Can't Find Grandma's English Birth Cert.
Hi,
I've been at this genealogy for decades and have a terrible brick wall that I can't get past. A bit of a longish background story... I'm not a pro researcher but have been trying my best. My research includes the surnames of: BARNES, JENKINS, WICKHAM, GEORGE.
My great grandmother, Lucy JENKINS b.1860 Stondon, Bedfordshire, was a housekeeper to a Dr John Wickham BARNES for approximately 20 years. He was a prominent London surgeon and listed in Plarr's Lives of the Fellows. I've got lots on him purely out of interest, including the different census for that household. Dr Barnes was a widower and as it was, over the years, Lucy bore him 3 children - two boys and a girl and all given the surname of BARNES. So far, I can't find evidence of a marriage between them. They were different stations in life and I believe this is part of my research problem. Dr Barnes passed away in 1899 and I have his death cert. This left my great granny almost destitute and I've no idea where she went after he died. He had a few properties but I speculate that they were all left to the children of his first family. There was no will. However, one census puts her at South End On Sea, "Selling Sweets". I imagine the first family of Doctor Barnes wanted her gone? My dad always said that "the Masons" paid for her passage to Canada. I recall writing to them for some evidence of this and there was none - but that was 20 yrs ago now.
But some point between 1899 and 1902, Lucy took up with a Henry GEORGE and gave birth to my grandmother in Brentwood, Essex, England, in 1902. My grandma's nickname was "Queenie" as she was called, but her real name was Mary GEORGE. Only recently, I had a EUREKA! moment as I found her christening in Essex in 1906 and in fact, she was christened along with her three half siblings all christened BARNES and Queenie was christened as Mary GEORGE. Perhaps that is before they took the journey to Canada. At this point, I've no idea where Henry GEORGE went. So, Queenie came to Canada as a young child with her mother and 3 half brothers, all with the surname of BARNES except for Queenie. I found the family on the early census in Toronto.
Fast forward to 1919, when Grandma "Queenie" married my grandfather, Joseph GARNER, in Vancouver, British Columbia. I have the marriage certificate. Queenie had 3 children with my grandfather, Joseph. On their Vancouver birth certificates, Queenie's father is listed as Henry GEORGE and her mother is Lucy JENKINS. When the marriage failed, Queenie went to New Zealand where she lived her life and died in 1972. I have the passenger list. I have her on NZ voting registers and on the deed of her property, I have her NZ death certificate. All of grandma Queenie's documentation states the names of both of her parents, Father: Henry GEORGE and Mother: Lucy Jenkins.
Funny thing. Occasionally, great granny Lucy would fudge her name with the census man in England - I believe in order to avoid detection that the 3 children with Dr Barnes were illegitimate. As stated, I have looked for years and cannot find evidence of a marriage. Oddly, I cannot find evidence of a marriage with Henry GEORGE who she stated was Queenie's father. On some of the marriage certs of Lucy's children in Canada, she would sign as either Lucy GEORGE or Lucy BARNES. On Queenie's christening, she wrote, Lucy WECKHAM" or something like that. I feel she was deliberately obfuscating. It's driving me nuts!
My father as a Canadian soldier very interested in his family history while stationed in England during WW2. At the time, he managed to make it to St Catherine's House but could not find his mother Queenie's birth certificate nor could he find Queenie's father's Henry GEORGE documentation but perhaps he didn't know much then. Queenie was very quiet about her beginnings and would not share with him. Dad was a very early family historian before it became what it is today. I suggested to him that perhaps Queenie was Henry's child and not Lucy's. This type of family history discussion has been going on for years. Perhaps she was adopted? Truth, I haven't tried looking down that rabbit hole yet.
In the early 1990s, me and my dad picked up his search and even visited England ourselves. We went to Chelmsford Record Office and St Catherine's at the time when records were stored there. We even went to Chancery Lane. Dad passed away in 1997 and I am getting old myself! I feel bewildered and a bit downtrodden, quite frankly. Where is my grandmother's 1902 birth cert? I know she existed as I knew her well and visited NZ many times as a child. I've searched the NZ records for her passport application when she visited us here in Canada in 1969 but unfortunately they said all those records were destroyed. I have her NZ death cert and property records and am at the bottom of the barrel now.
A professional researcher charges thousands and I don't have that. Would anyone like to take a crack at this or give me some other avenue of investigation? I did a DNA test with Ancestry but as an amateur can't figure out what to do with all the 3rd, 4th cousin results. I'm a female so got my brother to do a test for the Y chromosome results thinking it would be a direct link to Henry GEORGE. I'm still stymied. I just need a good researcher now or help or something.. Phew!
I'm sorry for the long screed and would be happy to answer any questions should anyone try to help. I'm grateful for this opportunity to tell my story.
Thank You,
Kathy
H