Find Ancestors

Great news, pleased for you.x

**UPDATE** I have now established a half-cousin for my mother. We are in contact and now trying to piece this all together. It's SO exciting!! Seems we have all lived within a 50 mile radius of each other all our lives!! I can't wait for more! Thanks for all the help folks. I shall keep you posted on progress.

Well I contacted Janet Newman, her husband is Florence's son (she died in 2003 and was also adopted) It would make my mother and Janet's husband half cousins, unless Miriam had my grandmother Doris and Florence by the same man, although her track record's not looking so great at the moment!!!

Catherine, I would certainly go ahead and make contact!

I now have Miriam's marriage certificate and it's looking like I'm on the right track. I think I've traced her to being born in around 1893 in Kent to Walter Mew. I've done a search and Janet Newman seems to have the names in her family tree. I'm thinking she could be a cousin (however many times removed)!! I don't know whether I should go ahead and just email her - she probably has no knowledge that Miriam had a child out of wedlock. I think Janet would be a descendant of Florence (Miriam's daughter, my grandmother's half-sister) who appeared to marry a Newman.

A possible brother for Florence?

Births Jun 1923
FRENCH Reginald A Mew Lambeth 1d 578

Florence was registered with two parents - Miriam French (Mew) and Ernest French. Funny thing is, she was registered at exactly the same place as my grandmother and the exact same registrar!!

Hi Catherine - I just posted that to eliminate the suggestion made earlier! :-)

I'm still waiting for Miriam's marriage certificate but it's looking like she wasn't a very good girl in as much as she got married well into her pregnancy with Florence. It turns out that Florence was only a couple of years younger than my grandmother, did my grandmother have the same father? I think that is something we'll never know. I think I've worked out Florence's marriage so I've ordered the marriage certificate for that too. If I can start to trace her family line then I may come across some living relatives. It will be very strange as we would have all lived very close to each other before we moved to Cornwall.

Thank you MarieCeleste for your information but my great-grandmother was Meux/Mew by maiden name and definitely born in the UK.

I shall keep you informed!!

So Florence was registered with one or two parents?

I've just received the birth certificate for Florence so I think I'm going to go down her route and find living relatives before going back from Miriam. Just shown my mother and she's really excited about it so I'm hoping I can find some more information on Florence for her.

I think this is connected to the outgoing passenger list that Stuart posted above:

Border Crossings: From Canada to U.S., 1895-1956

Name: Miriam French
Arrival Date: 10 Sep 1928
Port of Arrival: St Albans, Vermont, United States
Ship Name: Ausonia
Port of Departure: Southampton, England
Age: 32
Birth Date: 13 Jul 1896
Gender: Female
Record Type: Manifests

She was born in Chicago and home was Santa Barbara, California. (The outgoing list did say she was a US citizen).

Catherine has sent me a message - she now has a birth cert!
Catherine tell us more, tell us more!!!!

It all looks pretty convincing to me.
Miriam/Marion Meux/Mew did go to Canada, but not until she'd married and became Mrs French.

I'd want to know about Florence French - mothers maiden name Mew.
What became of her if indeed she was their daughter?
Is she their daughter? I guess you'd need the birth cert and the French /Mew marriage cert.

I hear what you're saying Penny about researching family trees. Just haven't had the start point really, always drawn blanks. I've successfully researched back to 1740 with my maiden name and my cousin has done my other grandmother's line back to 1700. However, hadn't given the Meux one much consideration as my mother wasn't particularly interested - things change!

Wow everybody! I didn't expect such a quick and detailed response! I'm going to have to digest it all and get back to you. My grandmother stayed with her mother's maiden name of Meux and her name was Doris Lillian Rose so looks like there are some name connections. Have absolutely no more information. I would love to sort this for my Mum, here's hoping.

Here is Seth who is not with the family in 1911...

Seth on the image....

1911 census - household transcription
Person: MEUX, Leth Walter
Institution: Royal Artillery Jersey District, ROYAL ARTILLERY JERSEY DISTRICT, ELIZABETH CASTLE, JERSEY, CHANNEL ISLANDS
Military details: Gunner No 20 Coy R G A

MEUX, Leth Walter Single 20 1891 Sussex Eastbourne VIEW
RG number:
RG14 Piece:
34998 Reference:
RG14PN34998 RD641 SD23 ED6 SN9999

Registration District:
Sub District:
Enumeration District:
6 Parish:

Address:
Elizabeth Castle Jersey County:
Overseas military


I can't find Henry in 1911...

Births Mar 1892 (>99%)
Mew Henry Rufus Hastings 2b 38


Edit: This could be Henry......with the Surname of Mew

??
1911 census - household transcription
Person: MEW, Henry
Institution: Barrosa Barracks
Military details: Private Army Service Corps

MEW, Henry Single 19 1892 Baker Kent Hastings VIEW
RG number:
RG14 Piece:
3122 Reference:
RG14PN3122 RD34 SD2 ED13 SN9999

Registration District:
Farnham Sub District:
Aldershot Enumeration District:
13 Parish:
Aldershot

Address:
Stanhope Lines Aldershot County:
Surrey

passenger transcript details as requested by Jonesey

Name: Mirian FRENCH
Date of departure: 4 September 1928
Port of departure: Southampton
Passenger destination port: Montreal, Canada
Passenger destination: Montreal, Canada
Date of Birth: 1894 (calculated from age)
Age: 34
Marital status:
Sex: Female
Occupation: Teacher
Passenger recorded on: Page 19 of 21

The following people with the same last name travelled on this voyage: -

Harry FRENCH Page 6 of 21 View transcript
Rosalie FRENCH Page 6 of 21 View transcript
Ship:
Official Number:
Master's name:
Steamship Line:
Where bound:
Square feet:
Registered tonnage:
Passengers on voyage:
AUSONIA
145970
G R Dolphin
Cunard
Montreal, Canada
664
8326
415

HARRY - (Age 41 b 1887 calculated from age. Married. Decorator)
ROSALIE - (Age 34, b 1894 calculated from age). Married. Wife)

I have PMd Catherine in case she doesn't know how to get back to her thread.

The best place to order certificates is online here....

General Register Office

www.gro.gov.uk/

Oh, and welcome to the boards Catherine. :-)