The following individuals, families or other aspects of the families' history are proving problematic or particularly difficult to trace or follow and in many cases have brought our research to a dead-end. If you have any information about any of them please contact me at barry@ennever.com. Any information you may have, however limited, could be extremely helpful. Thank you.
Questions
William Joseph Ennever (1803-1885) What happened to the children from his first marriage?
William started the family piano manufacturing business which continued until the early 1900s. He married Jane King in 1824 and they had 7 children that we know of, Jane herself dying in 1838. William re-married in 1840 and is found in the 1841 census at a Regent's Park address with his new wife, but no children. Of the 7 children, we know that William Joseph (b 1829/30), Catherine Ann (b 1834) and Jane (b 1834) had survived into the 20th century and while William has been found in all censuses except 1841, Catherine Ann is found at school in the 1851 census but then not until 1891 in St Pancras, Jane is missing from 1841 to 1861 and little is known of the other 4 children.
It is possible that several of the children may have been in France during some of this time. Any information related to any of the children or documents or information about the piano manufacturing business would be of great interest. There is a short history of the pianoforte business here. Back to top
William Joseph Ennever, the eldest son of William Joseph above and the inventor of Pelmanism, married Teresa Ann Sherrott in The Strand, London in 1865. Teresa was the daughter of John Sherrott and Sarah Ann Dyke, who married in St Dunstan's Church, Stepney in 1842. No trace of this Sherrott family can be found in the 1841, 1851 or 1861 censuses and it is not known if there were any other children.
Does anyone have any other information about this family please? Back to top
William Hill (1845/6-?) and Hannah Stead (1847/8-1881) When and where did they marry and why did they travel to, and return from, the USA? Who are Hannah Stead's parents?
William was born in Birkenshaw, Yorkshire in 1845 with a strong coal mining background and is recorded as marrying Hannah, who was born in Colton or Carlton, Yorkshire. Their first child, Frank Joseph, my great grandfather, was born in Illinois, USA in approx 1870. While it was not uncommon for families to emigrate to the USA this family unusually returned to the UK before 1873/4 when their second child, Charles Hill, was born. Their marriage registration has never been found, nor the birth registration of Hannah, whose death is recorded at age 33 in 1881.
Does anyone have any clues as to who Hannah's parents were, why William and Hannah returned so quickly from the USA or have any other relevant information please? Back to top
Joseph Hill (1818/9-?) and Martha Ibbotson (1824/5-?) Where are they and their families in 1841, just before the marriage?
Joseph Hill is William Hill's father (see above) and married Martha Ibbotson in Hartshead in 1842 and they both gave Clifton as their residence. Subsequent censuses record Halton, Yorkshire as Joseph's birthplace and Thornton or Dewsbury as Martha's birthplace. No trace can be found of either Joseph or Martha, nor of either of their fathers (Francis Hill, a farmer, or Jonathan Ibbotson, a miner) in the 1841 census .
Is anyone else researching these families or have any other relevant information please? Back to top
John William Ennever and family (1869-?) Why did this family change their name to Hannaway?And, where were they all in 1891 and has there been another name change?
You can read the story of the family's name change here but there also a few other questions. The family of John William Ennever/Hannaway, being John himself, his wife Ellen (nee Grady) and baby Elizabeth Blanche were in Limehouse late in 1890 and again in 1892, for the birth of Adelaide, but there is no trace of them in the 1891 census. Ellen's parents, James Grady and Hannah or Honora, and her six siblings were also close by, in Poplar, in the 1881 census and they too cannot be found in the 1891 census.
As John William Ennever and his family had changed their name and Ellen's mother is recorded as both a Driscoll and an Anderson could James and Hannah have also changed their name? Back to top
The Pelman Institute (c1898-?) What is the earliest known version of the "Nine dots and four lines" puzzle?
The Pelman Institute's course was in 12 or 15 parts and each part came with its own worksheet which the student completed and returned to the Institute. It was then "marked", a process involving an examiner making comments and suggestions, and then returned to the student. Worksheet 8 contained a puzzle that will be recognised today as one that appears regularly in logical and creative thinking questions (see below) and which appears to be first recorded in Sam Loyd's, Cyclopedia of Puzzles. (The Lamb Publishing Company, 1914). I would be very interested to know if anyone has a Pelman Institute worksheet dated before 1914 to see if the puzzle pre-dates Loyd's book or, as is probably more likely, the Institute modified the puzzle for its own use. Back to top
Violet is the daughter of Andrew Ennever (known as Harry Ennever) and Kate Sacker and she was born in Peterborough in 1917. Her mother died when she was five and no trace can be found of Violet since her birth.
