Wilhelmina Coralie Versigny FFMM

[stueyfass]

Hi everyone,i'm yet another of Coralie's relatives to rear their ugly head!I thought Id post here a version of the message i sent Sue,just to see if anyone knows anything anyone of it...enjoy(if it makes any sense!!)
My Nan told me that her g g grandmother was French and called Coralie Versigny.She was told that she was the daughter of someone in the French aristocracy connected in someway to the navy.This was backed up by a couple of oil paintings that we had in the family but which unfortunately have now been lost.One was of someone taken to be Coralie's father and showed him in uniform,hat and a sash.The other was of Coralie's mum.My mum found them when exploring her uncle's fish and chip shop,he kept them in a cupboard with the frying oil,which shows the regard they had for the "frenchies" as they termed them!!
According to the story,Coralie came to England to improve her English, fell in love,and was then disowned by her French family for marrying below her.Was Coralie married only once,or not even at all?! I am related to Coralie through her relationship with William Scriven.
According to my Nan they had three kids,Leopold(Uncle Leo),Wilhelmina (Aunty Minnie) and Ellen.Ellen married John Wright,they had a son also called John,who moved from London to Margate and married someone called Louisa.they had 4children,John,George,Charles and Ellen.Ellen is my Nan.
As my Nan understood it,Coralie lived in London and brought her family up,until her daughter Ellen saw an advert in the News of the World for Coralie Versigny.The advert was to let Coralie know her dad had died and left her money(though this had been eaten into by the cost of adverts)Apparently the adverts were placed by Coralie's uncle,a lawyer.Coralie and William ran a pub,the Reindeer. This I do know to be true,as I emailed an association which keeps records of pubs,they confirmed William to be the landlord in about 1871 as I remember it.Unfortunately I've since (stupidly) changed email accounts,so I no longer have the email. My Nan wasnt quite old enough to have met Coralie,but her brother,John,who was born in 1909,did meet her. He remembered an eccentric old lady,with a mass of auburn hair.Apparently she loved animals,(more than people according to my Nan's gran!) and kept an owl in the corner of her room!
Coralie was supposed to have been brought up in a Chateau in either Le Havre or Rouen and her mother was supposed,upon her death,to have left a park in her name in the town.This is all I know about Coralie, but I'd love to find out more.For a long time I actually thought her name wasnt even Versigny and that the family had something to do with the Chateau Versigny,I'm glad I finally know her surname!!
As Ive told Sue,I know lots of old stories about Coralie and very little in terms of actual dates and certificates,so the more i can find(and be told)the better.thanks

[Merry]

Hi stueyfass, Have you read all the posts on this thread? I think some of your questions might be answered there.

What a shame the paintings went missing

[Lorna in the sticks]

Hello Stu
I'm yet another relation, Wilhelmina's daughter Annie Norton was my GGG.GM Sue at the seaside is my 3rd cousin her GGG.GM was my GGG.GM sister Minnie and the line I believe you came down was the other daughter Ellen Adrienne, unfortunately I do not have much information as my fathers mother Ellen Rebecca and father William James Freeman died within 3 months of each other in 1919 the only photo I have is of Ellen Rebecca which was in a shoe buckle, as to the red hair my father did tell me that someone had red hair, he had a red moustache and side burns and my son Stuart has the red gene from both sides of the family but only in side burns, he hasn’t grown a moustache yet and its looking like is son Mitchell (7mths) will carry the gene.

This photo is Wlhelmina Coralie's granddaughter Ellen Rebecca my granny

http://www.dropbox.com/gallery/11516...n%202?h=b148c2

Bye for now Lorna in the Sticks ps If I've made errors sorry I'm new to this

[Lorna in the sticks]

Thank you everyone would you believe Ive only just found out where to go for my reply's, not that thick really just been extra busy trying to work out the French site (no luck yet) think at the end of the day might be an excuse to go to France for an extended holiday (I wish)

Lorna

[stueyfass]

thanks for the pic Lorna,i emailed it to my Nan,who knew Minnie.it's all very confusing and difficult to get my head round,it'd be great if it was all written down!it doesnt help that everyone seems to have the same names!!that's even true now,My sisters name is rebecca louise and me and my girlfriend are thinking about including Ellen in the name of our little girl!!(due any day now!!)So you've not had any luck with finding Coralie's mother?i'd really love to find out about the french side,it looks like a bit of a dead end tho.definitely worthy a trip to france......!

