Thread: Edward Conway

Hello,

My brick wall is the following:
Edward Conway was born about 1834 in Ireland and lived with/married a Clara Dunn who was from Liverpool - giving a birth year of about 1837/8. They had five children, Frances Ellen (1865), Edward (1869), Elizabeth Ann (1872-1928), Mary Ellen (1876) and Cornelius (1882) with all children being born in Manchester. The family lived in Manchester with Edward variously described as a housepainter and a labourer. My block is the identity of Clara Dunn. I can't find either a birth, baptism or marriage for her at all. I am wondering if she changed her name at all either her first name using perhaps a second or 'pet' name during her life. Was she previously married? She had her first child at the age of 28, which might be considered 'late in life' and it's possible, I suppose, that her marriage to Edward was a second marriage... but I am stumped as to who she was as I can find no record of her vital records with that name.

If this conundrum could be untangled/solved by anyone I'd be very grateful.

Gilly

In 1871 and 1881 censuses Clara is entered as born in Yorkshire. 1891 and 1901 she's entered as born Liverpool.

However as yet I haven't found a Clara Dunn 41/51/61 in either Yorkshire or Liverpool.

They don't make it easy for us, do they? If they are unsure of their birth place how are we supposed to establish where they were born?

Hello Elaine,

The names you have suggested are her/their children and I think you mean that if I got these certificates then I could find out her name and former surname from them? I got the certificate of Elizabeth Ann Conway (born 1872) and found from that one that she was a Clara Dunn so is it that you're thinking that she MAY have given an alternative name on other certificates?

As it happens... another relative was born Mary Eyres, but married as a Polly Eyres and was variously Mary or Polly throughout the census returns. Is this what you're thinking might have happened?

Exactly! I've been tearing out my hair with this one. I assume that the Yorkshire birth details are the enumerator's error. :-)

Yes - I noted that she was deaf on the census returns. I wondered if she'd been attending some sort of institute for the deaf whilst a child - if there were any such things - which was why she was hard to trace. I think it more likely that she used a different name from her birth/christened name and that's why she can't be found on earlier censuses. How frustrating!!! I've also tried various spellings of her name to see if it was a transcription error... but found nothing yet.

Looks like this brick wall really is a brick wall, doesn't it? That's the second one in the tree where the branches come to a dead end. (Excuse the pun!)

Gill

Hello

Thinking out of the box there is this marriage entry, could this be the person that Edward & Clara's son was named after?

Marriage: ? May 1835 St Patrick, Liverpool, Lancashire, England
Cornelius Dunn -
Ellen McAvoy - Witness: Louis Marchese

Do you know the religious persuasion, it may that the relevant registers have yet to be digitalised!

I do note there is a Cornelius Dunn listed in Irish Griffiths Valuation could Clara have been born Ireland, and brought to Liverpool soon after????

Mary / Polly, I think a few of us may have had a gt Aunt Polly who was born Mary, I did!

I had a gt Aunt Clara as well there were 6 sisters and this one was the only one who didnot have a nick name!

elsabels