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I need some help because I am very confused and dont know what to do next! I now know that my great grandmother - FLORENCE WINIFRED WHITE was born on 18th June 1898 and on her death certificate, her place of birth was given as Aldershot.
I really thought I had found the family in the 1901 census living in Hartley Witney (quite near to Aldershot) as this family had a florence winifred who was born in 1898. The fathers name was Robert White, and there were 8 children.
Also, I could only find ONE florence Winifred White birth registered in the july,aug,sept records for 1898. There isnt any others born or registered either side of these records (as far as I could see) so I went ahead and applied for her marriage license. On that however, she gives her fathers name as JOSEPH JAMES WHITE - NIGHT WATCHMAN. This marriage in its own right was rather scandalous, as she married on her 24th birthday (1923) to a man more than twice her age and she was 8 month pregnant!! This marriage takes place in Camberwell. She then became Florence Winifred Horner.
So what do I do now? I dont know where to go next. I cant find any other FLORENCE WINIFRED WHITE to check and we are sure about her DOB. She is an enigma in our family and kept her past quite secret. Has she covered her tracks etc???? ALso her father and I pressume her mother are witnesses at the wedding.
I was sure this Robert White was her dad - so this Joseph James white has really confused things.

Any advice would be much appreciated. I really wanted to find out who her parents were, if there were siblings and how the family ended up in London. The facts just dont seem to match.

Please help! Much appreciated.
Yours - a confused Jessica!!

Could this be her in 1901?

If she was born 18th June 1898 she would only be 2 when the census was taken.

1901 England Census
about Florence White
Name: Florence White
Age: 2
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1899
Relation: Daughter
Father's Name: Joseph
Mother's Name: Elizabeth
Gender: Female
Where born: Fleet, Hampshire, England

Civil Parish: Fleet
Ecclesiastical parish: Fleet All Saints
Town: Fleet
County/Island: Hampshire
Country: England


Registration district: Hartley Wintney
Sub registration district: Odiham
ED, institution, or vessel: 7
Neighbors: View others on page
Household schedule number: 92
Household Members: Name Age
Joseph White 40
Elizabeth White 40
Harry White 15
Frederick White 11
Sidney White 10
Edith White 6
Florence White 2

Christine

Thanks for your pm.

The family I found, Joseph was born in London, mother Wales and the 2 eldest children born in London.

Christine

n

What makes you think the witnesses were her parents? Seems unlikely she'd name her father as Joseph James, when Robert White was a witness. They are more likely to be siblings.

Who was the female witness?

Rose

Sorry - I may have confused matters further with my explanation.

On the wedding license/cert that I now have, her father is named as Joseph James White - night watchman. And then the signatures for witness on the license if Joseph James White and another which looks like it could be E White or maybe even a curly G etc.

The Robert name was the father of the Florence Winifred that I found registered in Hartley Witney. I cannot find any other Florence Winifred registered for around that time. And it just seems too much of a coincidence that she is supposibly born in Aldershot and then Hartley Witney isnt far from there etc! Of the whole country etc.

Any ideas of thoughts are much appreciated as I am still quite new to this!
Thank - Jess :)

So you have this birth cert and it says the father is Robert?

Births Sep 1898
WHITE Florence Winifred Hartley W. 2c 193

Rose

The other witness is probably female. Could it be E for Edith?

The family Christine listed looks good to me.

Rose

Here's the family in 1891:

1891 England Census
about Joseph J White
Name: Joseph I White
Age: 31
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1860
Relation: Head
Spouse's Name: Elizabeth
Gender: Male
Where born: Lambeth, London, England
Civil Parish: Crondall
Ecclesiastical parish: Fleet
Town: Fleet
County/Island: Hampshire
Country: England
Registration district: Hartley Wintney
Sub registration district: Odiham
ED, institution, or vessel: 12
Household Members:
Name Age
Joseph J White 31
Elizabeth White 31
Henry J White 5
Fredrick C White 2
Sydney W White 2/12

Joseph's middle initial is J. This has to be your family. Henry's birth was registered in Camberwell district.

Rose

I may be wrong but don't think that Jessica has the birth cert, just thought she'd found the family in 1901.

The Florence with father Robert isn't showing as Florence Winifred on the census so the other family certainly seem as if they are the correct one.

Christine

thank you so much for all your help! You have given me so much to work on etc. Nanny Flo was such a strange, mysterious woman, and she gave very little away about her past. The family with the ROBERT as the head of it was just who I thought it was as they had a Florence and Hartley Witney is near Aldershot etc. It was only when Flo's wedding lic arrived that I finally had the name of her father - Joseph James. The other witness at the wedding looks like E WHITE although I cannot be sure.

Anyway, I really feel that I am getting nearer to unlocking the past of Great Nanny Flo, and I couldnt have done it without your help!

BIG BIG THANK YOU LADIES!!

regards - jessica