Need help with Catherine Duffy

[catrobson1987]

Hi, I have just registered and was hoping for some help trying to trace my family. i have been so successful with my mothers side of the family, but I am really struggling with my fathers side.

I only know limited information, which is causing much frustration! My grandmother was called Catherine Duffy. She was born in 1923 and had a twin called Thomas who sadly died in 1944, Normandy. Catherine married my grandfather; Michael Wilson (born 1922) on 1st October 1943 in Manchester. I do know they lived at No 80 Sloane Street, Manchester which is the same street that the famous Emily Pankhurst once lived.

From Thomas Duffy's war grave, i have found the parents names to be William Henry Duffy and the mother called Sarah.

My great grandfather Wilson's first name is unknown. He emigrated from Ireland around 1922. He was chased out of ireland by the IRA as he served for the British Army in the great war. I believe some of his children may have been born in Ireland and came over with him and his wife.

I have full ancestry membership but i just do not seem to be getting anywhere!

If anyone can help me, i would be very grateful.

Thank you and Thank you for having me on here

[Megan Roberts]

Welcome to the forum. I suspect that one of the mods will move your post to a better thread.

You don’t say where the Duffy twins were born. However, by a process of elimination I have the found the births of the twins as follows:

July quarter 1922 Chorlton, Lancashire, Volume 8C Pages 1443 (Catherine) and 1444 (Thomas), mother’s maiden name: Bannister.

Then using the information that you have from Thomas’s grave I thought that I would have a look for the marriage of William Henry Duffy and Sarah (Bannister). Unfortunately I could not find one in England or Wales.

However, what I did find were other Duffy children whose mother’s maiden name was Bannister or Banister and who were all born in Chorlton:

William H 1914
James 1920
Mary 1924

So I then just looked for marriages of a William Duffy in Chorlton around 1914, and found :
William H Duffy married Sarah Carmichael December quarter of 1914 in Chorlton, Vol 8C Page 1558. The difference in surname may well be due to Sarah being married previously and listed under her married name. In the 1911 Census there is a Sarah Carmichael, widow aged 23 living at 52 Stott St Hulme, South Manchester, together with 2 small children, and this may well be her. In 1906 a Sarah Banister married a David Henderson Carmichael in Chorlton and a man by the name of David Henderson died in 1908.

There are a number of William Henry Duffy listed in the 1911 census in Chorlton, so I would suggest that you need to acquire his marriage certificate as that will give you his father’s name, and so assist in going back a generation. It will also give you Sarah’s father’s name.

[catrobson1987]

Wow, thank you Megan. I will check this information out. I was getting so confused because i could see bannister reoccurring as the mothers maiden name but couldn't find the marriage.
I am travelling to visit the family next week so i am hoping to obtain a copy of the certificate.

[Megan Roberts]

One thing to try and find out is where Michael Wilson (born 1922) was born - Manchester or Ireland?

If its the former then we can look for his birth and get his mum and dad's names.

Does anyone have a copy of the Catherine Duffy / Michael Wilson marriage certificate? Again that would give you his father's name and occupation.

[catrobson1987]

This is one of the biggest issues i have faced with the wilson line. We're not sure where he was born but with the dates there is a high chance he was born in Ireland. We do not have a copy of the marriage certificate. However I have details of Catherine Duffy's birth certificate which lists the father as William Henry Duffy who was a General Labourer at that time living at 13 Atol Street, Hulme, Lancashire.

[Mona]

So I then just looked for marriages of a William Duffy in Chorlton around 1914, and found :
William H Duffy married Sarah Carmichael December quarter of 1914 in Chorlton, Vol 8C Page 1558. The difference in surname may well be due to Sarah being married previously and listed under her married name. .

lancashirebmd.org.uk lists the marriage of William H DUFFY IN 1914 with both names for Sarah, CARMICHAEL and BANNISTER.
good site to check in instances like this.

[christanel]

Welcome to the British-Genealogy forums catrobson1987

As Megan said it may I have moved your post from the Introduce Yourself forum to the Brickwalls forum as it has turned into a research request. I gave it the simple title Need help with Catherine Duffy but that can be changed if you want and the thread itself can be moved again later if needs be.
You are already receiving some fantastic help which is what out members are known for.

Christina

[catrobson1987]

Thank you Christina

[Megan Roberts]

We do not have a copy of the marriage certificate.

It really will help if you get the certificate using the details given in my first post (#2), because that will tell you the occupation of both Michael and his father, and where Michael was living, all of which might help in identifying them.

You can order certificates on line for £9.50 from the General Register Office (do not use a third party site as they will overcharge you). The right URL is: https://www.gro.gov.uk/gro/content/certificates/

Findmypast now have quite a lot of Irish records, so if we get some more details this might be one avenue to pursue.

[geneius]

To apply for certificates, you need to know the following, year , place , volume & page number

Michael John WILSON ( Lancsbmd) married Catherine DUFFY Oct - Dec 1943 Manchester vol 8d page 569

William H DUFFY married Sarah nee BANNISTER prev CARMICHAEL Oct - Dec 1914 Chorlton vol 8c page 1558

The marriage of Sarah nee BANNISTER to David Henderson CARMICHAEL is on the subsc site you are on select Marriage & Divorce from the card list type Manchester they married 1906 St Philips Hulme