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Name Miss Susanna Dixon
Sex F
Miss Susanna Dixon's Spouses and Children
Mr Geo Gurney
Husband
M

Event Type Marriage Notice
Event Place Note 1633-1894
Name Mr Geo Gurney
Sex Male
Marriage Date 18 Oct 1838
Spouse's Name Miss Susanna Dixon
Spouse's Sex Female
Spouse's Marriage Date 18 Oct 1838
Marriage Notice Date 20 Oct 1838
Marriage Notice Place Newcastle upon Tyne, Northumberland, England, United Kingdom
Marriage Notice Place (Original) Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Northumberland, England
Newspaper Newcastle Journal
Page Number 3

????

dont know who married who here

Marriages Jun 1867 (>99%)
DIXON Annie Bellingham 10b 415
DIXON Edward Bellingham 10b 415
HUMBLE George Bellingham 10b 415
Snowball Barbara Bellingham 10b 415

bellingham is in northumberland

Name George Humble
Sex Male
Spouse's Name Annie Dixon
Spouse's Sex Female
Marriage Date 21 May 1867
Marriage Place Wark, Northumberland, England, United Kingdom
Marriage Place (Original) Wark On Tyne, Northumberland, England

Thanks everyone.

I'm not sure where to go with this now. I felt sure that when I traced John Gurney who was the informant on George Anderson's death certificate and then saw that he had a Mary Ann Gurney and a Barbara Gurney, both with the possibility of having Dixon as mmn then I had solved the mystery of my grandfather's birth.

Now I really don't know. I had forgotten that at 10 years old my grandfather was still with parents calling themselves George and Maria (think this might be a mistranscription of Mary A).

It's really strange that on the baptism his mother is Barbary and Barbara on later census records and her death.

Thanks for your help with this.

Kath. x

The record for Anderson, Male, is of a birth in the Workhouse - not a baptism

There is a full address on the baptism record of John George Humble

George was Anderson at the time of JG's birth in August 1870, but Humble by Feb 1871, then Anderson again by 1881, by which time he'd left London.

Seems to have been just a temporary change of name - for whatever
(London-based ?? )reason.

Yes, the two records Erika mention are for my grandfather. They both have the same address on them 58 Lant Street - which is just round the corner from the Mint Street workhouse. We have copies of the original admittance and discharge records. Mary Ann Anderson was admitted in labour (she wasn't resident in the workhouse) and left of her own accord three weeks later. The workhouse infirmary was probably the only place poor people could go to give birth if they had no one to help at home.

The only reason that I can think of for the change of name is that George was a painter and by the 1871 census he was described as painter (unemployed). As I said previously perhaps they did a moonlight flit. The area of London where they were was notoriously poor with some not very nice people around so maybe they just wanted to disappear.

Still can't work out the Mary Ann/Barbara thing with his mother.

We have a very old and not too clear photograph of two ladies in black dresses, one sitting and one standing and were always told that one of them was John George's mother :-S

Kath. x

This is a strange one, Kath! John Gurney, the Death Cert Informant, do you know who he married?

Hi Belle - I'm on here early because I'm waiting for the bathroom!!

John Gurney married Sarah Jane Brown in 1872. They were living at 1 Painshaw Staithes, Durham on the 1911 census. This is the address on the death certificate. We also have part of a letter from John to George's widow just after the death saying that Sarah isn't well. She goes on to die in 1911.

I bought their marriage certificate just last week when I started looking at this again. Sarah's father is Joseph Brown, a miner. The address given for her was Waterloo Place Sunderland. Witnesses Margaret Jane Nendick and James C. Hugall.

Kath. x

In the letter does John address George's widow as Barbara?

From memory, I think we only have the second page of the letter. I think my sister has the letter but I'm not sure. I will try to look through my family history "stuff" but I have so much that is not properly sorted that I really couldn't say right now where it is but I do remember seeing it when I first started looking into my grandfather's family.

Not much help I know.

Kath. x

The reason why I asked about John Gurney's wife was because I was wondering whether he was listed as Brother in Law on the Death Cert because of perhaps a possible connection through his wife.

