Genealogy Chat

I'm kind of new to this & I've come up again a sticking point!

I'm presently researching my maternal family tree.

My Grandfather - Horace Ernest George Vardi - born 1912
My Great Grandfather - Horace Reginald Vardi - born 1885

According to his birth certificate, Horace Reginald VARDI was born in the Croydon Workhouse Infirmary & his mother was listed as Elizabeth VARDY, a Domestic Servant from Croydon.

I have not been able to find anything further for Elizabeth Vardy, but I assume that if she gave birth in the Workhouse, perhaps this is why the spelling of the surname was amended from VARDY to VARDI?

I can only find records for a SARAH ELIZABETH VARDY - born c.1869 in Beaulieu, New Forest, Hampshire, England.

Her parents are shown as Henry Vardy & Sarah Vardy (nee White).

Is anyone able to clarify if I'm "going down the road" & if this information that I've found already, is correct?

Am I to assume correctly that if an unmarried, single mother was pregnant around this era, that in most cases, she would have to leave her family & perhaps change her name?
Which is why Sarah Elizabeth Vardy from Hampshire, went to Croydon to give birth & amended her name to Elizabeth Vardi?

Any help would be greatly appreciated...& thanks for reading.

The spelling of the surname could be just down to the fact that a lot of people were illiterate in those days and may not have noticed if their name was not written correctly.

It looks like Horace Reginald's surname was registered as Vardy:-

First name(s) HORACE REGINALD
Last name VARDY
Birth year 1885
Birth quarter 4
Registration month -
Mother's maiden name -
District Croydon
County Surrey
Country England
Volume 2A
Page 192
Record set England & Wales Births 1837-2006
Category Birth, Marriage, Death & Parish Records
Subcategory Civil Births

Pregnant girls often left home and ended up giving birth in a workhouse (my own grandmother did), but I wouldn't think that there was any need for them to change their name.

Kath. x

Have you found Horace with his Mother in the censuses?

For our info.

1911 Census For England & Wales
7 Heath Grove, Penge, Surrey & Kent, England

First name(s) Last name Relationship Marital status Sex Age Birth year Occupation Birth place
Horace Reginald Vardi Head Married Male 25 1886 Carter On General Carrier Croydon Surrey
Ellen Vardi Wife Married Female 25 1886 - Penge Surrey
Winifred Ethel Davis Daughter - Female 7 1904 - Penge Surrey

From image. Married less than a year. 1 child born to marriage

Name: Mother's Maiden Surname: Order:

DAVIS WINIFRED ETHEL - Order
GRO Reference: 1904 J Quarter in CROYDON Volume 02A Page 333 Order

VARDI, HORACE ERNEST GEORGE DAVIS Order
GRO Reference: 1912 M Quarter in CROYDON Volume 02A Page 691

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Surname First name(s) District Vol Page
Marriages Dec 1910 (>99%)
Davis Ellen Croydon 2a 610
Putman Violet E Croydon 2a 610
Vardi Horace R Croydon 2a 610
Webley Arthur L Croydon 2a 610

Thanks for your answers.
I can't find any census records showing Horace Vardi with his mother from 1891 or 1901 & only as greyghost has stated above, in 1911 when he was married & living in Penge.

Yes, I had a quick look and could not see any.

Horace R Vardi on the 1939 Register

1939 Register Transcription

Vardi Household (10 People) 15 Heath Grove , Penge U.D., Kent, England
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First name(s) Last name(s) DOB Sex Occupation Marital status Schedule Schedule Sub Number
Horace R Vardi 02 Oct 1885 Male Motor Driver Married 252 1
Ellen Vardi 01 Jun 1885 Female Unpaid Domestic Duties Married 252 2
Horace E Vardi 31 Jan 1912 Male Garage Hand Married 252 3
Nellie M Vardi 16 Sep 1913 Female Unpaid Domestic Duties Married 252 4
Florence L Strong (Vardi) 30 Mar 1916 Female Laundry Ironer Single 252 5
George W Vardi 23 Apr 1918 Male Butchers Assistant Single 252 6
Dorothy E Beckway (Vardi) 07 Mar 1920 Female Laundry Ironer Single 252 7
Jack E Vardi 20 Jun 1922 Male Butchers Assistant Single 252 8
Sorry, this record is officially closed. Check if you can open a closed record.
Sorry, this record is officially closed. Check if you can open a closed record.

Just for information and to show how people move around, this Vardy family (though not the new forest):
1891 census
Arthur Vardy
Birth Year: 1844 Birth Place: Bransgore, Hampshire, England
Spouse: Mary Vardy
Child: Fred Ryder Vardy Croydon 24
William Chs Vardy Croydon 20
Edith Julia Vardy Croydon 17
May Ethel Vardy Croydon 15
Bessie Bell Vardy Croydon 13
Bertha Grace Vardy Croydon 10
Lillian J Vardy Southampton 6
Civil Parish: Millbrook Residence Place: Shirley, Millbrook, Hampshire, England Sub registration district: Millbrook
ED, Institution or Vessel: 4 Piece: 927 Folio: 63

Name: Horace Reginald Vardi
Military Year: 1914-1920
Rank: Corporal
Medal Awarded: British War Medal and Victory Medal
Regiment or Corps: Army Service Corps
Regimental Number: T3/024138
Previous Units: R.A.S.C. T3/024138 Corporal.

