Lever Family

[sue]

Hello my name is Sue and I am researching the Lever family from Hyde. My grandad Frederick Lever was born there in 1883 and his father James Lever in 1856. James was married to Ann Murray in 1874 and they had 2 daughters, Jane 1874 & Phoebe 1878. Frederick was born in 1883 and Mary Alice 1887 and William 1893 but I don't think their mother was Ann, I think she was Mary McDougal. If anyone can help with any info. on Mary McDougal that would be great.

[Woody]

You’re quite right, Sue. Mary McDougal’s history is a real puzzle and despite a fair amount of looking, I can’t say that I advanced your search much. More questions than answers, I’m afraid, and I think a bit more information is needed if you have it.

Broadly, I found several people in the Tameside area named Mary McDougal who could fit the bill, but none who could be called prime candidates so the net might well have to be cast across a wider arena. There are also many variations in spelling – McDougal, McDougall, MacDougal, etc – each producing slightly different search results. I can give you the detailed outcomes if you want them.

Certainly, Alice McDougal appears in the 1901 census as the 13-year old sister of both Phoebe and Jennie Lever (probably ‘Jane’ Lever), all living at 12 Travis Street, Godley, Hyde. Presumably, this is the clue you’re trying to check out, but it would be useful to learn how you know the mother’s name to be Mary ?

There’s a Hyde birth registered in 1887 for a Mary Alice McDougall (Tameside ref: HYD/75/25), but no birth registration for either Frederick or William Lever. They seem to be registered as Frederick McDougal at Hyde in 1883 (Tameside Ref: HYD/68/26), and likewise William McDougall in 1892 (Tameside ref: HYD/84/8). Any of these birth certificates would provide their mother’s full name, etc. You might already have this information ?

There are other puzzles. I can’t find any birth record for Jane Lever b 1874 that’s close enough to that date and, so far, I haven’t found a sign of anyone at all in the Lever family in the 1881 census. Do you have that information ?

It’s a similar story in 1891 although I think they are there. There’s a possible census record in Findmypast but none in Ancestry. I can’t get into Findmypast for 1891 so IF ANYONE ELSE IS PREPARED TO LOOK IT UP there, that would be really helpful. The Findmypast search for ‘Lever’, ‘Stockport’ and ‘Cheshire’ using neither first names nor dates of birth should turn them all up.

The 1901 census has James Lever living at 25 Pitt Street, Newton, Hyde with Fred and William Lever [McDougall]. It’s highly likely that wife Ann Lever [Murray] died in 1901 (ref: HYD/65/27), but also in the house is Sarah Ann ‘Royder’ (b abt 1867, Barnsley), a married housekeeper who has children of her own, all registered in the name ‘Royds’.

She was formerly ‘Nixon’ who married Tom Roydes at Barnsley in 1887. There’s no record of a subsequent marriage to James Lever, and neither he nor husband Tom appear in her household on the 1911 census.

I think Phoebe Lever went on to marry Thomas Herman Baskerville in 1913 and that the couple then had a daughter, Gladys, born 1914.

By 1911, it’s probable that Frederick Lever (McDougal) has married Elizabeth Alice Cunliffe (Warrington, 1909 R44/184) and there’s a son, Frederick (b Warrington – more likely Newton le Willows - 1909 NLW/80/38). Also living there in 1911 is brother, William Lever.

I have one or two potential theories, but what I have at the moment is too indefinite, I'm afraid.

[Gay J Oliver]

Hi Woody,

I have found the family on the 1891 census at FindmyPast and will send the image to you by email. Nothing much remarkable to add to what you have already surmised, but James is a widower, so William must have a different mother to Frederick and Phoebe, but Mary A is living with them.

Believe it or not I have also found them in 1881 living at 7 Thornley Lane in Haughton. This is another plus for FindMyPast. This is only a transcript but they are indexed under the name LEAER. James is there saying he is married, but no sign of his wife, and daughters Jane and Phoebe are living with him plus a whole family of lodgers. You can search the 1881 for free at FMP, I also tried to find them using familysearch.com, but they hadn't indexed them. So more questions than answers!!