Does anyone have any information about Violet and whether she married, emigrated or even changed her name? Back to top
Elizabeth married Anthony Smith in the 1820s and six children can be traced by christening records on the IGI and the 1841 and 51 censuses. No record has yet been found for the marriage which will probably have taken place in London although census records give conflicting counties of birth for both parties! Anthony died in 1860 and Elizabeth and her son George, born 1841/2, are not at their previous Keppel Street address in 1861 and cannot be located elsewhere although it is thought they will have stayed in the Chelsea area, where Elizabeth is believed to have died in 1866.
George did not appear in the 1841 census and was recorded as nine years old in 1851 which would indicate his birth to be in late 1841 or 1842 but neither his birth registration nor that of his elder sister, Sarah Jane who died in December 1839, can be traced. Elizabeth and Anthony are both in Keppel Street, Chelsea in 1841 and 1851 and so the registration district should have been Chelsea.
Does anyone have any information about these individuals that may help to trace them? Back to top
Mary Stothart Ennever (1840-1933) Who was the real father of Mary Stothart's 8 children? Where is Mary and her family in 1881 and what name were they using?
I'm certain we have now solved this mystery but would love to hear from anyone with any other information. Follow the remarkable story here. We are still searching for Mary and her children in the 1881 census as no trace has been found of them either as Ennever or Collins. They appear to have moved out of the house they shared with Henry Collins and his wife because Albert Alfred Ennever was born in Spring Street, Bow in 1879 but they are not this address in the 1881 census.
Does anyone have any idea where they are in 1881 or may be researching related families? Back to top
Parish registers record Joseph and his wife, Mary Anne or Mary, as the parents of Mary Ann Ennever b1794 in Rainham, Sarah b1795 and Elizabeth b1798, both in Hornchurch, and then Catharine and 3 other children all born in Hornchurch between 1805 and 1811. The registers also record the christenings of 3 other Ennever children between 1800 and 1803, again in Hornchurch, born to a George Ennever and wife Mary. These include John Ennever, born 1800 and Elizabeth born 1798.
The gap in christenings of Joseph & Mary's children between 1800 and 1803 is unusual because children were born both before and after that date and searches in all the surrounding parishes have failed to identify any other christenings. The christenings of George and Mary all fit very neatly into the gap and there are no known christenings before or after that date nor can we find any records of George & Mary in the area either before or after these christenings.
John Ennever's Will appoints Thomas Boyton, who married an Elizabeth Ennever, as an executor. Elizabeth's christening in 1798 identifies Joseph as her father.
Does anyone have any evidence that they are in fact two different people? Back to top
On our web site there are now 4 main branches of the Ennever and related families and while there are at least three of us researching various parts of the families we haven't yet been able to find a link. These branches are as follows:
The FAQs page gives a more detailed overview of each of these branches.
Branch 4 is a West Indian Ennever and Ennevor family group who arrived in the UK in about the 1950s and I would love to hear from them or their descendants to see if we can establish a link as interestingly it is possible that they are descended from the Somerset Ennevers. Back to top
Charles Green Appleton married Ann Barbara Sutherland in Norwich in 1818 and they had twelve children between 1819 and 1840. The family can be found in the 1841 census in Barrack Street, Norwich and while the whereabouts of the two eldest sons, James Sutherland and Charles Green, is known there is virtually no trace of any other member of the family after the 1851 census. Both James and Charles emigrated to Australia in about 1853 and it is possible that others emigrated also, although no records have yet been found. The exception is John Green Appleton who can be traced in England until 1901, having married Jane Videan in 1864.
nb other interesting stories about the Appletons can be found in the History section!
Is anyone else researching the Appleton family and may have any relevant information? Back to top
David Simes (?) (1892/3-?) What is the given name and where is the birth registration?
Two children are staying with Eliza (Lily) Ennever in 1891 and 1901 and while one is named David in 1901, the 1891 census shows what appears to be a different name and one that I have been unable to decipher. To add to the mystery, no relevant birth registration has been found either as Simes or Limes. They may or may not be relevant to the Ennever family but I am keen to discover their background, if possible. The image below was taken from the 1891 census in Blatchington Road, Hove, Sussex.
Can anyone decipher the enumerator's name for Master Simes or know anything about a David Noonan Simes, who married Ellen Slattery, please? Back to top
Robert was born in Hornchurch in 1803/4 and was first married to Francis Ann Gahagan in 1825. There were four known children of whom only two can be reliably traced.
Frederick was born in 1827 in the St Marylebone area and no further trace has been found of him.
Frances Ann was born in 1829 and while she can be found from 1850 onwards there is no trace of her before then.
