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Hello

I am trying to research my ancestry - and have come to a bit of a dead end. The person I am looking into is my paternal grandmother:

Lena Johnson - who married William Johnson in Liverpool 1926. She was aged 26 and put her name down as Lena Harding and father as Joseph Sparks (Boiler maker). Her marital status is "widow".

I have been unable to locate Lena Harding (Is this her maiden name or widowed married name?) in either 1901 or 1911 census - at least in Liverpool or thereabouts! I have located a Lena Harding who fits the age profile in Yorkshire - but am unsure as to the varacity of t his because I am not too sure about the name Harding on the marriage certificate.

Additionally - I can locate a Joseph Sparks - Boiler scraper/reivitter etc in Liverpool in these census but he is clearly "single".

Any advice would be gratefully received.

Many thanks

Suzanne

If she was widow and named her father as Sparks........her birth name was Sparks, and she married Harding before marrying Johnson.

This assumes that she was telling the truth............

Who were the witnesses?

Have you looked for a possible first marriage for her?

She should be a Lena Sparks, born about 1900, daughter of Joseph, who first married Mr Harding.

Having looked for info............I rather fear that she had a vivid imagination

maybe Mr Sparkes was just named as her father but never married her mother

does a marriage certificate not give the previous married name if the bride is a widow?

there is this marriage

Lancashire Marriage indexes for the years: 1919
Surname Forename(s) Surname Forename(s) Church / Register Office Registers At Reference
HARDING James HALL Lena Liverpool, Register Office or Registrar Attended Liverpool REG_LP/323/29

Thanks - yes I have looked up Lena Sparks - nothing there either - she could have lied - and that wouldn't surprise me - I will check out Harding Sparks marriages.

Thanks again

Lancashire Ann - that looks good - thank you.

Suzanne

Do you know if this is her death?
Lena Johnson
Birth Date: 5 Feb 1900
Date of Registration: Sep 1995
Age at Death: 95
Registration district: West Lancashire
Inferred County: Lancashire
Register Number: 4A
District and Subdistrict: 5902
Entry number: 173

The 1926 marriage

JOHNSON William HARDING Lena Liverpool, St. Michael in the City Liverpool 2054GRO/*/67


This was in a C of E Church........... the 1919 marriage wasn't

No birth for a Lena Hall to match the DOB on the death record............but that could be wrong, of course.

There is this marriage of a Lena to a Harding:
Marriages Dec 1919
Hall Lena Harding Liverpool 8b 204
Harding James Hall Liverpool 8b 204

Could she have been born in Scotland, and truthful?

Her birthplace should be the death cert.......if the 1995 one is for the right person

What were the details for Lena on your father's birth cert?

Hi Patchem - I am working on that being her death - but cannot be wholly sure. And it is entirely possible she was born in scotland - in fact we believe that there was a Scotish connection at some point but this is just hearsay and the may have been truthful! How do I look up scotish records? Sorry to be a pain.

S

Did you ever meet Lena?

scottish bmd records are on

www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk

If she had been married before, then she could have been born anywhere in the country and moved to Liverpool with her first husband. (That does not help, sorry)

Hi - father was adopted - so only have the adoption certificate - no other information there either. And no I never met Lena - that side of the family have been estranged for a very long time. My mother knew her and by all accounts she was an interesting character - Mum cannot remember much really.

I will check out the Scotish link out.

Thank you again.

Can I ask how you came to find out that Lena was your father's mother, if you don't have his original birth cert?