Florence Lena Eighteen

[James18]

Hi all,

I am trying to work out what became of Florence Lena Eighteen, daughter of Flora (otherwise Florence Matilda) Eighteen.

Florence Lena was born Q1 1898 in Reading; her mother never married - as far as I know - and I have no idea who Florence or her younger sister Elsie's father was. Both births were registered as Eighteen mmn Eighteen.

I have discovered that Elsie married in 1940 and died in 1994, but I can find no trace of Florence after the 1911 census. What complicates matters is that her mother and several other relatives were named Florence and used different variants of the name, which has - no surprises here - led to some confusion on public trees.

I wondered if anyone could perhaps find a marriage or death for Florence, as I keep ending up with the wrong leads, such as:

Florence Emily Eighteen (b. 1898, Hackney)
Emma Lena Fanny Eighteen (b. 1906, Reading)

The two Lena E Eighteen marriages (1927 and 1932) look promising, but I can't find a corresponding death for either, and of course the name's something of a long shot.

[Mary from Italy]

Those marriages aren't for the right person, I don't think.

Lena E Eighteen married Thomas Rushton in 1927, then Lena E Rushton/Eighteen married George H Martin in 1932.

In 1939, Lena E Martin is living with George H Martin in Reading, and gives her dob as 10 Jan 1906. The words "Emma L F" are written above her name.

This is probably that Lena's birth registration:

Births Mar 1906
Eighteen Emma Lena F / Reading 2c 369

Looks like she's the daughter of Albert and Fanny in 1911.

[Mary from Italy]

I haven't found Elsie in 1939 yet (I was hoping to find her with Lena). I see there's a 1994 death in Cheshire in one of the online trees, but the death index gives her dob as 14/4/1903, whereas she actually seems to have born born in q3 1904.

Have you been able to confirm whether the 1940 marriage is correct?

[Merry]

With regard to Elsie and her dob first......

1939 Register:

51 Souldern Street , Watford M.B., Hertfordshire

Elsie M Webb (Simpson, Eighleen), 4 Jun 1904, Female, Domestic Help Daily, Single

with a couple called Newell and one closed record.

There is a marriage in Q1 1954 for Elsie M Simpson to Henry W Webb in Watford District 4b 658.

There's no death with the correct dob, and earlier ones seem a long way away when there is this one which seems v possible:

Elsie May Webb
dob 1905
death reg Sep 1972
District Watford 4b 722

[Merry]

Well, as usual I've gone round in circles not writing anything down! I think I've eliminated all the likely Flo* Eighteen entries and got very bogged down because everywhere I turned different possible people (who looked like either FLE or her mother) were linked to people called Gibbons yet I realise the one Eighteen/Gibbons marriage isn't either of them.

You said the mum never married. Which death do you think is hers? The 1871/1935 one in Newbury? Was she Flora at birth and Flora Matilda in 1881 dau of John and Sarah?

[Merry]

Was she Flora at birth and Flora Matilda in 1881 dau of John and Sarah?

Oops, you already told me that!

[kiterunner]

There's a tree on ancestry which has her marrying a Thomas Whittaker in 1920 in Lancashire. The marriage is on Lancs BMD as Florence Selina Eighteen, Old Fylde Register Office or Registrar Attended. Can we rule this out (or in)?

[kiterunner]

There is a Florence Selina birth in Reading in 1890, but also a Florence Selina marriage in Reading in 1910 (Berkshire BMD has it as 1909, to Edward W Lock, and going back to FreeBMD he is down as Edward William Lock.) Could be Florence S Lock who died Apr-Jun 1963 Wokingham.

[James18]

I told you this would be confusing!

And yes, there are one or two Florence Selinas who are cousins or one sort or another; they're not (yet) on my Eighteen tree and so I don't have their details, but as far as I can see they're a bit older.

Mary, looks like the two marriages I saw are indeed for Emma Lena Fanny Eighteen, so thanks for ruling those out. That's two less to worry about.

Merry, the mother was registered as Flora but baptized as Florence Matilda, and indeed I would suggest the 1935 Newbury death is for her. My initial assumption was that the 1994 Cheshire death was for Elsie as I couldn't find a reference to another woman of the same name (either born or married) and her DOB being a year out didn't really worry me. I hadn't found the 1972 Warford death, though, or the Webb name, so you've thrown me a bit now.

I ruled out the Whittaker marriage as being the 1890 Florence Selina's, but of course I could be wrong.

So far I've been unable to find anything that I think is her.

[Merry]

Kate - Oh, I didn't look hard enough for that one then!

One tree has FLE as the mother of Gregory George Eighteen b 2 Jan 1915, but I don't think he is on the 1939 Register to help.

Did you check out the Locks in 1911?