Navigating Name Changes
I am dealing with a couple of name change situations, and I am trying to figure out if these snags can likely be overcome.
Tl;dr at the bottom.
Before Gen 0
French Canadian Anne Doucette and Irish-born Thomas Doyle marry in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1869. This event is recorded in the local Catholic parish register and the civil register, with their named parents and respective birthplaces (Anne has a ridiculously long Acadian pedigree).
Gen 0 - 3x Great Grandma Marie Doyle/Dowell
- Born in Halifax, N.S. Baptism recorded in the Catholic parish register in 1870 as “three weeks old” under “Marie Doyle” with married parents “Anne Doucette and Thomas Doyle.” The birth of Marie Doyle is not recorded in the civil records.
- Anne and Thomas shift their surname from Irish “Doyle” to marginally more Britishly acceptable “Dowell” by the 1871 Canadian Census. The 1871 and 1881 Censuses have Anne, Thomas, and some of their several children. Most of these children have a mix of Catholic baptism records and civil birth and eventually marriage and death records at Halifax.
- Thomas Dowell died in the period where (of course) deaths weren’t recorded in civil registers. Anne died under the “Dowell” name in 1921 and a death certificate was issued with the names of her parents.
- Marie moves to the U.S. before 1888 and marries Phillip Humphrey Andrews, an American, in 1889. No marriage return filed with the relevant clerk, however. The 1900 U.S. Census says that they are married, and they have at least five children together.
- Marie Dowell’s and Phillip Andrews’ children’s death records and delayed birth certificates all say their mother was “Mary Dowell of Halifax, N.S.” and their father was “Phillip Andrews.”
- Marie Dowell’s death certificate says that her current name is Marie Andrews and her parents were Thomas Dowell of Ireland and Anne Doucette of Halifax, N.S.
- Marie Dowell Andrews’ death certificate just says that her husband’s name is “Humphrey;” no last or first name written in.
Gen 1 - 2x Great Grandma Helen Andrews
- US born in 1890, mixed religious marriage (Phillip was Protestant) so no baptism records and no civil birth records.
- US Census records with both parents in 1900 and 1910, aged 10 and aged 19.
- Death certificate with both parents/ Anglicized maiden name “Dowell” in 1915.
The Easy Part:
Gen 2 - Great-Grandpa Jack - All docs
Gen 3 - Grandmother - All docs
Gen 4 - Mom - All docs
Gen 5 - Me - All docs
Tl;dr –
Snag #1 Pre-Gen 0 changed their surnames when my Gen 0 was a child.
Snag #2 Gen 0 did not file a marriage return that would prove her married name by itself.
Regarding snag #1, my initial thought would be to gather up enough vital documents from Anne’s other children, showing their existence as an intact family unit and living at the same household addresses (where documented), in spite of the surname change. Any other suggestions?
Regarding snag #2, would Marie’s death certificate be sufficient to prove the name change from Dowell to Andrews?