GRO problem.... some advice please!

[Mal]

Hi guys, I need some advice from more experienced members on a heaache I have with a non-Cornish line.

In 1919 my great-grandather John Mellor born c1900 marries Nellie Maher. On the wedding cert his father is given as "_ _ _ _ _Mellor" and parentheses, "deceased". Okay, that fits in with family history.

I go back to 1911 and find John and sister Mary Ann living with mother Hannah Maria and mother's husband Henry Cooney. So far so good.

So because there are so many John Mellors born around 1900 in Lancashire I decided to look for the sister Mary A Mellor born 1896 daughter of (Hannah) Maria Mellor. I found her, ordered the birth cert and it arrived today. It seems all correct but the father's name is blank!!!!

I don't understand this. The first thought that comes to mind is that Hannah Maria Mellor was not married, but then why does John Mellor's wedding cert list the father as "Mellor" deceased?
My great-grandfather was born around 1900 therefore if Mr Mellor Snr died 1901 ( he would have had to have been alive in 1899 at least for biological reasons ) and in which case how come he's missing on Mary A Mellor's birth certificate of 1896. Furthermore, I found the family on the 1901 census, but no Mr Mellor. Hannah Maria is a housekeeper with her two children in another residence. The children are listed as "housekeeper's" son and daughter respectively.

I am puzzled by this one, any ideas? Again, the option of the unmarried mother seems probable except for that detail on the wedding certificate? They were also quite devout Roman Catholics I believe. As I say, I am really stuck on this one, any ideas?

[kerthen]

Malcolm, I think I'd start with trying to obtain a marriage record for Hannah Maria Mellor and her "second" husband, Henry Cooney. It might indicate on there if she is a "widow" or "spinster." At least it might give you more information, like a place of marriage (Catholic Church?) where you could begin looking for earlier records.

If they seem to be in the same geographic area in 1901 as they were in 1911, you might start looking for the particular Catholic Church they would have attended and try to get those records on film from an FHC if available.

Maybe John Mellor was simply told when he was a boy that his father was deceased and he simply put that in the wedding certificate because it's all he knew. It seems rather like your supposition that Hannah Maria wasn't married could be true. And we all know it happened in the "best" Catholic families as well as others! <g>

Do you have a death record for John Mellor? It might give a narrower place of birth (or not) from which you could look for his birth record.

Keep us posted.

Barbara

[Mal]

I think we are going to have to look into Hannah Maria first, I do not have a death record for any of them because post 1930 on BMD you can't find much and I think Hannah was alive well into the late 30's/early 40's. She remarried Henry Cooney, I do not have a wedding cert but I can obtain one if needs be. Thanks for the advice, any other ideas appreciated!!!!!!!

[Cornish Terrier]

Malcolm - before you go spending any more money I might suggest you have a look at the following from the 1901 Census:-

Ct1 Fletcher St, Oldham, Lancashire

John STEVENSON, head, widr., 37, moulder in pig iron, worker, Ireland
Wartin do., son, 15, moulder in pig iron, worker, Lancs., Oldham
Hannah M MELLOR, house keeper, single, 26, domestic housekeeper, worker, Lancs., Oldham
Mary A do., daughter of house keeper, 5, Lancs., Oldham
John do., son of house keeper, 2, Lancs., Oldham

Wartin - I thought was probably 'Martin' but the first character clearly looks like a 'W'. And two lines below is Mary and the 'M' is very much different.

This looks very much like the family you are after and, I think, should answer the question for you.

CT

[Mal]

Hi CT, thanks for that!

I already have that information but thanks again for helping out. What has caused the confusion is the fact that on John's (here aged 2) wedding cert of 1919 the father was given as a mysterious "_ _ _ _ _ _ Mellor (deceased)". On Mary's there is no information for the father at all! What's even better is that on closer inspection Mary born 1896 was born in the Oldham Union Workhouse! Hard times eh? To add to this I have found a Hannah Maria Mellor born 1875 Oldham to a Mary A Mellor.... unmarried. Mary A Mellor marries David Gar(t)side in 1879, so we do not know if David is the father or not? Seems like they just weren't the marrying kind. I must admit, the prospect of an illegitimate daughter being born in the workhouse of a northern industrial city in the late 19th century is rather grim in a Dickensian sense. At least things look up by 1911!!!!

On double checking, John Mellor and Nellie Maher were married by licence, whereas Nellie's older sister Elizabeth Maher married in 1908 to John Mugan were married by Roman Catholic rite. Could this mean that John was not baptised at all? Was not Catholic and so could not be married in a Catholic Church, or was there a problem with illegitimate children being married in the Catholic church at the time? I am not sure on this one as I was not brought up in the Roman Catholic tradition.

[Cornish Terrier]

Can't answer that for sure but I would suggest it may well have been because John MELLOR was not Catholic himself.

I was brought up Catholic but .....

It may be that this was the reason for the Marriage by Licence but I do not really know.

Just about past time for food and rest I think.