Hello everyone! My Great grandmother's birth name was Nellie Elizabeth Brown from London, who later moved to British Columbia, Canada. It took quite a bit of research, but we figured out that her father was Henry James Brown, also from London, but all we know about her mother is that her maiden name was Toma's, and from the Channel Islands.
The attached picture is a crop of Nellie's death certificate, filled out by her eldest daughter. Unfortunately, that whole generation is deceased now, so we can't pick their brains for more info.
The general consensus is that the apostrophe was due to an inexperienced typist, and that it is supposed to be an accent, but we really don't know.
We can't find her marriage certificate (Brown and unknown in London at unknown date!?!), death certificate (unknown first name Brown!) or travel documents. I have found one census that might have her name as Anne, but Nellie's birth year is a bit far off, so I don't think that it is the right one.
So, two things: 1) What is your take on this? Where should I go from here? (I'm relatively new at this genealogy thing, but my mother and uncle have been working on it for years!)
2) My father, Nellie's grandson, is on GEDmatch under user ID M533373... if you have genetic connections to the Channel Islands, and have done autosomal testing, could you do a one-to-one against him please? It's a long shot, but might break that wall down. I have tested with Ancestry... under this username, but that is yet another generation off....
Thank you so much for taking the time to read this! I really appreciate it! Margaret
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Do you have any dates?
Tomes is a common(ish) Jersey surname or it could just be Tomas
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Hi Lebarboue, Unfortunately, none directly from "Toma's"...
Her daughter, Nellie Elizabeth Brown, was born on June 8, 1886 in London... so she was presumably 20-40 years of age by 1886. We don't even know if Nellie had any full siblings!!
Nellie's father remarried around 1909, and had another daughter with his second wife in 1910. My aunt thinks that she remembers that "Toma's" passed away shortly before he remarried... so 1908?
Nellie did marry in 1908, but her marriage certificate only lists her father, not her mother.
So, based on various guestimates, she was born sometime around 1856 +/-10 years, and likely passed away around 1908.
Thanks Margaret
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I feel that I should include this as well.... It is a copy of Nellie's birth certificate. No parents listed (Grrrrrrrrr!!), and it is a bit of a mess (it's her original). I just ordered another one from the GRO with the hopes that the parish will be more legible.
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Hi, Unfortunately cannot open your documents. Do you have a copy of the marriage certificate of Nellie Elizabeth BROWN to DUNN... that should prove her father's name which may help.
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That's too bad... Yes, we have her marriage certificate... his name is Henry James Brown and was a coal merchant.
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Sorry - what I should have said is as you have her birth date - do you have her birth certificate? Information on Marriage certificates is not always 100% right. I have two instances where a father's name was pure fiction. Also interesting that she has the middle name Ivy in the marriage entry - is that just a transcript error or on the actual marriage entry? Is there any information on her immigration documents that may assist you finding her?
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You really need that full birth certificate which should name her mother as well. Post the details when you have it and we may be able to offer more help.
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The only 'match' that I can find is a Nellie Elizabeth (aged 6 in 1891) born to Henry Richard BROWN and Jessie Maud SEARLE. In 1891 Nellie's birth place is given as Canning Town, Essex. Henry Richard is described as Coal Weigher in 1891 and in 1901 (West Ham) as a Coal Meter? By 1901 he had remarried to Florence. Jessie had died aged 33yrs. Nellie was not living with father and stepmother in 1901. Not sure if this is them... still doesn't link with Tomas either. Remember the information on a death certificate is only as good as the memory or details that the informant has to hand. Often made more difficult when families have emigrated. Agree that obtaining the full birth certificate will be invaluable.
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I can't see a Brown/Searle marriage but there is this one,
Name: Henry Brown Estimated Birth Year: abt 1855 Age: 23 Spouse: Jessey Thomas Spouse Age: 18 Record Type: Marriage Event Date: 18 Mar 1878 Parish: St Thomas, Stepney Borough: Tower Hamlets Father Name: James Brown Spouse Father: William Thomas Register Type: Parish Register
Followed by this death
Name: Jessy Brown Estimated Birth Year: abt 1859 Registration Year: 1902 Registration Quarter: Jul-Aug-Sep Age at Death: 43 Registration district: Hackney Parishes for this Registration District: View Ecclesiastical Parishes associated with this Registration District Inferred County: London Volume: 1b Page: 253
I wonder if with the passage of time whoever supplied the information confused the name Jessey with Jersey CI, hence the Channel Islands reference.
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