vanished into thin air?

[nina]

I wondered if anyone can help with the following.

In the parish registers of St Michaels, Whitby, I came across the baptism of
Ethel born 5 Jan 1890, baptised 6 Feb 1890 daughter of Letitia Marsay, abode The Pier, Whitby.

This is the only record of either one of these people I can find. I have tried census's and birth, death & marriage records to no avail. I take it they must have existed being in church records. Does anyone have any clues?

[janbooth]

This looks like your Letitia & Ethel in the 1891 census of Whitby, but they are shown as MASSEY:

RG12/3994, folio 158, page 24
Marine Hotel

William MASSEY Head M 52 Hotel Keeper Lancashire Culchett
Sarah do Wife M 53 Yorkshire Preston with Yarm
Lettia W do Daughter S 19 Dressmaker do Marske
Laura L do Daughter 15 do do Skelton in Cleveland
Constance J do Daughter 13 Scholar do do
Edward do Son 8 do do do
Ethel do Gd daughter 1 do Whitby

In the 1901 census of Whitby, Ethel is shown as follows:

RG13/4560, folio 11, page 14
8 Millers Yd Haggersgate

Letitia MADDISON Head Widow 29 Marske Yorkshire
Ethel do Daur 11 Whitby do
Florence do Daur 8 do do
John do Son 6 do do
Laura MARSAY Sister S 25 Skelton in Cleveland do

HTH

Janet

[Peter Goodey]

In all cases of illegitimacy, consider the possibility of a name change.

Ethel "MARSAY"'s birth may be listed in FreeBMD as MASSAY.

Then we have

Marriages Jun 1891

Cook Fred Whitby 9d 684
Maddison John Thomas Whitby 9d 684
Massey Letitia Unsworth Whitby 9d 684
Whisson Emma Whitby 9d 684

and in the 1901 census
RG 13/4560 f 11 p 14

shows the widowed Letitia MADDISON who very conveniently has her sister Laura MARSAY living with her.

My case rests


Janet beat me to it!

[Mutley]

Looking on the full index there is an Ethel Massay registered in the first qrt of 1890 in Whitby. 9d/446

[michaelpipe]

They are in the 1891 census - look for Massey, not Marsay

Marine Hotel, Whitby, Yorkshire
William Massey, head, hotel keeper, age 52
Sarah, wife, age 53
LETITIA W, daughter, age 19, dressmaker, born Marske, Yorks
Laura L, dau. age 15
Constance J, dau, age 13
Edward, son, age 8
ETHEL, grand-daughter, age 1, born Whitby.

[janbooth]

I can't find a marriage on the GRO Index for Letitia MARSAY to a ? MADDISON, but there is a birth registration at Whitby in the March qtr 1893, vol 9d, page 461 for Florence MADDISON and also one for John in the December qtr 1894, vol 9d, page 480 but no luck with a birth registration for Ethel either under MARSAY or MADDISON.

The parish registers of Whitby might be useful to see if there actually was a Mr MADDISON.

Janet

[Peter Goodey]

I can't find a marriage on the GRO Index for Letitia MARSAY to a ? MADDISON

Have you looked at my message above?

[nina]

Thanks for all the info.

Would I be right in thinking then that Letitia was not a Marsay at all and only used the name for the baptism of her child?

Unfortunatley there is a problem at the moment, viewing the census original , on the webiste I subscribe to and so I will have to look at them later

I do have a Laura Marsay in my tree but she married in 1888 and became Walker.

[Peter Goodey]

Would I be right in thinking then that Letitia was not a Marsay at all and only used the name for the baptism of her child?

No.

The 1891 census has been reproduced earlier in this thread showing her with her parents under her maiden name. Later in 1891 she married John Thomas MADDISON.

MARSAY, MASSEY and MASSAY are of course all spelling variants of the same name.

[janbooth]

You beat me to it with your second message, Peter. Well spotted!!

Janet