Mystery of Great Grandfather Mc Laven

[hepburn]

Just going to throw my tuppence worth in!!
 I reckon  the Sydney you have on the 1881 is your man,  and did he have any brothers? there is a Thomas Levin born Marylebone 1871   1a 519.
  Don't forget   Sydney Tafler (Jewish actor) I concede over George and Frederick...Back to Sydney,after being in the Reformitory ...tut tut, bad boy,he probably changed his name..

[Josephine]

Hey, Miss Oonagh,

I'm so confused.  Where in 1881 & under what name?

I agree that a name change is possible for a variety of reasons.

Thanks!
Josephine

[hepburn]

Ooops sorry Josephine,
                                      Ive been pootling around another site.As Ragna said there is a Sydney Lavin in Wandsworth Reformitory school....

[Ragna]

Hello again 

Thank you for that site Hidden Lives, no I had not seen it before (damn you google lol)

Right, I have just spoken to one of my mum cousins who has his Fathers diary (one of Sidneys sons) and in it they mention Sydney George Frederick with May 1st by the side which may well be his Birthday....Is it possible to check against one Date for all children born on that day ? If this is the case and that date is correct, he was born May 1st 1867.

As for the Thomas Levins...that is a thought. Perhaps the name was transcribed totally wrong.

Thanks again for all your imput again

I will find his birth..i will find his birth...i will find his birth

Ragna 

 

[Tees]

Hi Ragna,

The key clue(s) here are: Sydney's father is a farmer and awfully long string of forenames possibly points to Scotland or Northern Ireland. Possibly on the Borders.

Irish usually would use two forenames but that was not commonplace even with the farming families.

One thing bugs me the whole time when I read this post is: it should be relatively easy to find him in the censuses. If it is "impossible," it sounds like he was from Ireland himself.

But if he is Irish, his name was very unusual--the clue lies with his parents--wondering if it is worth your time to put a wee request in with a website that would do a look up in a birth index for only one pound per year. Since you are confident that he was born in 1 May around 1867. Trouble is that we do not know which was his first forename he may be registered with!

Here is the website to try out: www.familyulster.com

However, I would like to know where do you get the information that he was born in Marylebone if I read this post correctly.

I browse the BMD and found two possible Edward deaths for you--perhaps it would be worthwhile to check it out?

Mar 1865 Lepine, Edward 1a 402

Dec 1874 Laffin, Edward Age 41 1a 436

This got me intrigued due to three forenames being used:

June 1864 LeBean (?) Louis Maurice Etienne 1a 365

All in Marylebone.

Farmer?? This occupation got me thinking--it is highly unlikely that your man is Jewish because many Jewish immigrants came to England and they tended to stay in the cities.

I think it is very likely your Sydney may be from Ireland or Scotland. I would caution you that the surname may be erroneously spelt which is very common in Ireland--I had trouble in locating my great granny's from there.

I wish you the best of luck and every success in finding your man!

Kind regards,

Tees

[Ragna]

Hi Tees

I have put in a search on the website you suggested ~Thank you.

The information about the 1881 census was because I found a Sydney Laven (aged 14) at Wandsworth Reformatory Boys School and his place of birth was given as Marylebone. I have tried in vain to find this Sydney without success even checking out varients. It may be him, but then again may not ? If it isn't him, I dont know where he is !

On his marriage Certificate in 1885 Edward his father is still alive (presuming he has given the right information)

I think you are most probably right about the spelling. I had this problem with another branch of my tree where it was transcribed as PERRY but was infact TERREY.

Thank you again,
Ragna 

[Rian]

Hi Ragna
Don't give up — there are so many badly transcribed pages of the census, and with a name like that it could well have been mistranscribed.
My Kennett Garner was down as Kenneth Turner and I only found him because he was a lodger in his future wife's house.
In a single page of transcript I have found more than 20 mistakes (I kid you not!).
I would go along with the idea that he was Scots or Irish. Maybe his other rellies will have a clue for you. I do hope so!
Good luck, Rian.

[Tees]

Hi Ragna,

I have tried to find your man in various sources! Could not find him. 

However, your 1881 Census finding got me wondered--is it possible for you to find his records at this institution? (To find out why he was in there and to see if there is any extra details that can be of use to you to trace back?)

We need to eliminate him or not, safely.

I was amazed at how phonetically this surname can be changed...Lavey, Levey, MacLeavy, McLeavy, Leavy, McLafen. (All of this from FamilySearch! For Scottish & Irish entries and some English ones)

Like Rian said, do not give up!! Hang on there! I am sure somehow we will find him somewhere!

Is it possible for you to find more information from your elderly rellies? Any clue as to his origins? I am sure someone "remembers" somewhere someone has said blah blah about the family's origins.

And do try again to find him in 1901 Census as it is our best bet to work backward from it--I am sure there is a reason why he was not correctly transcribed!

Regards,

Tees

PS My great-grandpa was incorrectly transcribed under his middle name!! It took some figuring out that his family was mine! I think it may be the same case for your great-grandfather.

[avm228]

Claridges in 1901 is enumerated at/from RG13/82 folio 149 p36.

Can't see him just yet either in the hotel or immediately nearby, but the handwriting is a little tricky...

Anna