 1891 Census. One of the last 2 to die was born in 1890 and died in 1891 age 9 months, and another born in 1892/3 died age 6 months. I guess life just got to her.

She left with her youngest living child, who was 4 years old in 1891.

With help, I found her in 1901, same name and with the daughter, living as Housekeeper with someone.

In 1911 she was still working as Housekeeper for the same man, and daughter was still with her, and they were living on the other side of Manchester by then. I've found his death but not bought his certificate.

She was continuing to use her surname and her consistent age and the nickname she seemed to prefer instead of her full forename. Same for the daughter.

The problem is that there are an awful lot of Annie Schofields in that part of Lancashire! The daughter with her was the real tip.

Her husband died in 1909, and my grandfather reported the death.