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Here I think is the family in 1881:
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q273-F5PJ?lang=en

Paul senior died 1 April 1902, Neuilly-sur-Seine, according to his England & Wales probate, which also mentions Helene Elizabeth Marguerite Vargues, spinster.

https://archives.hauts-de-seine.fr/ark:/74903/vtaa00b62b1778770a2/img:FRAD092_EC_2MIEC344_0378_P
His French death record, information given by his daughter Georgine Anne Vargues, mentions only his late wife Jeanne Mathilde Debacker.

https://earchives.le64.fr/archives-en-ligne/ark:/81221/r26448zrk65w3k/f865
 - birth of a child Alice Suzan in Pau in 1879, specifically names her as illegitimate but recognised by her father.

table of succession and declaration (related to his estate in France), also only mentions first wife.
https://archives.hauts-de-seine.fr/ark:/74903/vta1128ea726f89a397/img:FRAD092_3Q_NEU_030_0189_C
https://archives.hauts-de-seine.fr/ark:/74903/vtabf82e6025fbce118/img:FRAD092_3Q_NEU_114_0043

Thank you so much for this, the 1881 census and confirmation of Alice's birth in particular were great resources!

Quote from: ljb1125 on Saturday 15 February 25 22:37 GMT (UK)

This has been entirely unravelled by the fact that a UK birth certificate for Paul Edmund does not exist. I've searched for every time a 'Paul Edmund' appeared in a census record, and it does appear that in the earliest one (1901) he was boarding in a boy's home with Auguste's brother Edmund (listed as Edward) who had the unique middle name of 'Stiebel'. Paul Edmund randomly claims this middle name in the next census (1911) where he also starts claiming to be from Walsall (spelt 'Warsaw') in Birmingham instead of from Chelsea, London as he did in the 1901 census.

There is a 1919 shipping manifest on Family Search for Edward S Vargues.  Address in England is his brother P.E. Vargues, Uplands, Coventry

So cannot have ‘taken his identity’

I'm not suggesting he has taken the identity of Edmund/Edward, I'm suggesting he's taken the identity of Auguste (who was deceased in 1882). Just odd that he randomly claimed Edmund's middle name in one of the censuses.

His full birthdate is on the 1939 register.  Rootschat does not allow info only available via subscription to be given here

I have a copy of the 1939 register. My confusion is that, having checked on GRO and FreeBMD, no one with that name (or anything close to it) was born that year in the UK.

This one has me puzzled!

I am searching for the birth certificate of my great-great grandad Paul Edmund Vargues, who I believed was born somewhere between 1880 - 1885 (most likely 1884 as this is on his death certificate). What I know for sure about him is that he married Mabel Sarah Fletcher in 1913, they had 6 kids (including my great-grandmother), and then he died in October 1961.

What has me baffled is everything before that. My research had led me to believe he was from a large family, with 6 full siblings, including one with a similar name (Auguste Paul Edmund Vargues) that was born in 1873 and sadly died in 1882. This also reinforces the 1884 birth date as he would have been the first child born after the loss of Auguste, hence renaming.

This has been entirely unravelled by the fact that a UK birth certificate for Paul Edmund does not exist. I've searched for every time a 'Paul Edmund' appeared in a census record, and it does appear that in the earliest one (1901) he was boarding in a boy's home with Auguste's brother Edward who had the unique middle name of 'Stiebel'. Paul Edmund randomly claims this middle name in the next census (1911) where he also starts claiming to be from Walsall (spelt 'Warsaw') in Birmingham instead of from Chelsea, London as he did in the 1901 census.

Is this a case of stolen identity, made possible by my ancestor meeting Edward Stiebel (who was orphaned young) by chance? I cannot make the inconsistencies in the records make logical sense. The only other thing that might explain is that the Vargues family are from France, so it's possible Paul Edmund was simply born in France and I just haven't been able to locate the birth certificate yet. If anyone has suggestions on how to investigate this further, I'd love to hear them.

TIA for reading this convoluted mystery and for any help offered!

NB: If anyone does do some research on this please note that the father of all these people is also called Paul Edmond Vargues. He was born in France in 1838.

His 1939 entry is visible which is an indication he is deceased

I thought the same thing, but I've been unable to locate the death certificate which has left me baffled. Apologies if I've posted against the rules, shall I delete?