Cora Helena Prosser

[DebraBS]

Hi everyone. I have hit a brick wall. Trying to find the birth of Cora Helena Prosser in England in September 1902. We have her baptism in Clapham but cannot find a birth certificate in any records. Her father was RAS Prosser. We have even looked in Wales, Ireland and Scotland. Her parents were resident in South Africa at the time so thought she may even have been born on a ship?

[Megan Roberts]

In addition to the normal BMD records the General Register Office have records of:

1. Regimental records 1761 to 1924
Records of births/baptisms, marriages and some deaths relating to British Army regiments

2. Marine records 1837 to present date
Births and deaths at sea

3. Consular records 1849 to 12 months prior to the present date (birth, marriage and death)
Births, marriages civil partnerships and deaths of British subjects registered at British Consulates

4. Army records 1881 to 1965
Births, marriages and deaths of members of the British Army or their families, which took place abroad

As well as many others. These registers are not on line.


This is their contact page. https://www.gro.gov.uk/gro/content/c...contact_us.asp

[Pam Downes]

Hello DebraBS,

Welcome to British-Genealogy.

When was Cora baptised? I have allegedly checked for Prosser baptism in Clapham from 1897 to 1932 without finding her. But have I made an error in assuming that you mean Clapham London when there are several other Claphams in England? How have you come to the conclusion that she was born in September 1902?
I prsume that you've checked South African records for her birth registration?

Pam

[almach]

These details are from https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61...299&cc=2517051

After finding them I searched family trees on Ancestry and found one which is perhaps yours,
tree name Prosser? If so you are aware of the name change from Prosser to Williams so do you know when the name change happened? Could Cora's birth be registered with surname Williams?

Courtesy of: South Africa, Cape Province, Probate Records of the Master of the High Court, 1834-1989
February 1930.
Richard Albert Prosser also known as Fred Williams and Alfred Frederick Williams
Born Birmingham England, father Richard Prosser, age at death 67yrs 7 months, occupation turf accountant.
Wife Kathleen Prosser, born O'Shea died Sept 1917.

Children
Astley Williams
Percy Williams
Edna Williams
Cora Wright
Leslie Williams
Vera Williams

[almach]

Cora married using the surname Prosser, a Fred WILLIAMS witnessed the marriage.

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61...NJ5?cc=2821281

[Pam Downes]

These details are from https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61...299&cc=2517051

After finding them I searched family trees on Ancestry and found one which is perhaps yours,
tree name Prosser? If so you are aware of the name change from Prosser to Williams so do you know when the name change happened? Could Cora's birth be registered with surname Williams?

Courtesy of: South Africa, Cape Province, Probate Records of the Master of the High Court, 1834-1989
February 1930.
Richard Albert Prosser also known as Fred Williams and Alfred Frederick Williams
Born Birmingham England, father Richard Prosser, age at death 67yrs 7 months, occupation turf accountant.
Wife Kathleen Prosser, born O'Shea died Sept 1917.

Children
Astley Williams
Percy Williams
Edna Williams
Cora Wright
Leslie Williams
Vera Williams

Astley's death is recorded in the name of Astley Prosser in 1939.
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61...A1%3AQ2QM-WZ6M
Says he was born in London, England, but there's no birth registration for that name in a nearby year.
There is a birth registration for Harold Astley Prosser in 1897, but he's the son of Richard's brother, Astley Bennett Prosser. Harold seems to have died in 1954, Bournemouth registration district.

Pam

[DebraBS]

Hi Everyone

Wow I am overwhelmed at everyones interest in helping. Thank you!

To go over a few things, we have an ORIGINAL extract of a baptism certificate from 1902 for
St Mary's Catholic Church Clapham,
London on 17 September 1902.

It states her birth was on
3 September 1902. Parents Richard Prosser and Mother ...O'Shea - we know that her mother was Catherine O'Shea.
The Bapticsm was performed by Rev Louis Davenport.
We know that the family moved to South Africa where her father Richard Albert Shipman Prosser became a "bookie" and went by the name of Fred Williams.
However as to where her birth certificate is remains a mystery. I hope this helps?

Thanks
Debs

[almach]

Hi Debs,

Thank you for the baptism details. I have searched for a birth registration for Cora, as yet I've had no luck.

Do you know when/where her parents married?

[DebraBS]

Hi Debs,

Thank you for the baptism details. I have searched for a birth registration for Cora, as yet I've had no luck.

Do you know when/where her parents married?

Sadly not. The strange thing is that as yet I have not found the birth of any of their other children either.
Richard Albert Shipman Prosser born Sep 1862 in Birmingham where his father worked as a Surgeon by the same name.
RAS Prosser junior married a Catherine/Kathleen O'Shea assuming around 1886 as their first son was born Astley Prosser in London in 1889 (based on his death record 09 Nov 1939)

She died on 19 Sep 1917 in Cape Town,
Catherine O'Shea and Richard Albert Shipman Prosser had the following children:

Astley Prosser was born in est 1889 in London. He died on 09 Nov 1939.

Percy Prosser was born in est 1897.

Edna Mary Prosser was born in est 1898.

Cora Helen Prosser was born on 03 Sep 1902 in England, United Kingdom. She died on 22 Aug 1995 in Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa. She married Gerald Victor Wright on 03 Nov 1925 in Rondebosch (Cape Province). He was born on 23 Feb 1902 in Pretoria,Transvaal,S-Africa. He died on 22 May 1941 in Killed in action at sea.

Vera Francis Mary Prosser was born in est 1904.

Richard Leslie Prosser was born in est 1906. She died on 19 Oct 1942 in Cape Town, Cape Province, South Africa.

Thanks again

[Pam Downes]

To go over a few things, we have an ORIGINAL extract of a baptism certificate from 1902 for
St Mary's Catholic Church Clapham,
London on 17 September 1902

.
That would explain why I couldn't find the baptism in the Church of England registers.

To some extent, you have to believe that Cora was born in the UK, about the date of birth given in the register, as surely the vicar would have noticed she was too big to be only a couple of weeks old if she had been born earlier. The only problem being if the entry in the register was written up by someone other than the priest who had just noted the date of birth as 3 September and the person who made the entry in the register just assumed it was 1902.

Astley Prosser was born in est 1889 in London. He died on 09 Nov 1939.

I read his age at death on the death certificate as 43, which would mean he was born circa 1896.

If South African birth indexes are available, I presume that you've checked them for births for Astley and his siblings?

Pam