Hi
I thought I'd have yet another attempt to break through one of my brick walls - any thoughts would be much appreciated!
My great great great grandmother was Tamar Littler, born circa 1834 in Ashton in Makerfield, who married George Billingham in 1854. There is no father listed on the marriage certificate for Tamar.
However, years of searching have failed to produce any birth/baptism records for Tamar Littler. She does appear on the 1851 census (incorrectly indexed as Thomas Littler) aged 18, servant in Ashton in Makerfield. As Tamar is an unusual name, I always assumed she wouldn't be too hard to trace, but there is no sign of her on the 1841 census.
This is where a bit of detective work, and a huge assumption, has led me to believe that Tamar may have been born a Lowe, not a Littler. The only Tamar of the correct age appearing in 1841 is Tamar Lowe, aged 7, with mother Ellen Lowe, 35, a nailmaker in Simms Lane End, Ashton in Makerfield. Tamar Lowe's birth can be seen in the parish records - born 10th Oct 1833/christened 3rd Nov 1833, 4th illegitimate child, second daughter of Ellen Lowe, nailmaker of Smock Alley.
I therefore checked the marriage entries, assuming that Ellen Lowe had married a Littler and changed Tamar's surname accordingly, but have not been able to find one. I did find a marriage between Ellen Lowe and William Limer in 1850, but checking subsequent census entries reveals that the surname was clearly Limer, not Littler.
So, because I have not been able to find a marriage, or any death or further appearances in the census of either Tamar or Ellen Lowe, I had to abandon my assumption that Tamar Lowe and Tamar Littler were one and the same. However, recently I have discovered that there are a couple of other Lowe children, born to Ellen Lowe, who share christian names with children who later died, named Littler.
Isaac Lowe:
born 29 March 1832 Gibbons Lane, mother Ellen Lowe, nailmaker
Esau Lowe:
born 14 Nov 1835, Ashton Cross, mother Ellen Lowe, nailmaker
in the death records:
Isaac Littler, infant, illegitimate son of Ellen Littler, Ashton Cross
Esau Littler, died 1840 aged 4, illegitimate son of Ellen Littler, Ashton Cross
This Esau Littler entry is what has renewed my suspicion that Ellen Lowe/Littler is the same person, as Esau is an unusual name, and the age fits perfectly.
So ... does anybody else have any opinions, or suggestions how I could go about proving a link? Unfortunately I have recently ended my long subscription with Ancestry so am no longer able to try and find Ellen or any other children in later censuses.
I would be extremely grateful for any ideas.
Kindest Regards, Julie
