New Wife or New Name?

[Dargie]

I have not researched in County Durham before so am a little out of my depth with locations etc.
Whilst helping a friend find his ancestors I have come across a mystery which I cannot solve. Actually runout of ideas!

The name is Richard and Elizabeth COLE.

I have the reg. of their marriage 10a1001 South Shields Jun qtr 1875.
Elizabeth BROWN and Richard COLE. However there is also an entry for a Margaret Isabella BROWN making one too many women. Query.... are the two Brown girls one and the same...see later problem.


1881 Piece 5018 /104/39 (Crown Copyright TNA) Richard is a coal Miner with wife Elizabeth.

1891 Piece 4162/12/18 Richard is an Inn keeper with wife Elizabeth (Born Usworth C Durham)

1901 Piece 4703/7/6 Richard is still an Inn Keeper but with a wife named Isabella (also born Usworth)

I thought possibly Elizabeth was actually the Margaret Isabella mentioned in 1875 but a marriage in 1902 has a last name of COLE.

I can find no death reg. for Elizabeth however there is a marriage in March qtr 1902 South Shields 10a 1149 between Richard COLE and Isabella COLE !! Is this the same couple or different people.

Who is this Isabella and where is Elizabeth? I cannot find Richard, Isabella or Elizabeth in 1911 although I did find a death for an Isabella COLE in the 1930's.

I have Richard's son in 1911 John Robert as John's daughter Hilda Margaret is the person I started with.

Help urgently needed!

Marj.

[Coromandel]

I have the reg. of their marriage 10a1001 South Shields Jun qtr 1875.
Elizabeth BROWN and Richard COLE. However there is also an entry for a Margaret Isabella BROWN making one too many women. Query.... are the two Brown girls one and the same...

The registers for that area are held at the South Tyneside Register Office, one of the register offices that have their own BMD indexes online:

http://www.
southtyneside.info/applications/2/registersearch/default.aspx

A search for a Richard Cole marriage in 1875 found one record, in register C K2, entry 457, date 13/06/1875.
Spouse Elizabeth Brown.

Margaret I. Brown's marriage is the next entry in the register and took place on 14/06/1875. Her spouse is shown as Lancelot Burn. (He is in the FreeBMD transcription too, except spelled Launcelot Burn.) So she is not the same person as Elizabeth Brown.

The fifth person on FreeBMD's list of those in the GRO index at vol. 10a, page 1001, is one Ellen Duck. The South Tyneside R.O. database has her marrying James Gray on 20/06/1875, register C K2, entry 463. She is listed again in FreeBMD with page no. 1004, where James Gray also appears. Evidently one transcriber has misread her GRO page number (1004) as 1001.

[Dargie]

That is a great help .... I will check out the BMD on line.... great!
So maybe I can find a death for Elizabeth online?

Thanks so much.

[Coromandel]

I have Richard's son in 1911 John Robert as John's daughter Hilda Margaret is the person I started with.

Marj, do you have John Robert Cole's birth certificate? This would give his mother's maiden name and so would tell you whether or not the 1875 marriage you've found is the right one.

[Dargie]

No ,unfortunately I am flying blind here as I am helping out a neighbour who is a pensioner and does not have the funds to buy all the certificates which would certainly make this a whole lot easier!!

John Robert's birthplace and date of birth check out in 1881

I have given him a disclaimer telling him that final proof would be found on the certificates.

I think that Isabella is a sister of Elizabeth as both born in Usworth at about the same time. I will try checking to see if she married another COLE ie two sisters marrying two brothers. Just a thought.

[Dargie]

Actually your link to the BMD was very interesting. The registration for the marriage in 1902 has two entries for Isabella. Surname COLE or SAINT!! Take your pick!