Thread: Wastnedge family

This family is so confusing

George Wastnedge born 1820 married Mary Lancaster in 1855, children of George and Mary were

Joseph born 1863

Mary born 1864-1899

George born 1866



I have traced Mary's line, cause she is my direct ancestor

Mary had an illiegitmate child Margaret Ann Wastnedge born 1879, then Mary married Joseph Corker in 1886 and had a further three children.



Margaret Ann Wastnedge according to the 1911 census had five children, two of which died young, I have all the birth certificates for the children. And this is where I am total confused

Winifred Mary Wastnedge b.1898 - no father mentioned

Stanley Wastnedge b.1900 - no father mentioned

Amy Wastnedge b. 1904 - again no father mentioned

Frances Wastnedge b.1095 - suddenly a father is mentioned called William Wastnedge

George Wastnedge b.1907 - father is William Wastnedge



William was a Traction Engine Driver on both birth certificates



My question is where on earth did this William suddenly come from, I have searched of a marriage between Margaret Ann Wastnedge/Corker and a William Wastnedge and nothing comes up.



In 1906 was there a outbreak of Influenza in the UK?



Could this William have been a gypsy cause some Traction Engine drivers could have been a driver at fairgrounds, and if this could be true that would tie in with what my mum remembers as a child going to visit relatives who spoke Romany.

I have searched the 1911 census of any Wastnedge's who's occupation was a Traction Engine Driver, and still nothing.

So either my gggm Margaret Ann Wastnedge did know some called William and just William Wastnedge to keep her surname with her children; or she just made William up on the birth certificates



any help in solving this mystery is greatly apprieciated



Julia

Hi Julie





I had the same thing happen , however mine was the mothers lodger / friend christian name and the mothers surname , plus his occupation .



Could have been a hint to who father was not all mine had same thing on cert.either so i was hunting for ages.



So sometimes even cert. arnt true

how should I solve this William Wastnedge mystery, it is driving me crazy

Youve ruled out a husband so far , and her own father [ which i had too ]



I was only lucky by census as lodger was on their plus his occupation.



I would say William is the first name of father . maybe another member can give you some idea , plus he was around for a while as 2 children have the name William .

Margaret Ann Wastnedge was illiegimate too, her mother later married Joseph Corker, so it can't be Joseph

What does Margaret say on 1911 census for length of marriage?



If there's no sign of William Wastnage I would be inclined to think she just invented him for the sake of her reputation/respectability.



People might have overlooked one illegitimate child but the more there were, seemingly fatherless, the more people might tut.



Do the certs with William named as father give Margaret's name as Wastnage formerly Wastnage?

it says 13 years married on the census



On George and Frances birth certificates it has Margaret Ann Wastnedge nee Corker, which is really confusing because her mother married a Joseph Corker and I suspect once Mary died Joseph didn't want anything to do with Margaret Ann, because she was not his child.

Are George and Frances the only ones with Margaret in 1911?



Perhaps she needed to be more respectable when they were born for some reason.



As for Joseph, I have many instances in my and husband's tree of illegitimate children being given their stepfather's surname. Sometimes they keep it sometimes not. Often I think they are just lumped in with same surname as their relationship is given as son or daughter on the census and its assumed they are full blood relatives by the enumerator.



I've found some women who keep their original surname on marriage and others who use their stepfather's. This may be to do with how they feel about their real father or their stepfather, or it may just be the surname they are called by people where they live and to do with appearing respectable.



What appears on a census or a certificate isn't any guarantee of accuracy at all.

On the 1911 census with Margaret are her sons Stanley, George and her step brother George Corker, her oldest daughter Winifred Mary was elsewhere. And Amy and Frances died young.

Her occupation went from a domestic servant in 1901 to a Laundress(shirt ironer) in 1911.



The more I think of it, Margaret could have just invented William, on the 1911 she is the head of the household, and married and on the 1901 census she is not married, and with two children already.

After Mary died Margaret was at sent to the workhouse, that is where her daughter Winifred was born.

Where in UK were they? Just that I have read a thread on another forum where the poster has done a lot of research on the "wastnedge" name and its variants





Good Luck with your research





Lozz