Nan in the U.S.

Given the spectacular proliferation that tends to accompany this surname, however, it's perhaps surprising that nothing earlier has shown up as far as I know.

But nothing is often certain if it comes from the days of widespread inability to read, write or therefore spell, the tendency to abbreviate, and/or the propensity to mix English and Latin. I have a note of an Edwin Turley, born c. 1849, as the fourth of the thirteen children (or twelve if some of the speculation here is justified) of Edward Turley and Mary Ann nee Sterry. In view of the tendency for fathers' first names to be passed to sons, it remains possible that, as one reply has suggested, the original records just had an abbreviation "Ed" or similar. Or worse if you care for obfuscation: I had a great-uncle, George Edmund Essex, born Cheltenham 1884, thus verified in the 1891 census and elsewhere including 1908 Lydney baptisms. He was probably the "G Essex" listed in a 1910 Lydney street directory, and is highly likely to have been the person listed by his army sergeant at Hounslow Barracks, Middlesex, in the 1901 census as George Edward Essex, aged 17, born Cheltenham, so you can't even confine "Ed" to being Edward or Edwin. Or Edgar. Or Edred. Or plain Eddie...

Margaret was the oldest daughter of Edward Turley and Mary Ann. It sort of came to me the other when looking at another line. The Grandparents had passed the Grandson off as their son om the census record

Pete

I thught Frank was the 13th child, but I am thinking now that Frank was a base born child of Margaret.

Record_ID: 65288
Entry_Number: 827
Year: 1869
Month: Jun
Day: 11
Parents_Surname: TURLEY
Child_Forenames: Frank
Fathers_Forenames: [base born]
Mothers_Forenames: Margaret
Mothers_Surname:
Residence: Union Westbury
Occupation: Single Woman
Officiating_Minister: TM Wetherell Chaplain
Event: Baptism
Memoranda:
Notes:
Register_Reference: P354 IN 1/15
Page_Number: 104
Parish_Chapel: Westbury on Severn
Soundex: T640

Pete

Name: Lionel Richard W Sterry
Year of Registration: 1908
Quarter of Registration: Jul-Aug-Sep
District: Chepstow
County: Gloucestershire, Monmouthshire
Volume: 11a
Page: 13

Name: Lionel R W Sterry
Spouse : Alice E Turley
Date of Registration: Apr-May-Jun 1930
Registration district: Westbury-On-Severn
Registration county (inferred): Gloucestershire
Volume Number: 6a
Page Number: 754

<><><> possible
Name: Alice E Turley
Year of Registration: 1911
Quarter of Registration: Oct-Nov-Dec
Mother's Maiden Name: James
District: Westbury On Severn
County: Gloucestershire
Volume: 6a
Page: 468

children ?

Dennis Rw Sterry Oct Nov Dec 1932 Chepstow Wales
John Sterry Apr May Jun 1935 Chepstow Wales
Graham N Sterry Jan Feb Mar 1938 F of Dean Gloucestershire, Shropshire, Herefordshire
Royston L Sterry Oct Nov Dec 1949 F of Dean Gloucestershire
Lynda M Sterry Apr May Jun 1953 Gloucester C Gloucestershire

From information obtained from www.sterryworldwide.com, Edward and Mary Ann Turley had 13 children from 1845 to 1869, who were, in order, Margaret, William, Richard, Edwin, Charles, John, Thomas, David, Hannah, Mary, James, Lucy and Frank.

My link is that next after Mary Ann Sterry, the second child of William and Ann nee Shaw was Richard Sterry (1823-1894) whose third wife was Eliza, nee Jay. Their third child was Henry Sterry (a spelling of "Sterrey" creeps in around now) who married Clara Ann Pritchard. The family home was 29 Albert Street, Lydney. Their second child was Frances Sterrey who married William Frank Essex at Lydney in 1913. Their second child was Robert Oscar Harold Essex, and I'm his son!

There are, it seems, two other Turley connections which I have partly verified.

First, as distinct from his third wife Eliza Jay, Richard Sterry's second wife was Caroline White. Their first child was another William Sterry who married Anna Elizabeth Pinniger. Their second child was yet another Richard Sterry (1879-1952) of 31 Tutnalls Street, Lydney who married Gertrude Brown. Their third child was Lionel Sterry (1908-1982) who I understand married a Turley and they had five children between 1932 and 1953.

Second, when Gertrude nee Brown died, Richard married again - to Lily Turley (1894-1937) who I believe has a recently-born great-great-grandchild living near Lydney.

Pete

The abbreviated name of Ed. could be either Edwin or Edward.

I believe I have the dates right for the above. I also have his marriage to Mary Ann Sterry.

However the 1861/71/81/91 census and his Baptism lists him as Edward, yet the Baptism of the below lists his fathers name as Edwin as do most of the siblings records, but not all some give Edward as the name.

Further checks of the belows marriage give fathers name as Edwin.

I have all the supposed records of Edward(Edwin) Turleys children.
Do I have the right family?

Record_ID: 163422
Entry_Number: 592
Year: 1856
Month: Jul
Day: 13
Parents_Surname: TURLEY
Child_Forenames: David
Fathers_Forenames: Edwin
Mothers_Forenames: Marianne
Mothers_Surname:
Residence: Blakeney Hill
Occupation: Mason
Officiating_Minister: C. Brookshank
Event: Baptism
Memoranda:
Notes:
Register_Reference: P50 IN 1/2
Page_Number: 74
Parish_Chapel: Blakeney
Soundex: T640

Pete