Find Ancestors

Trying to find any info on an Annie Parker, who was in Paddington Workhouse, around 1894. She had a son--my grandfather, George Parker Farnall. He was in an orphange until age 5, then sent to Canada.
I greatly appreciate any help! Thank you!

Can you explain how your grandfather got the surname Farnall? Was he born to Annie Parker and her Farnall husband?

Giving *all* the information you have is the only way to start!

Edit -- seems most likely Farnall was the name of his adoptive family in Canada?

Births Dec 1894 ?
Parker George Arthur Paddington 1a 66

The great misfortune of a very common name.

In the 1891 census, two Annie Parkers within the right age range living in Paddington, both daughters of widowed mothers:

Name: Annie M Parker
Birth: abt 1864 - Bayswater, London, England
Residence: 1891 - Paddington, London, England

Name: Annie Parker
Birth: abt 1865 - London, England
Residence: 1891 - Paddington, London, England

A couple nearby who were servants ...

Name: Annie Parker
Birth: abt 1864 - Haslemere, Surrey, England
Residence: 1891 - Kensington, London, England

Name: Annie Parker
Birth: abt 1865 - London, England
Residence: 1891 - Chelsea, London, England

And that's just at the top end of the age range I searched for (born 1863-1873, which could be too old). At the other end, e.g., a servant and the daughter of a widowed mother ...

Name: Annie Parker
Birth: abt 1874 - Paddington, London, England
Residence: 1891 - Hammersmith, London, England

Name: Annie Parker
Birth: abt 1874 - Chelsea, St Luke
Residence: 1891 - Chelsea, London, England

There are two marriages of Annie Parkers in Paddington registration district 1894 to 1901 -- can be found at FreeBMD --

http://freebmd.rootsweb.com/cgi/search.pl

I don't envy your situation and I can't think of any way to identify the right Annie Parker. Does George's birth cert give any informatin about her -- age, occupation ...?

He was baptised George Frederick

from ancestry


London, England, Births and Baptisms, 1813-1906

Name: George Frederick Parker
Record Type: Baptism
Estimated Birth Date: abt 1894
Baptism Date: 27 Sep 1894
Mother's Name: Annie Parker
Parish or Poor Law Union: Paddington St Peter
Borough: Westminster


from the image:-

Born:- Workhouse


no more information than that


I would assume, from past experience, that he was born very close to his baptism date.




sylvia

birth registration from freebmd

Births Sep 1894 (>99%)

PARKER George Frederick Paddington 1a 51



sylvia

PM received from Tina -- Tina, would you reply in the thread as we have please? That way the info is all in one place and we don't have to toggle around between inbox and discussion board.

Part of the message:


"On my grandfather's(George Parker Farnall) birth certificate, it listed his mother as Annie Parker, housekeeper, and the father's name was not listed; but my grandfather's name on the birth ceritificate was George Parker Farnall. Apparently, he was an illegitimate child. I'm assuming Annie, knowing who the father was, gave the son his name, & using her last name as his middle name."


An unmarried woman could register a child with its father's surname only if the father consented. (If she didn't state that she was married and give her surname as her husband's, her unmarried status would be apparent, and that seems to be the csae on the certificate you have.)


Problem is that there is no such birth registration in the GRO index -- no George Farnall, no George Parker with a surname resembling it, in 1894-5.

http://freebmd.rootsweb.com/cgi/search.pl


There is this birth:

Births Dec 1894
Parker George Arthur Paddington 1a 66

-- I don't have a subscription to check baptism details as Sylvia has done for the George Frederick Parker birth in the next quarter.


Is the one that Sylvia has identified not the right birth?

Could you give the exact date of birth on the certificate please?

Was your grandfather certain he had the right birth certificate??


There's also no record of a George Parker or Farn* of the rightish age travelling to Canada at the rightish time as a Home Child:

http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/databases/home-children/001015-100.01-e.php

but he wouldn't necessarily be included in that database.


If he travelled to Canada at about age 5 we would expect to see him in the 1901 Cdn census, or at least the 1911. I can't see a George by any reasonable variant of the surname Farnall in either census who matches his age:

http://www.automatedgenealogy.com

(In 1901 there's a Geo A Farnell in Nova Scotia born in 1900.)


Is this your George in the 1930 US census (again, I don't have the sub to view details)? --

Name: George P Farnall
Birth: abt 1895 - location
Residence: 1930 - city, Palm Beach, Florida

Name: George Parker Farnall
Birth: date
Death: dd mm 1984 - Palm Beach, Florida, United States

An exact search for the name at Ancestry also finds his naturalization record:

George Parker Farnall
state Georgia

Sorry I didn't reply correctly the 1st time...I am new to this..please forgive me.

