Was he Dennison or Johnson ?
Posted: 24 Dec 2020 17:29
I am hoping for help in clarifying the parentage of my grandfather .. a matter shrouded in mystery.
My grandfather’s mother was born Sarah Dennison on 4th June 1870 to parents Peter Dennison and Catherine Dennison (née Langford), my great-great grandparents, whose address is recorded on her birth certificate as 6 Court Regent Street, district of Saint Martin, Liverpool. Peter Dennison’s occupation is recorded as Labourer, and her mother, as the informant of her birth gave an ‘X’ as her ‘mark’ suggesting that she was not literate. Baptism records show that Sarah was baptised Roman Catholic on 8th June 1870 at St Augustine’s church, Liverpool. The family’s address was given as Carlton Street – a street running parallel to Regent Street. It is not clear why their address should have changed in the space of 4 days.
The Dennison family are recorded in the 1871 Census of England and Wales as living at Whitley Street – court, Liverpool. Whitley Street is also close to Regent Street and Carlton Street; all three are close to the docklands and are about a mile north of Pier Head. The family head is given as Peter Dennison, aged 39, occupation Labourer, born Kildare, Ireland; his wife is recorded as Catherine aged 28, born Queens Co., Ireland; children Bridget, aged 12, born Queens Co., Ireland; Peter, aged 4, born Liverpool; and Sarah aged 11 months, born Liverpool.
The 1881 Census shows a different picture. Peter Dennison is shown as living at ‘8 Ho’ Whitley Street, his occupation given as Dock Labourer. Sarah Dennison is recorded as a Scholar aged 12. There is no mention of Catherine, her mother nor her elder brother and sister. However, two more hitherto unmentioned names are recorded. Firstly, a daughter Margaret aged 10 born in Liverpool, listed as a Scholar; secondly Patrick (surname not confirmed but recorded as ‘son’) aged 7 born in Liverpool.
Catholic burial records for St Augustine’s, Liverpool show that a Catherine Denison of Whitley Street died on 22nd February 1877, aged 34, and was buried on 25th February 1877. It is possible that Sarah’s older sister and brother, Bridget and Peter, also died about the same time as their mother, possibly from the same cause. Further searching might reveal this.
My grandfather was born in Liverpool on 4th December 1891. His birth certificate records his mother as Sarah Dennison. It records his given names as John Fleming. It shows no entry for his father’s name, surname or occupation but gives his mother’s occupation as Domestic Servant living at 32 Upper Hill Street, Toxteth Park.
One might expect both Sarah and her son, and her father, to show up on the 1891 Census. I have been using Ancestry.com, but am not sure whether or not they have digitised the 1891 Census ? If as I expect they have, why do these three people not show up? It could be that her father had died or returned to Ireland, but Sarah was most certainly alive. It is also curious that she should living on the other side of town from where she was raised.
I have found no information about Sarah’s life beyond the birth of her son. If indeed she was a domestic servant, one can only speculate about who her employer was. It is quite likely that she was not actually employed at the time her son was born nor for a period beforehand; I guess that only a particularly benevolent employer in those days would have accepted an expectant domestic servant – unless perhaps they had some interest in the child such as being the father.
Does anyone know what sort of housing might have been on Upper Hill Street at that time? Would it have working class or perhaps the location of a middle class or wealthy family where she worked?
Several mysteries surround the life of my grandfather. The first of course is who was his father? Secondly, why was he given the name ‘Fleming’ at a time when the vast majority of working-class children received only one given name? ‘Fleming’ sounds almost like a family name rather than taken from the standard stock of everyday Roman Catholic given names. Did his mother choose this name? If she did, why? Does this hold a clue about who his father was? Fleming was not an uncommon surname in Liverpool at this time. In fact, William Henry Fleming was a successful and wealthy merchant in the cigar importing business in Liverpool at around this time. Could Sarah Dennison have worked for him as a domestic servant and could he be the father of her son?
Although, apparently, at birth my grandfather’s surname was Dennison, by the time he was in his early 20s he was using the name John Fleming Denison Johnson. The question arises, where did the name Johnson come from and why did he spell ‘Denison’ with only one ’n’? Possibly he discovered that his true father’s surname actually was Johnson. Another possibility is that his mother later married someone called Johnson and he adopted his step-father’s name. Alternatively, he may have simply adopted the surname Johnson of his own accord for some unknown reason. Whatever the truth, when he later enlisted in the army (the R.A.M.C., in 1918) he gave his father’s occupation as ‘Ship’s Officer’. This appeared again on his wedding certificate (28th August 1916) where he gave his father’s name as ‘John Johnson’, occupation Ship's Officer.
A family myth links my grandfather's name 'Denison' (as he later spelt it) with the family name (Denison) of the Earls of Londesborough. Couls his mother have worked for the Earls?
My grandfather and grandmother had 4 children in the early 1920s (one of them my mother). In the early 1930s he reportedly had 'a funny turn' and disappeared. He was never heard of again by the family. He died in 1973 in Liverpool.
