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Messages - KevinBattle

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1
The Common Room / Re: Jeffery family name change to Orchard - why?
« on: Thursday 29 August 24 07:52 BST (UK)  »
Yep, knew that, which I pointed out in my first post. For brevity I used the "modern" name of Canada. Sorry if it ruffled your feathers :)

2
The Common Room / Re: Jeffery family name change to Orchard - why?
« on: Thursday 29 August 24 00:25 BST (UK)  »
Thanks - indeed, we have at least one local charity dating back to William of Orange that once owned large tracts of the village :) Many others had what were large amounts at the time but are now so small that they get rolled up into one main charity.
Now I have to find out more of the man and how he amassed his fortune. Presumably trade with Canada/Newfoundland or Caribbean.
Indeed, genealogy does take you to some strange discoveries :)

3
The Common Room / Re: Jeffery family name change to Orchard - why?
« on: Wednesday 28 August 24 20:11 BST (UK)  »
Brilliant! I suspected that it was to comply with a relatives Will. Will now hunt down Paul Orchard :)
I think that sorts my query unless others have more :)
Thank you very much for providing the link!

4
The Common Room / Jeffery family name change to Orchard - why?
« on: Wednesday 28 August 24 15:32 BST (UK)  »
Hi, my Family Tree building exercise has reached back to the Joseph White (mothers maiden surname) Jeffery, brother of John Jeffery, MP and Consul General in Portugal and relatives...
Jeffery’s family (said to be Quakers) were involved in the Newfoundland trade from Poole. His son was appointed to the lucrative collectorship of customs at Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1802. They seem to have also been established at Trinity, Labrador & Newfoundland (then not part of Canada).
Now Joseph White Jeffery Born as Joseph White Jeffery in Newfoundland, he changed his name to Joseph Jeffery Orchard in 1807.

Why? In my (limited) experience, surnames are usually changed due to a male line in a related family dying out and a stipulation in a Will that the benefactor change their surname to keep it in existence.

Joseph Orchard (1790-1847) was born Joseph White Jeffery in Newfoundland, and changed his name in 1807. In that year he was commissioned as an ensign in the Bengal European Regiment, rising to the rank of brevet colonel in 1846.

So, what happened in 1807 for the Jeffery family to change to Orchard?
I've tried as best I can to find any "Orchard" family that could be connected and gone back to 1665 in the Jeffery line but can't (yet) find any Orchard intermarrying...

Can any super brain find the connection for me?
What other reason (avoiding debt? :) ) could there be as I can't see that being successful in an Army career, especially with awards and promotions.

Thanks in advance while I cool my single grey brain cell down :)

5
One Name Studies: H to M / Re: LEVETT, Sussex, All dates
« on: Wednesday 28 August 24 15:07 BST (UK)  »
Sooo long ago, but hope this is of some interest: The Levett family were prominent iron founders, introducing the first blast furnaces and casting the first reliable cannons, so much so that Henry VIII was ordering from them. There was a settlement known as Catsfield Levett (now Catsfield Stream).

6
The Common Room / Re: WW2 adoptions search
« on: Thursday 22 August 24 13:30 BST (UK)  »
Thanks ShaunJ: but only Stuart link was from Molly's father.
I believe her Birth Certificate is on the lines of a duplicate and not the usual form, and many years later, possibly when marrying the first time. I need to do some digging to locate it again.

I've yet to find how the "Stuart" link arrived, doesn't seem to be earlier than Douglas William.
Very interesting Indian Army connections, Orchards, Fishers etc etc. Lived a high old life under the Raj!
Initially I had hoped it might have been a clue to her birth mother, but she has no liking for bagpipes :)

7
The Common Room / Re: WW2 adoptions search
« on: Thursday 22 August 24 11:06 BST (UK)  »
Thanks
That's my "suspicion" that the children were "adopted" informally, perhaps on behalf of another family member or neighbour, fearful that her absent husband would return to find extra in his family.
In which case it may be impossible to go any further.
At least that's my prepared fall back position should anything "unpleasant" emerge.
Reginald (Roger) may have a birth record in Swindon in Nov '42 but nothing links (so far) for madame.
I may contact Staffs Social Services to see if they have records that far back that can be accessed.
Then it may need a family discussion as to whether to go any further.

Thanks all for your input.

8
The Common Room / Re: WW2 adoptions search
« on: Wednesday 21 August 24 19:03 BST (UK)  »
Thank you all, and as you'll see from my previous post of 2 years back, there was a wonderful discovery.
Situation is that my wife wants to know her background, but doesn't necessarily want to know the answer(s) so I'm the filter, to assess what might be found. I can always say "Nothing came of it" if necessary.
As you will note, I can't be sure of her actual details, name and even DoB may be wrong, but I have to use what there is. I don't even know if there was any formal adoption with paper records, back in WW2 I'm sure it was easy to disguise how 2 children could be absorbed.
I know from my own fathers background how convoluted family history can be.
So I might be opening a can of worms, but... hope springs eternal...

9
The Common Room / WW2 adoptions search
« on: Wednesday 21 August 24 14:05 BST (UK)  »
Hi, long time gone but my wife is fast approaching her 80th birthday and so have decided to try and uncover a bit of her past. Sigh... As you'd expect, it's complicated, or I would have cracked it long ago...
She has a birth date of 6 September 1944. She and her brother(???) Roger, were adopted, presumably still during WW2. Her brother, Roger and her were both given middle name of Stuart by their adoptive Bushell parents.
I believe that there may be a different birth registration name, but how can I start to uncover any trail? A birth in September suggests a Christmas conception. Any number of reasons, husband/boyfriend not returning, 1 night stand could be the reason for adoption but the "brother" aspect is a puzzle as he had a apparent birth date in November 1942, so could possibly be a biological brother if they had been orphaned or simply the second child was too much for the mother to cope, especially if her husband had been absent for several years.... Roger has died, so DNA difficult and my wife is rather reluctant to do so in case it reveals different identities or unpleasant aspects. But at the same time it is something she'd like resolved, so it's down to me to "filter" anything unpleasant...
In short, can a wartime adoption be traced?
It's an extremely long shot, but given what has been uncovered on Rootschat previously for so many others, it's worth a shot!!
Over to clever brains :) 

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