Find Ancestors

This is incredible! Thank you everyone...it’s only taken me several years to figure out how to get on here and read all of this properly.
If anyone has any further information about the mystery of my Great Nana Winifred, feel free to post on here....a huge thank you x

This is fascinating stuff! My grandad will be amazed to hear this when he gets home from hospital :)
Thank you xx

Just out of interest ,was looking at the 1871 census for Minnie's grandparents that she was with in 1881

1871 England Census about Eliza Bowering
Name: Eliza Bowering
Age: 9
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1862
Relation: Daughter
Father's Name: George Bowering
Mother's name: Eliza Bowering
Gender: Female
Where born: Melcombe Regis, Dorset, England
Civil Parish: Melcombe Regis
Town: Weymouth and Melcombe Regis
County/Island: Dorset
Country: England
Registration district: Weymouth
Sub-registration district: Weymouth
ED, institution, or vessel: 4
Household schedule number: 133
Piece: 2001
Folio: 16
Page Number: 23
Household Members:
Name Age
George Bowering 52
Eliza Bowering 50
Sarah Bowering 20
Thomas Bowering 12
George Bowering 10
Eliza Bowering 9
Martha Bowering 7

It's likely I think that either the older daughter Sarah, or even perhaps Eliza was Minnie's mother? but you could, if you wanted to confirm, get Minnie's birth cert

Births Mar 1877 (>99%)

BOWRING Minnie Weymouth 5a 326

edit, on the other hand she could be the daughter of one of the older children from the 1861

1861 England Census about Sarah A Bowring
Name: Sarah A Bowring
Age: 11
Estimated Birth Year: 1850
Relation: Daughter
Father's Name: George Bowring
Mother's name: Eliza Bowring
Gender: Female
Where born: Melcombe Regis, Dorset, England
Civil Parish: Melcombe Regis
County/Island: Dorset
Country: England
Street address:

Occupation:

Condition as to marriage:

View image
Registration district: Weymouth
Sub-registration district: Melcombe Regis
ED, institution, or vessel: 7
Neighbors: View others on page
Household schedule number: 64
Piece: 1350
Folio: 8
Page Number: 9
Household Members:
Name Age
George Bowring 42
Eliza Bowring 40
William Bowring 19
Jane A Bowring 18
Elizabeth Bowring 15
Henry J Bowring 13
Sarah A Bowring 11
Richard Bowring 7
Thomas Bowring 3
George Bowring 1

Dorothy's marriage, with Emily and Dorothy being noted as first name .

Marriages Sep 1923 (>99%)
Dare Dorothy E Thornhill Poole 5a 699
Dare Emily D E Thornhill Poole 5a 699

THORNHILL Herbert E Dare Poole 5a 699

The 'Dorothy' born 1904, on the 1911 is using her middle name

England, Select Dorset Parish Registers, 1538-1910 about Emily Dorothy Ellen Dare
Name: Emily Dorothy Ellen Dare
Baptism Date: 7 Aug 1904
Baptism Place: St. Paul's, Weymouth, Dorset, England
Father: Henry John Dare
Mother: Minnie Hilda
FHL Film Number: 2427678

and the one given as 'Elda' is Hilda

Dorset, England, Births and Baptisms, 1813-1906 about Hilda Elizabeth Dare
Name: Hilda Elizabeth Dare
Baptism Date: 8 Jul 1906
Baptism Place: Weymouth St Paul, Dorset, England
Father: Henry John Dare
Mother: Minnie Hilda Dare

Gosh this gets so confusing, however very very interesting xx

Probate for Henry John

Dare Henry John of 4 Southdown View Westham Dorsetshire died 14 July 1916 Administration London 13 December 1920 to Mary Brown (wife of Alfred Jesse Brown). Effects £265

Probate for Minnie

Dare Minnie Hilda of No 4 Southdown-view Westham Dorsetshire (wife of Henry John Dare) died 14 August 1909 Administration Blandford 26 March to the said Henry John Dare boatman £198 4s 6d

This looks like the marriage of Mrs Dare to Mr Brown in Poole in 1920

Marriages Jun 1920
Brown Alfred J Dare Poole 5a 843
Dare Mary Brown Poole 5a 843

So it looks like Henry John Dare married Mary Davis in 1910 and it is she (Winnie's Stepmother) who married Mr Brown not Minnie

Oh my gosh! Thank you so so so much!!!! You are all amazing! My Grandad will be pleased to hear that his Grandmother was called Minnie and that she was indeed a Bowring as he was told. I think you may be right in thinking that Mr Dare was her father and that she couldn't marry him until his wife died! All very sad, but that's life I guess?
You are all so quick on here, I'm still learning.
Catherine xxx

Hello Catherine and welcome to the Community boards



(I'll let Catherine know how to find her replies) :-)

That's what I was thinking, RR.

