What happened to Simon Peter?

[Brunes08]

Simon Peter Rogers/Rodgers was born in Spalding, Lincolnshire in 1845. I do not have a copy of his birth certificate but the BMD Registration index shows Jul-Sep 1845 which fits with his Baptism on 27th July, 1845 in Spalding. His parents on the Baptism entry are Thomas Rogers and Margaret. Simon is on the 1851 census in Spalding with his parents, older sister, Ann aged 8 and younger brother, Charles, aged 2 years. In the 1861 census, 'Peter' is a tailor's apprentice aged 15 living in the household of Richard Peacock. I have visited Spalding and have walked betwen the two properties - they are very close, so think that Simon Peter / Peter may be one and the same person. I cannot find any more information about Simon Peter or Peter on marriage, death, census records, although I have followed up the rest of the family.

I will not add more here except to say that I think Simon Peter changed his name - I have later documents that indicate this possibility but i would like to be certain that there are no other records for him which could disprove it. Thanks in advance for any help given.

[VALLMO9]

I will not add more here except to say that I think Simon Peter changed his name - I have later documents that indicate this possibility but i would like to be certain that there are no other records for him which could disprove it.

Out of curiosity, and to prevent duplicate research, which documents suggest that he may have changed his name? Are we talking a full name change, or just first names?

[avaline]

From the details you've posted the nearest match I can find is Frank Rodgers, who married Hannah Lain in 1873, Forncett, Norfolk. He claimed to be 28, a widower & tailor of Westminster, and named his father as Thomas Rodgers, Warehouseman.

In 1881 they are in Whitehaven, Cumberland, and Frank is 35, a Tailor, born Spalding.

There are no Rodgers/Rogers births registered in Spalding for anyone named Frank, Francis etc ten years either side of his alleged YoB.

[avaline]

The same Frank Rogers appears to have married Catherine Pearce in 1867 in Bermondsey, and is in the 1871 census with her and daughter Annie (Annie Agnes Rodgers) in Newington, aged 25 and a tailor born Lincolnshire. I can't see the marriage online.

ADDED: In 1881 Annie Agnes Rodgers is in Spalding, granddaughter to Thomas & Margaret Rodgers (Simon Peter's parents).

[Brunes08]

Thank you for your responses. Just goes to show I should have written the whole saga, so my apologies if I have wasted your time. I just wanted to know if there were any other records for Simon Peter that I may have missed somewhere. Yes, it is Frank Rodgers that I think was Simon Peter. Frank's middle name is Ingram which was Margaret's maiden name. The reason I believe that Simon and Frank are the same person is because Frank took his small daughter, Annie, back to the family in Spalding to be cared for when his first wife died. I can not find any documentation with Frank's name on before his first marriage in 1868 - no birth, baptism or census record or even an incling that he might have been adopted informally. Nothing at all to tie him legally to Thomas and Margaret. I have all the BMDs and census returns for all the others in the saga but Frank's records always lead back to Spalding. I am descended from Frank's second marriage to Hannah. I always knew of the Norfolk part of the family but never heard mention of Spalding and I never heard mention of Annie either. It was when I started researching the family over thirty years ago that I first became aware that Frank was a widower when he married Hannah. So do you think I am right in supposing that Frank and Simon are one and the same person? Is it acceptable, with no definitive proof, to accept that this is the most likely scenario?

[avaline]

I would be perfectly happy to accept that its the same man if it was my tree.

I don't know how 'Frank' describes Thomas's occupation on his first marriage, but on his second he says he's a warehouseman, which is close enough to porter per the census. The presence of Annie Agnes as Thomas & Margaret's granddaughter firmly narrows down the candidates for her parent(s), and as you say you've traced Simon's siblings - which don't include anyone called Frank - then I can't see any other conclusion you could reach.