Christina PERCY -1892, Berwick

[fionajka]

Good Morning All
I have a loose end that I'm hoping could be resolved here.
One Thomas PERCY b. 1872, Berwick Upon Tweed, married one Christina JOHNSTONE b. 1876, Tweedmouth when they found she was pregnant, in March qtr 1892. She was a servant at the time at 1 Yard Heads, and he was an Apprentice Mason, living with parents at Weatherly Square.

Thomas (19 years) was fined for the upkeep of his wife (16 years) when she was about to be 'confined', although her mother apparently wrote a letter stating that her parents would keep her until he had finished his apprenticeship (Berwick Advertiser article - 17 June 1892).

Thomas died the following year, but I've not been able to locate a death notice as to what happened to him as yet. So young Christina with a newborn, Christina PERCY b. July-Sep qtr 1892, Berwick is now .... living with her parents? in the Workhouse? as Christina was when the court was petitioned for her upkeep.

I'm having a struggle locating either of the Christina's in the 1901 / 1911 census records, so hoping for some fresh eyes, or Berwick Workhouse record access if possible.

Cheers,
Fiona

[c-side]

The workhouse records appear to be at Berwick records office but here is a link to information on the actual workhouse

http://www.workhouses.org.uk/BerwickUponTweed/

[Cas (stallc)]

Don't know if connected, but there is this death, maybe the Christian name was recorded differently. Unable to locate a birth reg for a Christian, male or female.
   
Christian Edith Percy (last two letters switched would read Christina)
Event Type   Death
Registration Quarter   Jul-Aug-Sep
Registration Year   1893
Registration District   Berwick
County   Northumberland
Event Place   Berwick, Northumberland, England
Age   1
Birth Year (Estimated)   1892
Volume   10B Page   303

1881 https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q2WM-8HP4

If the parents of Christina are correct, she is recorded as Christian in 1881.

Not with parents in 1901. https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XS9M-BYD

Cas

[fionajka]

Thanks Cas,
I think I've located her in 1901 in Croydon in London, b. 1877, Northumberland as a single parlourmaid.

[c-side]

I’m having difficulty finding the elder Christina at all - how is she shown on the 1901 census. Do you know where she was born?

Meanwhile - from the death registration found by Cas I checked the burials for the area and found a matching burial under the name Christina

Tweedmouth Civil Cemetery
Christina Edith Percy daughter of Christina Percy, widow. Age 14 months Buried on 13 September 1893  Grave ref. C358

I think the name Edith must have been an afterthought as it is not mentioned in her baptism

Holy Trinity, Berwick

Christina daughter of Thomas and Christina Percy of Foundry Cottages, Tweedmouth, Occupation Stonemason.  Baptised 6th October 1892, born 6th July 1892

Christine

[c-side]

I thought I would add these in case they are of interest.

While looking for Christina’s burial I started with Holy Trinity Berwick and then Berwick civil cemetery.  In this I found
Thomas Percy son of the late Richard Percy, Mason, 20 years of Weatherley Square Berwick upon Tweed - 10th June 1893 - grave ref. Ca895

Then by pure chance I came upon -
Richard Percy, Stonemason, 59 years of 8 Weatherley Square, Berwick upon Tweed, 26th January 1892 - grave ref. Ca 895

It seems they were buried in the same plot.
 
Christine

[fionajka]

In 1901, if it is the correct one - Christina PERCY can be found as Christina JOHNSTONE once again, b. c1879, Northumberland, aged 22. Which kinda fits with her baptism record "1 Oct 1876
Church of England, Tweedmouth, Northumberland, England", and single. She is a Parlourmaid at 6 Park Hill Rise, Croydon. Which naturally made me cautious because it is so far away from Tweedmouth....but... thinking about the facts that she was married and having a child so young, plus having the baby die, as well as her husband the following year, and not being able to find any Christina/Christian PERCY/JOHNSTSON records for that census period leads me to accept this one as correct.
What do you think?
Fiona

[fionajka]

Thank you for the burial references for Thomas and his dad Richard.
Just for curiosity purposes, can one access those cemetery records online, or do we need a subscription / fiche / CD???
Cheers,
Fiona

[c-side]

Christina doesn't show up for me on Find my past but I have now got her on Ancestry.  It gives her place of birth as Northumberland so I don't see why it couldn't be her even if she has knocked a couple of years off her age.  She wouldn't be the first!