Maybe Winifred was told (or decided for herself) that her father had died when she was a baby, to cover up the fact that her parents didn't marry until after her birth..

On the other hand , this could be him...the daughter is Ida Maud , so the Maudie in the 1911 census ?

1901 England Census about Harry J Dare ( pretty sure it is Henry on image)
Name: Harry J Dare
Age: 34
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1867
Relation to Head: Head
Gender: Male
Spouse: Sarah A Dare
Birth Place: Gosport, Dorset, England
Civil Parish: Weymouth
Ecclesiastical parish: Weymouth Holy Trinity
County/Island: Dorset
Country: England
Street address:

Occupation:

Condition as to marriage:

Education:

Employment status:

View image
Registration district: Weymouth
Sub-registration district: Weymouth
ED, institution, or vessel: 13
Neighbors: View others on page
Piece: 1994
Folio: 85
Page Number: 15
Household schedule number: 84
Household Members:
Name Age
Harry J Dare 34
Sarah A Dare 31
William Dare 11
Horace Dare 6
Ida M Dare 3
Samuel Toop 31
Ada Toop 30

Possible death for wife Sarah in 1902?....leaving it a possibility that Henry was the father of Winifred, but didn't marry her mother until the following year?

Baptism of Winifred?

Name Winefred May Bololring Dare

Date 25 Oct 1903

Baptism Place Portland St John Dorset

Father Henry John Dare occ Labourer

Mother Minnie Dare

I'm wondering if Minnie died and Henry John remarried?

Deaths Sep 1909

Dare Minnie aged 31 Weymouth 5a 151

I can't find another 1911 census so the one above would make more sense now

Just wondering if the 1911 census given above is correct? The image says married one year and there is a marriage in 1910

Marriages March 1910

Henry John Dare married Mary Davis or Sarah Hayward

I wonder why Minnie was never with her parents??

She's with grandmother in 1881, and a niece in 1891 :-S

Minnie's marriage from ancestry, image taken from the actual parish register .............


It is DARE on the image



Dorset, England, Marriages and Banns, 1813-1921 about Minnie Hilda Bowring

Name: Minnie Hilda Bowring
Birth Year: abt 1878
Age: 25
Marriage or Bann Date: 2 May 1903
Parish: Melcombe Regis St John, Dorset, England
Father: Thomas George Bowring
Spouse: Henry John Darr
Spouse Father: Henry John Darr


from image .................

Minnie
Spinster
no occupation shown
Address:- Queen's Court, Weymouth
Father occupation:- Boat Builder

Henry John
Bachelor
Age 36
Bachelor
Boatman
Address:- Queen's Court, Weymouth
Father occupation:- Mariner

Witnesses:- Henry J Dare and Ellen Paull

so ...................... if Winifred was really born in 1902, and her mother married Mr Brown in 1920


Winifred must have been about 18 .................. and therefore would have been old enough remembered her mother and stepfathers, even if she never knew her birth father.

Maybe she told her children that she couldn't remember because she wasn't sure of her birth father, or maybe some traumatic experiences?

Perhaps Winifred's father was someone Minnie met in London:


1901 England Census about Minnie Bawring
Name: Minnie Bawring
Age: 24
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1877
Relation to Head: Servant
Gender: Female
Birth Place: Weymouth, Dorset, England
Civil Parish: Lewisham
Ecclesiastical parish: St Cyprians
County/Island: London
Country: England
Registration district: Lewisham
Sub-registration district: Lewisham
ED, institution, or vessel: 41
Neighbors: View others on page
Piece: 554
Folio: 81
Page Number: 32
Household schedule number: 191
Household Members:
Name Age
Herbert J Caldscourt 38
Eliza Caldscourt 38
Edith J Caldscourt 11
Olive P Caldscourt 8
Herbert W J Caldscourt 6
Clifford H Caldscourt 2
Minnie Bawring 24