Why can’t I trace my husband’s great grandmother back further?
‘The father’s details on Sophia’s marriage record may be incorrect’
QMy husband’s great grandmother was Sophia McClamance born in about 1850 in Glasgow, Lanarkshire. I would like to know exactly when and where Sophia was born, about her life before marrying Reuben Brackenbury on
14 January 1872 in Sheffield and also her birth family, so I can grow that branch of my tree.
Her marriage certificate names Sophia’s father as Samuel McClamance, a carpenter. The couple had six children. Reuben died in April 1891 and Sophia in December 1918. I hope you can help.
Christine Brackenbury
AThere is no surname ‘McClamance’ recorded in George Black’s The Surnames of Scotland, and the name is not in any database on ScotlandsPeople ( scotlandspeople.gov.uk). The name itself is almost certainly a variant of ‘MacLamont’, which has many variations including MacLamond, MacClement, MacClements, Clements, MacClemont, MacCliments, MacClymond and MacClymont.
At her wedding in January 1872, Sophia is listed as aged 22, placing her birth year in 1849/1850. The 1881 and 1901 censuses show her as born in Scotland, with 1881 stating in Glasgow. The 1911 census notes her to be a widow, born in Yorkshire in about 1848, although this may be an error. Using wildcards (*) to replace letters in both the forename and surname, no baptism or birth record for a candidate called Sophia can be found on ScotlandsPeople – although it is worth noting that there may be gaps between 1843 and 1855 due to non-registration and the aftermath of the Great Disruption of 1843.
The 1851 census shows one possible candidate in Scotland: Sophia Clements in Falkirk, aged eight. However, she is the daughter of Thomas Clements, labourer, and not Samuel. You could try searching for Samuel using wildcards and name variants to cater for the various alternatives. The possibility exists, however, that the father’s details on Sophia’s marriage record may be incorrect.
The fact that Sophia cannot be found in the 1891 census, and that her husband died in the same month (April), may suggest that she and her children were in the workhouse. If so, look for a poor relief application for background information on her. To find out details of the Sheffield-based poor relief records, visit workhouses. org.uk/Sheffield.
Chris Paton