New here - Caroline GIRLING and Edward PEARSON quest

[sharon26]

Hi - I live in London and have been researching my family history for about four years. I'm lucky that all my family lines have proved to be London-centred back to the mid / early 1800s - I've even found relatives who were living a few hundred yards from my own addresses at various times, that I'd had no idea about. I enjoy London / local history too and like to help out with queries about that where I can, (I have quite a lot of books, old ordnance survey maps etc about central London areas, Islington, the present-day borough of Camden etc).

But I have some brickwalls too: Caroline GIRLING, great grandmother, according to death certificate aged 69 in late 1939. 1901 census says born in Islington about 1868, but can't find birth record. Presumed to have married Edward Whittington, (first of their five children born Feb 1895 in Shoreditch) but can't find marriage record. One likely candidate aged 11, born and living in Islington in 1881 census, but only family with her is a widowed mother Emma and can't find this Caroline's birth, nor find her in 71 or 91. My only idea left to check the local BMD records but would love to hear from anyone else with Islington Girlings.

Then there's great grandfather Edward PEARSON, who "drank, was no good and ran off" according to my mother, but not before he'd had nine children in the West Ham district between 1885 and 1902. Can't find record of his marriage to Alice Parsons and he's never at home on census night (91 and 01) to get a birth district - he's a "clothier's traveller" so presumably travelling. To compound the problem, wife Alice cannot quite make up her mind what his name is! - her children's birth certificates give it, equally clearly, as Edward, Edward Joseph, Edgar and Edgar Joseph. I tend to think Edward rather than Edgar because that's the name of their eldest son and their first daughter got Alice as her middle name. Many of their children went to Canada, (possibly as Home Children), so if anyone tracing back to Norman, Alfred, Daisy, Mabel, Florence or Thomas reads this, get in touch!

[Alan Welsford]

Hi Sharon,

Welcome to the forum!

You'll find plenty on here who like the challenge of trying to find people, when all hope appears lost!


Caroline GIRLING, great grandmother, according to death certificate aged 69 in late 1939. 1901 census says born in Islington about 1868, but can't find birth record. Presumed to have married Edward Whittington, (first of their five children born Feb 1895 in Shoreditch) but can't find marriage record. One likely candidate aged 11, born and living in Islington in 1881 census, but only family with her is a widowed mother Emma and can't find this Caroline's birth, nor find her in 71 or 91. My only idea left to check the local BMD records but would love to hear from anyone else with Islington Girlings.

You say "Presumed" to have married Edward Whittington. Does mean she appears with Him as a WHITTINGTON in 1901 ? Can you post the census reference to let people take a look, please ?

It would be helpful if you could post details of possible sighting of Caroline in 1881 as well.

Many thanks,

Alan

[Copper]

Hmm I can't find these people either.

I did find an Edward Pearson, occ traveller in 1891 and 1901. Both times he was with wife Margaret and their 3 children. I can't find an obvious marriage for them.


In case you want to check this for yourself these are the refs - Wood Green, Tottenham, Middlesex.

RG12/1077 Pg 3 Fol 114

RG13/1257 Pg 81 Fol 96

[Bo Peep]

|wave|Hello Sharon and welcome to the Brit-Gen forum. I am delighted you have joined us and I wish you every success with your research.

I see Alan and Copper are already helping you, so I shall leave you in their care.

[janbooth]

Welcome Sharon. You don't say whether you have found Edward in previous census records. Given your Edward's occupation of French Polisher in the 1901 census, this looks a likely candidate in the 1871 census of St Matthew Bethnal Green:

RG10/502, folio 35, page 63
30 Turk St

Edward WHITTINGTON Head Mar 45 French Polisher Middlesex Shoreditch
Phillys do Wife Mar 45 do Whitechapel
William do Son Un 22 do do do Shoreditch
Phillys do Daur do 11 Box Maker do Bethnal Green
Ann do do do 12 do do
Elizabeth do do do 9 do do
Edward do Son do 6 do do
Thomas do do do 2 do do

However, I can't find any of the family in subsequent census records. There is a marriage record on FreeBMD of an Edward WHITTINGTON in the September qtr 1848 at Bethnal Green reg district, vol 2, page 17 and a corresponding entry for a Phillis MANLEY which would fit in very well with the birth date of son William.

HTH

Janet

[Mutley]

A Caroline Girling married an Edward Whittington at Holborn
April-May-June of 1927 1b/1167

She would have been 57 and had the kids but....:confused:

[sharon26]

Thank you all for your welcome, help and suggestions.

The census reference for 1881 is RG11 Piece 362 Folio 102 Page 3 - this is the most likely match for Caroline Girling I can find in terms of age and birthplace - here given as St Lukes and in 1901 (which is definitely my great grandmother) as Islington, and they are neighbouring areas, (I've found other ancestors whose sense of birthplace wanders by a few miles over the decades!).

The 1901 reference is RG13 Piece 278 Folio 107 Page 32. Here she is listed as Caroline Whittington and by this date she had also given that surname when registering two of their children's births. I got the impression she was a bit of a stickler for detail as she went back a few weeks after registering the first birth to make the registrar amend the certificate because the street name was mis-spelt.

But Mutley, your discovery of the 1927 marriage may make me have to think again!! Thanks - I'd never had thought of looking as late as that and am sending for the certificate. Neither surname is particularly common and finding them in combination with the same first names.... well, I wonder!

The 1871 Edward Whittington found by janbooth is indeed the same one - I've had quite a bit of luck tracing the Whittingtons through their Bethnal Green and Shoreditch routes, thanks.

As for Edward Pearson, with so little to go on, he was never going to be easy, was he.

I'll let you know what turns up for the 1927 marriage. Many thanks to all.

[Mutley]

Sharon,
I found that marriage by dead luck and accident, it was not indexed properly but is in the actual BMD register (I checked both him and her). I would not have thought they could be yours but as you say the names and area are so close.

I have wondered why they married so late in life. Could it be for a pension or to do with a will?

I would be interested in the details of the certificate, let us know and best of luck.

[sharon26]

I got the marriage cert for the Whittington/Girling record that Mutley found for me and its absolutely, definitely my great grandparents, getting married in their early 60s, some time after several of their grandchildren were already born (including my father). So I finally have a name for Caroline Girling's father (Henry - and I've already got an idea who he might be).

Of course it asks a lot more questions that I may never be able to answer - like, what's the story?! I thought maybe one of them might have had a failed early marriage and they had to wait until that spouse died, but they give themselves here as spinster and bachelor. There was very little money in the family and he was a French Polisher, so I don't think a will or securing pension rights can have been the reason to finally tie the knot.

But then, there's definitely one fib on the certificate (their address - they were living in Shoreditch for certain at this time, not the Holborn address they used - it rather feels like they sneaked off to get married away from family and neighbours) - so there could be others.

Anyway, after five years that's the sound of my brick wall tumbling down you can hear - Mutley, thank you so much!

|jumphappy

[Mutley]

De Nada

I am so pleased for you. Maybe it should teach us all, the lesson we should know by now...

If you don't find it where and when you expected it to be, look where you least expect it to be.