Is the first name French?

[wdytya]

Thanks Ruskie and BumbleB for your advice. Samuel Adams and Agnes Powelll were married at Portsmouth Registry Office in 1904, which is where the certificate I have would have been issued to them.

Please excuse my ignorance but are you saying that if I contact Portsmouth Registry office I can obtain a copy of the register entry which may have clearer handwriting.

[BumbleB]

Now that's a very good question    As the marriage took place in the Register Office, then I would assume that the two versions would be the same (GRO and Register Office) with the exception of original signatures for Samuel, Agnes and witnesses on the Register Office copy.  Very sorry if I misled you 

[Ruskie]

BumbleB might it be worth wdytya contacting Portsmouth RO, perhaps via email, and attaching a scan of their (original) copy to ask if the version the Register Office holds is different (or any clearer). 

[BumbleB]

I hadn't thought of that one 

[Ruskie]

These days email makes it so easy that it might be worth a punt. 

[wdytya]

Thanks both for you suggestions and comments. I will get in touch with Portsmouth Registry office to see if they can help.

[Ruskie]

Please let us know how you get on. Even if the writing is the same, you could ask them what name they think is written, just to give you another opinion (of course don't mention what you think it might be as you don't want to sway their opinion  ).

[wdytya]

I have now had a reply from the Portsmouth RO and they have said that the name is Simeon.
 Back to square one as I cannot find a birth GRO reference or a parish record of baptism for Samuel Adams. His army record states he was born in 1875 in  the parish of St Phillips, Bristol. Bristol record office say there is no records for a baptism for Samuel in the St Phillips parish records. Also no census records for Samuel or his parents apart from Samuel in the army based in Jersey in 1901. No marriage record for his parents Simeon and Mary Adams.

I think that the family story that Samuel changed his name to Adams is probably true.

Many thanks everyone who contributed my requests.

[Ruskie]

Thanks for letting us know wdytya. 

In your search for the birth or baptism, have you broadened the search at all? Sometimes year of birth on army records can be wrong, as can places of birth - perhaps they think that the place they lived as a child is where they were born when it may not have been.