My grandfather's DOB is Sept 13, 1894

He did live & die in Palm Beach County, Fla.

I never remember seeing or hearing anything about the name "Frederick" ever before...but then again, he really didn't know who he was.

I don't have his birth cert. My father is in possession of this cert, and I'm trying to have him locate it. I'm only going on memory from when I looked at it yrs ago.

I believe my grandfather didn't have an actual birth cert for many yrs & then applied for one & was informed records were burned in a fire. so they sent him a cert of birth of what they believed to be the correct info...?? This is what I can remember best to my knowledge.

Since the info on the baptism seems to be close to his birth, with an Annie Parker @ Paddington, can we figure which Annie Parker she is? I do remember seeing on his birth cert that she was a housekeeper .

I REALLY appreciate all this info!!

Well, Tina ... it really is best to have one's ducks in a row before starting out and asking for other people's time.

I have twice posted a birth record for a George Arthur Parker that exactly matches the info you have, for name, date and place -- the mother's name would be on the birth certificate; I don't know whether there is a baptism record available on line.

I would probably doubt that George Frederick Parker was your grandfather. There were a lot of Annie Parkers. I would certainly not make that assumption without first investigating the George Arthur Parker whose birth I posted, at least.

This might depend, in part, on whether your knowledge of your George's mother's name comes from him directly, or from the birth certificate he was issued later in life (which might or might not be his).

In any event, figuring out what Annie Parker that Annie Parker was isn't likely possible. There were over three years between census and birth -- a woman who was a housekeeper in 1894 could have been a girl at home with her parents in 1891. But I know I'm not going to try, even, based just on the mother's name and a non-match with your grandfather's name -- especially when you have access to his actual birth certificate! ... if such it is. ;)

There is no point in anyone spending even more time trying to investigate this without you providing the basic factual information that is available -- from your grandfather's birth certificate.

And the fact is that you may never know that this was *his* birth certificate -- but let's wait and see what it does say.

Now, possibly countermanding that George Arthur Parker birth 1894 -- there is this death in the index:

Name: George Arthur Parker
>> Birth Date: 11 Sep 1894
Death Registration Month/Year: 1969
Registration district: Worthing
Inferred County: Sussex
Volume: 5h
Page: 1980

That birth could have been reg in Q4 1894

but then ... there is also this birth

Births Sep 1894
PARKER George Arthur Stoke On Trent 6b 232

... which could be this death ;) --

Name: George Arhtur Parker
Birth Date: 6 Jul 1894
Death Registration Month/Year: 1971
Registration district: Shrewsbury
Inferred County: Shropshire
Volume: 9a
Page: 326


-- keeping in mind that it was not unusual for the informant (or the person themself) not to know their exact date of birth pre-1900 when they died so many years later.


There isn't a death for a George Frederick Parker born 1894 -- but for deaths before 1869, only middle initials are shown, and it is difficult to search by birth year -- but I'm not seeing a George F Parker death with a birth year around that date.

Do you know whether your George was in the military in WWI? Born in 1894, one would expect him to have been, if he was in Canada.

http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/databases/cef/001042-100.01-e.php

Various George Parkers ... no Farnalls.


Speaking of Farnalls ... in the 1891 census there is a wealthy household of Farnall women in Kensington, one of whom was born in New Zealand, and there are a couple of other Farnall women in the vicinity, one born on board ship. And this person:

Name: George W Farnall
Age: 22
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1869
Relation: Visitor
Where born: Imbecile, Gibraltar

Civil parish: Minchinhampton
Town: Littleworth
County/Island: Gloucestershire

Edward Wilcox 65
Jane Wilcox 66
Mary J Wilcox 33
Charlotte Wilcox 25
George W Farnall 22

-- living on his own means

Oh, drat. Obviously he wasn't born in Imbecile, but what it says is "Gibraltar (British Subject)" and next to it, in the disability column, "Imbecile" (a classification of intellectual disability).


These Farnalls are worth having a closer look at. If that George is related to the Paddington household (as I'm sure he is, the name is not common), there could even be a connection ... and it could even be possible that Annie Parker was a victim of sexual assault or exploitation by the intellectually disabled son of a wealthy household. These things did happen to household servants (like my gr-grmother). This George's census entry in 1901 doesn't mention disability.

