wales@ucla-cs.UUCP (12/11/85)
I would like to hear from anyone who has run across the last name DEGINSEY, or anything which might look like it when written by someone with sloppy handwriting, poor hearing, or minimal spelling skills. James WALES (b. June 1834 in England) married Mary Jane DEGINSEY (sp?) (b. Apr. 1844 in England) around 1863. They settled in Grass Valley, California (NE of Sacramento, in the Sierras). They were my great- great-grandparents. My only record so far of Mary Jane Wales's maiden name comes from the birth record of one of her children (a great-great-uncle). The record itself is simply a one-liner in a handwritten ledger. It appears to unmistakably say "Deginsey" as the mother's maiden name, and no one else who has looked at the entry can think of any other way to read it. Yet, I have searched the English civil birth registration microfilms for 1844 (and a couple years before and after 1844), and not only can I not find Mary Jane Deginsey listed there, but I can't find *anyone at all* with this surname. I have also spoken with several British friends, none of whom have ever heard of the name. On the chance that bad handwriting or bad spelling might be involved, I looked in the English birth records for any names starting with the letters [DP][ei][gjz], without success. No record of the marriage appears to be available (my info on the time of the marriage comes from a notation in the 1900 census). I am trying to find either Mary Jane Wales's death certificate or that of one of her children, but I don't have any of these documents in hand yet. Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. -- Rich Wales // UCLA Computer Science Department // +1 213-825-5683 3531 Boelter Hall // Los Angeles, California 90024 // USA ARPA: wales@LOCUS.UCLA.EDU -or- wales@UCLA-LOCUS.ARPA UUCP: ...!(ucbvax,ihnp4)!ucla-cs!wales