Fonville

[Phoenix]

This is not my family, but I must confess to being baffled.

William George Fonville is born c 1836 Marylebone

In 1871, he is living here: Weaver's Place, St George Hanover Square, Westminster with wife Mahala, daughter Mahala and son George Henry.

In 1881 he is at 7, Brown St, St George Hanover Square

born c 1836, Marylebone (surname FONVIELLE)

His mother apparently died pre 1841 in the workhouse St George Hanover Square and it is thought his father died round about his birth.

There are a couple of George Fonvilles floating around, shoemakers, who might be related. One is mistranscribed as Youville in 1851.

Can anyone find William on censuses before 1871?

[Phoenix]

Hmm 1851 he is Fomdle per fmp

21, Grosvenor Market, Saint George Hanover Square, Westminster

Grandmother Ann Fonville, 70, born Crayford, Kent.

[anne fraser]

I have not found William but I did find a marriage for Mahala on 5 August 1894 to Joshua Scales son of John Alfred Scales. There is a George Fonville born 1812 in Westham Workhouse in 1851.

[anne fraser]

This is 1881 from from family search
Name: W G Fonvielle
Age: 45
Gender: Male
Birth Year: 1836
Birthplace: Marylebone, Middlesex, England
Head
Married
General Porter
Address: 7 Brown St
Census Place: St George Hanover Square, Middlesex, England

Family History Library Film: 1341021
The National Archives Reference: RG11
Piece/Folio: 92 / 44
Page Number: 5

W G Fonvielle M 45
Spouse Mahala Fonvielle F 49
Child G H Fonvielle M 16
Child Mahala Fonvielle F 11
Child Elizabeth Fonvielle F 9
.

[Phoenix]

Thank you for looking, Ann!

This family is driving me mad. The surname is vanishingly rare, so you don't get variants.

I can't find Ann or William in 1841, Ann's death, or William in 1861, even though they don't appear to stray from St George Hanover Square.

[anne fraser]

There is a marriage on ancestry of William George Fonvielle to Mahala Thompson father William George Fonvielle 20th September 1863 St. Luke's Chelsea. also marriage of Elizabeth Charlotte Fonvielle to George Lewis. I wonder if Ann remarried. There is a marriage between Ann Fomvielle and David Carpenter but I can't see the date.

According to this the name is Hugenot http://library.uncw.edu/web/collections/oralhistories/transcripts/758.html

[Phoenix]

Sorry for missing your posting, Anne!

I had the opportunity while at LMA to look at the Ann Fomvielle marriage. A little early, alas.

The references are so sparse that I suspect the family didn't arrive in this country until late 1700s. Or are all in Hugenot records, which I gather are generally not online.