I have a major problem with a great grandmother in Farnham, Surrey, England. She has far too many pa

Andrea 1954

Esther Elizabeth Wheeler's birth has been registered twice. Once as the illegitimate daughter of Elizabeth no father named. She was also registered as Esther Elizabeth daughter of Samuel Broadway a soldier and Elizabeth Wheeler. This has only just been discovered. We always assumed that she was the illegitimate daughter of Elizabeth and another soldier Thomas Henry Small who she married. Poor girl is attached to 3 sets of parents and I can't detach, please help 😭. We are dealing with a village right next to Aldershot which became an army camp at this time. ​

Brett .

@Andrea 1954​ 

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Andrea

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IF, you have not already, THEN, ...

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You will really have to get "Copies" (even, PDF) of ALL of the "Birth Registrations" ...

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FreeBDM

https://www.freebmd.org.uk/cgi/search.pl

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There are actually two (x2) References for an Elizabeth Esther WHEELER ...

And, one for a Elizabeth Esther BROADWAY ...

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Perhaps, the WHEELER; and, the BROADWAY, are two (x2) separate and distinctly different, individuals/persons, that need to be worked out.

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FreeBDM

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Actual SUMMARY page

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GRO for England and Wales ... On-Line

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Brett

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DeborahCarl

Looks like it got fixed. She is listed as the step daughter of Thomas Henry Small and the biological child of Samuel Broadway.

Brett .

@Andrea 1954​ 

Andrea

Question(s):

WHAT 'Date' (ie. 'Time' period, Year) are you referring to?

Are the two (2) "Birth Registrations" in the SAME "Name"?

[ IF, NOT, what are the two (x2) different names ... ]

Are the two (2) "Birth Registrations" referenced to each other?

Or, Are the two (2) "Birth Registrations" NOT referenced to each other?

Brett

Carol Ann1

Hi Andrea, I found the record for Esther Elizabeth Wheeler and believe she was probably a step daughter of Thomas Henry Small, since Thomas Henry Small and Elizabeth Wheeler were married after Esther Elizabeth's birth. Take a look and let me know if that sounds right.

Regards, Carol

Andrea 1954

Thanks for the responses. Yes my Esther Elizabeth Wheeler was born at Hungry Hill, now Upper Hale, a village at the north of Farnham, right on the border with Hampshire. She was my great grandmother. She was assumed to be Esther Elizabeth Small and born in 1857. Then I discovered that she was born a Wheeler, illegitimate daughter of Elizabeth Wheeler. We continued to assume that Thomas Henry Small was her father. I found his military records and discovered that he was locked up in Sunderland for desertion and couldn't possibly be her father. I came across her marriage certificate, to John Cooper, surprisingly at the Methodist Church in Aldershot which names her father as Samuel Broadway. I used the newspaper archives to check troop movements and he was in the area at the right time. I have found his military records, family records and his sad death in 1894. He is buried at Brookwood. On some census records Esther is recorded as Small as Thomas had married Elizabeth. They had children and then he left and returned to Birmingham where he remained until his accidental death in 1914 by drinking potash instead of beer. My gran, Maud Alice Cooper, she always said there was no e, said that she had a Welsh grandfather. So in the tree we have Esther Elizabeth, sometimes recorded as Elizabeth Esther!, with parents Elizabeth Wheeler and Samuel Broadway, biological, then there is Esther Elizabeth daughter of Elizabeth Wheeler and unknown spouse, plus Esther Elizabeth Wheeler daughter of Thomas Henry Small and unknown spouse. Can these be sorted out please? I have been trying but getting nowhere. In the mid-1850s the area changed due to the start of the Aldershot military camp. The local women were friendly with the soldiers. In fact the former village was full of brothels and a Lock Hospital was built right on the border. The soldiers would have their practices at Hungry Hill, an open area of heathland. I am actually from the top of the hill. As you can see I have been doing quite a bit of research, but only discovered Samuel 2 years ago. I have been using your resources for many years but only recently started actually contributing. I am a Catholic! As a result I have a lot waiting to be uploaded and have spent many hours merging people and sorting out the mistakes. I have also been improving place names. Sometimes easy but then you get a location called "same farm ". Sorry I have gone on rather a lot, it can be hard to shut me up once I get started! ​

Andrea 1954

Yes, an official person has sorted it out for me. I have added her birth certificate naming Samuel Broadway. I am currently waiting for the GRO to respond to my query about 2 index entries as Elizabeth Wheeler which have the identical references! Oh joy.

Andrea 1954

I have sorted this out through the certificates. The 2 entries for Elizabeth Esther Wheeler were a duplication by the person who wrote up the index, evident when I ordered both and got 2 copies of the same certificate. The granny had made this registration. A few days later the mother actually reregistered her baby naming the father. I am not sure that was actually legal 🤔.