The following is the 1861 census for Sarah Jane and you will note that there is a Richard Dixon listed as son in law. Now this might be irrelevant but I thought it was worth posting, I'm thinking that he was Mother Ann's son; could she be the sister of Jane Gurney nee Dixon?

Name: Sarah Jane Brown
Age: 6
Estimated Birth Year: 1855
Relation: Daughter
Father's Name: Joseph Brown
Mother's Name: Ann Brown
Gender: Female
Where born: Hetton, Durham, England
Civil Parish: Hetton le Hole
Ecclesiastical parish: Hetton le Hole
County/Island: Durham
Country: England
Street Address:
Occupation:
Condition as to marriage:
View image
Registration District: Houghton Le Spring
Sub-registration District: Hetton le Hole
ED, institution, or vessel: 1d
Neighbors: View others on page
Household Schedule Number: 91
Piece: 3755
Folio: 12
Page Number: 18
Household Members:
Name Age
Joseph Brown 41
Ann Brown 34 b Morpeth, Northumberland
John Brown 10
Sarah Jane Brown 6
Richard Dixon 4 son in law b Bishops Wearmouth.

DIXON, RICHARD -
GRO Reference: 1856 S Quarter in SUNDERLAND Volume 10A Page 355


Marriages Dec 1857
Brown Joseph Houghton le S. 10a 423
Dixon Ann Houghton le S 10a 423

It is possible that Jane and Ann were related as they both say they were born Morpeth. However I am struggling to see a relationship between John Gurney and George Anderson even if "brother-in-law" means what it does today or step-brother or adopted brother.

Kath. x

I distinctly remember looking into the brother-in-law angle in the last few days.
I posted records for John Gurney and wife Sarah Brown and family, including the birth records of the children, and remarked "But her name was Brown, not Dixon".

But it's gone!
Perhaps I'm hallucinating.

It may have disappeared ArgyllGran. The post I posted at 11.22 just above yours - I had to re-write it as I posted 10 minutes earlier and it just disappeared. Wonder if there are gremlins on the site?

Kath. x

So annoying after spending time and thought on it!

Not that I could explain the "brother-in-law" statement.

Re that 1861 census -

Sarah Jane Brown and Richard Dixon were only step-siblings .
Sarah and John were Joseph's children from his first marriage (1850) to Elizabeth Young.

BROWN, JOHN mmn YOUNG
GRO Reference: 1850 S Quarter in SOUTH SHIELDS UNION Volume 24 Page 248

BROWN, SARAH JANE mmn YOUNG
GRO Reference: 1854 S Quarter in HOUGHTON LE SPRING Volume 10A Page 272


Elizabeth's death:

BROWN, ELIZABETH 28
GRO Reference: 1856 S Quarter in HOUGHTON LE SPRING Volume 10A Page 147

Joseph and Elizabeth had other children who died in infancy.



Death of Richard ??

Deaths Jun 1867 (>99%)
Dixon Richard 10 Houghton 10a 247

Bur Ann would be the only mother Sarah would remember.
Sarah would have been Mary Ann Dixon's step neice, and John Gurney therefore her step-nephew-by-marriage.. Maybe brother-in-law was easier to say?!

I know it's not what you originally asked for, Kath but the William Gurney, nephew in the 1851 Census was baptised as Mark William Wright Gurney.....you never know where a snippet of info night lead!

First name(s) Mark William Wright
Last name Gurney
Birth year -
Baptism year 1842
Baptism date 04 Dec 1842
Baptism place Monkwearmouth
Denomination Anglican
Residence Shore
Father's first name(s) George
Father's occupation Mar (Mariner)
Mother's first name(s) Susanna
County Durham
Country England

GURNEY, MARK WILLIAM WRIGHT MMN DEXOW
GRO Reference: 1842 D Quarter in SUNDERLAND UNION Volume 24 Page 273

FMP has an Image

Kath, I've come across the following FamilySearch images which, if you don't mind browsing, could be useful

https://www.familysearch.org/search/collection/1309819

Thanks Belle. I had come across the baptism for Mark William Wright Gurney.

Thanks for the link to the family search collection of Durham parish records. Unfortunately I have tried to create an account so I can look through them but it doesn't seem to be letting me, It gets to a point where it tells me they have sent me an email but I haven't got one from them :-S

I'll try again tomorrow.

Kath. x