Mary Brown, born Bangor 1890(ish), daughter of James

[jornage5]

Hello, I'm looking for help with finding birth records of my great-grandmother Mary Brown (later Percival).

Census records of 1921 and 1939 both say she was born in Bangor Caernarvonshire. My mum remembers her being from north west Wales.

On the 1921 census it gives her age as 30 years and 3 months which suggests a DOB of January 1891. On the 1939 it gives her DOB as 25 Mar 1890.

Her marriage certificate of 1916 gives her father's name as James Brown (deceased) and that she was 25 which suggests DOB 1891.

I can't find a Mary Brown in either the GRO online index or on Ancestry that was born around that time anywhere near Bangor. Nor can I find a Mary Brown of around that age living with a James Brown in the 1891,1901 or 1911 census.

I can find a Mary Brown born 1881 in Bangor with James Brown as her father but that is 10 years earlier and I'm struggling to believe that she could have been so wrong about her age. My mum says she wasn't literate and grew up destitute which may explain a DOB discrepancy but 10 years is pushing it a bit.

Is there somewhere else I can look for this information? I live near Bangor so is it worth a trip to the records office at all or would that just be the same information as on the GRO?

Any help of information would be very gratefully received.

[amondg]

Have you considered that she may be illegitimate and made up a name for her father.

[amondg]

First child Harold  any idea why they chose this name.

First son is usually named for paternal grandfather which would be Joseph.
First daughter after maternal grandmother .


Who were the witnesses at the wedding, hopefully relatives.

[jornage5]

Thanks so much for your reply.

Yes, Mary may have been illegitimate, we know nothing about her parents. She'd still have her birth registered though wouldn't she?

Her eldest son Harold was named after Mary's husband John's eldest brother. The second son they named Joseph. Her daughters were Gladys then Lena. I have messaged Lena's daughter to see if she knows anything about where the names came from, that's an excellent suggestion - thank you.

The marriage witnesses were friends of John.

All my mum remembers being told about Mary is that John 'brought her back from a farm in Wales', she was illiterate and very poor. Seeing as John also lived in Wales and was also poor she took that to mean that she came from very rural Wales and absolute poverty.

[garden genie]

They married in Wrexham. The other Bangor would be nearer. (Bangor on Dee/ Bangor Isycoed) Perhaps her husband filling in the 1921 just assumed it was the bigger place. Where did she say she was living on the marriage certificate?

[jornage5]

Her address on the marriage certificate is her mother-in-law's address.

I did considered the possibility of Bangor-On-Dee and Bangor Is Y Coed, my mum says she was from north west Wales though. The 1939 register also says Bangor Caern. I will have another look at those being a possibility though - thank you.

[Mabel Bagshawe]

There's a Mary Brown b c1888, Bangor [on Dee], Denbighshire, working as a servant in Eccleston, Cheshire on the 1911 census

[jornage5]

Could this be Mary Brown born in Bangor-On-Dee on the 1911 Census (in Eccleston), I'm guessing the registration district would be Wrexham:

BROWN, MARY  ANN     GOMER 
GRO Reference: 1888  M Quarter in WREXHAM  Volume 11B  Page 286

Ancestry suggests she married a HIGGS in 1912.

[jornage5]

I've just got Mary's death certificate. It says she was 63 in April 1952 suggesting she was born 1888 or 1889.

It also gives a middle name of Elizabeth which I haven't seen before but I've heard from family as being a possibility.