Two Bettys or One Betty?
Posted: 21 Aug 2023, 17:08
I have a conundrum which our forum may help me resolve.
I have a Thomas Wilkinson b1796 that first marries an Elizabeth Leach in 1817 and has three children with her- Ralph, Ann and Robert
When she dies in 1830, he marries a Betty and goes on to have more children. Subsequent census returns suggest she was born in Ireland around 1810.
There is a debate on ancestry as to whether Betty was a Bate or a Caffrey. The problem I have is that there are two marriages between a Thomas Wilkinson and a Betty about the same time.
TW1 marries Betty Caffery 26 May 1883 in Cheadle
TW2 marries Betty Bate 14 Jul 1833 in Warrington
There are four potential children
Elizabeth 1833
Esther 1836
John 1839
Mary 1845
The last 2 children come into the birth registration period and so I could interrogate mother’s maiden name. John has Mmn Caffer (Caffrey?) and Mary has Mmn Bate.
My first instinct is that this should help sort it out, but it didn’t - in fact it confused me more.
Ralph, Robert (these 2 from first marriage), Elizabeth ,Esther and John together on 1841 census and John mmn Is Caffer (Caffrey?), which would suggest they were all Caffrey. Mary was not born yet and this looks like a blended family.
However on 1851 census Elizabeth, Esther and Mary are together. So if Mary has mmn Bate it would suggest they are all Bate.
Potentially this would suggest sequential Bettys, However the marriage records suggest he didn’t marry them sequentially, but rather suggests 2 Thomas’.
Census records suggest the Bettys may indeed be the same person - Perhaps as John was registered just after the start of registration and people were finding out what to do and they gave Betty's married name (from an earlier marriage and on the second one they gave her actual maiden name. (or vice versa). I have been trying this option without success – any other ideas.
I have a Thomas Wilkinson b1796 that first marries an Elizabeth Leach in 1817 and has three children with her- Ralph, Ann and Robert
When she dies in 1830, he marries a Betty and goes on to have more children. Subsequent census returns suggest she was born in Ireland around 1810.
There is a debate on ancestry as to whether Betty was a Bate or a Caffrey. The problem I have is that there are two marriages between a Thomas Wilkinson and a Betty about the same time.
TW1 marries Betty Caffery 26 May 1883 in Cheadle
TW2 marries Betty Bate 14 Jul 1833 in Warrington
There are four potential children
Elizabeth 1833
Esther 1836
John 1839
Mary 1845
The last 2 children come into the birth registration period and so I could interrogate mother’s maiden name. John has Mmn Caffer (Caffrey?) and Mary has Mmn Bate.
My first instinct is that this should help sort it out, but it didn’t - in fact it confused me more.
Ralph, Robert (these 2 from first marriage), Elizabeth ,Esther and John together on 1841 census and John mmn Is Caffer (Caffrey?), which would suggest they were all Caffrey. Mary was not born yet and this looks like a blended family.
However on 1851 census Elizabeth, Esther and Mary are together. So if Mary has mmn Bate it would suggest they are all Bate.
Potentially this would suggest sequential Bettys, However the marriage records suggest he didn’t marry them sequentially, but rather suggests 2 Thomas’.
Census records suggest the Bettys may indeed be the same person - Perhaps as John was registered just after the start of registration and people were finding out what to do and they gave Betty's married name (from an earlier marriage and on the second one they gave her actual maiden name. (or vice versa). I have been trying this option without success – any other ideas.