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Trying to find info. on Alecia Jennings who is named as my father's mother on his Birth Certificate. Date of birth is 4thJuly 1885 at 26 Salmon Lane, Ratcliffe, Stepney, London. Father given as Richard Thomas Earl. Problem is, my grandmother was Eliza James. Was my father illigitimate?

If you have the correct birth certificate for your father then it does indeed look as though your father was born out of wedlock.

1891 census

EARL, Richard Head Married M 29 1862 Baker Biscuit
Woolwich VIEW
EARL, Letita Wife Married F 29 1862
Southend VIEW
EARL, Richard Son Single M 5 1886 Scholar
Limehouse
London VIEW
JAMES, Henry Brother M 24 1867 Baker Biscuit
St George's
London VIEW
JAMES, Thomas Boarder Widower M 58 1833 Black & Master Maker
Ireland VIEW

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RG number:
RG12 Piece:
295 Folio:
112 Page:
18

Registration District:
Stepney Sub District:
Limehouse Enumeration District:
11 Ecclesiastical Parish:
Mother Church St Ann

Civil Parish:
Limehouse Municipal Borough:
Tower Hamlets Address:
34, Dalgleish Street, Limehouse, London, Tower Hamlets County:
London

London, England, Marriages and Banns, 1754-1921
Name: Richard Earl
Age: 23
Estimated birth year: abt 1861
Spouse Name: Eliza James
Spouse Age: 23
Record Type: Marriage
Marriage Date: 26 Jan 1884
Parish: St Thomas, Bethnal Green
County: Middlesex
Borough: Tower Hamlets
Father Name: Richard Earl
Spouse Father Name: Henry James

Have you found Richard with his mother on the census?

There are 2 births for a Richard Earl very close.

Births Sep 1885
Earl Richard Thomas Stepney 1c 398


Births Dec 1885 (>99%)
Earl Richard Islington 1b 350

Are you sure you have the correct one?

Christine

Baptism ??

Name: Richard Thomas Earl
Record Type: Baptism
Estimated Birth Date: abt 1885 --born July 4th 1885
Baptism Date: 22 Jul 1885
Father's name: Richard Earl --Occ Biscuit Baker
Mother's name: Eliza Earl
Parish or Poor Law Union: Poplar St Saviour
Borough: Tower Hamlets

address--12 Market Street

1881 census - household transcription
Person: EARL, Richard
Address: 16, Anchor St, Limehouse
EARL, Richard Head Married M 55 1826 Ship Caulker Shipbuilder
Surry Kent
EARL, Alice Wife Married F 32 1849
Sheerness Kent
EARL, Richard Son Single M 19 1862 Laborer At Buiscuit Docks Baker
Woolwich Kent
EARL, Alice Daughter Single F 24 1857
Poplar Middlesex
EARL, Albert Son Single M 17 1864 Labour In Color Works
Woolwich Kent
EARL, Henry Son Single M 15 1866 Labour In Rope Factory
Woolwich Kent
EARL, Edward Son Single M 13 1868 Scholar
Woolwich Kent

Having looked at the 1891, 1901 and 1911 censuses. The Richard Earl born circa 1862 is the same as named on the baptism Barbara found. Occupation is biscuit maker or master baker. His wife gets named Letitia in 1891 and 1901 and Eliza in 1911. Married 27 years. Had 5 children but only one - Richard Thomas - survived.

It looks like Eliza liked to call herself Letitia. Does the birth certificate you have state his father's occupation?

Could it be that the registrar made a mistake and wrote Alicia instead of Letitia and that the James was wrongly written as Jennings? It's worth remembering that a lot of people couldn't read or write so if there was a mistake on a certificate they wouldn't know to ask to get it changed.

Their marriage certificate on Ancestry shows Eliza/Letitia signs with an x. Who registered Richard's birth?

I'm not finding an Alecia/Alicia Jennings on the 1881 census so I would imagine that perhaps there was a mistake on the birth certificate. I've seen errors before, like putting Catherine instead of Elizabeth as a mother's name on a certificate, but it was the same person. Seeing that Eliza seemed to like to be called Letitia, Alecia may well be a mistake on hearing her say it upon registration.

I was thinking on the same lines too. Alicia and Eliza are phoenetically similar and I cannot find a
Al* Jennings

of the right age in London.

The only thing I am trying to puxzzle out is the addresses

1881 16, Anchor St, Limehouse

1884 marriage 26 Jan Richard 12 Turner street
Eliza 4 Sheridan street

4thJuly 1885 BC 26 Salmon Lane, Ratcliffe, Stepney, London

22 Jul 1885 BAPTISM address--12 Market Street

1891 34, Dalgleish Street, Limehouse

just looking for confirmation by address

Yeah it's difficult pinning down addresses back then as people moved around a lot, streets got renamed and renumbered. If he was a baker or biscuit maker he might have had a more permanent business address.

Norman you have posted on this before.
i have just spent my whole day trying to find what you already knew.
Even if you just wanted a second opinion you should have posted on your original thread.

http://www.genesreunited.co.uk/boards.page/board/trying_to_find/earl/thread/1231338

Very Sorry, not too familiar with the system.

Norman