You mentioned a possible East Indies connection in your PM (I don't place a lot of reliance on such reports; we all have 'em!) -- but there are these overseas connections with Farnalls. Here's another, in 1901:

Name: Arthur A Farnall
Age: 54
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1847
Relation: Head
Spouse's Name: Eliza M Farnall - born in Mauritius
Where born: Burley Ringwood, Hampshire, England

Civil parish: Preston
County/Island: Sussex

Arthur A Farnall 54 - Clergyman Church of England Vicar
Eliza M Farnall 46
Mary E Awcock 52 - servant - domestic
Elizabeth C Hyland 19 - " "
Frederick W Hyland 16 - " "


That Arthur is single in 1881, a curate in Hove, Sussex, and married w/o children in 1891 in Preston, so no chance of a son who might be the father of a child. And it seems rather unlikely a married vicar in Sussex would have been ... but one never knows.

Randomly clicking on likely looking George Parkers in the CEF in WWI, I hit this one first:

http://data2.archives.ca/cef/gpc013/565246a.gif

George Parker, dob 13 Sept 1894, >>> born in Paddington, London, England

Next of kin is sister, >>> Lydia Farnell, London, Eng.

Trade or calling is Barber, his No. is 441308. No address is given for himself or sister, but he enrolled at Prince Albert (Saskatchewan) on 20 April 1915.


This be your man, I believe.


Now to sort out what it all means. ;)



http://www.findmypast.co.uk/passengerListPersonSearchStart.action

FARNELL Geo A Unknown (dob) M 1910 Liverpool Canada Quebec
FARNELL G Unknown (dob) M 1909 Liverpool Canada Quebec

??

Name: Lydia Georgina Farnall
Year of Registration: 1906
Quarter of Registration: Jul-Aug-Sep
District: Hendon (1837-1947)
County: Middlesex
Volume: 3a
Page: 307

The only remotely likely-looking candidate (I also looked for Lydias marrying Farn*ls).

And indeed ... in 1911:

>>INSTITUTION FARNALL LYDIA 1907 4 Fulham London


Now there is a birth certificate you are dying to get hold of!!


Name: Lydia G Farnell
Spouse Surname: Rose - George H
Date of Registration: Jul-Aug-Sep 1934
Registration district: Surrey South Western
Registration county (inferred): Surrey
Volume Number: 2a
Page Number: 1264

Name: Lydia Georgina Rose
Birth Date: 7 Jun 1907*
Death Registration Month/Year: Oct 1989
Age at death (estimated): 82
Registration district: Surrey North-Western
Inferred County: Surrey
Volume: 17
Page: 986

* you see what I mean about year of birth being unreliable sometimes; hers was actually 1906


But your dad has cousins.

Five children born 1933-1949.

For privacy reasons, I won't post their details.

Search at FreeBMD for

births
surname ROSE
mother's surname FARNELL

and you will find them. Once you've absorbed all this, we can set about finding them or their children!

http://freebmd.rootsweb.com/cgi/search.pl


... My great-grandfather's fake surname started out as his sister's middle name (which she also adopted as a surname) ... maybe yours did something similar when he adopted the Farnall surname. ;)

And maybe we'll have better luck figuring out where your mystery surname came from than I have had with mine!

This is so exciting! I think I've found the youngest child of that marriage (a latecomer, born 1949).

-- Rats, a couple of spanners in the works. There was another Mr. Rose + Ms. Farnell marriage, in 1933! So the births are at least partly to that marriage (1933 in Droxford, Hampshire). That bride was a Welch or Farnell, but the births show mother's name Farnell.

So before running off half-cocked about cousins (me, that is!), some more pondering will be needed.


I can't find a marriage to account for Winifred who married Arthur L Rose being Welch or Farnell, i.e. a marriage of a Winifred G Farn*l to Welch, and can't find a birth for that Winifred as either surname.

I don't wether George Farnall age 7 born in Hammersmith is related to Lydia,he is also at same institute underneath Lydia's name.

Maryb

I don't know if this is correct but there is a tree on Ancestry.

Lydia Georgina Farnall 1906-1989 married to George henry rose.
Brother george 1904 -1963
Charles Sidney farnall 1909-1911 .
They have the 1911 census of the home they were in.

There parents were George Farnall 1872-1941 and Amy Clare nee Lowe 1879-1941.
1911 Amy Farnall age 37 born London City married 9 years 3 children
Inmate Charwoman.

Maryb

Goodness, that would be complicated! He must be related; the surname just isn't that common, and they're shown together.

I might have the wrong Lydia Farn*ll in 1911, but the indications do seem to point to her.

All the five other Lydia Farn*lls (all Farnall) in 1911 are way outside London, in Shropshire, Staffordshire, Yorkshire and Warwickshire.

