Need Advice on Determining Father of Alfred Jarvis Malkin Taylor

kathryngz

I'm faced with an interesting puzzle and would appreciate any insights. Here's the timeline (with links to sources):

1. Hannah Elizabeth Rollin marries Edwin Taylor in 1882 in Yorkshire, England (marriage record).
2. She and Edwin are with two daughters in the 1891 Census.
3. In the 1901 Census, Hannah is listed as married, but she's living with her brother, Arthur. Her husband and two daughters are not with her, but she has a son named Alfred with her, though he's listed as son to her brother with the surname Rollin, her maiden name. (I know he's her son from his birth registration. More on that below...) A man named William Malkin is boarding with the family.
4. In the 1911 Census, Hannah is listed as head of household and a widow. One of the daughters from the 1891 Census is back with her; Alfred is also with her, as is William Malkin.
5. On Alfred's marriage in 1922, he lists his father as William Malkin Taylor, not Edwin.
6. Hoping to determine his father, I ordered Alfred's birth registration. To my surprise, it's an amended copy and just raised more questions. Apparently (per the note in the right margin), the original birth registration listed the mother as Hannah Elizabeth Taylor, formerly Rollin. It's not clear if a father was listed. However, Hannah and William Malkin (!) apparently presented a statutory declaration to change the name to Harriet [sic] Elizabeth Rollin, effectively removing the surname Taylor. (Not sure what's up with the switch from Hannah to Harriet.)

So I suspect William Malkin is actually the father, based on the following:

• Hannah gave Alfred a middle name of Malkin.
• By 1901, several years after Alfred is born, Hannah is no longer with Edwin or her daughters. William Malkin is with them. He's also with her in 1911, though as a single boarder. It seems possible that Edwin discovered that Alfred wasn't his and sent her away. Or she could have left of her own accord.
• Alfred listed William Malkin Taylor as his father on his marriage record. William Malkin isn't even close to Edwin, and it's too much of a coincidence that William Malkin is the guy who's been living with his family for at least a decade.

I don't have absolute proof, but is my conclusion justified by the evidence? Any other suggestions to prove the father?

Thanks!

Kathryn

Graham Buckell

My feeling is that you have a strong case for William Malkin being the father but I suspect that you will struggle to prove it except, perhaps, through a DNA test if you can find the right people who have taken (or who can be persuaded to take) DNA tests.

kathryngz

@Graham Buckell, thanks for your reply! I tried to "like" it, but the system said, "You don't have permission to do that" (!)--an odd response on a reply to my own post.

I suspect you're right about the DNA test providing proof, and appreciate your taking the time to comment.

Kathryn

Graham Buckell

From other community threads, I believe the like system is playing up at the moment.

Carole McIntyre

In that time period, when divorces were hard to come by, it was not unusual to have a couple split up and move in with other partners. They could not marry until their first spouse died. This is sometimes referred to as "Poor man's divorce". It is also not unusual to have the mother give the child the father's last name as the middle name . It is a statement of parentage I have seen many times.

When making a quick check, I found this record which seems to be their marriage:

Marriages Dec 1919 

Malkin William Taylor Hemsworth 9c 503

Taylor Hannah E Malkin Hemsworth 9c 503

Here is the family in 1921:

William Malkin Head Male 1865 56 Worsbrough Dale, Yorkshire, England Coal Miner Hewer Henry Lodge Ltd Ryhill Main Colliery

Hannah Elizabeth Malkin Wife Female 1864 56 Caunton, Nottinghamshire, England House Wife At Home

Alfred Malkin Son Male 1896 25 Featherstone, Yorkshire, England Coal Miner Hewer Heney Lodge Ltd Ryhill Main Colliery

When Alfred Taylor went into the military, he listed William Malkin as father and next of kin. Where birth information was recorded he listed his parents first names as William and Anna. That was in 1918, before his parents married. Also consider his own marriage. Alfred's legal name has been Taylor all along, but he gives his father as William Malkin, which is correct. The registrar may have been a little unsure about how to list all that correctly. I doubt Alfred would have taken that festive opportunity to explain about his parents and their non-marriage period etc. in public

I think the case is pretty clear.

kathryngz

Thanks so much, @Carole McIntyre! I appreciate your comments and the time you spent looking into this.