David Beaumont (libbeau @t aol.com) of Kineton, Warwickshire, writes: I have a copy of the Marriage certificate of Charles David Pecover to Sarah Jane Collins of 23 December 1872 married in the Register Office by certificate at St Albans. We also have the Birth Certificate of Edward Beaumont Pecover, born 28 April 1884, registered at St Albans, Father Charles Pecover and mother Sarah Jane Collins of Lower Dagnall Street St Albans. Edward is my Grandfather and Charles David Pecover my great grandfather

My query is that when my grandfather Edward married in 13 April 1911 at the parish church in the parish of Charles, Plymouth, his name is given on the marriage certificate as Edward Beaumont and his father as Charles David Beaumont. The Pecover name has disappeared, and we would like to know why. Is there any place where change of surname by deed poll would be registered?

Also, how can we find out more about Charles David Pecover's father Edward Pecover (civil engineer) deceased at the time of Charles' marriage and John Collins (shoemaker), Sarah Jane's father on the marriage certificate.

Pecover is an unusual name which is not listed under St Albans in the Post Office or Kelly's Directories for 1870, 1878, 1882 or 1886 - which may merely indicate that Charles David Pecover's occupation or social status was not sufficiently high to be included. He is not listed in the 1881 census for St Albans (or elsewhere) and there is also no reference to the name in my main Press index, which is related to my research on Bernards Heath, St Albans. However I have found two St Albans references:

• I have indexed all the births, marriages and deaths listed in the Herts Advertiser paper for 1883 and this records the following death on 27th March 1883 - "At Half Moon-yard, St Albans, William Beaumont, infant son of Charles Pecover"
• The Genealogical Research Directory for 2000 lists Harold Greenwood, 108 The Ridgeway, St Albans, Herts, AL4 9PR, harold@cwcom.net, who is researching the Peckover family of Essex, Norfolk and Suffolk from 1808.

As she married in 1874 Sarah Jane Collins was possibly born between 1845 and 1855 and a check of the 1851 census shows the following family living at Pound Field, St Michaels, St Albans, which could be hers:

John COLLINS	Married	36	St Albans	Head	Shoemaker
Sarah COLLINS	Married	35	Harpenden	Wife
Samuel COLLINS		2	St Albans	Son
Ephriam COLLINS		1	St Albans	Son
Henry MANN		11	St Albans	Son-in-law	Errand Boy

"Son-in-law" probably equates to "step-son" and next door there was a family called Mann with the couple being old enough to be Sarah's parents - so perhaps Henry could have been illegitimate. Your next step could be to look at microfilms of the 1851 and 1861 census at your nearest LDS family History Centre (address at familysearch), or to buy your Sarah's birth certificate from HALS. It would probably worth checking the 1881 census CD for any members of the Collins family still alive in 1881.

There is no simple answer to people who change their names, for good reasons or bad, and you might care to look at What did your Ancestor call himself. As far as I am aware you can call yourself what you like, as long as you don't do it fraudulently - and the acting profession does it all the time. For instance I note the following entry in the 1881 census in Alexander Road, St Peter, St Albans:

Could this be your Pecover family? Obviously it is a guess - but it might be worth your buying Walter Beaumont's birth certificate from HALS to see if his mother's maiden name was Collins!

David Beaumont (libbeau @t aol.com) replied: Many thanks for the detailed reply you posted today. We are very excited, because the Beaumont family in the 1881 census ties up exactly with ages and dates of Charles and (Sarah) Jane Collins his wife. It shows two children, and Walter aged 10 months we do know of a Great Uncle Walter. So, by 1881 the family was known as Beaumont.

However, the death of the baby in the Herts Advertiser in 1883, gives the baby's name as William Beaumont, infant son of Charles Pecover! This was the year before my Great Grandfather Edward Beaumont was born, whose father is also down as Charles Pecover. It seems that the father used one name for the census, and another when registering the births of his babies!  We will get copies of the birth certificates of both Harry and Walter, shown on the 1881 census and see what their mother's maiden name was and what the father was calling himself at the time. We know that there were five boys one of whom died (that must be William) and one daughter, four of whom were born after the 1881 census.

You have given us a lot to go on and we will let you know if we find out any more.

It really is exciting if it proves to be the right family. As Charles was born in France my first thought was to wonder if the Pecover name is linked to a possible French ancestor. It might be worth your while checking familysearch to see if the surname has any particular geographical distribution.

September 2007