Thread: Family Mystery in Chillington?

Don't know why, but for some reason my grandmother won't talk about her family. Have found her birth certificate but can't find anything else - its a mystery. All we know is that Ivy Beatrice Shears was born in Chillington in 1924 to Beatrice Mary Shears (formerly Smith) and Arthur Richard Shears (Timber Fellar) - don't know anymore, can't seem to find anymore - brick wall. Rumour has it that he went to Canada and her mother died and was possibly brought up by her grandparents?????

Any pointers????

Nikki

Hi Nikki,



I can't find a marriage for Beatrice and Arthur I am afraid... I did find 2 Arthur Spears immigrating from this counrty, one to USA in 1948 and the other to Canada in 1953

Why would my great grandmother have said that her surname was shears if there hadn't been a marriage - would this have been legal, or what other reasons would there have been?

Thanks

Confused

Nikki

HI Nikki



just cos I can't find it, doesn't mean its not there... I will have another look after I have come back... Maybe someone else can have a look in the meantime..

Have had a quick look round and like Raven haven't been able to find anything, will keep looking though.

[quote name='lucyluis']Why would my great grandmother have said that her surname was shears if there hadn't been a marriage - would this have been legal, or what other reasons would there have been?

Thanks

Confused

Nikki[/quote]





Hi Nikki

I have come up against this problem whilst researching. If the parents were unmarried but the father was present at the birth registration and agreed to his details being given as Father, your GGM could have been given his surname even if the parents were unmarried

Hi Nikki,



I have come across similar issues when researching various 'limbs' on my tree. When a birth was registered, no proof of marriage was required, nor was it mandatory (as I understand it) that both parties presented themselves at the registration office when the birth was registered. In fact, more often than not it was the mothers who went to register the birth, as fathers were at work. Questions were asked, answers given and the registration filed. In days prior to computers, it would have been quite difficult to check up...particularly in large urban areas like London. I know when I had my first child in 1986 we just filled in the form and sent it in. As it happens, my friend was working at BDM at that time, and she was saying how part of her job was to check that there weren't any obvious errors (ie: a child named Charlotte being also listed as a male) but that was as far as it went...even then, according to her, they weren't checking that parents who stated they were married actually were! I think that some unmarried girls invented a husband for the sake of propriety, who later on "died".

This may not have been the case in your grandmother's case though, just what I have come across in the past



bbqman

Quite apart from whether parents were married or not, legally you can call yourself any name you choose - and change your name to anything you fancy - provided you don't intend to defraud. Nowadays people often change their name by deed poll, because getting passports, opening bank accounts etc is trickier. But in a simpler, less paper-filled world, it was as simple as just deciding you could be whatever name you liked.



Perhaps there was no marriage and that is the family skeleton.