Name Change?

[Daft Bat]

Fanny MARTIN was born in Cinder Hill, Nottinghamshire in 1874. In 1897, she married Isaac John COWLING in Tottenham, Middlesex.

The couple may be found in 1901 living in Tottenham Hale (piece 1248, folio 146, page 28) and in 1911 at 12 Stonebridge Road South, Tottenham.

Isaac died the following year.

Looking for the family in 1921, there was no trace of Fanny.

However....

The couple had the following children:
Agnes Martha 1899-1989
John Thomas 1903-1973
Charles 1905-1967
Henry Harold 1910-1933
Arthur James 1911-1966
Beatrice 1912- 2006

Looking in the 1921 census for the children, I found living at 84 Hartington Road, Tottenham, Middlesex, Henry, Arthur and Beatrice all stating that their father was dead but with a mother by the name of Harriet DICKINSON born 1876 in West Ham.

Could this be Fanny in disguise?

Totally confused and all help welcome.

 

[MollyMay]

Got to go out, but Fanny has West Ham as her pob in 1911
I see in 1921 the Cowling children have both dead entered for parents (1921) but that has been altered afterward to father.

 

[Londoner]

With them in 1921 is another daughter Janet Clark, in 1911 she is with Isaac and Fanny as niece, so one must assume that Harriet was sister to either Isaac or Fanny. More to check!

 

[MollyMay]

Ethel Marry Ann Dickinson's b1914 mmn is Clark! (GRO)

Really must go.....

 

[Londoner]

Thomas R Dickinson ( father of Ethel Mary at her wedding) married Harriet Clark in 1912 so must assume Harriet was a widow.

 

[Londoner]

BUT his service record has wife Harriet Emma Clark, spinster

 

[Daft Bat]

So...

As this Harriet Dickinson was a real person, she could not have been Fanny in disguise.

I wonder if something happened to Fanny and Harriet took over the children, acting as 'in loco parentis'.... But what could have been the connection?

 

[Londoner]

It looks like Arthur James took the name Dickinson as when he married in 1938 he said his father was Thomas Robert Dickinson. He was one of the children listed in TR's service record, also Emily ( as above) Harold Henry and Beatrice.

 

[MollyMay]

but Fanny has West Ham as her pob in 1911

The dob for this Fanny is also wrong 1877
Looking at the births of the last 2 boys Henry Harold 1910 and Arthur James 1911 both have the mmn as Watson not Martin.
John Thomas b1904 does have Martin as mmn

Ellen Clark Cowling was reg. Dec qtr 1907 Edmonton 3a 540 (she is at the bottom of the list on the 1911 census and crossed through - also 1 child listed as dead)
mmn Watson and her death is reg the same qtr Edmonton 3a 251

So are we looking at Fanny Cowling in 1911 not being Fanny Martin who married Isaac in 1897?

Now to try and find the connection between so called Fanny Watson and Harriet Clark

Edit - Beatrice b1912 has Martin as mmn - curiouser and curiouser.

 

[Daft Bat]

The dob for this Fanny is also wrong 1877
Looking at the births of the last 2 boys Henry Harold 1910 and Arthur James 1911 both have the mmn as Watson not Martin.
John Thomas b1904 does have Martin as mmn

Ellen Clark Cowling was reg. Dec qtr 1907 Edmonton 3a 540 (she is at the bottom of the list on the 1911 census and crossed through - also 1 child listed as dead)
mmn Watson and her death is reg the same qtr Edmonton 3a 251

So are we looking at Fanny Cowling in 1911 not being Fanny Martin who married Isaac in 1897?

Now to try and find the connection between so called Fanny Watson and Harriet Clark

Edit - Beatrice b1912 has Martin as mmn - curiouser and curiouser.

 

[MollyMay]

This is getting more and more bizarre

Janet Clark birth reg Dec qtr 1903 Edmonton 3a 585 no mmn entered (GRO)

Harriett Emma Clark birth 1876 reg Sept qtr West Ham 4a 5 mmn Pinnock

4/10/1869 John Clark Married Susanna Pinnock at Mountnessing (reg at Billericay)
Another Clark child mmn Pinnock - Henry reg June qtr 1878 West Ham

I cannot find John and Susanna Clark on the census, but on the 1881 RG11/1704/61/62
16 Broad Street, West Ham I found and John (b1856 Royston) and Mary (b1858 Canning Town) Watson
with them are 2 children Henry Clark age 3 and Harriet Clark age 4 (Harriet is not transcribed on FMP but is on the original) both born Stratford

So now we have the link between Clark and Watson, making the 1911 census Fanny with Isaac being more likely to be
Harriett Clark, but why was Beatrice registered with mmn of Martin?

My head hurts

 

[MollyMay]

Harriet and Henry are still with John an Mary Watson in 1891, but now listed as daughter and son, so with the Watson surname. RG12/1073/76/40 - 5 Osmond Terrace, Tottenham
John and Mary now have 3 sons and using the GRO 2 of these boys have a mm surname of Pinnick, one has Pinnasott,
but I cannot find a marriage of a John Watson to Mary Pinnick, so Mary could be related to Susanna Pinnock who married John Clark. From their marriage John Clark was born 1847, and Susanna 1849, so unlikely to be reincarnated as John and Mary Watson as they are 10 years younger.

In 1901 John and Mary Watson are at 5 Osmond Road, Tottenham RG13/1255/105/55
Harriet is now a daughter with the surname Clark plus a child Clara Clark b1900 - the birth reg for Clara gives a mmn as Watson
Henry is no longer with the family
At no 3 Osmond Road live a family with the surname Dickinson (no Thomas present)

Now I am really confused

 

[Andromeda]

And just to add to the confusion....

Fanny Martin is found in the 1881 and 1891 census in Nottingham with her parents John and Hepzibah Martin plus various siblings.

In 1871 John has no wife with him but has children named Harriet 10, Eliza 5, John 3, and Joseph 1-month.

MARTIN, ELIZA mmn WALLIS 1866 J Quarter in NOTTINGHAM Volume 07B Page 248
MARTIN, JOHN mmn WALLIS 1868 M Quarter in NOTTINGHAM Volume 07B Page 264
MARTIN, JOSEPH mmn WALLIS 1871 M Quarter in NOTTINGHAM Volume 07B Page 290
MARTIN, FANNY mmn WALLIS 1874 M Quarter in NOTTINGHAM Volume 07B Page 325

However, John MARTIN & Hepzibah WALLIS didn't marry until 1899.

I haven't found a birth registration for Harriet, so its possible that she may have been baptised 25 Dec 1859 at St Mary, Nottingham as the daughter of Samuel & Hepzibah WALLIS of Richmond Hill, Painter

WALLIS, HARRIET mmn ALLEN 1859 D Quarter in NOTTINGHAM Volume 07B Page 245

Since Fanny Cowling nee Martin seems to have disappeared some time around 1906, I wonder if she reappeared somewhere using Hepzibah's surname of WALLIS?