Ling family Middlesex 1890 to 1900s

[avm228]

The 1851 census (HO107/1971/246/11) shows that Maria Hopkins and her husband Oliver had a daughter Caroline, then 20, born Dumbleton, Gloucestershire.

Caroline Hopkins was born 19 May 1830 and baptised 20 May 1830 at Dumbleton.  Parents were Oliver (a labourer) and Maria, of Dumbleton.

Daniel Francis Hopkins was one of her younger brothers, born in Dumbleton on 5 November 1846 and baptised there on 24 January 1847.

[avm228]

The 1861 census shows Caroline YEATS, 29, dressmaker b Dumbleton, as the wife of William Yeats (30, mechanic man b Coninton?) in Chaceley (registration district of Tewkesbury).

RG9/1804/29/7.

They had married at Chaceley on 24 December 1857:

William YEATS, labourer, full age, son of William YEATS, labourer
Caroline HOPKINS, spinster, full age, dau of Oliver HOPKINS, builder.

Both of Chaceley at the time of the marriage.

[Kylajane]

Yes - my mistake about the Grand-daughter bit. Thank you for all the other info. Just need to continue searching for Gertrude (Ada?) Ling and now maybe May Ling also. Thanks for the good advice re. family trees. A pity I have been unable to contact the Wallis/Thurgood researchers and the Franklin family in Australia - just in case they can shed any light on what happened to Gertrude and May and who were the mysterious Florence & Raymond (the window cleaner) Martin.

[avm228]

Why do you refer to Gertrude with middle name Ada - does that appear on any documents?  What exactly does the letter of agreement say?  By the way it is a real bonus to inherit something like that - informal (pre-statutory) adoption documents so rarely survive.

I still think there's a possibility she was the one registered at birth as Laura Gertrude M Ling in 1891 - can't see what happened to that child otherwise.

[Kylajane]

OK The letter says
Memorandum of agreement made 14th day of June 1901 between Raymond Martin of 7 Kilburn Square, London, in the county of Middlesex and Ada Ling of [space] London, in the county of Middlesex.
Gertrude Ling being the eldest daughter of Ada Ling and of Richard Ling (deceased)...
Raymond Martin agrees to accept and adopt as his own child as her natural and legal parent and guardian. The said Ada Ling agrees to surrender all claims, title and interest in the said child. Counterpart agreement between Raymond Martin and Ada Ling Dated 14th June 1901. Signed and delivered by the above mentioned Raymond Martin and Ada Ling in the presence of Florence Martin [her signature].

There are no official stamps or anything on it.

I'm not sure about your Laura Gertrude Ling. My husband's Grandmother  (Edith Avery Ling) and his Mother always called her Gertrude. Edith remembered that the Martins wanted to adopt her, but she cried and screamed and didn't want to be parted from her mother, whereas Gertrude was happy to go, so they adopted her instead.

Not sure where I got the middle name Ada from. Will have to check back through my records.

[avm228]

It's impossible to know whether Laura Gertrude M Ling is the right birth registration without getting the birth certificate, but I cannot see another likely birth registration for Gertrude, and Richard and Ada did register their other children's births.  It is not at all uncommon at this date to see people known by a middle name rather than a first name.

I do think it would be helpful for you to have a birthdate for Gertrude to cross check against later records both in England and elsewhere.