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Is it possible for someone to change their surname legally without using a deed poll? I have an ancestor (Thomas W Flack, b 1903) who was born a 'De Fronde', but his army records and marriage certificate are as 'Flack'. Is there a way of checking whether they changed their name legally or not?
His father (also Thomas, b 1880) was born a De Fronde (out of wedlock), but his parents married a couple of years later, and subsequent children where named 'Flack'. His military records show him as using the name of Flack, but also being known as De Fronde.
It's proving to be a bit challenging trying to find out whether or not I have the right people!
Any help or advice would be appreciated.
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You can call yourself what you like as long as it's not for fraudulent purposes.
What an interesting puzzle!
Have you seen this 1911?
DE FRONDE, Thomas Head Married M 30 1881 Cowman Essex Abridge VIEW
DE FRONDE, Alice Wife Married
9 years F 28 1883 Essex Abridge VIEW
DE FRONDE, Thomas William Son M 7 1904 VIEW
DE FRONDE, Horace Robert Son M 6 1905 VIEW
DE FRONDE, Hilda May Daughter F 5 1906 VIEW
DE FRONDE, Wilfred John Son M 3 1908 VIEW
FLACK, Thomas Boarder Married M 58 1853 Farm Labourer Essex Abridge VIEW
REEVES, John Boarder Widower M 56 1855 Farm Labourer Essex Abridge VIEW
RG number:
RG14 Piece:
9820 Reference:
RG14PN9820 RG78PN519 RD190 SD2 ED6 SN85
Registration District:
Ongar Sub District:
Chipping Ongar Enumeration District:
6 Parish:
Lambourne
Address:
3 Maryon Terrace Abridge Essex County:
Essex
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Did Thomas De Fronde and Alice marry? Just speculating wildly, but this Alice married a Thomas Flack:
Marriages Mar 1914
Flack Thomas W Richardson Braintree 4a 1092
Richardson Alice A Flack Braintree 4a 1092
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Jan,
The 1911 census backs up names we already have, so that's great news!
The Thomas Flack listed here is who we have as Thomas De Fronde (1881)'s father.
Thomas and Alice married in 1902 in Woodford, Essex, so a 1901 census will list them separately. Interestingly, Thomas (1881) is listed as a Flack along with siblings and parents on the 1901 census.
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My grandfather changed his name when he ran away from home but told no one what he had done. For 110 years we have been known as Maudesley`s...When I started to put together my tree I could not go back further than 1901, I knew where they lived and who was in the family, but prior to that date, granddad did not exist.
I knew that his mother had remarried a George Massie, so I followed that trail...it took me 3 years to get my answer and put credence around a family story.......When granddad ran away from home (he accidently set fire to his step-fathers baker shop) he walked from Liverpool to Glasgow and joined the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders.....step father George discovered where he was and as he was underage, hauled him home.
Not to be out done...granddad went down to the dock area of Liverpool and signed on a ship sailing to Australia for a two year voyage...That`s when he took his mother maiden name of Maudesley.
I never knew what great grannie s maiden name was that is why it took me so long to find out that we should have been named Roberts and not Maudesley
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My grandfather was born as Felix Aguirre but was legally known as his adopted name of Payne. On both his marriage certificate and army records, he is down as Felix Aquire - which is our surname - despite seemingly never officially changing his name. We've presumed it was an attempt to anglicise the name a bit as it's not like he was going back to his birth name! It's always felt a bit strange as we've never really felt like Aquire is our real surname. I've never been able to trace anything on his biological father (who was from Argentina according to the birth certificate) or his biological mother beyond her name. Frustrating!