Can anyone help with any of the questions above? Most pressingly, who was my grandfather's father?
Many thanks for any possible help or suggestions.
My grandfather’s mother was born Sarah Dennison on 4th June 1870 to parents Peter Dennison and Catherine Dennison (née Langford), my great-great grandparents, whose address is recorded on her birth certificate as 6 Court Regent Street, district of Saint Martin, Liverpool. Peter Dennison’s occupation is recorded as Labourer, and her mother, as the informant of her birth gave an ‘X’ as her ‘mark’ suggesting that she was not literate. Baptism records show that Sarah was baptised Roman Catholic on 8th June 1870 at St Augustine’s church, Liverpool. The family’s address was given as Carlton Street – a street running parallel to Regent Street. It is not clear why their address should have changed in the space of 4 days.
The Dennison family are recorded in the 1871 Census of England and Wales as living at Whitley Street – court, Liverpool. Whitley Street is also close to Regent Street and Carlton Street; all three are close to the docklands and are about a mile north of Pier Head. The family head is given as Peter Dennison, aged 39, occupation Labourer, born Kildare, Ireland; his wife is recorded as Catherine aged 28, born Queens Co., Ireland; children Bridget, aged 12, born Queens Co., Ireland; Peter, aged 4, born Liverpool; and Sarah aged 11 months, born Liverpool.
The 1881 Census shows a different picture. Peter Dennison is shown as living at ‘8 Ho’ Whitley Street, his occupation given as Dock Labourer. Sarah Dennison is recorded as a Scholar aged 12. There is no mention of Catherine, her mother nor her elder brother and sister. However, two more hitherto unmentioned names are recorded. Firstly, a daughter Margaret aged 10 born in Liverpool, listed as a Scholar; secondly Patrick (surname not confirmed but recorded as ‘son’) aged 7 born in Liverpool.
Catholic burial records for St Augustine’s, Liverpool show that a Catherine Denison of Whitley Street died on 22nd February 1877, aged 34, and was buried on 25th February 1877. It is possible that Sarah’s older sister and brother, Bridget and Peter, also died about the same time as their mother, possibly from the same cause. Further searching might reveal this.
My grandfather was born in Liverpool on 4th December 1891. His birth certificate records his mother as Sarah Dennison. It records his given names as John Fleming. It shows no entry for his father’s name, surname or occupation but gives his mother’s occupation as Domestic Servant living at 32 Upper Hill Street, Toxteth Park.
One might expect both Sarah and her son, and her father, to show up on the 1891 Census. I have been using Ancestry.com, but am not sure whether or not they have digitised the 1891 Census ? If as I expect they have, why do these three people not show up? It could be that her father had died or returned to Ireland, but Sarah was most certainly alive. It is also curious that she should living on the other side of town from where she was raised.
I have found no information about Sarah’s life beyond the birth of her son. If indeed she was a domestic servant, one can only speculate about who her employer was. It is quite likely that she was not actually employed at the time her son was born nor for a period beforehand; I guess that only a particularly benevolent employer in those days would have accepted an expectant domestic servant – unless perhaps they had some interest in the child such as being the father.
Does anyone know what sort of housing might have been on Upper Hill Street at that time? Would it have working class or perhaps the location of a middle class or wealthy family where she worked?
Several mysteries surround the life of my grandfather. The first of course is who was his father? Secondly, why was he given the name ‘Fleming’ at a time when the vast majority of working-class children received only one given name? ‘Fleming’ sounds almost like a family name rather than taken from the standard stock of everyday Roman Catholic given names. Did his mother choose this name? If she did, why? Does this hold a clue about who his father was? Fleming was not an uncommon surname in Liverpool at this time. In fact, William Henry Fleming was a successful and wealthy merchant in the cigar importing business in Liverpool at around this time. Could Sarah Dennison have worked for him as a domestic servant and could he be the father of her son?
Although, apparently, at birth my grandfather’s surname was Dennison, by the time he was in his early 20s he was using the name John Fleming Denison Johnson. The question arises, where did the name Johnson come from and why did he spell ‘Denison’ with only one ’n’? Possibly he discovered that his true father’s surname actually was Johnson. Another possibility is that his mother later married someone called Johnson and he adopted his step-father’s name. Alternatively, he may have simply adopted the surname Johnson of his own accord for some unknown reason. Whatever the truth, when he later enlisted in the army (the R.A.M.C., in 1918) he gave his father’s occupation as ‘Ship’s Officer’. This appeared again on his wedding certificate (28th August 1916) where he gave his father’s name as ‘John Johnson’, occupation Ship's Officer.
A family myth links my grandfather's name 'Denison' (as he later spelt it) with the family name (Denison) of the Earls of Londesborough. Couls his mother have worked for the Earls?
My grandfather and grandmother had 4 children in the early 1920s (one of them my mother). In the early 1930s he reportedly had 'a funny turn' and disappeared. He was never heard of again by the family. He died in 1973 in Liverpool.
Can anyone help with any of the questions above? Most pressingly, who was my grandfather's father?
Many thanks for any possible help or suggestions.