GAY

[Woody]

Thanks Gay. I’d picked up your e-mail prior to reading your forum posting, but your information here pointed me straight to a copy of the original 1881 census return.

The plot thickens as I wonder why Mary Alice is 'Lever' in 1891 but has switched back to 'McDougal' by 1901. And why have all the daughters moved into their own house? More specifically, what happened to Ann Lever who's absent from every census return associated with either husband James or, the children. In 1881, James is still ‘married’, but as Gay says, by 1891 he’s become a widower despite there being no obvious death record for wife Ann. Indeed, there are possible records indicating that she was living elsewhere by 1891.

Equally, the Bowdon family is boarding with James Lever in 1881 and the only marriage that fits them is between Joseph M Bowden and Dinah LEVER, Ashton St Michael, 1866 (ref: CE4/18/171).

In 1881, Dinah gives her date of birth as 1850 at Hyde, but was actually registered there in 1847 (ref: HYD/15/4). A quick check in the 1861 census for Pitt Street, Hyde reveals that her father is Samuel Lever, b Farnworth, 1813 and her mother is Hannah, b Denton, 1822.

There are several other children, including a James Lever, b 1856 and Phoebe, b 1853, each registered at Hyde. It seems a fair bet that Dinah Bowden is James Lever’s married sister.

On the Mary McDougal front, two of the three people I originally thought might be relevant lived in Haughton.

In 1876, Henry McDougal, a coal miner, married Mary Booth at Portwood St Paul, Stockport (ref: ST11/3/291). In 1881, and apparently still childless, they’re living at 31 Tib Street, Haughton. By 1901, the couple have several children of their own, each born at Denton between 1886 and 1895 and the family is still living at 31 Tib Street. This doesn't feel like the right person.

A more promising candidate is Mary E(lizabeth) McDougal born in Staffordshire, 1863, and there are peculiarities in her records. Her mother, Mary (nee Bentley), is married to Frederick May, coal miner and there is one child of this union, John May born 1865, Staffordshire. In 1881, they're living at 7 Mount Pleasant, Haughton.

The 1891 census lists Mary (jnr) as a married person, living with her parents at 19 Tib Street, Haughton, but in 1901, when I suspect she might have been an inmate at the Crumpsall workhouse, she is a single person. Her parents seem each to have died in the 1890s. There's no obvious record of a marriage for this Mary McDougal, and it's possible she died in 1903.

There are other possibilities but I didn't explore them further.

Perhaps Sue can relate to some of this stuff ?

[sue]

Aug 26, 2009 11:46:45 GMT Woody said:

You’re quite right, Sue. Mary McDougal’s history is a real puzzle and despite a fair amount of looking, I can’t say that I advanced your search much. More questions than answers, I’m afraid, and I think a bit more information is needed if you have it.

Broadly, I found several people in the Tameside area named Mary McDougal who could fit the bill, but none who could be called prime candidates so the net might well have to be cast across a wider arena. There are also many variations in spelling – McDougal, McDougall, MacDougal, etc – each producing slightly different search results. I can give you the detailed outcomes if you want them.

Certainly, Alice McDougal appears in the 1901 census as the 13-year old sister of both Phoebe and Jennie Lever (probably ‘Jane’ Lever), all living at 12 Travis Street, Godley, Hyde. Presumably, this is the clue you’re trying to check out, but it would be useful to learn how you know the mother’s name to be Mary ?

There’s a Hyde birth registered in 1887 for a Mary Alice McDougall (Tameside ref: HYD/75/25), but no birth registration for either Frederick or William Lever. They seem to be registered as Frederick McDougal at Hyde in 1883 (Tameside Ref: HYD/68/26), and likewise William McDougall in 1892 (Tameside ref: HYD/84/8). Any of these birth certificates would provide their mother’s full name, etc. You might already have this information ?