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Births Sep 1852
Flack Thomas
Ongar 4a 52
Marriages Jun 1882
De Froude Sarah
Flack Thomas
Ongar 4a 233
Births Dec 1880
DEFRONDE Thomas
Ongar 4a 220
Births Mar 1882
Defronde Eliza
Ongar 4a 255
Births Jun 1883
Flack William
Ongar 4a 261
Births Jun 1890
Flack Ellen Mary
Ongar 4a 327
Births Dec 1892
Flack Kate Edith
Ongar 4a 357
Births Sep 1894
Flack Gertrude Minnie
Ongar 4a 371
Births Dec 1899
Flack Dorothy Maud
Ongar 4a 482
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Marriages Dec 1859
De FROND William
Flack Mary
Ongar 4a 103
Marriages Dec 1877
DE FRONDE Mary
Sutton James
Ongar 4a 203
1881
James SUTTON Head M Male 42 Stapleford Abbotts, Essex, England Haybinder
Mary SUTTON Wife M Female 35 Abridge Lambourne, Essex, England
James SUTTON Son Male 14 Lambourne, Essex, England Ag Lab
Ann SUTTON Dau Female 8 Lambourne, Essex, England Scholar
George SUTTON Son Male 6 Lambourne, Essex, England Scholar
Edward SUTTON Son Male 3 Lambourne, Essex, England
William DEFROND Stepson Male 15 Abridge Lambourne, Essex, England Ag Lab
Hannah DEFROND Stepdau Female 13 Abridge Lambourne, Essex, England Scholar
James DEFROND Stepson Male 11 Abridge Lambourne, Essex, England Scholar
Abraham DEFROND Stepson Male 10 Epping, Essex, England Scholar
Mary DEFROND Stepdau Female 8 Marylebone, Middlesex, England
Dwelling Nicholands
Census Place Stanford Rivers, Essex, England
Family History Library Film 1341419
Public Records Office Reference RG11
Piece / Folio 1741 / 83
Page Number 31
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1881 census
John REEVES Head M Male 30 Abridge, Essex, England Agricultural Labourer
Charles REEVES Son Male 7 Abridge, Essex, England
Thomas REEVES Son Male 2 Abridge, Essex, England
Maria REEVES Sister U Female 26 Abridge, Essex, England Housekeeper
Thomas REEVES Brother U Male 28 Abridge, Essex, England Farm Servant
Sarah DEFRONDE Boarder U Female 20 Abridge, Essex, England
Thomas DEFRONDE Boarder U Male 6 m Abridge, Essex, England
Dwelling Silver Street Abridge
Census Place Lambourne, Essex, England
Family History Library Film 1341419
Public Records Office Reference RG11
Piece / Folio 1742 / 50
Page Number 16
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1891 census
Thomas Flack head age 39 farmer Birth Place Lambourne Essex
Sarah wife age 29 Birth Place London Poplar
Thomas son age 10 Birth Place Lambourne Essex
Eliza daughter age 9 Birth Place Lambourne Essex
William son age 8 Birth Place Lambourne Essex
Ellen Mary daughter age ?months Birth Place Lambourne Essex
Address Silver Street
District Ongar, Chipping Ongar
Parish Lambourne
Administrative County Essex
Births Mar 1862
DE FROND Sarah
Poplar 1c 682
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1901 census
Thomas Flack age 49 head
Sarah wife age 38
Thomas son age 20
Eliza daughter age 19
Ellen mary age 11
kate edith age 9
gertrude age 6
dorothy age 1
Address Silver Street
Civil Parish Lambourne With Abridge Entire
Rural District Ongar
Ecclesiastical Parish Lambourne St Mary With Abridge All Saint Entire
Division Epping
Administrative County Essex
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I have done extensive work on this family It is very complicated and includes bigamy and and lots of complicated relationships. Cousins married and then married other cousins of the same name.
Click on my mame to contact me for more info
1871 Address: Ivy Chimnies, Theydon Garnon
DE FROUD, William Head M 34 1837 Essex
DE FROUD, Mary Wife F 27 1844 Essex
DE FROUD, Sarah Daughter F 7 1864 Middlesex
DE FROUD, William Son M 5 1866 Middlesex
DE FROUD, Hannah Daughter F 3 1868 Essex
DE FROUD, James Son M 0 1871 Essex
1881 Address: Silver Street Abridge, Lambourne
REEVES, John Head Married M 30 Agricultural Labourer
Abridge
Essex
REEVES, Charles Son Single M 7
Abridge
Essex
REEVES, Thomas Son Single M 2
Abridge
Essex
REEVES, Maria Sister Single F 26 Housekeeper
Abridge
Essex
REEVES, Thomas Brother Single M 28 Farm Servant
Abridge
Essex
DEFRONDE, Sarah Boarder Single F 20
Abridge
Essex
DEFRONDE, Thomas Boarder Single M 0
Abridge
Essex
1891 Address: Silver Street, Lambourne, Abridge
FLACK, Thomas Head Married M 39 1852 Labourer Farm
Lambourne
Essex
FLACK, Sarah Wife Married F 29 1862
Poplar
London
FLACK, Thomas D Son M 10 1881 Scholar
Lambourne
Essex
FLACK, Eliza D Daughter
1901 Address: Silver Street, Lambourne
FLACK, Thomas Head Married M 49 1852 Agricultural Labourer
Abridge
Essex
FLACK, Sarah Wife Married F 38 1863
Poplar
London
FLACK, Thomas Son Single M 20 1881 Agricultural Labourer
Abridge
Essex
FLACK, Eliza Daughter Single F 19 1882
Abridge
Essex
FLACK, Ellen Mary Daughter F 11 1890
Abridge
Essex
FLACK, Kate Edith Daughter F 9 1892
Abridge
Essex
FLACK, Gertrude M Daughter F 6 1895
Abridge
Essex
FLACK, Dorothy M Daughter F 1 1900
Abridge
Essex
Marriages Jun 1882 (>99%)
DE FROUDE Sarah Ongar 4a 233
Flack Thomas Ongar 4a 233
Marriages Jun 1918 (>99%)
Flack Richard Flack Epping 4a 782
Flack Sarah Flack Epping 4a 782
General Register Office Index (Marriages), General Register Office, Jun 1882 Ongar 4a 233.