A George Farnell who was 7 in 1911 was a tad young to be in the military in 1915 ... and that George in the CEF has the birthdate Tina gave us for her George.

... I don't suppose it's been misread and he was really 17, not 7??


If her grandfather's birth certificate shows that birthdate ... well, I really want to know what the 1907 Lydia's shows.

I wonder whether there's a baptism record for that Lydia? I don't see one at Ancestry.

Very interesting, Mary!

Marriages Jun 1902
Farnall George Paddington 1a 20
Lowe Amy Clara Paddington 1a 20

Was George Farnall our George's father, with mother Annie Parker?


1901

Name: Amy Clara Lowe
Age: 26
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1875
Relation: Servant
Where born: Hammersmith, London, England
Civil parish: Hampstead

Thomas W Nunn 54
Hannah Nunn 50
Jessie Nunn 27
Eleanor Nunn 25
Samuel T Nunn 24
Hannah M Nunn 22
Amy Clara Lowe 26
>> Nellie Farnall 22

Name: Nellie Farnall
Age: 22
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1879
Relation: Servant
Where born: Birmingham, Warwickshire, England


Getting somewhere??


The man in 1901

Name: George Farnell
Age: 21
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1880
Relation: Servant
Gender: Male
Where born: Birmingham, Warwickshire, England

Civil parish: Hackney

Stephen Asser 42
Emma Asser 38
Stephen Asser 19
William Asser 19
Gertrude Asser 16
Percy Asser 13
Arthur Asser 7
With Duckworth 20
Elizabeth Hamer 45
George Farnell 21


There's a connection there somewhere ...

Its a bit confusing but another tree with George Farnell 1904-1963 say he was the son of George Farnall 1879 and Jane Watson 1874 so which one is correct i don't know.

There is also a closed tree with George Parker Farnell born 1894 kensington.

Maryb

Well "George Parker Farnell born 1894 kensington" is our man. ;) The tree is of the Wright/Ellenburg family -- and it has 7 records and 8 sources, huh. If Tina doesn't know that tree owner, she wants to.


The marriage referred to:

Marriages Jun 1898 (assuming they married each other)
Farnall George Stafford 6b 37
WATSON Jane Stafford 6b 37

I dunno.


1901

Name: George Farnell
Age: 22
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1879
Relation: Son-in-Law
Spouse's Name: Jane Farnell
Gender: Male
Where born: Hanley, Staffordshire, England

Civil parish: Leicester Formerly St Mary

Joseph J Watson 51
Jane Watson 50
George Farnell 22
Jane Farnell 25
Winifred Farnell 1 Month
Nelly S Lambe 15


... seems less likely ...

But look, there's a Winifred Farnell -- who married a Rose maybe?


No George, Jane or Amy Farn*l of the right age(s) died 1901-1911.


Amy in 1911:

INSTITUTION FARNALL AMY 1874 37 Paddington London
- but no other Farn*l is in the institution with her.


Don't see the other ones, and really, I doubt that George Farnall and Jane Watson of Staffordshire are the parents of George Parker/Farnall of Paddington. Maybe one of those Ancestry "hints" ...

I posted these passenger records earlier

FARNELL G Unknown (dob) M 1909 Liverpool Canada Quebec
FARNELL Geo A Unknown (dob) M 1910 Liverpool Canada Quebec

and there are also these

PARKER Geo 1895 M 1911 Liverpool Canada Quebec
PARKER George 1894 M 1914 Liverpool Canada Halifax
PARKER George A 1895 M 1910 Liverpool Canada Quebec

That last one is interesting ... same name and initial, same year of travel, same departure and arrival ports, as the Farnell.


I just can't find George under any name in the 1911 Canadian census, so I'm thinking the 1911/1914 passengers might be worth looking at. (But then, can't find him in the 1911 UK census either.)

I don't have an FMP subscription for it, though. ;)

The one who travelled in 1911 could have been in transit on both census nights!

Name: George PARKER
Date of departure: 21 March 1914
Port of departure: Liverpool
Passenger destination port: Halifax, Canada
Passenger destination: Halifax, Canada

Date of Birth: 1894 (calculated from age)
Age: 20
Marital status:
Sex: Male
Occupation: Labr
Passenger recorded on: Page 15 of 39

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

Albert E PARKER Page 15 of 39 View transcript
Gilbert PARKER Page 15 of 39 View transcript
Gladye PARKER Page 15 of 39 View transcript
John PARKER Page 15 of 39 View transcript
Lizzie PARKER Page 15 of 39 View transcript
Vesa D PARKER Page 15 of 39 View transcript