Research Forum

Weston super Mare family history research topic.

Thanks to the wonderworld of DNA knowledge; I am now happy to tell you that Tom Young is off the hook! 

I am still related to Stewart Young in a similar way, but my grandmothers father who met Lilian Weymouth in 1894 appears not to be the father of Stewarts grandfather, but the father of Stewarts grandmother. Namely ERNEST WILLIAM WILLCOCKS (1864-1925). He was descended from THOMAS LOCOCK b 1799 via his parents ISAAC WILLCOCKS and MARY ANN LOCOCK.  The families were from the Weston Super Mare and Axbridge area.

I think the most likely way LILIAN WEYMOUTH met ERNEST WILLCOCKS was as a servant in his home, which was a boarding house in 1901 at 2 St Johns Terrace.

The reason for this change of tack is that I have now found another DNA match who is also matched with Stewart Young; and where their two family trees meet in Weston Super Mare lies the undoubted answer to who my own great grandfather is.  So my search is off.  And yet I should love to hear anything from Westonians who have WSM Willcocks and Lococks in their family.

I am also intrigued as to why Mary Ann Millett adopted my grandmother BEATRICE WEYMOUTH as a baby in 1894. And grateful to her too!.

The 1894 did TOM YOUNG (1863 – 1946) of Stonehouse, Gloucester meet LILIAN JANE WEYMOUTH (1877 - 1971) of Weston super Mare.   

Only 13 years ago did I find out that my paternal Grandmother BEATRICE was born in Axbridge workhouse in 1894 to Lilian Weymouth; baby Beatrice was then ‘adopted’ by MARY ANN MILLETT, a laundress in WSM. Until this year I had to assume that Mary Ann’s son HERBERT MILLETT (the same age as Lilian Weymouth and living close by in the Town) was the father of Beatrice.  I even entered this in my Ancestry tree to test the hypothesis with further research and finally a DNA test.

I took a DNA test a few years ago and noticed that none of the DNA ‘matches’ appeared to link us with the Millett family. I concluded that I had no real evidence that Herbert was the father.  The only hint might have been that his sister Eliza was known to my father and grandmother as Auntie Billy and she remained close to the family after moving to Bournemouth and my Grandmother, once married, moving to Weymouth, Dorset. But the term ‘Auntie’ could simply be explained by the fact that Auntie Billy (ELIZA MILLETT) could have been as much of a mother to Beatrice as Mary Ann Millet, who was almost 50 years old when she adopted BEATRICE and then died when Beatrice was aged 12, leaving Eliza to take care of Beatrice.

I kept an eye open for DNA matches that weren’t connected to other lines in my family tree. Finally, last year I received a message from Stewart Young who’s shared DNA match with me indicated a common great grandfather on my paternal side.  After two phone calls exploring our respective ancestors, we decided that the most likely link by far was his gt grandfather Tom Young and my missing gt grandfather, father of Beatrice, despite Tom being a business man 14 years senior to Lilian’s 17 years. Lilian was described as a domestic servant on Beatrice’s birth certificate.

Beatrice was born to and raised by Weston super Mare families.    Tom Young, whilst coming from Leeds and then living in Stonehouse, Glos., had three sisters who ran a boarding house in WSM. There were other family links to Weston too.   Therefore, I am exploring any facts and stories that might substantiate further the theory that TOM YOUNG is my great grandfather.   I’m curious to know why Mary Ann Millett adopted Beatrice Weymouth as a baby, if in fact her son Herbert was not thought to be the father.  

I would like to know where LILIAN WEYMOUTH was a domestic servant in 1893/4.  Did she ‘live in’ somewhere, e.g. a boarding house?  Where were JANE, ISOBEL and ALICE YOUNG (tom’s sisters) running their boarding house in 1894?  (In 1901 they were living at 13 Raglan Circus).  

Were there stories of a secret liaison between Tom Young and Lilian Weymouth.  Did Tom honour his responsibility to an illegitimate child by supporting financially someone to raise her?   Perhaps Mary Ann Millett took laundry in from the sisters boarding house and was aware of plight of Lilian’s plight? Maybe she received payment for raising the child? 

Does anyone know of ERNEST WEYMOUTH? (Lilian’s brother) who kept a watchful eye over his illegitimate niece Beatrice and was witness at her wedding in Swindon in 1915.  (I was told he had a jewellers shop in WSM).

Some of these questions seem ‘far out’! But I cannot explain the DNA connection otherwise.

Angela Willes

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