Possible ancestry of Ellen Rebecca 'Paxton'

[Daltonator86]

Adoption was not formalised at the time - there was no legal process for it. Anyone could take a new name, as long as there was no intent to defraud. It occurred frequently among people of all social classes. Men married women with kids and raised those kids as their own. People took in the illegitimate children of their daughters and raised them as "son" rather than "grandson".

While wrong information could have been given on the birth certificate there would have been little motive to do so.

Her address, 22 Gloucester Gardens, at marriage - has this been investigated? The witnesses do not seem to be relatives.
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-996G-PQ4C?i=340&cc=3734475

It also looks to me based on the timing of her first child that she was pregnant when she married, which could have been enough to cause a rift in the family.

This is the marriage of her mother (Fletcher), you are referring to, right?

[jorose]

No, I am referring to Ellen Rebecca's marriage that I linked.

Her marriage took place October 13th 1868.  A daughter Rosa Helen Welch was registered in March quarter, 1869, which means the absolute latest this child was born was 31 March 1869.  So Ellen/Helen was certainly pregnant at the time she got married, likely a couple months along, 

[Dundee]

Rosa's birthdate on her school admission register is given as 15 Dec 1868 so would have been registered in the first quarter of 1869.  The birth was 2 months after the marriage.

Debra 

[Daltonator86]

No, I am referring to Ellen Rebecca's marriage that I linked.

Her marriage took place October 13th 1868.  A daughter Rosa Helen Welch was registered in March quarter, 1869, which means the absolute latest this child was born was 31 March 1869.  So Ellen/Helen was certainly pregnant at the time she got married, likely a couple months along,

Gotcha. Cheeky as it may have been on Ellen's part, i don't think this concerns her parents all that much.

[brigidmac]

Re reply 15 & 16
I've just checked an original record on ancestry of marriage of George PAXTON to widow Harriet GEORGE daughter of William FLETCHER

It is 13th August and looks like 1843 but the marriage on same page is clearly 1848
So I believe it is a mistranscription

Rebecca was born April 1848

Would the DNA results make more sense if she was daughter of William GEORGE ?

[Dundee]

They are definitely all 1843 on those pages.  The marriage banns have been indexed as well.

Debra 

[brigidmac]

Apologies I must have misread

According to a tree on Ancestry William GEORGE died in 1843
 it looks like Harriet did not have any children with him.


There is a baptism for a brother  William John PAXTON  in 1846  parents George & Harriet so the couple were definitely together then too..

on ancestry There are also some photos of Helen Rebecca Paxton with her Husband  George Henry WELCH

[Dundee]

...... my uncle and was almost driven to suicide until she married and had a family of her own (which saved her).

She was born in 1848 - when was your uncle born, what was his relationship to her?  This seems a bit extreme for something that he thought happened so long ago.  I would be looking for another event a bit closer to home to make him react in such a way.

Debra 

[Daltonator86]

...... my uncle and was almost driven to suicide until she married and had a family of her own (which saved her).

She was born in 1848 - when was your uncle born, what was his relationship to her?  This seems a bit extreme for something that he thought happened so long ago.  I would be looking for another event a bit closer to home to make him react in such a way.

Debra 

I am not sure whether this is interesting, but Harriet Fletcher's parents don't seem to be present at the time of her 1843 marriage to George Welch.