Mahy’s in Bristol

Question

I have come to a dlock when looking into the Mahys in Bristol pre 1800s. Archille Mahy I understand to have been in a Orphanage post 1821. The family came to NZ beginning 1900s. Can anyone help me or have further info.

Thankyou

Scotty

Answer 1

Hi Darren, I think your Achille was born in France or at least that's the place of birth given   (probably by his father in law)  in the 1861 census

Looking at your family tree, I found https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Mahy-93 married to Emma Simms

Achille married Emma in Nantwich,  Cheshire, in April 1860. The couple both gave their address as Hospital S[treet?]. Achille  gave his occupation as a fitter. He gave his father's name as Louis, a soldier.

"England, Cheshire Parish Registers, 1538-2000," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:F3PZ-NJG : 7 December 2017), Achille Mahy and Emma Sims, 17 Apr 1860, Marriage; citing item 1 p 211, , Nantwich, Cheshire, England, Record Office, Chester; FHL microfilm 2,105,032

The 1861 census entry (which I couldn't find on Family Search)  has Achille and wife Emma living in Liverpool with Emma's parents. Her father, John Simms  was a dock labourer  who had originally come from Evercreech in Somerset. Emma and hers sister had been born in Bristol

Achille's birthplace is given as France. (link below to an freely viewable image on Ancestry)

https://www.ancestry.co.uk/sharing/21835796?h=6cae10&utm_campaign=bandido-webparts&utm_source=post-share-modal&utm_medium=copy-url

The 1871 census  for Everton, Liverpool  finds  an Emma  Mahy , born in Bristol with her children including Frank Mahy aged 3 months.There is no husband present

"England and Wales Census, 1871", database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KZGT-B4L : 23 April 2019), Frank Mahy in entry for Emma L Mahy, 1871

Oddly the marriage register for Frank Mahy and Jessie Cox has his father's name written as Wm but that has been crossed out 

https://www.ancestry.co.uk/sharing/21835834?h=f6ca6b&utm_campaign=bandido-webparts&utm_source=post-share-modal&utm_medium=copy-url

(haven't searched for Emma and Achille in any later censuses)

Comments

 In 1881, Frank and his brother George were in the Bristol City Workhouse (image seen on ancestry)  Here's the index entry from Family Search, unfortunately though it says that they were inmates, it doesn't give the institution

"England and Wales Census, 1881," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q27X-LNYF : 13 December 2017), George Mahy, Stapleton, Gloucestershire, England; from "1881 England, Scotland and Wales Census," database and images, findmypast (http://www.findmypast.com : n.d.); citing p. 29, Piece/Folio 2508/130, The National Archives, Kew, Surrey; FHL microfilm 101,774,752.

This gives you a better transcript of the census entry for the workhouse. You can see that it was quite a large institution with a school  (maybe  this is where the  story of an orphanage comes from, only it was Frank there rather than his father.)

http://www.workhouses.org.uk/Bristol/Bristol1881.shtml

I haven't found any of the others yet. His mother Emma turns up as a  widow and cook in Islington in 1901 and from about 1904 an Emma Mahy  seems to be in and out of the nearby  St Pancras workhouse (last entry I found was 1912) 

---

Wholey moley thats great. I was always lead to believe we were kicked out of France and survived off Piracy in Guernsey Island and somehow ended up in Bristol. The family shipped out to NZ and landed in Whakatane where Mahy is now a common name. The childrens book author Margret Mahy is a cousin.

I am a ranger in Fiordland National Park, NZ

Thankyou so much for your help

Scotty