[Merry]

it's all very confusing and difficult to get my head round,it'd be great if it was all written down!

Have you got a family tree program to add all the details to?

[newby]

I have only just started to look at my family tree. I was told that my great great grandmother on my mothers side was French so decided to investigate that first. The name Annie Coralie has come down the family line so it was quite easy to get back to Wilhelmina. Imagine my excitement when I googled the name and found this thread. Wilhelmina is my gg granny and annie is my g granny, she married Alfred Joseph Norton or sometimes Joseph Alfred. She worked as a cigar maker as did her daughter Florence, my nan. Florence married Henry Parker, a print compositer. They had five children, Flossie, John, Annie Coralie, Ellen Alice (my mum) and Joyce. They have all died now so I can't give them the third degree, but Auntie Joyce used to say that gg granny's name was Annie Coralie Versigne Lorraine. On one of the posts someone mentioned that Wilhelmina had red hair. My cousin's daughter had the most beautiful and striking thick titian coloured hair and nobody knew where it had come from. I think I do now! I haven't been able to get back any further than Wilhelmina, but got a bit further with James so would appreciate any help.

Welcome Newby, Haven't you struck gold.
All this information and lots of living relies too.
Such a fascinating family and so wonderful that so many descendants are interested in piecing together the lady with unpronounceable name's (let alone spell it) story.

[Lorna in the sticks]

Welcome Newby Annie is also my GGranny,my granny was Ellen Rebecca(Nellie)Norton B1883 married William Freeman 1901-3 children William James 1902 -Ellen Rebecca 1906 (my aunt Nellie) & Joseph 1908 (my dad Joe or Joey as my aunt liked to call him),Ellen & William both died in 1919 of TB and granny Annie looked after the 3 children alone the best she could, at 57 years that must have been daunting.
Wilhelmina B1835 Paris France entered London 12 Nov1849 with her father Napoleon on board the Wm Joliffe, we have a record but from there Napoleon & Wilhelmina disappeared, until she reappeared in the 1961 Census with James Logsdon (we can find no marriage cert) having 2 children Napoleon James and Wilhelmina Emma(Minnie),1871 she has 2 more children Wilhelmina Annie and Ellen Adrienne, she appears to have left James to live with a William Scrivens 1881 Census shows her with William (no marriage cert) but by 1883 he died also James died in 1881.(cant find any children with Wm Scrivens.
In 1891 Wilhelmina now calls herself Corile Scrivens, 1901 living with daughter Ellen Logsdon-Wright as Coralie Scrivens, she died in 1917 after falling and breaking her hip.

Sue at the sea side is also a relation, Sue worked out we are 3rd cousins, and we live very near one and other, both of us moving from Surrey to Dorset, me in 1981 and Sue 2001
The lady is certainly elusive Sue and I have reached a dead end at the moment but will keep on looking.
James Logsdon parents James Logsdon & Hannah Kent from Hoddesdon Hertfordshire M 23 Jan 1823.

Have a look at Sue at the Seaside site she has lots of info there on the Logsdons.

This will give you some to get on with, keep in touch we welcome any new leads


Best wishes

Lorna in the Sticks

[newby]

Hi Lorna, Thanks for your response and information. I just typed this up once pressed a random key and lost it. Oh well I will try again. Your granny Ellen Rebecca was sister to my granny Florence Marie. Sue reckons that makes us second cousins. Florence was born in 1905. Looking at the 1911 census there were 4 children and sadly 7 that died. They were living at 3 Apple Square. At the same time my granny Florence and her husband Henry Parker were living at no1 Sweet Apple Square. They subseqently moved to Ridly Road in Hackney, which is where I remember them living. Annie and Florence both worked as cigar makers. Have you managed to do any research on the Norton family yet? I have only traced back to 1881 soon after Annie and Joseph got married. it doesn't help that Joseph his first and second names,, sometimes he is Alfred and I haven't yet worked out his birth name. Still that is just a matter of time. I will keep plugging away at Wilhelmena, it is intriguing, and I wan't to find out as much as possible.

I live further down the country than you,Cornwall. I will post any more information I find.

Kind regards
Carol