Genealogy Chat

Hi Colette, Thanks for your help and everyone else who help me yesterday. Can you let me no where you found the information about John J Bennett fruitier 1903, 69 Miller Street. Thanks again Rhonda

Hi Rhonda yes the one you think was him the married John James Bennett was a Fruiter in 1901 wasnt he. In 1911 there was a John J Bennett occ Chemist Assistant 77 Bristol St Manchester. 1903 John J Bennet Fruitier 69 Miller St. Regards Colette

Hi Colette, Yes, he gave the children away, they did not go to childrens home they went to anyone who would look after them. They got in contact with each other when they were older. My grandmother was not close to her brother and sisters I don't think they ever saw their father again. No one nows to this day what happened to my grandmothers twin Lily. We have a birth certificate for her and that is all. My grandmother told me her father John James Bennett was a fruit and veg hawker on Market street, Manchester. Thanks Rhonda

Hi Rhonda what happened to the children after she died you say he sent them away, to a Childrens home was it ? did your Gran ever find any of her other siblings. Colette

Thanks for the replys everyone, sorry I got called away. We don't think John William Conley died there is no death to be found, we even had a look on the war graves site and couldn't find anything. Elizabeths maiden name was Norket. On Johns birth certificate she is down as maiden name Conway and the next child it says maiden name Conley and then the others it says maiden name Norket. We have a death certificate for Elizabeth that says wife of John Joseph Bennett but on all the birth certificate of all the children he is John James Bennett. Elizabeth was said to have died in child birth with the twins in 1912 along with the second twin to be born but we have since found out that she did not die till 1915 and the baby did not die either. The twin Lily Bennett disappeared and no one ever saw her again. The other twin was my grandmother. Thanks for your help Regards Rhonda

Hi again Rhonda another solution maybe that as John William Conley and Elizabeth had been married for near on 7 years and NO CHILDREN he may have thourght there was something wrong with her and she couldnt have children. So he may have left her, as divorce wasnt the done thing back then. She then maybe met John James Bennett and as she was already a married woman she couldnt marry him perhaps they just lived like man & wife. As i could not find a death for him between 1901 & 1904 i dont think he died unless you have a death for him that is. Colette

I have searched deaths for a JOHN WILLIAM CONLEY 1901-1904 nothing, this is becoming more mysterious... Colette xx

Hi Rhonda There was another John James Bennett in Manchester in 1901 single aged 23 living at York St parish of St Stephen Chemical Worker, could it be him and not the other married aged 27 in Crown Lane on the 1901. When did John William Conely die ?? and do you have his death cert ?? its to establish were they were living at the time of his death. Another theory regarding no marriage is that they never did marry if its the John James Bennett who was already married then maybe he was living two seperate lives. Do you have birth certs for any of Elizabeth & John James Bennetts children ? Was your Gran named Bennett on her death cert ? Elizabeths surname was Norket i believe b 1873-4 Manchester Marriage 1894 Dec Regards Colette

Mybe if he left his first son John with the boy's mother when they split (I assume he and his first wife split, rather than that she died?) he knew that boy was going to be brought up with a new ''dad'' and maybe a new surname too. So when he had another son in his new relationship, he named him John too in order for his own name to be carried forward? This is what happened with hubby's ancestor. He abandoned his first-born son, William, and then had another William with his new ''wife''. The first William was brought up with an ''adopted'' surname. Merry

I don't see why he couldn't have two kids with the same names. I /would/ be able to look for a marriage, but the site is down. I'll try again when I get home from work.

Hi Sam, they were from the Manchester and Salford area Rhonda

I think he would be able to call 10 of his sons John if he had wanted to! What part of the country were these people from? Sam x

I need help trying to solve a problem that is holding us up with our family tree. My great grandmother was a married women in 1901, she was married to John William Conley they had no children. But somewhere between 1901 and 1904 she met John James Bennett. We can find no marriage certificate for Elizabeth Conley and John James Bennett. They had five children together starting with a son in 1904, followed by 2 daughters and ending with twins in 1912. Elizabeth died in 1915 and John Bennett gave all the kids away never to see them again. The only John James Bennett that fits ours was a married man in 1901 and had 2 children. The thing that we don't understand is that the John James Bennett we found on the census had a son called John and our John James Bennett called his first child with Elizabeth John. Would it be possible for him to have 2 sons with different women and call them both John. Thanks Rhonda