A change of name brick wall!

[veebareeba]

I wonder if anyone can give me information on how folk changed their surname?  I have a relative who left the family home under a cloud sometime after 1911 in the wake of giving birth to an illegitimate child.  My great grandparents brought up the child (he died quite young). 
The next time I hear of her is when I found that she had been buried in an old family plot some 50 years later.  She is registered on the death certificate under a completely different forename and surname.  It gives the name of her husband (deceased) but I can't find a marriage for her at all.  A post mortem was carried out but no inquest.

So my questions would be 1. How did people change their name back then.
                                       2. Would there be a register of this anywhere
                                       3. How come I can't find a marriage
                                       4. Am I missing something obvious?

Any advice very welcome!

Veebareeba

[AMBLY]

Hi veebareeba

1. How did people change their name back then.  
As is often still the case today, in most instances, folk just began using a new name. Think of actors/ musicians/authors with their stage or pen names. It's not illegal  - and unless you're doing it for criminal purposes, the authorities don't figure. Your legal name though, say  for the purposes of a passport for example, does remain the name your were  given at birth, plus any legal married surname for a woman.  Of course, many people did adopt a new name  in order to 'disappear' or distance themselves from their past lives or family.    Changing a name by deed poll  cost money, and like divorce, was something only the well off might do.  Sometimes, you can find clues in the new name - many people used family names.
                                   
2. Would there be a register of this anywhere
Not unless it was a deed poll change. If they were ever in trouble with the law, or under the scrutiny of the law (but not in trouble) it might be recorded (but not in the manner of a Register). Trouble would then be knowing where to look - a bit of a chicken/egg situation !

3. How come I can't find a marriage
Hard to say without knowing more. Maybe he was not free to marry, so they never did. Maybe they married in another country. You'd have to know more about him, and/or find out what she was doing in the 50 years between circa 1911 and 1960.

4. Am I missing something obvious?
It's again hard to say with out being able to see the facts you have to start with...

Do you know for sure she disappeared after 1911?  Or could she have gone off to work, to earn money for her child's  maintenance while older family cared for him?  Was she the daughter of your great grandparents?

Maybe you'd rather not (which is quite understandable)  - but if you are able or willing to provide more information on her and on her husband, as much as you can -  perhaps we can help you find more.

Cheers
AMBLY

[veebareeba]

Hi Ambly

Thanks for your well thought out reply! 

This lady is my great aunt.  I never met her due to her being the black sheep (!) but I vaguely remember my mother's cousin commenting rather tongue in cheek that she was "an actress" and that she had a "stage name".  This caused much embarrassment/amusement for my elderly relatives!   I was only a child when these comments were made but I realise now that it must have been at the time of her death.  And of course at the time I assumed we had an actress in the family ....lol.  Of course its easy to blacken someone's name when they are not around.  My family were a tight knit bunch and this lady is a loose end.  And that niggles me!

Well, as all concerned are now dead .... these are the facts that I have.

Florence , b 1901 in Swinton to Thomas and Kate Sweeney.  The second youngest of nine children, I have found her in the 1901 and 1911 census living with her family in Swinton.
I next find her giving birth to an illegitimate son in Prestwich in 1923.  The child was christened in St Mary's Swinton with a sister of Florence being godmother.  An old cousin of my mother remembered this boy, Gerrard Sweeney, living with his Sweeney grandparents in Swinton.  He died in 1931.  Both he and his mother are buried with Kate and Thomas Sweeney in St Joseph's Manchester, the cemetery being near where Thomas and Kate's families had both been living when young.. 

So the next time I have anything concrete for Florence Sweeney is her death certificate.  I tracked this down after finding my great grandparents' grave and finding her and her son in there too!  Her death certificate (and the burial record) has her down as "Joan Cadman, wife of John Cadman deceased gardener".  I have an address in Chorlton on Medlock.  My great uncle, living in Swinton was the informant.  The coroner carried out a post mortem but there was no inquest according to her certificate.

And that is all I know.  I assume her death was unexpected as there was a post mortem (heart disease and cancer of the gall bladder apparently).  I also assume that, as her brother was next of kin and notified when she died, she did not have any surviving children. 

I think it is quite likely that she never married as you suggested.  I even wonder if my great uncle invented a husband for her as a face saver.  Only possible leads would perhaps be finding out where her funeral took place/death notice in the local Manchester paper/medical records.  And of course the 1921 census perhaps.  Do you know if electoral registers are available to the public?

So this is the whole sorry tale.  I feel quite sad that she missed out on contact with her wider family, but who is to say she was a nice person??  but I do hate loose ends..........

Thanks for your interest 

Veebareeba

[Gibel]

You could try electoral rolls for the address you have in Chorlton and hope she had been living there a while so you could see who else lived at that address.

Also try the directories to see if a John Cadman gardener is listed in them or Joan herself.

I imagine both are held in Manchester.

I would also check the electoral roll for the address of Florence's parents just in case she did still live with them for a while!

[iluleah]

As Ambly has already said, they just chose a new name and used it, as many do today no requirement to register it legally.

I do feel for you, it is a difficult one to prove and find information for as it is more difficult to find records after 1911 one gentleman who ( not sure why) pops up on the 1911 is this one below, may be worth researching John Cadman, there are 17 on the 1911 in Manchester area, most of which are too old or too young so reduces who you would need to look for.

Name:    John Cadman
Event Type:    Census
Event Date:    1911
Age:    23
Birthplace:    Manchester, Lancashire
Schedule Type:    Institution
County:    Overseas Military

.........and your comments ".......... Of course its easy to blacken someone's name when they are not around.  My family were a tight knit bunch ...." you are 100% correct it is easy to and especially family who live by the tight knit 'rules' anyone daring to break the rules in any way, even if that is only moving to another area, leaving a difficult marriage or taking on a job that is not approved of is an easy target and when not around can't defend themselves.

If any one of us had to listen to our life set down based on facts and only what can be proved it doesn't give a true reflection of a person and if you sprinkle that with opinion/assumptions from 'wronged' or 'disapproving' family I know we never find the reality.

Electoral rolls http://www.manchester.gov.uk/info/448/archives_and_local_history/462/family_history/11

[Barbara.H]

There is a marriage in 1949 at Manchester Register office/registrar attended between John Cadman and a Joan Mary Reynolds.

Unfortunately no way of checking it out further without buying the cert.
"a tight-knit family and she was a loose end.." I think that's just lovely

  Barbara

[veebareeba]

Thanks so much for all your help. 

 My husband thinks I am nuts chasing this particular ancestor, but as I said it just niggles me! 

Thanks Barbara H for that marriage info.  And to iluleah for the census for John Cadman and the electoral roll info and Gibel for the Directories suggestion. 

Its always useful to pick someone's brains on this site! 

Cheers

Veebareeba

[iluleah]

Thanks so much for all your help. 

 My husband thinks I am nuts chasing this particular ancestor, but as I said it just niggles me! 

Thanks Barbara H for that marriage info.  And to iluleah for the census for John Cadman and the electoral roll info and Gibel for the Directories suggestion. 

Its always useful to pick someone's brains on this site! 

Cheers

Veebareeba

 lol...but your hubby is not a FH researcher, everyone here understand why you think this it is perfectly normal (for FH nuts)