Help me find mysterious 5x great grandparents

[Jaki McGrattan]

I've been researching my family history for a couple of years and have been stuck on a set of 5x great grandparents for a long time. I can't find anything on them before they married, specifically their parents names. I'm hoping I can get some suggestions of what to try next...

George Hill and Lovica Hill (same surname on marriage record) were married in Alcester, Warwickshire, on 5th March 1810. A bachelor and spinster they were both recorded as being from Alcester. Between 1810 and 1825 they had six children in Inkberrow and Feckenham, Worcestershire. On one of the children's baptism records Lovica is listed as Ludovica. George must have died sometime between 1825 and 1835 (haven't yet found a death/burial record) as Lovica married a Richard Barker on 12th October 1835, in Alvechurch, Worcestershire. On this marriage record, and on the 1841 and 1851 censuses, she is using the name Louisa, but on her death record (certificate is on its way to me as we speak), in 1853, she's back to Lovica.

I have a subscription with a well known genealogy website and I'm registered with a few free sites so I've trawled their records many times trying to find George and Lovica's parents but have found nothing. I have a suspicion that Lovica wasn't from England because of the use of 'Ludovica' on the baptism record of her youngest child (and Google tells me that 'Ludovica' is the Italian version of 'Louisa'.) I don't really have any experience with overseas research as all my other ancestors, so far, have been from the UK, but I've checked the immigration records available and again, found nothing. I'm also wondering if George was from overseas, and if 'Hill' was the English version of their original surnames.

I'd love to know what other people think I should try next.

[almach]

I have tried searching for a Ludovica/Lovica and similar, the only record I found was her marriage to George Hill. I did wonder if this by chance could be her baptism...........Louisa Hill 10th June 1787, Studley Warwicksire, base born daughter of Hannah Hill by John Clarke.

The 1851 census has Louisa born Coaton Warwickshire, I don't think there's a place by that name in Warks, there is however a place named Coughton which is only 2 miles from Studley, and just over 2 miles from Alcester.

[Jaki McGrattan]

Hi there almach, and thank you for your reply. It's the names Lovica and Ludovica that are throwing me tbh. If she'd always gone by Louisa I don't think I'd be considering the overseas angle. Still, I will have a go at researching the Louisa baptised in Studley you mentioned, to see if she can be ruled out if nothing else. Thanks for that.

The other thing that niggles me is I had my DNA tested and I'm pretty much 100% British with just a sliver of Iberian thrown in. There is no indication of an overseas link on any of my other branches, and I've managed to go quite a way back on most of them.

Again, thanks muchly for your input... I'll hit the research later today

[elsinore]

Could it have been a Catholic christening? Ludovica is a baptismal name sometimes used for Louise/Louisa.

https://catholicsaints.info/name-ludovica/

Peter

[Jaki McGrattan]

I didn't know that! Thank you Peter, I'll go check that out now.

[Lesley Robertson]

It's also the female version of Ludovic. If her parents only had daughters, there's always the chance that she was named for a grandfather...
If she was born abroad, it would normally be shown in the census, and I see that #2 has found an English birthplace for her in the 1851.