Traveller ancestor ..still looking

[DNA]

I posted a query quite some time ago and received a clue that did lead on.Since then I have got the following.
The favourite gran was  Constance Purkis ,father William Purkis -traveller
,mother Minna Taverner .At Constance's birth (which was registered) they wre lodging in 29 Argyle Street,Grays Inn London Sept 1882 but long gone by the time of the 1891 Census and the 1881 Census records for that part of Argyle Street destroyed by fire!!
The other "mystery" is that Constance was brought up by an Ann Rintoul of Leigh Street London and when she did marry she gave her fathers name as Edward.
I would have hoped to at least traced the William/Minna marriage but nothing to date.
My thanks to the two people who helped before.Anyone else able to help?
Being on dial up connection in New Zealand limits searches quite a bit!!

[Steve G]

  No luck, I'm afraid, DNA. I've just run a search on " M / Minna Taverna X Purkis, London, 1881 +/- 2 years ". No sign of her.

 Only thing that caught my eye was, under Marriages:

Name:     Emma Mary Taverner
Year of Registration:    1880
Quarter of Registration:    Jul-Aug-Sep
District:    Wandsworth
County:    Greater London, London, Surrey
Volume:    1d
Page:    959

 And that simply because I've never heard of " Minna " before and wondered if it could be a nick name created out of the above. Which I doubt!

 Have ye considered the trusty finger tip search of the actual GRO pages, at FindMyPast? I often do that, if A.com blows out. My own connection's lousy too, so I appreciate what ye up against there.

[Steve G]

  Ok, DNA. Following ye clue that we're dealing with a 'Wilhemina' Taverna here, I've just run a search on the first 100, births 1837 onwards. Not a single Wilhemina  amongst them.

 But, This one stuck out like a punch in the mouth:

Name:     Mellona W Taverner
Year of Registration:    1866
Quarter of Registration:    Jan-Feb-Mar
District:    St Thomas
County:    Devon
Volume:    5b
Page:    65


 I mean, what sort of name is " Mellona "? And what's the W stand for ....? As I remember 'The Pelvis singing: " Suspicion! "

 Melons would have been sixteen, at the time of the birth. Perfectly acceptable in those days, of course. But, what's more, there's a whole load of Taverners in Devon. And I spotted a couple more with names that made the eyebrows rise. Jabez and Elizabeth *Ryphina, eg. Put a gun to my head and I'd stake that these are indeed very much the sort of names we'd expect among Gypsys of that period.

 Nothing yet proven, of course. But might it be a pointer? Could our girl have come from Devon Gypsy stock?

 I don't know about you, but I'd have to chance £7.00 on Mellona. Just to see what that W's all about 

[jaytoot]

Hi Steve,

i noticed on free bmd

marriage Cardiff 1891

Tavender    Melona Williams to either
Elliott    Thomas        
Hall    Edward Charles   

Then
Death - 1899 age 33 Parish of St Martin Devon.
Melona Williams Hall

Regards,

Jim

[Steve G]

  Oh, smooth work, JayToot! Bravo! That's a cracker!

Like, ok; It, unfortunately blows my own little nest egg out of the water, doesn't it? But it saves DNA a wasted few quid and frees us all up to ..... well, to what? Start all over again, I s'pose!  Bugger! Never mind.

 Tell ye what though? Cardiff back down to Devon? Certainly seems like our Mellona got about a bit, doesn't it? I wonder then if my suspicions about her were at least partially right?

 Still a hell of a name, isn't it?

[Steve G]

  No; Hang about! (Sorry; All hell letting loose here. Dogs jumping all over me and all sorts. Can hardly think straight) That Does fit our girl, doesn't it?

In fact, HALL is a listed Gypsy name ..... Someone think for me here, please?

 Could she have married twice or something? I'm just too scrambled to make the connection here. It's this Edward .....

[jaytoot]

This one is tricky.
I searched the 1911 census and it doesn't show Constance Pell at all.

Where was she living after she married?
What were her childrens names?
Also, who were the witnesess at the wedding?

Sometimes witnesess are relatives or later marry a relative.
Childrens names are sometimes family names re used though not always.

DNA if you can give us these other bits of info it might help.

Jim

[Steve G]

Ok, Jim. Dogs are under control now. I've calmed down and got back to my more usual frame of mind here.

 First off, I've tided up DNA's rather gushing, and thus distracting, inital in put. Then I've worked it over with what else we have thus far. See what ye think of this:


William Purkis X Wilahmina Taverna = Constance Purkis @ 1882.

Constance, brought up by a stranger, later claims " Edward x " as Father.


Hypothesis; " Wilahmina " is Mellona W, born 1866. She marries Edward Hall, 1891, her age then being 25. Drops dead in 1899, age 33.

Could Mellona have first married Bill Purkis and had Constance in 1882? Answer; Yes. She'd have been sixteen years old.

Then what happens? Mellona and Bill Purkis split up? He dies? (Have we a dead Bill, 1882 - 1891?) Either way, the marriage appears ended by 1891. Equally 'either way', we have the potential of Constance, nine years old, having an Edward as Father figure.

 Maybe Constance never got to know Bill Purkis at all? Maybe that was a shotgun wedding and he vanished, leaving young Mellona to drop off her kid with an aunt (Ann Rintoul) and, on marrying herself, gave, as Father, the name of the only man she ever knew in that role.


 What ye reckon?

[Steve G]

Then what happens? Mellona and Bill Purkis split up? He dies? (Have we a dead Bill, 1882 - 1891?) Either way, the marriage appears ended by 1891.

Name:     William Perkis
Estimated Birth Year:    abt 1831
Year of Registration:    1891
Quarter of Registration:    Jul-Aug-Sep
Age at Death:    60
District:    St Olave Southwark (1837-1901)
County:    London, Surrey
Volume:    1d
Page:    133