Mary Ann was born in 1831 also in the St Marylebone area. She has now been located in Australia, where she died in 1893.
Maria was born in 1832 and can be found marrying Oriani Grandi or Grandy in 1862 but no other trace in any census has been found of her or her husband or his family, who will probably have originated from Italy.
After Francis Ann's death in 1838 Robert married Emma Fish, the widow of a Thomas French. As far as we know there are no children from Robert's marriage to Emma but Thomas French and Emma had a son called Thomas who can be found with his grandfather, John Fish, in 1841. Neither Robert nor Emma, have been located, however.
Robert emigrated to Australia and died there in 1867 but it is not clear whether Emma or any his children travelled with him.
Does anyone have any other information about this family please? Back to top
James Grady and his family (1813/4-?) Where is this family after 1861 and what names are on the children's birth registrations? And is there another name change associated with this family?
James Grady was born in Ireland in about 1813/14 and can be found in the England 1851 and 1861 censuses, with his wife Hannah or Anna and their seven children. Thomas Grady, the eldest child, was born in about 1836/7 in Lambeth while the other six were born in Wapping, according to census returns. Strangely, no birth registrations can be found for this area of London for any of the children (James, William, John, Hannah, Michael or Mary Ann). The family cannot be found in the 1841 census either!
James Grady, the second child, also married a Hannah or Honora, nee Driscoll, in St George in the East in 1862 having lived next door to her in Wapping. Their fourth child was Ellen, born in 1870, but Hannah's maiden name was given as Anderson, not Driscoll, on her birth certificate while she was recorded as Driscoll on their second child, Joseph Grady's, birth certificate. This may simply be an error by the registrar but as Ellen later married John William Ennever, who initiated their family's name change to Hannaway, it may just be possible there is another name change confusing matters.
None of the Grady family, James nor Hannah nor the children, can be found in the 1891 or 1901 censuses with the exception of Ellen who is with her husband in 1901.
Does anyone have any other information about this family that may help to clear up these questions? Back to top
Amy Rayson (1895-1989) Who was her father and where were her parents in 1891 and 1901?
Amy Rayson was born in Acacia Road, Wood Green in February 1895. Her birth certificate records her mother as Mary Ann Rayson, formerly Smith, but unusually for someone who was apparently married gives no father's name nor occupation. On Amy's marriage to Henry Sturgeon Ennever in Poplar in 1917 her father is recorded as a William Rayson (deceased), a jewel case maker. No trace can be found of Amy in the 1901 census nor of a William Rayson or Mary Ann Smith (or Rayson) in 1891 nor of any marriage.
Does anyone know who Amy's parents were, whether they married or their, or their families', whereabouts in 1891 or 1901? Back to top
Thomas Parducci and an Elizabeth Ann Pommeroy (to be confirmed as her maiden name) had about 8 children between 1843 and 1861 of whom only one can be reliably traced after 1861. This is their son, also a Thomas Parducci (1847-1892), who married Mary Illingworth shortly before his death in 1892, having had 7 children together. No trace can be found of his parents or any of the other children in the 1871, 1881 or 1891 censuses.
Does anyone know the whereabouts of any members of this Parducci family after 1861? Back to top
George Bloomfield (1815/6-?) Where is George and his father, also George Bloomfield, in 1841?
George Bloomfield's daughter Martha Emeline Bloomfield who was born in 1852 married Henry Ennever in 1874. George married Elizabeth Burch at Bramford, Suffolk in 1842 and both parties are recorded as living in Bramford. Elizabeth's family can be found in the 1841 census but there is no trace of either George Bloomfield.
Does anyone know the whereabouts of any members of this Bloomfield family in 1841? Back to top
Priscilla Ann Sturgeon (1830/1-?) Where is Priscilla and her family in 1841 and who were her husband's parents?
Priscilla Ann was the daughter of John Sturgeon and Priscilla Ann (maiden name unknown although could be Rudkin) and was born about 1830 probably in Brentwood, Essex. She had at least 2 siblings, John Rudkin Sturgeon and Harriet and all three were christened in Brentwood. She married George Collins in St Bartholomew's Church, Bethnal Green in 1848 but no trace of the family can be found in 1841. There is a George Collins in North Street, Bethnal Green in the 1841 census, aged 11, although no parents or siblings appear to be nearby.
Does anyone know more about this Sturgeon family or their whereabouts in 1841 or George Collins and his family? Back to top
Amelia Currie (1846/7-1900) Where is Amelia in 1851?
