Membership

​This week’s theme for #52Ancestors is Membership and this is a very tenuous link but bear with me dear reader!  I thought I would write about some research I have been updating recently on my tree which takes us right back to week 2 of #52Ancestors last year where I wrote about my favourite find, which was the birth certificate of Helena Lorraine, my Great x 2 Grandmother. 
This time I have been looking closely at her mother, Emily Stanford.  I was told years ago that her parents were Isaac and Mary Stanford of Roughey Corner near Horsham which fits as a birth place from the full census entries I have for her and I happily accepted that for her.  She was born in 1834.  However a couple of years ago when I was searching for the children, I found a census return for 1871 which was 6 years after Isaac had died where Emily Standford born 1834 was in the workhouse at Horsham.  

Map showing Roughey Corner near Horsham, or Roffey as it is now known

​I thought at the time this was odd, as we have two census records for Emily in 1871, in Punnetts Town along with John Smith and the children.  At the time I left it but I went back to it last weekend.  I then noticed that the box at the end of the census return, you know, the one we always ignore had writing in it, Emily was dumb from birth and was classed as an idiot.  I went back and looked at the other census returns and found that the 1861 census where she was with Isaac also had deaf and dumb.  None of the later census returns for my Emily have that on it.  Therefore I concluded that Emily born to Isaac and Mary is not my Emily.  I have detached them from the tree.
I went back to the beginning and looked at what I know of Emily, she was born about 1833 in Horsham, Sussex.  Despite the fact that she lived with John around different parts of East Sussex the census returns from 1871 to 1921 are all adamant she was born in Horsham, apart from the 1881 which curiously has her born in Holborn, Middlesex.  But I wonder whether the enumerator misheard a thick Sussex accent?  

​I searched again for Emily, born 1833 in Horsham and came up with two alternatives to the original one.
Emma Jane Stanford baptised 2 March 1834 to John and Jane at Horsham Independent.  John was a Linen Draper.  My instincts tell me this is not the correct one. 
Amy Stanford baptised 7 July 1832 in Horsham to Ann Stanford.  I found an 1841 census record which fits this one.  Amy was 9 years old and living on her own in West Street, Horsham.  I have not been able to trace anything more of Amy or indeed Ann.  I have a feeling this one needs to be followed up.  The 1911 census has her living with one of her children at Boreham Street, age 78 and she is recorded as Amy Stanford Lovekin.  I still do not know where the Lovekins fit in. 
I need to research further the Rawlins name that she uses on some of the birth certificates for her children.  Following the births of the children I have found so far, I think her first child was William Rawlins born 1865 and registered in Wartling.  Then she had Helena Lorraine Vineall in 1867 in Battle.  Then I think she met John Smith and had their first child Flora in 1870 in Warbleton and she is recorded as Emily formerly Rawlins.  This is what she is recorded as for the next child, Jessie born 1872 in Wartling and lastly Thomas is born 1877 in Mayfield and Emily was recorded as Emily Smith formerly Stanford.
The four older children, Emily 1853, George 1856, Mary Ann 1860 and Edith Bertha 1863 I am still looking for births for but again they use the Lovekin name for their fathers.  I had thought previously these were John’s children with another woman, as Emily was apparently in Horsham with her family.  Now that is not true they could well be Emily’s too. 
This family continues to baffle me and I’m even further from finding the truth now apparently.  I think I am firmly in the membership of the ‘Haha you are not going to find us’ Club.