Genealogy Chat

the second time tonight, sorry, but really grateful for anything. I'm looking for a Claravance family in essex I have a Hannah moss (Nee Claravance) living in Cressing, in 1851 with her hubbie and children. But I am looking for her family in 1851. An unusual surname so I thought it would be easy! ON the 1851 census she puts her birth place as White Notley, Essex, so I have been looking around this area. Many thanks for anything you can find. Off to make sure kids are in bed, get school things ready etc, so signing off for now. XXX

this is all that came up will have anouther look CLARAVANCE, Hannah Record Type: Marriages Quarter: December Year: 1841 District: Braintree County: Essex Volume: 12 Page: 41 (click to see others on page) William Moss have you sent for cert incase name has been mistranscibed

White Notley and Cressing are both close to Braintree.

Well I cant find any of them in White Notley. I thought I struck lucky with an innkeeper called xxxx C Prance! and family but Ive looked at the the image and they are all Prances by the look of it. The only other near find was this Parish vicar: View Record Reed J Clarryvina abt 1786 Little Yeldham, Essex, England Lodger Chapel Essex Which actually looks like Clarryvince on the image. Sorry.

Just a thought, could her name be Hannah CLARA Vance rather than Claravance? Maureen

Whats her kids birthplace?

I was hoping that too, but I would have thought the bmd was pretty good evidence for the name being right.

Hmmm thats good thinking too many Vance's looked on family search too think you will have to order cert to find fathers name Jeanette

I tried having a look at the index-image on FreeBMD. It's there, but I keep getting a 'choose which image type' message - even though I have done, so I can't get to see it. It hasn't happened to me before, so I don't know what the problem is. Perhaps you could have a look yourself? http://www2.freebmd.org.uk/cgi/information.pl? r=3502060&d=bmd_1128336459&scan=1 (remove Return-stroke) I think there may be some doubt about that name: I tried putting CLARAVANCE into the very first search box on familysearch.org - and got NO results. good luck Christine

I did look at the image on FreeBmd and it does show as Claravance. Strange that no others are listed for this surname on FreeBMD or Ancestry. Maureen

Thought Id chuck this in for a larf: Clara Vance Female -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Event(s): Birth: Christening: 23 FEB 1862 St Peter, Everton, Lancashire, England Death: Burial: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Parents: Father: William Vance Family Mother: Annie Jane Vance -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Source Information: Batch No.: Dates: Source Call No.: Type: Printout Call No.: Type: C007986 Film Sheet:

It's not just FreeBMD/Ancestry, but familysearch.org - the LDS website which covers a very wide range of resources, too. When I put it into Google, I only got a link to an email address where teh name is ClaraVance... so Vance is the surname, in that instance. Is the FreeBMD GRO image one of the typed ones? or is it script? If it's typed, then there may be a mistranscription from years ago (such as my g-grandfather William 'Charlee' Lancaster - when the cert came,it was, as I'd guessed, 'Charles'). Christine

thank you all so much for your help. I' sorry this family has proved to be a puzzle! But at least I feel better that it isn't just me being hopeless!! LOL I will try all your leads and ideas. Many thanks Mandy XX

One clue, if you look at the index-image, is that the list is supposed to be in alphapbetical order, so you can ask yourself: ''does Claravance fit in this sequence? if not, what does fit?'' It didn't make any difference to my Charlee/Charles, but it might with a surname. Maybe it is Claravance and the name has died out. Or could it be an anglicised version of a foreign (e.g. French) name? cheers Christine

It (the image on FreeBMD) is one of those where the original page must have been handwritten but the one you get now is a typed version. So it could have been typed up wrong. It comes between Clapton and Clare in alphabetical order. Kate.

Can't find any clues. I think you might have to get the marriage certificate if you haven't already. Sorry. Kate.

Thanks ladies, I think you are right, I will have to send for marriage certificate. Many Thanks XX

Anyway, as I just reminded myself while answering someone else's thread, she could have been a widow when she married William Moss, in which case Claravance or whatever would only be her first husband's surname, not her maiden name. Kate.

I thought it might be one of those typed ones - you were so very confident about the name, with no ''it looks like''. In that sequence of letters, certainly ''Claravance'' fits, but it does seem extremely rare as a name. Are there no instances of a possible candidate for the name turning up as a second name in the family? Christine

Thanks Kate, I hadn't thought of that. But on a search I haven't found a death for a Mr Claravance - then again it could have been before 1837, couldn't it? Will dig deeper. Also a good point Christine. I will also investigate that! Many thanks again, Ladies. Mandy XXX