Gertrude Ayton, actress of some renown?

[mshrmh]

Wonder why Gertrude was showing as Mrs Jack Copland in early 1914....her and Jack didn't marry until 1916 from what has been confirmed so far.

Monica

I wondered - the piece in the PDF was perhaps written much later, so the person knew her as Mrs Jack Copland & had forgotten this was before her marriage/or had fogotten her maiden name?

RedMystic- those chocs look good

[MonicaL]

The 1914 mention of a Mrs Jack Copland is odd isn't. Rex mentioned earlier that the details showing on the pdf also show in more detail in the Scotsman in Feb. 1914.

Monica

[MonicaL]

Think we are making some headway on who Gertrude was. Made me chuckle, mshrmh, that it brought me full circle to your post here:

I couldn't find a William Ayton on the 1891 for England & Wales who looked as though he'd be described as a translator. The census was 5 April, so just before the date given for Gertrude's birth on the death registration, assuming that is her & the date was accurate.

Clutching at straws: on the Historical Directories site the 1895 Slaters for Manchester & Salford records a Jonas Ayton at 49 Perth Street, Cheetham. He was a compositor. At the same address on the 1891 census is James Ayton with his wife - he's born Scotland. I suspect this is really Jonas, as LancashireBMD has a marriage in 1888 at Salford that matches the couple. Jonas's baptism could be the one on FamilySearch in 1864 Edinburgh - parents William Ayton & Margaret Taylor. The same site records the baptisms of other children to the same couple - William Taylor (1865), Nimmo Crawford, Christina, James & William (1874).

Coming at this in a different way, in summary, I think that William Ayton and Margaret Taylor that you mention were indeed Gertrude's grandparents. However, parent not James I think but eldest daughter Christina b. 1868 in Edinburgh. Can't see her easily in 1891 but everything points to her marrying a William Jacob in Liverpool in 1892 (explains why daughter Gertrude Margaret was registered under Ayton).

I think this is the family back in Edinburgh with young Gertrude for 1901:

William Ayton 63, Printer's Rader (printer’s reader….could translator of foreign languages be a polite version of the same thing?) b. Edinburgh
Margaret Taylor 58 b. Keith, Banff
Robert Ayton 24
Margaret Ayton 21
George Ayton 20
Annie Ayton 18
Gertrude Jacobs 9 – granddaughter b. England

Address: 48 Rosemount Bdgs, Edinburgh

From playing around with the index on Scotlands People for 1911, Gertrude showing now as Ayton looks to be still living with her grandparents.

I think this is her mother and (father?) William Jacobs down in Hackney, London for 1901 (RG13/225/74/3):

William Jacob 45 [struggle with his occupation?] b. Newcastle
Christina Jacob 33 wife b. Edinburgh

I think from what we have so far, Gertrude reverted to Ayton in later years. Also, I think to cover the fact she was illegitimate, she likely gave her grandfather William Ayton's details as those of her father on her 1916 marriage registration.

...And then I am stuck again 

Monica

[RedMystic]

Thanks once again MonicaL.

I've posted a message on the Lancashire Lookup Request board expressly to see if anyone can locate an 1988 obituary for Gertrude in a regional paper in the Blackpool area.

The link to that page is:

http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=581082.new#new

A photo of Gertrude is still my Holy Grail (in my imagination she has become a stunning, statuesque beauty ), but an obit is the next best thing.

[mshrmh]

Monica - that's brilliant! Here's the occupation:

I reckon it's translator which ties in nicely with the occupation she gave for her father on the marriage.

[mshrmh]

Adding - the 1892 marriage is on LancashireBMD as Liverpool Register Office/Registrar Attended, ie either a civil wedding or non-conformist/RC. It's not on either FamilySearch or the LancsOPC site so likely you'd need to purchase the certificate to confirm the details.

[RedMystic]

5:30AM here & Gertrude is calling my name so I'm & at my computer.

Great eyes determining the "translator" occupation in the 1911 census mshrmh.

I started compiling a list of certificates that I need when I was working on summarizing this yesterday & will add Christina's 1892 marriage.

Stay warm over there. I hear it's -10 today; (would that be C or F?)

[mshrmh]

RedMystic - as they say, no rush these people aren't going anywhere! When you get the certificates an update would be appreciated - I hope they all work out to be "right" and no red herrings among them.

Here, a few miles south of Manchester it was just above freezing (0.3°C) at midday according to the MetOffice's website. At the moment we seem to be escaping the worst that some other parts of the UK are getting (I hope that wasn't famous last words)!

[RedMystic]

Coming at this in a different way, in summary, I think that William Ayton and Margaret Taylor that you mention were indeed Gertrude's grandparents. However, parent not James I think but eldest daughter Christina b. 1868 in Edinburgh. Can't see her easily in 1891 but everything points to her marrying a William Jacob in Liverpool in 1892 (explains why daughter Gertrude Margaret was registered under Ayton).

Monica

Maybe I've found 1891 Christina. Do you think she could be mistranscribed as Christina Aiton?
- b1868 in Edinburgh
- border at home of John Kirkland 123 John Street, Glasgow, Lanarkshire
- occupation sales woman