How exciting - I've no idea if it's the right one, but St Mary Cray is certainly the right part of Kent.

I will be ordering the marriage certificate today - thanks for telling me the best place to get it. I've never heard of anyone making up a name, but I do know that the information isn't always accurate - I have my parent's certificate, and my father's father's occupation is shown as 'A Farmer.' (Don't know how much farming goes on in Bermondsey!) Presumably the Registrar had misheard, as in fact he was a Fireman.

Lewellen sounds Welsh - I can see I'm going to really enjoy this - I can see why people do it.

I've realized I've just missed a whole page of posts! I hadn't realized you'd found a possible census reference. The poor little baby who died at 5 days had a Welsh sounding name too - Owen.

I've convinced myself you've found the right family - I shall be disappointed if the marriage certificate shows otherwise!

I think that's a wonderful story about you and your father Cacoll - memories to treasure.

I think I'll have to get into this. My SIL did my inlaws, both sides a fair way back . My brother traced my mums side back to the 1800's and recently I googled my paternal grandfathers address in Essex (really just to see if it was still standing) but I couldn't find my grandfather listed there. There were others presumably from the same family but what puzzled me was the surname was spelt without an E on the end.

My dad passed away 12 years after his father so we can't ask him and don't know where his only brother is now.

It's fascinating stuff!

It is indeed - I think I will probably get so engrossed in research that there will be lots of burnt dinners to look forward to!

I imagine that the further back you go the more likely you are to get spelling variations, with so many people unable to even sign their own name.

Good luck with your research - I'm really looking forward to the next stage of mine.

At long last the marriage certificate I ordered on the 7th September has arrived. (According to the website there is a huge demand at the moment - probably something to do with Who Do You Think You Are being on the telly!).

Unfortunately, my Ethel May Baker is not the one we thought it might be - the marriage was 24.10.1928 and she is shown as 17, so she may not have been born at the time of the 1911 census. Her father is shown as Frank Baker, an Engineer Turner. Disappointing for me really, as the Christian name of Lewellen would have been easier to trace than plain old Frank! The witnesses are a Thomas James Snow and a Lilian M Snow - those names mean nothing to me.

The residence of Ethel is shown as "The Cyclists Rest" Green St Green. A quick google didn't show me anything - it sounds like a cafe.

Any ideas where I should go from here?

What a pity, so disappointing for you.

Have you tried the church of the latter day saints, you can sometimes find relatives on their site.

If your info has come from relatives memories they are not always correct. Mum and I went to Alderney and visited the records office looking for my grandmothers birth. turned out she was born in Salford although the family did come from Alderney and Guernsey and she did work on Sark at one point.

You are right, moetmum - I am learning never to assume anything. Glad you managed to trace your grandmother's birth in the end.

Despite the unpromising name, I have managed to make some progress, thanks to the help of clever people on a family history site. I found a 5 month old Ethel May Baker with a father Frank in 1911 - right names and occupation, but as they lived in Northampton I thought it must be the wrong one (I expected them to live in London or Kent.) Frank was shown as the son in law of the head of the household, Ernest Coleman.

Someone asked me the names of the witnesses to the marriage, and found that Thomas J Snow married Lilian May Baker/Lilian May Coleman in 1926. So it seems that Ethel's mother remarried - perhaps poor Frank died in WW1. (though he's not shown as deceased on the marriage certificate.)

I wasn't expecting the unknown Snows to lead me to the next step - fascinating stuff!

I did read about your Certificate earlier but was in Liverpool & couldn't have a look for anything for you. Just because it doesn't say her father was deceased it doesnt mean he wasn't. It usually depends if the bride was specifically asked or not. I think sometime they did offer that information but other times they didn't.
Witnesses can be very useful in finding the family - even if the names dont ring a bell at the time.
It took them long enough to send the cert didnt it Ive never waited so long.

Have you found Ethel May's birth
Name: BAKER, Ethel M
Registration district: [?] Northampton
County: Northamptonshire
Year of registration: 1910
Quarter of registration: Oct-Nov-Dec
Mother's maiden name: Not available before 1911 Q3
Volume no:[?]3B
Page no:[?]48

Frank & Lilian's wedding

Name: BAKER, Frank
COLEMAN, Lilian May
Registration district: [?] Northampton
County: Northamptonshire
Year of registration: 1910
Quarter of registration: Apr-May-Jun
Spouse's last name Not available before 1912
Volume no: [?] 3B
Page no: [?] 147

Could this be a brother to Ethel.? They might have moved to Kent by the time he was born.
Births Sep 1913
Baker Jack E Coleman Medway 2a 1584

Might have found Frank Baker in 1901

BAKER, William Head Married M 41 1860 Cashier Newspaper office Macclesfield, Cheshire
BAKER, Sarah Wife Married F 42 1859
Stafford, Staffordshire
BAKER, Clarence W Son Single M 14 1887 Clerk Coal Office Stafford, Staffordshire
BAKER, Ernest H Son Single M 12 1889
Stafford, Staffordshire
BAKER, Frank Son Single M 10 1891 Stafford, Staffordshire
BAKER, Thomas H Son Single M 7 1894
Stafford, Staffordshire
BAKER, Cyril Son Single M 4 1897 Stafford, Staffordshire
WARD, Ann Mother-In-Law Widow F 83 1818 Living On Own Means Stafford, Staffordshire
CROOT, Edith Servant Married F 25 1876 Sick Nurse Huyton, Lancashire
Piece: 2570
Folio: 13
Page: 18
Registration District: Stafford
Civil Parish: Stafford
Municipal Borough:
Address: 30, Lichfield Road, Stafford
County: Staffordshire

Let me know if I.m taking over when you would rather do it yourself