Finding George Courtney c1841

Where are Abigail, George and Alberta on the night of the England, Scotland and Wales census of 3rd April 1881?  Could they have been in Ireland?  It is understood a census was taken there that night but  records were later destroyed. At the time of the 1881 census, daughters Edith and Abigail were lodging at Madiera Vale, in the small village of Holdenhurst with a couple by the name of William and Jane Brown.   Were they attending school or there for some other reason? Their mother Abigail can be found in all later Hampshire censuses but not 1881.  George and daughter Alberta cannot be found in any subsequent census.  Did they die?  To date, I have been unable to find a death record for either of them.  Did they all go overseas, perhaps to Ireland or Saint Helena?  Family anecdotes suggests connections to these places that have yet to be found.   Filling up the census paper.   Punch 1851 PD ********** This blog is dedicated to finding my second great grandfather Arthur 'George'

At the time of the 1881 census, Abigail Courtney and her sister Edith were lodging in the small hamlet of Holdenhurst Hampshire, with a married couple named William and Jane Brown.   Martha Paice nee Marsh   and  Henry Paice  were also visiting.   Henry and Martha are half siblings to the mother of Abigail and Edith, Abigail Courtney nee Paice  (wife of 'George') .   A  Downer family is also living next door, who may also be possible connections to the Paice family. Why are they in Holdenhurst and where are their parents?   They are listed as scholars, so perhaps they had they been sent away to school, but where is their sister Alberta, twin to Abigail?   This photo is believed to be George’s daughter Abigail Courtney at school in England.  Could it have been taken in Holdenhurst?  She’s said to be the one with the white scarf around her neck near the tear on the bottom left hand corner. Believed to be Abigail Courtney at school in England The William BROWN  b1820 in Chicheste

Edith Courtenay is listed as the daughter of Arthur 'George' and Abigail in the 1871 census.  However, it is unclear whether she is in fact the biological daughter of George.  Edith was born in Forton Hampshire in 1867, her birth was registered under the name of PAICE and no father listed on the certificate.    Edith's son Albert was born in 1886, whilst known as Courtney in all records throughout his life, his birth was also registered under the name of Albert PAICE .   This suggests that perhaps Edith knew she was not the child of Arthur 'George'.   At the time of the 1881 census, she and her sister Abigail are lodging at Madiera Vale, in the small village of Holdenhurst with William and Jane Brown.   Martha Paice nee Marsh and Henry Paice , are also visiting;   Henry and Martha are half siblings to their mother, Abigail nee Paice.   A  Downer family is also living next door. Holdenhurst, Moule map c1835 By the time of the 1891 census Edith is working away from

At the time of the 1871 census Arthur 'George' and Abigail were living at 14 Sun Street Woolwich, with their three daughters.  Nurse Ann Muggeridge (nee Webster aka Rudd) was also in attendance.  Read more about connections to Nurse Ann Muggeridge on my earlier post by clicking here .  14 Sun Street appears to house 3 seperate families, the Courtenay's, a family by the name of Hawkins and a nurse by the name of Howlett. Surnames of adjoining neighbours include Cook, Williams, Butler, Green, Cooler, Davis, Gower, Clarke, Reeve and Higgs. 1871 Census - Image courtesy Find My Past If you help with any of this research,  please use the contact form on this  blog or send me a private message via  Wikitree ,  Ancestry   or  Facebook . ********** This blog is dedicated to finding my second great grandfather Arthur 'George' Courtney c1835.   To see a summary of my research  click here .  If you can help answer any questions raised in this blog, please contact me via the con

Alberta was the twin of my 2nd great grandmother Abigail Courtney, another daughter of our mysterious George Courtney.  Her birth and baptism were both registered along with Abigail, yet she only appears in the 1871 census and cannot be found in subsequent censuses.  No death record can been found. There is no record for her mother Abigail (Paice) Courtney in the 1881 census either, so perhaps she is with her? All records for Alberta indicate she resided in Woolwich, Kent.  You can read more on Wikitree . Richard Rixon, 1841 – Saint, A., Guillery, P. (ed.), Woolwich – Survey of London, Volume 48, p. 60. Yale Books, London, 2012.  Death Records No relevant death records can be found at https://www.freebmd.org.uk/ between 1871-1892 An infant Emma Jane Courtney, died in 1871, Bridport Lancashire, 5a 272 - unlikely A death record for an Abigail Courtney, died 1873 aged 1 at Greenwich was investigated.  It was a likely place and it was thought the name may have been a mistake.  This Abigail

In the 1871 census the newly born twins Abigail and Alberta are 3 months old.  In attendance is Ann Muggeridge a nurse, presumably in attendance to help with the babies.  Could she be a relative of either Abigail or George? Ann is stated as as being born in Marylebone Middlesex (the same place as George) aged 50.  So, perhaps she is more likely to be connected to George. I've researched Ann, her maiden name is Webster. She was married at least twice firstly to James Rudd, then later to John Muggeridge. You can find Ann's profile on Wikitree .   DNA Links In 2018, we found DNA links to two descendants of Ann's daughter Mary Ann Rudd on 5 different chromosomes.  The most significant was the X chromosome.  The X chromosome inheritance path suggests the connection could be via Ann or her husband James Rudd.  You can read more about this match in my 2018 blogpost at Wordpress .  Mary Ann (Rudd) Weston's family tree on WikiTree  (@WikiTreeOfficial) Another DNA match at Ancest

Arthur or George or William?  Courtney or Courtenay?  Which is it, or is he someone else entirely? 'George' remains my most elusive ancestor.    I published my first blog about our mystery man, my 2nd great grandfather, the father of Mums paternal grandmother Abigail COURTNEY in 2018.  You can view that post  on my genemonkey blog at  Wordpress .   You can find all I know about him and his descendants at  Wikitree.   I call him George as that is the name his wife and descendants have used in the records. This entire blog is dedicated to documenting everything I have looked at in terms of finding my elusive 2nd great grandfather.  You can find a summary of my research  here , but please note it is a progressive 'works in progress' . Essentially, there are only 3 key records of his existence, all of which are conflicting!  Note:  The age in the census actually says 30 (not 36), so his birthdate is probably c1841 !  George describes himself in the 1871 census as a 'l

This blog documents my ongoing research to establish the origins of   Arthur/George/William Courtenay/Courtney   my mothers paternal great grandfather.  I first started seriously researching my Courtenay/Courtney line with traditional research in about 2006 and explored many possible theories as to his identity.  In late 2010 I undertook DNA testing expecting my primary theory to be immediately confirmed.   I'm still searching... . Read my initial post -  The facts about George, or is it Arthur or William? For an overview of my research relating to George, please go to the  Research Summary . For more information about all my family research, please check out my  Genemonkey Website . It is an ongoing 'works in progress'.  Please contact me if you can help, via the form at the bottom of this page. Featured image: By Richard Rixon, 1841 – Saint, A., Guillery, P. (ed.), Woolwich – Survey of London, Volume 48, p. 60. Yale Books, London, 2012. ISBN 978 0 300 18722 9,  Public Do