CLARKE, James Harrison or Samuel Walmsley?

[fullscott]

Could some kind, clever person please use your searching talents to determine this man's "correct" name?
He is in the WW1 Service Records (WO 363) as JAMES HARRISON CLARKE, but - if his wife is correct - is recorded as SAMUEL WALMSLEY CLARKE in freebmd's marriage index:

James Harrison CLARKE: home address Manchester (Chorlton); enlisted (51466 RGA) November 1914 - declared age 37y 9m. There is a suitable 1877 birth (Barrow).
Married March 1895 at Hulme Register Office - wife Eliza Elizabeth NIBLETT. There is no marriage recorded for James Harrison ... but there is one for Eliza Elizabeth - and the only Clarke in the list is SAMUEL WALMSLEY.

Children: AMANDA 1901, KATHLEEN 1903, ALLARD 1906. (These are in the freebmd records, as CLARKE).

Wife dies (Chorlton) February 1915 - the Death Certificate is in the Service Records.
She is IDA, wife of SAMUEL, age 39. Death registered by daughter MAGGIE.

Theories:
- Did James H not like his name & changed it to Samuel W?
- Did the Army clerk write the wrong man's information on James H's form? (But on attestation James H definitely says he's married, and I cannot find a marriage for his name. Nor can I find a birth for Samuel W)
- Was Eliza E known as Ida & therefore buried as Ida?
- Is Maggie a nickname for one of the 3 children above? Is she another child? Or is this another family?

HELP!! I am useless at searching the census - and I think that is where the answer may be found.

The records are at (Anc****y) CLA pages 146527 to 146546

[Lesley Robertson]

Searching on the kids, there is an Amanda Clarke b.1901 Hulme in the 1911 on Anc. She has siblings Kathleen & Allard (and Margaret). There's even a Sarah Niblett, mother in law of HoH Sam Walmsley Clarke age 36, b. Holland, S.Manchester. He's a tailor.
BUT (you knew it was coming) The wife is Ida, b. 1875, from Herefordshire. They've been married 16 years, 4 living kids, 3 dead.
Anc tries to link Sam to a Henry Walmsley Clarke's marriage to an Ida Roberts in 1900, but Henry and Sam are both in the 1911, so not the same person.

The 1901 gives Samuel W Clarke with Ida (b. Leominster) and Margaret.

I can't find an Ida/Sam marriage, but there is indeed a marriage for Samuel Walmsley Clarke to Eliza Elizabeth Niblett on 9 Mar 1895 in Hulme (16 years before the 1911). Her father is given as Thomas Niblett.

I am beginning to think that Eliza and Ida were the same person. There's an Eliza E Niblett b. 1875 Leominster, dau of Thomas and Sarah, living in Hulme in the 1891. Anc links her to the 1895 marriage to Sam. As far as I can see, she's called Eliza until 1895, then Ida.

There is a birth Samuel Clarke 1877 Manchester, parents Elizabeth & William.
There is a birth Sam W Clarke, 1874, Brampton, Derbyshire to George & Sarah A.
There are births for James Harrison Clarke Jul 75, Churchover, Warwickshire and Apr 1875, Rugby, Warwickshire.

The only marriage I can find for Niblett/Clarke is the Sam/Eliza one.

And there is a James Clarke b. 1874 Ashton under Lyme, Lancs, married to Elizebth (sic) in the 1911, married 10 years, 1 child living, 4 dead. He's a miner. wife & child also Ashton). Anc links him to James Bertram Clarke, but JBC was a Major in the RA Med Corps, not likely for a coal miner.

And James Clarke, abt 1874, or St Helens, married to Eliza in the 1911. 4 kids living, 2 dead. He's a time keeper in a glass works. He also has a sister Mary Ellen. He has possibilities as in the 1901 he's shown as the stepson of Thomas Harrison and son of Margaret Harrison. There's 4 Clarke sons and 4 Harrison children (3b, 1 g) in the household. There's a marriage for Thomas Harrison & Margaret Clarke in Wigan 1890, which fits the ages of the kids.

There's a lot more to be done if you want to be certain, but I think that Ida & Eliza Niblett are the same person, married to Sam. There's a good chance that your soldier is the last one I mentioned with the Harrison stepfather.

[fullscott]

There's a lot more to be done if you want to be certain, but I think that Ida & Eliza Niblett are the same person, married to Sam. There's a good chance that your soldier is the last one I mentioned with the Harrison stepfather.

Thank you Lesley - I was hoping you'd take up the challenge! And I agree with the above - there IS a lot more to be done!

But not by me! I've put a note in my notes (if you see what I mean!).

Jane

[Lesley Robertson]

You can always tell when the next thing on my list is something I don't feel like doing...

[arthurk]

I haven't looked at the service records, only parish records and FreeBMD/LancsBMD, so I may have missed some important aspects of this.

Ancestry have PR images for the following:
Marriage of Samuel Walmsley Clarke & Eliza Elizabeth Niblett - 9 Mar 1895, St Michael Hulme
Baptism of Amanda Melvina Clarke, d of Samuel & Ida (mmn Niblett) - 26 May 1901, St George Hulme (b 19 Apr)
Baptism of Kathleen Louise Clarke, d of Samuel Walmsley & Ida (mmn Niblett) - 24 Jun 1903, St George Hulme (b 25 Apr)
Baptism of Allard Clarke, s of Sam & Ida - 23 May 1906, St Aidan Manchester

In all cases Sam is given as a Sailor (not Tailor).

Looking at the Barrow birth registration, the GRO index gives mmn Hannah (as a surname) - there are quite a lot with these surnames in Barrow and elsewhere, but no Samuel Walmsley.

Finally re Ida: I have a great aunt b.1884 who was officially Eliza, but more or less always known as Ida (or Idie), including censuses and the wills of her parents and brother. I could also imagine that if the family went in for this kind of thing, Amanda could become Maggie (via Mandy, perhaps?) - a sort of continuation of a very young child's pronunciation.

[Dundee10]

I haven't looked at the service records

Don't look at them, they will do your head in

Samuel says he was born in Holland.

[Lesley Robertson]

That's right. Holland, S, Manchester.
There's another one in Lincolnshire.

[Dundee10]

No he was telling the truth, Holland the country....

familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QLMX-L44H

He also had a brother Allard in Yorkshire.

[emeltee]

Link doesn't wotk.

Emeltee

[emeltee]

To save everyone searching the birth is on fs. Samuel Walmslet Clarke born 20 Feb 1873 Velsen, Noord-Holland. Parents John Clarke Alice Speakman.

There is a link to the original image on fmp but it's all written in Dutch so I can't tell you what it says.

Emeltee