There are other puzzles. I can’t find any birth record for Jane Lever b 1874 that’s close enough to that date and, so far, I haven’t found a sign of anyone at all in the Lever family in the 1881 census. Do you have that information ?

It’s a similar story in 1891 although I think they are there. There’s a possible census record in Findmypast but none in Ancestry. I can’t get into Findmypast for 1891 so IF ANYONE ELSE IS PREPARED TO LOOK IT UP there, that would be really helpful. The Findmypast search for ‘Lever’, ‘Stockport’ and ‘Cheshire’ using neither first names nor dates of birth should turn them all up.

The 1901 census has James Lever living at 25 Pitt Street, Newton, Hyde with Fred and William Lever [McDougall]. It’s highly likely that wife Ann Lever [Murray] died in 1901 (ref: HYD/65/27), but also in the house is Sarah Ann ‘Royder’ (b abt 1867, Barnsley), a married housekeeper who has children of her own, all registered in the name ‘Royds’.

She was formerly ‘Nixon’ who married Tom Roydes at Barnsley in 1887. There’s no record of a subsequent marriage to James Lever, and neither he nor husband Tom appear in her household on the 1911 census.

I think Phoebe Lever went on to marry Thomas Herman Baskerville in 1913 and that the couple then had a daughter, Gladys, born 1914.

By 1911, it’s probable that Frederick Lever (McDougal) has married Elizabeth Alice Cunliffe (Warrington, 1909 R44/184) and there’s a son, Frederick (b Warrington – more likely Newton le Willows - 1909 NLW/80/38). Also living there in 1911 is brother, William Lever.

I have one or two potential theories, but what I have at the moment is too indefinite, I'm afraid.

[sue]

Hi Woody Thanks for all the information reference the Lever family. I have a birth certificate for Frederick McDougal born 16th April 1883 in Cooper Street Hyde and his mother was Mary McDougal and I have a birth certificate for Mary Alice McDougal born 29th May 1887 in Cooper Street Hyde and her mother was also Mary McDougal and Cooper Street Hyde was where James Lever was living with Jane Lever, Phoebe Lever, Frederick Lever & Mary A Lever. I think Jane was born before James & Ann were married because there is a record for Stockport ST1/72/46 for a Jane Murry born 1874 and James & Ann were married 15th November 1874 so that could be her. Frederick Lever (McDougal) and Elizabeth Alice Cunliffe had 4 children Frederick 1909, Eric James 1914, Alice 1917 & my father Alec 1919. The 1861 census has James Lever born 1856 aged 5 living at Pitt Street Hyde with his father also James & mother Hannah & various siblings including Dinah 1848 & Jane 1850. The 1911 census has James living in Pitt Street Hyde with Sarah Ann Royds and children Harry Royds, Edeth Royds, Carry Royds & Oswald Royds all born in Hyde and classed as sons & daughters to him. I am still searching for more info. on Mary Mc Dougal. Thanks for your help. Sue

[sue]

Aug 26, 2009 19:00:14 GMT Gay J Oliver said:

Hi Woody,

I have found the family on the 1891 census at FindmyPast and will send the image to you by email. Nothing much remarkable to add to what you have already surmised, but James is a widower, so William must have a different mother to Frederick and Phoebe, but Mary A is living with them.

Believe it or not I have also found them in 1881 living at 7 Thornley Lane in Haughton. This is another plus for FindMyPast. This is only a transcript but they are indexed under the name LEAER. James is there saying he is married, but no sign of his wife, and daughters Jane and Phoebe are living with him plus a whole family of lodgers. You can search the 1881 for free at FMP, I also tried to find them using familysearch.com, but they hadn't indexed them. So more questions than answers!!

GAY

[sue]

Hi Gay Thanks for the information about the Lever Family in the 1881 census, I have been trying to find them there for ages. Its still a mystery what happened to Ann Lever.