Lee & Jeffries Family's..... HELP

[JamieG1782]

Looking for any information on my Great Nan's mother & father and grandparents.

She was Alice Frances Bolt nee. Jeffries b. sept 1911c

Her mother and father were

Ruben Jeffries & Selina Ann Jeffries nee lee
(ruben's brother William also married Selina's Sister Rhoda)

Her Grandparents Were

William & Selina Lee nee. Lee

All From kensington or middlesex area in london

All spellings are guessed, oral history at the moment no certificates etc.

Any information would be great! Only just started researching

[JamieG1782]

Forgot to add that they are both (i have been told) romany families and William Lee as far as we can tell was the first lee in his family to settle in a house.


Rhoda had a traditional romany funeral and her posessions were burnt in her vardo? (<< not sure if spelt right, means horse drawn caravan?) I was also told by a relative that she was burnt in it, but not certain that this is the case

Also Ruben and William Jeffries may of had a link to horses?

[christanel]

Hi
I started by looking for the marriage of Ruben Jeffries and Selina A Lee. It is later than I originally thought it would be and it presents a little mystery of its own.
Selina A Lee married Frank H Jeffries March 1/4 1916, Registration district Kensington, vol 1a page 383. The link to order BDM certificates is here
http://www.gro.gov.uk/gro/content/

So it looks as if Frank took on the name Reuben at some stage but used his birth name at his marriage.
It also means that they married 5 years after the birth of Alice Frances. There is no other marriage for a Selina A to a Jeffries between 1900-1920.
There is one for a Selina to a Reuben but he is Clark not Jeffries.
I'll see what else I can find
Christina

[christanel]

1901 census
RG13 piece 26 folio 73 page 47
District Kensington address 14 Admiral Place
William Botsford (terrible writing variatins could be used) head 56 tarpaulin worker.
Catherine Botsford wife 50
John 23 son greengrocer
Thomas son 19 general labourer
William Lee (Then the enumerator has put 'do' marks for all the following meaning that he has given them the surname Botsford. Probably by mistake). age 26 son-in-law general laboure
Alice Lee Botsford 26
Selina age 4
Rhoda age 2
All of them born Kensington

So Selina Ann Lee's mother is not Selina as in your first post but Alice.
This would be consistent with William and Selina calling their daughter Alice. It is also a great example why far more experienced genealogists then I insist that birth, marriage and death certificates are essential in this game/obsession so that we don't put in hours of work making a lovely tree of someone else's family.:D Also family folklore and memories are a great place to start but using a truckload of cynicism.
Christina

[JamieG1782]

brilliant thanks so much the frank mystery makes sense, my nan had a brother also called frank so if she was named after her mother he was named after his father

her siblings were

Arthur Godfrey
Frederick George Nelson
Frank
Valentine Constance
and some called Boncey but that was a nickname

the only other information I have is Selina Ann was born 10th Oct and selina (Now Alice) had half leg amputated to knee

Was there anything on Rhoda?

I'm trying to get hold of my aunt to get more info

[christanel]

I have been looking at births and marriages again and something doesn't seem right.
OK been on freebmd and your nan Alice Frances Jeffries wasn't born 1911 (first posting) Freebmd shows an Alice (FP) Jeffries, mother maiden name Lee born Sept 1/4 1916 reg dist. Kensington vol 1a page 251. So she was born after the marriage and fits better with other details.
The only marriage I can find for a Rhoda Lee in Kensington is to a William Compton Dec 1/4 Kensington vol 1a page 485
Rhoda Lee's birth March 1/4 Kensington 1899 vol 1a page 134
Selina Alice Sept 1/4 1898 Camberwell 1898 vol 1d 915 This is a departure from Kensington and the births are close but remember that these details are the registration dates not the actual birth date. Also you need to confirm what I am finding. I could be wrong.
The marriage for William Lee and Alice Ann Cotsford (the enumerator got it close in 1901)
June 1/4 1897 Kensington vol 1a page 366
Christina

[christanel]

The only two birth reg I can find for your great nan's siblings with the mother's name Lee are :
Frank W Sept 1/4 1920 Kensington 1a 331
Valentine P Jeffries march 1/2 1922 Kensington 1a 280.
If you go to freebmd and put in only Jeffries and mother's name Lee these two and Alice come up but if you put in mother's name Jeffries with father's name also Jeffries many more come up. Do your family have any links with Yorkshire?
Christina

[christanel]

Just re-read one of my postings and this should have been in there Rhoda Lee marriage to Compton year 1925.
I have been on ancestry and there is a public tree on there named Watts tree. It has what I have given you so far on the Lees but follows the Cotsfords further back. It does appear to be the same line as you as it follows through to Alice Francis.
They also only have Frank and Valentine as siblings to Alice Frances.
Christina

[JamieG1782]

Just re-read one of my postings and this should have been in there Rhoda Lee marriage to Compton year 1925.
I have been on ancestry and there is a public tree on there named Watts tree. It has what I have given you so far on the Lees but follows the Cotsfords further back. It does appear to be the same line as you as it follows through to Alice Francis.
They also only have Frank and Valentine as siblings to Alice Frances.
Christina

Thanks so much for the help, you haven't got a link to that tree have you?

[christanel]

Thanks so much for the help, you haven't got a link to that tree have you?
I have sent you an email.
Christina