Can't Find the Bride

[ewan]

An Alice Emily Harris married a William Kewish on the Isle of Man on the 18 September 1918 at Maughold, I have William on the 1911, 1901, 1891 and 1881 censuses still living at Lezayre Isle of Man, his parents were a Thomas and Catherine. I have been trying to find Alice Emily Harris on the same censuses but with no luck, however there is an Alice Harris aged 24 born 1877 at Ballaugh Isle of Man on the 1901 census her occupation is as a barmaid.


I am wondering if this is the Alice that marries William Kewish, I have searched the 1881, 1891 and 1911 censuses but have been unable to find her, any help would be much appreciated in searching for her please.

Before I decide to send off for this marriage certificate I am trying to narrow down the possibilities. I know once I have the certificate it will tell me the name of the father of the bride and his occupation but the strange thing is I can't even find a birth registration for an Alice Harris born about 1877 Isle of Man/Alice Emily Harris birth unknown, she may well be one of those individuals that eluded being registered and possibly baptised as well.

Many thanks for any suggestions regarding Alice.
Ewan

[Mutley]

On the 1901 census Ancestry have linked this Alice Harris to Sarah Alice Harris the daughter of William and Jane born about 1876.
I've not checked her out and their links are not always correct but it is possible that barmaid Alice had another first name but was known as Alice. Seeing as she was a visitor someone else supplied the name they knew her by, for the census.

Without the marriage certificate you do not know if your Alice Emily Harris was actually born on the Isle of Man, there are loads in England. You also don't know her age and you do not know her status, was she single or a widow? If a widow then Harris would not be her birth name.

[Mutley]

Sarah Alice married in 1905 and Alice Emily in 1918 but I cannot find either birth on ManxBMD.com

[ewan]

Yes Mutley, I have been thinking along those lines as I haven't been able to find her, that maybe the Alice Harris on the 1901 as a barmaid may have been really Sarah Alice, dropping the Sarah bit.

Sarah Alice does appear on the 1881 with her parents William and Jane, she is also on the 1891 census.

William Kewish would of been about 41 when he married in 1918, so another maybe is that Alice Emily Harris wasn't much younger and meaning perhaps she was a widow.

I think I will hold out for a while longer with this marriage certificate, as familysearch have IOM marriages up to 1911 now, so possible 1918 is just around the corner.

[ewan]

I have a marriage certificate dated 1918 from the Isle of Man. The bride's name is Alice Emily Harris aged 24 a spinster and at the time of the marriage was living in Ramsay Isle of Man. The bride's dad was named as William George Harris a farmer.

The groom was William Kewish aged 31 living in the same street as the bride, no dad given on the certificate. William's occupation was a mariner, he could be the William H Kewish aged 21 a leading seaman on the 1901 census, it may also be him on the 1911 census aged 31 in the Royal Navy.

For the time being I don't need to find William on any other censuses, but I am very keen to trace Alice Emily Harris with or without her parents on any censuses.

Any help finding Miss Harris would be much appreciated, or is she going to be one of those phantom individuals that I cannot ever find.

Many thanks
Ewan

[Jan1954]

I see that you now have the marriage certificate, Ewan, although it does not seem to take us much further forward.

I have added this post to your original thread so that members can see what research has already been done.

[janbooth]

This could be a total red herring, but perhaps worth further invesigation on your part. In the 1901 census of Lower Penn, Staffordshire (RG13/2670, folio 80, page 5) is a certain William G HARRIS and his wife Alice J. He is described as aged 32, born Alveley, Shropshire and his occupation is given as a Wagoner on a Farm. William & Alice have 4 children amongst whom is an Alice E aged 7. By the 1911 census, William (now George William) & Alice Jane are living at Pattingham with 6 children but no Alice E. I cannot find an appropriate death registration for this Alice E HARRIS nor can I find a birth registration with any certainty to confirm her middle name but I suppose a Waggoner on Farm could be elevated to Farmer on a marriage certificate. As I say, further investigation might prove profitable.

Janet

Census records courtesy of TNA

[ewan]

Thank you very much Janet for finding a Harris family on the 1901 census in Staffordshire, the Alice E Harris aged 7 in 1901 and the marriage certificate stating an age of 24 in 1918 does fit well. On the index for the 1911 census I have found an Alice Harris aged 19 living at Newcastle under Lyme Staffordshire so that could well be the same person. As you also suggest a waggoner could be a farmer, he could of been a farm waggoner.

I am quite happy to now say that the Alice Emily Harris on the marriage certificate is the one born in Staffordshire, so it is back to the drawing board for this one again.

Thanks again for your help.
Ewan

[Mona]

This Alice E is more likely Alice Emma HARRIS, born 1893. Staffsbmd has subdistrict Brewood, registers at Newcastle-Under-Lyne. GRO Dec qtr 1893, Cannock

[Mona]

Have you tried tracking these two?
Sep 1894, Alice Emily HARRIS, Basingstoke, 2c, 196; Mar 1895, Alice Emily F HARRIS, St Olave, 1d, 259