BRICK WALL.

ROWLANDROBERTS1

Hi. Have hit a brick wall. My great grandmother was Martha Ann Bennett. She married John Robert Roberts at the age of 24 in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa (1904). She was a nurse by profession and travelled between South Africa, England and India. We know she was born in the UK and emigrated to South Africa. Find my Past site has excellent immigration records. Narrowing down her origins and emigration is tricky. Martha Ann is a common name and quite a few Bennetts came to South Africa. Their is a JJ Bennett on her marriage certificate which could be a clue, a relative? I have found a census record from Pudsey, Yorkshire that could be her, but no JJ Bennet or whether this Martha Ann came to SA. How can we narrow the search down? Bit of a puzzle. Thank you kindly.

Paul W

@ROWLANDROBERTS1

The link below is to Martha Bennett individuals born in England around 1879/1880 and found in census records for 1881, 1891 & 1901. Your Martha Ann might not have been recorded with her middle name - in which case the individual found at West Ham in 1891 with father James J Bennett is a possibility. However, look through the list for clues - assuming his first name possibly began with a "J" there are still alternatives.

https://www.familysearch.org/search/record/results?count=20&q.birthLikeDate.from=1879&q.birthLikeDate.to=1880&q.birthLikePlace=england&q.birthLikePlace.exact=on&q.givenName=martha%2A&q.givenName.exact=on&q.residenceDate.from=1881&q.residenceDate.to=1901&q.residencePlace=england&q.residencePlace.exact=on&q.surname=bennett&q.surname.exact=on&f.collectionId=1865747&f.collectionId=1888129&f.collectionId=2562194

The GRO births index has five instances of a Martha Ann Bennett 1879 or 1880 birth in England.

Paul W

Graham Buckell

Without any information to narrow down where in England she may have come from you will have a tough time.

You say there is a J J Bennett mentioned on the marriage certificate. In what context - a witness? In my experience (albeit limited to England), it is relatively rare for a parent to be a witness. What information is normally recorded on a SA marriage certificate at that time? I assume that her father is not mentioned as would be the case for a certificate in England and Wales.

I was going to ask whether you have tried the 1911 South African census. But, as far as I can tell, few detailed records survive and nothing online.

ROWLANDROBERTS1

MARRCERT JRR MAB.jpg

ROWLANDROBERTS1

Thank you gents, will check them out. Have uploaded the marriage certificate so you can get a look at the witnesses.

ROWLANDROBERTS1

Paul, I like the West Ham record with the JJ Bennett. There is a link to the 1901 census where she is still in the UK. She was married in Pietermaritzburg in 1904. So that's cutting it close. Did this Martha travel to SA soon after the census? I will check the ship listings again. Have seen a number of Bennetts setting sail for SA but no two together yet. Was checking on Find My Past. These hints are good.