A Cautionary Tale

 People lie. A lot.

While investigating another branch of the Genders family tree in Birmingham I came across a perplexing family. None of the “facts” they stated quite seemed to add up and it soon became pretty obvious that the information recorded in the sources was unreliable. Eventually I was able to untangle the truth from the lies and make sense of it all, but this example does highlight one of the possible reasons why Hannah Genders is proving so hard to trace. People lie. As Hannah did when she claimed she was married to William on her children’s birth records. But let’s sidestep away from Hannah to look at this family a little more closely. I’d like you to imagine that you are trying to trace Sarah Ann Genders, born in Birmingham in 1853.

Sarah Ann Genders in the 1861 Census

A census search brings up a result from 1861 - a Sarah Ann Genders who is 8, and living on Icknield Street East with her three sisters and her parents, Daniel and Ruth Genders. This seems like a good match, in fact, spoiler alert, this is the correct girl. Splendid.

So, now to find out a bit more about her life. What’s going on in 1871? 

Ruth and Daniel in the 1871 census

Well a quick look at the census reveals the family living in Key Hill. Sarah has moved elsewhere, but interestingly Daniel and Ruth are now named Hubbard, not Genders, as is Sarah’s sister Elizabeth. Okay, that’s not too tricky to figure out. Genders was Ruth’s name, and in 1861 Daniel calls himself Genders because the two of them are still unmarried but they want to appear as though they are. Fair enough. That’s not unusual. 

It turns out that Ruth and Daniel married in 1866. They were both widowed and Ruth reveals her maiden name is Bullock.

So, if we search for a marriage record for a Ruth Bullock we should expect to find one for a spouse called Genders, which we do in 1837. Ruth married John Genders that year. I have ordered the certificate and will update the details when it arrives. 

Now, back to Sarah. The Ancestry hint system suggest a marriage record from 1872 so I take a look at it. This Sarah is living on Bridge Street West, is 20, and is marrying a brass founder named Joseph Williams. The only problem is she says her dad is George Genders, pearl button maker (deceased). We were expecting a John or a Daniel.

Marriage of Sarah Ann Genders (1872)

It seems that a birth record for Sarah might come in handy here. It reveals that Sarah was born illegitimate and therefore the father’s details are not included. However, Ruth did give a clue. She registered her daughter under the name Sarah Ann Key Genders.

Sarah’s birth record (1853)

Sarah revealed her father’s name was George, and Ruth gave us his last name, Key, when she registered the birth. There is a George Key, pearl button maker living on Steward Street in the 1851 census.

George Key in the 1851 census

A George Key died in Birmingham in 1855, and the death record revealed this was the correct man. Ruth was present at the death and gives her name as Ruth Key, even though they never married. So, poor Sarah lost her dad when she was 2.

Death record for George Key (1855)

In the end Sarah and her husband immigrated to America, making a life for themselves in New Jersey. Sarah died in 1939. 

What this story shows is that Sarah was named Genders, but was no blood relation of anyone by that name. Her mother was Ruth Bullock and her father was George Key. Sarah bore the name of her mother’s first husband purely out of convention. Names were modified as and when was required, thus George Key and Daniel Hubbard were transformed into George Genders and Daniel Genders respectively, and Ruth Genders was transformed into Ruth Key. 

It is a bleak thought, but possible nonetheless, that my ancestor, Hannah Genders may also have borne the name Genders out of convention. It is something I will have to bear in mind when searching for her. People lie, and names change.