Genealogy Chat

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I am looking for Mary Ann Flannagan (spelling of Flannagan could be wrong!). Rumour has it that she was born in Blackburn workhouse and that her mother died giving birth to her - in the workhouse. Her brother Joseph was also with her in the workhouse. There were 4 kids altogether, the other two being Rose and William who were older than Mary Ann and Joseph. Noone knows where they were and why they didn't go to Workhouse - already with their own families?? I have her marriage certificate and according to that she was born in 1892. I can find a Mary Ann Flannagan and a Joseph Flannagan in the Blackburn Workhouse on the 1901 Census. She is aged 4 and he is 3. No other info available. RG13-3916-121-13 if you want to see it. Surely, if she was born in the Workhouse, they would know where she was born etc? Also, the age on the Census would make her born in 1897, not 1892 like her marriage certificate would have me believe - so which is true? (Presuming this is in fact MY Mary Ann and Joseph!!). Noone knows who her Mum was but they said that Mary Ann was very Irish, so where did that come from in a Blackburn Workhouse????? I always assumed that you got your accent from listening to the conversation around you and didn't come out speaking with an Irish accent just cos your Mum was Irish - am I being thick?? Can't find a birth or death for Mary Ann so can't get any further. As far as I know she lived in Blackburn all her life and died 'around 1974' in Blackburn. All help greatly appreciated.

not a great deal of help but, We moved to Scotland when one of my sons was 2. He spoke with an English accent when he started talking, presumably from spending so much time with me but when he started playgroup he started speaking with a scottish accent too, so they must pick it up from those around them Linda

1901 There was a Rose Flannagan age 10 in a home in Blackburn. Heather

Mary may well have lied about her age when she got married, in order to appear a little older. Aged 4 on the census only meant that she had not yet reached her 5th birthday - she could have become 5 the next day! which would narrow the gap between the two ages you have found. The workhouse employee who filled out the census forms may in any case have got the ages slightly wrong, don't suppose they bothered to check too thoroughly, especially if they had a large number of inmmates to record. I would be contacting the County Records office which covers Blackburn to see if they have the Workhouse admissions and discharge register and or the Creed book as there should be evidence there of whether Mary was born in the workhouse and if not when she was admitted and discharged. I had great fun at the London archives tracking my great aunt's family as they popped in and out of the workhouse on almost a daily basis through the 1890s

Linda - That's what I thought. Thanks. Heather - I don't know if that is my Rose without sending off for her birth certificate. Strange that she would be in a different workhouse though - or is it?? Judith - What do you mean byCounty Records Office - the Blackburn Register Office?? Sorry for being thick! Jim - where did your msg go?? But anyway, that isn't my Joseph as I know he was definitely born in Blackburn. Thanks anyway.

Andrea Perhaps the children were separated if the parents had died. Heather

Hi Andrea I found a birth ref. for the only Joseph on the index,not realizing that your Joseph was missing, The mother could not have died at Mary's birth as Joseph is younger (or ages wrong).

one of my familys were all split up mother in the workhouse with a new born 2 sisters in a childrens home and father in prison great fun exporing all that angie x

Jim According to family, Mary Ann was youngest so... who knows!? Am trawling through BMD trying to find her death. Thanks to everyone for helping.

I wouldn't necessarily believe reported ages -- not even from close relatives. I have recently been given a copy of my grandfather's life history, written by him a few years before he died, in which he states his mother was the youngest of 6 children and he was named after her favourite elder brother. Well, he may well be right about the name, but said brother was a full 6 years younger than his sister -- so my grandfather did not know the true relative ages of his mother and his uncle! Mike

Sorry Andrea, only just come in and seen your follow up question to me. By County Records Office I mean the place where archives for that area are stored safely and made available for researchers. Church baptism, marriage and burial registers will normally be deposited there, also records of workhouses, schools, and businesses; old wills proved in the local archdeaconry; old maps; local newspapers and a whole host of other fascinating records. It is not the same as the register office which is where births marriages and deaths were/are registered. This is the website address for Lancashire records office which I assume is the one which covers Blackburn: http://www.lancashire.gov.uk/education/record_office/index.asp If you can't visit the Records Office it might be useful to email or write to them with a specific query about your Mary and her brother. Some offices have enough staff to do a simple lookup - others charge for searching or put you in touch with a local researcher.

Thanks Judith. I'd already found it by the time you replied but thanks anyway. Thanks to everyone else too for trying to help me.