Henry DAVIS, piano maker, and Louisa Harriet WEST

[John Woods]

I am looking for clues as to the marriage, or lack of, of Henry DAVIS and Louisa Harriet WEST.

The couple had three known children, all baptised 19 July 1845 at St Pancras. Dates of birth are as stated in baptism register:

Henry DAVIS                    25 September 1841
Alfred William DAVIS         12 June       1843 (date confirmed by birth certificate)
Louisa Mary DAVIS             30 June 1845

The two first born children may have died young, as they don't appear with their parents in the 1851 or 1861 census.

Henry DAVIS senior's occupation was Music Smith (1843) Piano Forte Maker (1845) and Harp Maker (1851). The address of the family was 31 Melton Crescent (1843) and 26 Seymour St, St Pancras  [not sure about the "street"] (1851).

Henry senior was born about 1819-1821 in Pancras or Marylebone, from 1851 and 1861 census.

Louisa Harriet was the daughter of George WEST and Mary Ann, baptised at Saint Luke Old Street 14 Sept 1823, and born at Saint Lukes probably 1820-1823.

All efforts to find the marriage of Henry and Louisa have so far failed, including FreeBMD, Ancestry, the IGI and Pallot's Index. Indirect evidence points to the marriage happening no earlier than 1838. Louisa's age would make this unlikely anyway.

Any ideas on this one?

Regards
John in New Zealand

[CaroleW]

Any ideas on this one?

They never married
or
They married outside England & Wales as both were probably under 21 and may not have had parental permission?

She married as Harriet rather than Louisa Harriet or vice versa

Davies rather than Davis??

Another thought - if you find a Henry Davis entry in the right area - check that the other names on the same page total an equal number of males to females.  Quite often a name can be missing

[John Woods]

Thanks, CaroleW, for some good ideas. My first ports of call will be Scottish records, and looking under Henry DAVIES.

I've come across a number of examples of couples presenting as a married couple in the 19th century when they in reality weren't, but found that in general the reason was that one of the parties was already legally married to someone else. I guess there are other reasons, such as a religious difference between the parties, or possibly parental disapproval.

The family story about the WEST family of Louisa is that there is a Jewish connection, but I haven't found it yet (after years of on and off research).

I'll post here when I have more findings

John

[Mariata]

Hi John,

Have you had an luck with the Jewish connection to WEST/LORD family?  Harriet Ann WEST'S grand daughter, Mary Nasmith, wrote in one of her many books "one side of the house was Jewish". Louisa Harriet Davis (nee West) being Harriet's sister.  Could this be interpreted as Harriet's brother and sister-in-laws, nieces and nephews from some of her sibling's marriages?  Just a thought as I have still to come up with any other Jewish connection. 

Viv R (cousin)

[John Woods]

Hi Viv,

I've failed to come up with any Jewish connection yet for the WEST/LORD family. In fact, it looks to me very likely that the mother of Harriet Ann WEST and Louisa Harriet was baptised Mary Ann LAIRD in Windlesham, Surrey, on 8 July 1792. I have a copy of the baptism register entry. LAIRD and LORD are variants of each other, and there were a number of LAIRDs in Bagshot and Windlesham. They appear in the Anglican church register with no indication of being Jewish that I've seen.
Is it possible that Louisa Harriet's husband Henry DAVIS was Jewish? Perhaps the marriage of Louisa Harriet and Henry happened in a synagogue, and somehow never got entered in the British marriage index.

[Mariata]

Hi John,

Quite possible Henry Davis was Jewish.  IF James Thomas West is another Harriet and Louisa sibling there are certainly some Jewish sounding names amongst the marriages in that line.  I've been following your frustration with the other Mary Ann!!! and those other 'trees'  and have tried to contact you through ancestry several times.  I've had the Windlesham registers searched too and looked at possible name variations but Laird is one I'd never thought of - well done. No longer in Sydney, check ancestry if you want email as like to catch up. Viv

[rosie99]

Have you located a marriage for George West & Mary Ann. Where are the family in 1841

Rosie

[Mariata]

Hi Rosie,

George West and Mary Ann Lord(s) were married 27 Feb 1810 Datchet, Buckinghamshire.  They were in Islington, MDX in 1841 census with their three youngest children, William, John and Harriet.