In message <n2713m$t8i$3@dont-email.me> Graeme Wall <rail@greywall.demon.co.uk> wrote: > On 13/11/2015 21:41, A Lefevre wrote: >> I don't subscribe to FMP but will sport a few pounds to solve one of >> my dead ends. I have mentioned before that James Lefevre was born in >> 1870, baptised, 1871 census then nothing until his death in 1945. >> >> Found that he married in 1890, as James Williams. Had seven children, >> could follow his movements from the church registers, always in the >> Shadwell area of London. 1911 census, with wife and four surviving >> children, aged from 20 to 1. His wife died in 1919, and he then moved >> house, and is in a house with several others on the electoral roll, >> among them Leah Robins and Elizabeth Shea. Later learned that these >> two were war widows. He stays at this address, 16 Station Street until >> the street is being demolished in 1936. Can't find him in 1937, but in >> 1938 and 1939 He is with Elizabeth Shea and Edward Shea, later learned >> that he was her son, living at 10 Stephen House, St Katherines Way, >> Stepney. In the first 1945 electoral roll this is the >> same, but the later one shows Elizabeth only. James died in March >> 1945 as James Lefever, Elizabeth died in 1952 and Edward would have >> been in the forces at that time. So my problem is why live for 50 >> years as Williams then change back? My hope was that there might be >> some annotation to explain this. >> > Asking the obvious, but are you sure the James Lefevre who died in 1945 > is the same person as James Williams? Circumstantial evidence! The informant on the death cert of James Lefevre was Leah Cunningham, Niece. Neither name meant anything to me. Tracing back through electoral rolls and trying to find who was Elizabeth Shea, she was born Barginall, married Edward Shea in 1910, had a son also Edward, 1912, and a daughter, Leah in 1917. That was the year her husband died. So what happened to Leah? She married in 1937, Thomas Cunningham. the daughter had lived in the same house as Williams from the age of 2 to her marriage. To me that was good enough probability that Williams and Lefevre were the same person. What a lot of digging we have to do to get information like that? But I still don't know why he changed his name. Two of his uncles who disappeared, and whom I thought must have emmigrated, well did they change names as well?.... Alec Lefevre -- A.Lefevre

On 17/11/2015 17:44, A Lefevre wrote: > In message <n2713m$t8i$3@dont-email.me> > Graeme Wall <rail@greywall.demon.co.uk> wrote: > >> On 13/11/2015 21:41, A Lefevre wrote: >>> I don't subscribe to FMP but will sport a few pounds to solve one of >>> my dead ends. I have mentioned before that James Lefevre was born in >>> 1870, baptised, 1871 census then nothing until his death in 1945. >>> >>> Found that he married in 1890, as James Williams. Had seven children, >>> could follow his movements from the church registers, always in the >>> Shadwell area of London. 1911 census, with wife and four surviving >>> children, aged from 20 to 1. His wife died in 1919, and he then moved >>> house, and is in a house with several others on the electoral roll, >>> among them Leah Robins and Elizabeth Shea. Later learned that these >>> two were war widows. He stays at this address, 16 Station Street until >>> the street is being demolished in 1936. Can't find him in 1937, but in >>> 1938 and 1939 He is with Elizabeth Shea and Edward Shea, later learned >>> that he was her son, living at 10 Stephen House, St Katherines Way, >>> Stepney. In the first 1945 electoral roll this is the >>> same, but the later one shows Elizabeth only. James died in March >>> 1945 as James Lefever, Elizabeth died in 1952 and Edward would have >>> been in the forces at that time. So my problem is why live for 50 >>> years as Williams then change back? My hope was that there might be >>> some annotation to explain this. >>> > >> Asking the obvious, but are you sure the James Lefevre who died in 1945 >> is the same person as James Williams? > > Circumstantial evidence! The informant on the death cert of James > Lefevre was Leah Cunningham, Niece. Neither name meant anything to me. > Tracing back through electoral rolls and trying to find who was > Elizabeth Shea, she was born Barginall, married Edward Shea in 1910, > had a son also Edward, 1912, and a daughter, Leah in 1917. That was > the year her husband died. So what happened to Leah? She married in > 1937, Thomas Cunningham. the daughter had lived in the same house as > Williams from the age of 2 to her marriage. To me that was good enough > probability that Williams and Lefevre were the same person. What a lot > of digging we have to do to get information like that? Fun, isn't it :-) It's possible he didn't change his name back but Leah knew his original name was Lefevre and decided to use it when registering his death. > But I still don't know why he changed his name. Palmerston's forts at Portsmouth to counter a French invasion had only been completed in 1878 and in 1890 the Entente Cordial was still in the future and there may still have been some anti-French feeling around so he may have felt it better to adopt a more English sounding name. > > Two of his uncles who disappeared, and whom I thought must have > emmigrated, well did they change names as well?.... > Quite possible in the above scenario, alternatively they were kidnapped by aliens. -- Graeme Wall This account not read, substitute trains for rail.