Amelia Currie is Eleanor Emmeline Ennever's mother-in-law having married Frederick Butt in 1870. Her marriage certificate identifies her father as a Matthew Currie, a Carman, but no trace can be found of Matthew or Amelia in censuses in 1851 nor Matthew in 1841. Amelia can first be found as a 13 year-old servant in the house of George Fall at 6 Stanford Road, Fulham in 1861. She consistently records her birthplace as Camden Town but no birth registration has yet been found.
Does anyone know the whereabouts of Matthew or Amelia in 1851 or the details of either Matthew's or Amelia's birth registration? Back to top
Charles's first spouse was Amelia Frances Herring with whom he had 3 children, two dying in infancy. The third child, Elizabeth, can be traced until 1871 after which no further trace is found. No marriage has been found for Charles and Amelia, either.
Charles's second spouse was Elizabeth Jane Seyler, again with no marriage having been found, with whom he had 5 children between 1858 and about 1876. No trace of the three girls can be found after 1871 and the two boys can only be found until 1881 or 1891. Elizabeth Jane Seyler had previously been married to James Martin Clark, with whom she had at least two children, Henry and James.
Elizabeth herself is missing in the 1871 census when Charles is living at Pennington Street, St George in the East, London with two daughters, Elizabeth from his first marriage and Mary Ann, from his second. They had children together in 1858/9, 1861 and 1863 and then there is a gap to 1870/71 suggesting another marriage or that Elizabeth and Charles may have been separated for some reason.
Does anyone know the later whereabouts of Charles's children or the events after about 1870/1? Back to top
Sarah Jane Watson (1845-1915?) Where is Sarah Jane in 1851 and 1861 and her mother, Mary Watson, from 1841?
Sarah Jane watson was born to Mary Watson in the Wisbeach (or Wisbech) Union Workhouse in 1845. No father's name nor occupation was listed on her birth certificate. No trace of Sarah Jane or her mother, Mary Watson, can be found in any census from 1841 to 1861.
Does anyone know the whereabouts of Sarah Jane or Mary in 1841-1861? Back to top
Philip Timms (or Tymbs) (born c1800) Where is Philip in 1851?
Philip is recorded as marrying Sarah Bazley in 1840 and the family can be found in Greatworth, Northamptonshire in 1841, when Philip was a stone mason. In 1851 Sarah is recorded as having her "husband in prison" and in 1861 appears to be widowed. This family is almost certainly connected to Flora Thompson (nee Timms), the authoress.
Does anyone have any further information about this family, Philip's parents or his whereabouts in 1851? Back to top
Henry Elsom's marriage to Lydia Maria Patten in 1886 records his father as Henry Elsom (deceased), a waiter, but no such family can be found in earlier census records. After his marriage, he can be located reliably and his birthplace is recorded as Bethnal Green or Hackney. It seems likely that Henry born c1857/8 is to be found in Norfolk Terrace, West Ham in 1861 with father, James and mother Matilda Anne George. The birthplace is recorded as Bethnal Green and his father is a Railway Guard, Henry's occupation from the time of his marriage onwards.
Is anyone else researching the Elsom and Patten families and have any information about Henry and his father's identity? Back to top
Frank Pook (1847-?) Where are Frank Pook and his brother-in-law, Thomas King Clothier, after their marriages in 1876?
Thomas King Clothier and his sister Ruth married Jane Pook and Frank Pook respectively, also siblings, but we lose track of Thomas and Frank after their marriages which both took place in early 1876. In 1884 Ruth applied for their son, Harry, to go to The Princess Alice Orphanage in Sutton Coldfield stating that she was a widow with two children and unable to support them and saying that her husband had died 11th March 1879 of broken blood vessels but no death certificate can be found. Is it possible that Frank had emigrated or that he and Thomas King Clothier disappeared together for some reason? Back to top
Mary Elizabeth Ennever or Mary Elizabeth Maman (?-?) Who is Mary Elizabeth Ennever (nee Maman) who married George Daniels in 1847?
I have a certificate for the marriage of George Daniels, a widower and gentleman, to Mary Elizabeth Ennever (Maman crossed through), a widow, on July 31st 1847 at St James Westminster, then in the County of Middlesex. Most genealogists will recognise the problem that I have here - nothing seems to make any sense! We have no record of a marriage of an Ennever to a Maman and there is no trace of George or his wife, nor of a witness Esther Maman, in the 1841, 51 or 61 censuses. Both fathers (Robert Daniels and Thomas Maman) were deceased at the time of the marriage and no ages were given for either bride or groom.
Is anyone researching the Daniels or Maman family or have any information about George and Mary please? Back to top
If you are researching any of these Ennever or related families and may have some relevant information I would be delighted to hear from you. You can contact me by clicking on the author link below. Thank you.