Have you found a death or marriage for Elizabeth, and does he name a Father on his marriage certificate?

Kent, Bromley Absent Voters List 1918
First name(s) Horace Reginald
Last name Vardi
Gender Male
Service number T3/024138
Rank Corporal
Unit/Regiment 161st Co ASC
Service Army
Year 1918
Address 7 Heath Grove
Ward Penge II
Place Bromley
County Kent
Country England
Description Absent Voters List, Bromley Council 1918

Just to follow the Sarah Elizabeth Vardy you mention -

Sarah Elizabeth or Elizabeth Vardy in 1881

1881 England, Wales & Scotland Census
Bucklers Hard, Beaulieu, New Forest, Hampshire, England

First name(s) Last name Relationship Marital status Sex Age Birth year Occupation Birth place
Henry Vardy Head Married Male 40 1841 Blacksmith Beaulieu, Hampshire, England
Sarah Vardy Wife Married Female 37 1844 - Beaulieu, Hampshire, England
Walter Vardy Son Single Male 16 1865 Ag Lab Beaulieu, Hampshire, England
Arthur Vardy Son Single Male 13 1868 Ag Lab ((Scholar)) Beaulieu, Hampshire, England
Elizabeth Vardy Daughter Single Female 12 1869 Scholar Beaulieu, Hampshire, England
Blanche Vardy Daughter Single Female 10 1871 Scholar Beaulieu, Hampshire, England
Joseph Vardy Son Single Male 8 1873 Scholar Beaulieu, Hampshire, England
Bertie Vardy Son Single Male 6 1875 Scholar Beaulieu, Hampshire, England
Lucy Vardy Daughter Single Female 4 1877 Scholar Beaulieu, Hampshire, England
John Vardy Son Single Male 3 1878 Scholar Beaulieu, Hampshire, England

--------------------------
Henry and his wife with Arthur, Blanche and John (plus Grandson William) are in Lymongton, Hants in 1891

so is this her marriage -
Surname First name(s) District Vol Page
Marriages Jun 1887 (>99%)
Butt Helena I.Wight 2b 930
OSMOND James Henry I Wight 2b 930 <<<<<<<<<
Searle Samuel Joseph I. Wight 2b 930
Vardy Sarah Elizabeth I. Wight 2b 930 <<<<<<<<

-----------------------------
Isle of Wight BMD Marriage Records
SARAH ELIZABETH VARDY% between 1887 and 1887

Year Groom Surname Forename(s) Bride Surname Forename(s) Place Register
held Ref
(new window)
1887 OSMOND James Henry VARDY Sarah Elizabeth St Mary, Carisbrooke With Registrar
---------------------------

England Marriages 1538-1973

First name(s) James Henry
Last name Osmond
Name note -
Age 20
Birth place Of Southampton
Marriage year 1887
Marriage date 16 May 1887
Marriage place Carisbrooke
Father's first name(s) Robert
Father's last name Osmond
Spouse's first name(s) Sarah Elizabeth
Spouse's last name Vardy
Spouse's birth year 1868
Spouse's birth date 1868
Spouse's father's first name(s) Henry
Spouse's father's last name Varey
Residence Carisbrooke, Hampshire, England
County Hampshire
Country England
Record set England Marriages 1538-1973

Unfortunately there are lots of girls called Elizabeth Vardy or Varty, born in various places.

She could have gone to Croydon from anywhere, and wasn't necessarily there at the time of any census.

Is there a reason you picked out Sarah Elizabeth in particular?

No way - at the moment - of knowing if Elizabeth was even English

Or she may have assumed Horace's father's name for respectability, without being married.
There were a number of Verdis in England in 1881, mainly in Portsea and London. The Portsea Verdis included two British sailors born in Corfu (father and son) in the Royal Navy.

I had hopes of the younger one, Denis / Dennis / Dennes - but he married in 1883

Wow, thank you all so much. I had already researched the Vardi family from the early 20th century as they lived in or around Penge (now SE London) as this is where my mother was born & grew up.

ArgyllGran, I came to the conclusion (rightly or wrongly) that this Sarah Elizabeth Vardy was my relative as I've heard of a Walter being in the family & so she seemed to "fit".

Please advise me.....should I get a marriage or death certificate for my Great Gandfather Horace Reginald Vardi, i.e. would either of these certificates show a fathers name.....?

Any further advise would be greatly appreciated.

Your great-grandfather's death certificate wouldn't give his father's name and even if his marriage certificate DID show a father's name then it is likely that this would either be "made up" so as to save face in front of his in-laws, or it would be a step-father's name if his mother subsequently married. If his birth certificate didn't give a father's name then I don't think you are likely to ever know who his father was (unless his baptism record gives a likely father).

Kath. x

As you cannot find him in 1891 or 1901, there might be some useful information on the marriage certificate - names of witnesses, if related, or some further clue to his Mother.