Genealogy Chat

Sandra, as this thread is 8 years old, moggyrud may no longer keeping an eye on it.

Try sending her a message by clicking on her name. If she is still using the same email address she will receive notification from GR. She doesn't need to subscribe to reply to you.

Have just stumbled upon this thread whilst looking for something entirely different!

Moggyrud: your gran's father was called Wiseman. Many Jewish people - particularly immigrants - 'anglised' their names when they settled in the UK. Changing a name from Wiseman to Wilson would not necessarily indicate fraud (although that could be a reason), it was just a way of fitting in and being accepted in their new community.

Heather....l wanted to see the electoral records to find out if he used the name Wilson in Bristol.....found him in tradesman derectory as george henry...Moneylender.

Hi Heather....sorry for the delay. l know he was in Bristol in 1879 as my grt gran Maud was born there......he was down as a financial agent....and they lived at 30 Upper maudlin Stret, Bristol. On another certificate.....not to Mauds mum but another woman (think he was a bigamist) his father was down as John Wilson....tailor. Irene.......they were living at 41 Egerton Road, Horfield. but under the name of Henry.

I wonder if he were illegitimate and his fathers name was Henry? How do you know he was in Bristol 1879 under George Henry?

did you find her in 1881 census as I could not find her - did you have the address where she was born. Irene

Hi Irene....yes that is her. Took me 2 years to find that....as her father had used an assumed name!! When she married in London, she put his name down as george henry Wilson.....so l was looking for Wilson!

Is your gran Maud Wiseman Henry March 1880 Bristol. Irene

Thank you very much Glen and Peter for the helpful info. Heather....he is a bit of a mystery man. l have no birth or marriage cert for him. l know he was in Bristol in 1879.....but living under the name George henry. In 1881, on the census, he said he was born in Warminster.Wilts. In 1891 and 1901 he was living in battersea, under the name l knew him by....George Henry Wilson. l have never found him in Warminster.....and on his death cert his age wasn't right!!! My grt gran was registered in Bristol as maud Henry, in 1879. l wanted to go there and check on the electorate rolls when he actually lived in Bristol....i.e. what year. Hope this makes sense. Maureen

What sort of year are we talking - what definite information do you have for him, a marriage certificate? Birth certificate? Have you looked for him in any census? As pointed out above, its unlikely he would appear on any electoral rolls.

Electoral Rolls go backs hundreds of years but in the 1800's very few people in England had the right to vote. It was restricted to few wealthy landowners. It was not until 1918 that Universal Suffrage as we know it came into being and even then, only women over 30 were allowed to vote. So it is only after WW1 that the documents become a source of research for most of us.

Electoral registration was introduced in 1832 and registers have been issued for each parliamentary constituency every year since then, with certain exceptions. Registration was suspended in both World Wars and there are no registers for 1916 and 1917 (1915-17 in Scotland) and from 1940 to 1944 inclusive. From 1919 to 1926 inclusive there were two registers a year called the ‘Spring’ and ‘Autumn’ registers. There were also two registers in 1945 and 1946; in addition to the regular registers in October, there was a special register in May 1945 for the general election and a supplementary register of service voters in March 1946. There were also two registers in 1868 and 1885. The January registers in both years were supposed to last the calendar year but were superseded in both cases by new registers on revised constituency boundaries in November. The latter registers lasted until the end of the following year and are identified as ‘ 1868/69’ and ‘1885/86’; otherwise registers are identified by the year in which they came into force even if they span part of two years. As a consequence of the Representation of the People (England and Wales) (Amendment) Regulations 2002 (SI 1871) and corresponding legislation for Scotland and Northern Ireland, two versions of the register were produced from 2003. The full version of the register contains the names of all voters and is used primarily to support the electoral process. Public access to it is strictly controlled. The edited version of the register is available for sale for commercial use for direct marketing, advertising, etc. It omits the names of electors who have exercised their right to opt out to protect their privacy.

l am trying to nail down a grtgrt grandfather......so wanted to look him up in Bristol. The only thing is....l don't know when the Electoral register started......l am talking about the 1800's. If l can find out then perhaps l can see when he went to Bristol. Thanks.....Maureen