Help! Surname doesn't exist before 1875!!

[nat1161]

I am trying to track down one of my ancesters, Catherine Gligner, but no matter what websites I search on, I can not find the surname for anyone before 1875. I have also searched for every different spelling possible! In the 1891 census she states her place of birth as Scotland, but I've searched the Scotish records and there is nothing. I am really confused and I don't know where to seach now. I have also looked for the surname meaning or origin, but it is no where to be found!

Is it possible she came from abroad or even just made the surname up?! And if so would it be possible for me to find anything more out?

[Rod Neep]

Could it possibly be French?

Rod

[Mary Young]

... Catherine Gligner ... I can not find the surname for anyone before 1875? Was someone else using the name in 1875, or was it Catherine herself?

[Trish]

Have you looked at the FreeBMD? There are 6 entries for GLIGNER.

One is a marriage record for a Catherine GLIGNER in the September quarter of 1895 in Stoke upon Trent, Staffordshire. [Reference: Volume 6b Page 435]

Potential bridgegrooms listed for Catherine are Albert MILLER and George POVEY.

Do you know who Catherine married? Obtaining the marriage certificate may give you further background on Catherine.

HTH,
Trish

[Pam Downes]

Norfolk people are dreadfully lazy in their speech and say things like Hazbro' instead of Happisburgh, so I wondered if the Scots were of a similar bent. I thought of Gallagher, but then had the inspired :) idea of using Soundex on the 1891 census search.
That gives you Gallaghan, Galligan, Gilgan, Gilgun, Gillagan, Gilligan, Gillighan, Glackan, Glacken, Gleisinger, and Glicken
as well as the more unlikely Gilson, Glasson, Gleason, Gleeson and Golson. You would probably find more variations if you input a different first name than Catherine.
I think the big question is where you've found the name between 1875 and Catherine in 1891, how many times, and in what records.
Alternatively, in Julian Clary's 'Who do you think you are', one set of his grandparents left Germany in the early 1870s because of the harsh conditions over there, so did Gligner come from Germany?
Pam Downes

[johnpritt]

I would definitely agree with the idea of using a soundex search if you can. If she or her family had a thick accent and/or were not very well educated, chances are that there names would have been written down by someone else without any verification by the family member him/herself.
My family comes from Cumberland and I've seen many variations, with Pritt becoming Pirt, Peart, Birt, etc, and Sinclair showing up once as Sinckler.
So imagine someone saying Gligner with a thick accent and you can have endless fun following up all the variations. Glinner, Ginner, Gigner, Gilger and so on, though I imagine you could rule out Klingon.

[Geoffers]

Catherine Gligner, but no matter what websites I search on, I can not find the surname for anyone before 1875.....In the 1891 census she states her place of birth as Scotland,Does she turn up in either the 1881 or 1891 census returns? If not here in 1881 then possibly she did not arrive in teh UK until then. If she is in the UK in one of those census returns - where is she recorded as being born?

In any census return, is she shown with any family? - or any person who had emigrated to the UK?

The National Archives has a reseach guide on immigrants
http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/catalogue/RdLeaflet.asp?sLeafletID=243
scroll down the page and look for the references to Entry Books and Registered Papers

Try searching the IGI for name variants - those that immediately come to mind being Gluckner and Glickner, but I'm sure there must be others.

Geoffers

[nat1161]

Thank You for the tips, will try the variations, I have a feeling it will keep me busy for a while!!

In the 1891 census she is a domestic servant and then in 1901 she is married to Albert Miller. She had 2 illegitimate children before she married Albert in 1895 and these are the only references anywhere to Gligner. I do have the marriage certificate for Catherine, but I can't read it!! The name of her father I think is Howard and he's a Game Keeper, there is some writing in the margin next to this, but again I can't read it!!

[Geoffers]

I do have the marriage certificate for Catherine, but I can't read it!! The name of her father I think is Howard and he's a Game Keeper, there is some writing in the margin next to this, but again I can't read it!!
Can you post the certificate on a web-site to see if anyone else can help read it?

If you get stuck, by all means scan and e-mail to me and I'll have a go

Geoffers