Matching entries for Thomas FLACK and Sarah de FRONDE
Parish Church, Lambourne, Essex.
1 Apr 1882 Thomas FLACK 28 bac labourer of Abridge Lambourne son of John Flack labourer, and Sarah de FRONDE 22 spinster of Abridge Lambourne dau of William de Fronde Scripture Reader. Wits: Mary Sutton and James Sutton
Marriage Certificate Richard Flack and Sarah Flack nee De Frond, GRO / , Register Office, Epping, Essex.
29 June 1918 Richard FLACK 49 years widower general labourer of Grove Cottage Ongar Road Abridge Lambourne son of Edward Flack (decd) roadman, and Sarah FLACK 50 years widow munition worker of 1 Kings Place Buckhurst Hill dau of William Alfred De Frond (decd) City Missionary. Wits: Elizabeth De Frond and James De Frond
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A workhouse childhood
As well as dealing with families who emigrated from Britain to the New World, many cases involve families who arrived in the United Kingdom from continental Europe. In the case of the De Frond family, research had already been carried out, so our starting point was William De Frond, sometimes known as Alfred, who married Mary Ann Flack at Lambourne in rural Essex in 1859. William and Mary had nine children before William died, at the age of only 36, in 1875 in London. In his short life William had a number of occupations: for much of his working life he was a farm labourer but he also worked for a while as a cooper. Towards the end of his life he became involved in church matters and at the time of his death he was working as a City Missionary in London.
William’s origins were obscure, and as research slowly unfolded we discovered that his childhood had been unsettled in the extreme. His parents, William De Frond and Eleanor Frostick, married in Hornchurch in 1829 and had five children born in Essex, including the exotically named Tamar and Selina. William senior was a shoemaker, but by 1835 the entire family was in the workhouse, and the census of 1841 found four of William and Ellen’s children – including the direct ancestor William – living there. Our first thought was that both parents had died, but in fact they had moved away to London, where a further three children were born. One died of scarlet fever as a young child; the other two (both girls) found their way to another workhouse where they were joined by one of the older girls, Ellen, who thus spent most of her childhood in workhouses before being sent into service at the age of about 15. Understandably in the circumstances, William and Ellen were difficult to track down in official documents, but we eventually discovered that they had separated and both entered upon second and bigamous marriages. Eleanor had a further two children born in the City of London’s charitable Lying-in Hospital, who both bore the name De Franti(e)s (one of the many variants of De Frond) before marrying a widower, Richard Astwick (who might have been the father of the two ‘De Frantis’ children). William, in the meantime, had embarked upon a bigamous marriage to Mary Tanner, but the authorities eventually caught up with him and he was sentenced at the Old Bailey to six months’ imprisonment for bigamy in 1848.
According to his second marriage certificate, William was the son of a coppersmith, John de Frond, and we suspect that William was born abroad; no trace has been found of his father, or of William’s baptism or birth.
1841 Address: Ongar Union House, Stanford Rivers
2369 DEFROUD, William M 6 Essex
2369 DEFROUD, Tamar F 10
2369 DEFROUD, Selina F 8
2369 DEFROUD, Ellen F 4 Essex
1851 Residing at New Farm, Lambourne, Essex:
Andrew CARDEN, head, mar, 41, farmer--233 acres 11 laborers + 2 boys, born Ireland
Mary WEBB, servant, unm, 30, general servant, born Theydon
John RAYNER, servant, unm, 22, groom, born Lambourne
William DEFROND, servant, unm, 16, farm servant, born Romsford
Richard MOLES, servant, unm, 33, farm servant, born Romsford
1861 Address: 9, Stafford Street, Poplar
DEFROND, Alfred Head Married M 21 Cooper
Abridge
Essex
DEFROND, Mary Ann Wife Married F 18
Abridge
Essex
DEFROND, Mary Ann Daughter F 0 (5M)
Poplar
Middlesex
1871 Address: Ivy Chimnies, Theydon Garnon
DE FROUD, William Head M 34 1837 Essex
DE FROUD, Mary Wife F 27 1844 Essex
DE FROUD, Sarah Daughter F 7 1864 Middlesex
DE FROUD, William Son M 5 1866 Middlesex
DE FROUD, Hannah Daughter F 3 1868 Essex
DE FROUD, James Son M 0 1871 Essex
BAILES, Richard Head M 64 1807 Essex
ROBARTS, William Son-In-Law M 30 1841 Essex
ROBARTS, Mary Ann Daughter F 29 1842 Essex
ROBARTS, Louisa Sarah Granddaughter F 3 1868 Essex
ROBARTS, Charles Grandson M 1 1870 Essex
Marriages Dec 1859 (>99%)
De FROND William Ongar 4a 103
DeFrond William Ongar 4a 103
Flack Maria Ongar 4a 103
Flack Mary Ongar 4a 103
General Register Office Index (Marriages), General Register Office, Dec 1859 Ongar 4a 103.
Matching entries for William Defrond and Mary Flack
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