Tracing Singer Family

[maisiem]

Just for the record, I've been trying to help with this on and off for the past week. I've searched Tilly, Lilly, Silly (yes, the big "A" even has a few of those), Singer, Linger, Tinger, Finger, Ringer and all and any variations I can think of but none of the family combinations seem plausible. I've searched with and without wildcards, first names only, and all kinds of things and have come up with nothing more than has already posted. I even tried Wales. Were they in Scotland or abroad somewhere?

Thank you for all that searching - very kind. I have no idea if they went to Scotland, it's not something that my father has ever mentioned. As far as I know they came here from Russia/Poland and I suppose it's possible they arrived around 1900 and didn't feature on the census for some reason?

I have just received, in today's post, a birth certificate for, I think, Tilly's sister Polly. It gives the father as Lewis Singer, tailor's presser and the mother as Rebecca Singer, formerly Derchinksi (could possibly be Darchinski, Durchinski) which suggests a match to me. The address is 53 Brick Lane, Spittafields, so it's the right area. I've tried looking on A******* to see who was at that address in 1901 but the site keeps freezing!

[pipsqueak]

Well the Synagogue is next to 59 Brick Lane... but I haven't found no. 53 yet!

[Mutley]

I've searched Tilly, Lilly, Silly (yes, the big "A" even has a few of those), Singer, Linger, Tinger, Finger, Ringer and all and any variations I can think of but none of the family combinations seem plausible. I've searched with and without wildcards, first names only, and all kinds of things and have come up with nothing more than has already posted.

Me too, all that keeps showing up is the other family whose Lewis is also a Tailor.

I also tried to find Newark Street, but it is such a job to search for an address.

The census refs for Mile End / Stepney area in 1901 are RG13/301-304 and RG13/325 - 338. If they are mistranscribed they should be in there somewhere.

[maisiem]

Me too, all that keeps showing up is the other family whose Lewis is also a Tailor.

I also tried to find Newark Street, but it is such a job to search for an address.

The census refs for Mile End / Stepney area in 1901 are RG13/301-304 and RG13/325 - 338. If they are mistranscribed they should be in there somewhere.

I found 104 Newark Street in the 1901 census but there's no mention of the Singer family.

I am as positive as I can be that the other Singer family is a different one. On the 1901 census this other family are living at 105 Parkhurst Street, East Ham. The youngest daughter listed is Rose/Rosa. I ordered her birth certificate and the address matches exactly. Her DOB is the same month as my grandmother Tilly's so that has to elimiate them - surely? Or have I gone mad?

[Karrie Cutlets]

Have you tried looking for naturalisation papers... my gt grandfathers came here as a small boy in about 1850 & didnt get naturalised until about 1906. The papers gave me alot of very interesting information, apart from details of the actual words he said at the hearing.

Incidentally mine were all tailors too in Fournier Street.. an awful lot of the jewish immigrants were tailors at that time

[Karrie Cutlets]

i also spent some time looking for Tilly under various spellings but couldnt find her, thats why i suggested the yiddish name. It may just be that she was visiting on the day of the census & got left off it.

[pipsqueak]

Well I finally found no. 53 Brick Lane in 1901. The house is occupied by one Israel Kosiner and family; wife Pearl, and children Jetty (it really does look like that), Minnie, Mark, Aby and Himi.

[Karrie Cutlets]

My gt grandfather was turned down for naturalisation the first time.. as an unwanted alien.

His crime was to say that one his children was living with him but in fact was living with his music teacher. That child was a prodigy & was a famous pianist called Solomon (my gt Uncle).

i believe the reason my gt grandfather went for naturalisation is he probably believed that jews would be thrown back to the country where they originated!!

[pipsqueak]

I keep thinking of little stories of intrigue... not to cast aspersions on the Singers, but to explain why they aren't on the census when they are clearly in London just before and just afterwards.

Suppose Singer is an anglicised or an adopted name. Suppose Lewis and family are visiting or living with people who would disapprove of their renaming, and so they pretended to have kept their "real" names and those are on the census!

Suppose Lewis is really Ludovic or Levi? (Not that Levi would have been thought particularly foreign.)

Suppose they were employed in a sweatshop and were not registered!!

[pipsqueak]

His crime was to say that one his children was living with him but in fact was living with his music teacher. That child was a prodigy & was a famous pianist called Solomon (my gt Uncle).

OOH! My parents had one of his records! One of those old 78s - I remember it well!!