Newfoundland's Grand Banks Message Board

I am looking for information about Marion Nichols and Claude Burdell. Marion Nichols (born ca. 1890) was a native of Newfoundland and Claude Burdell was English by birth. Claude was part of the RAF. He imigrated in 1910. They were married around 1911 and moved to Montreal later in the 1910 decade, then relocated in Boston where they stayed until their deaths. While in Newfoundland they had a son James born in 1914, and possibly a daughter before that.

I haven't been able to find any of them in the records.

Checking through findmypast.com ancestry.com I was able to find more information.

Mary Nichols evidently traveled to England in 1909 where she married Claude. She returned in early 1910 and he immigrated a few month later.

I was able to trace Caude's English ancestry up to his grandparents.

A pdf of Claude's time with the Newfoundland Regiment has them / him living on Battery Road in St John's.

The 1913 St. John's city directory has a Claude Berdale, carpenter on Battery Road which I would suspect is the Claude I'm looking for.

The 1911 census shows a Claude and Marian Burdett in St. John's East. They seem to have a daughter Mildred I of 5 months. Presumably she died in infancy or as a young child, because she doesn't appear in later records.

Claude and Marion also had a son James (born 7 December 1913), and a daughter Ethel Daisy (born 21 October 1916) in Newfoundland.

I'd be interested in getting confirmation of the 1911 census and 1913 Directory spellings, as well as an records of the Mildred, James and Ethel Daisy) births. Again, further information on Marion Nichols ancestry as well.

I now know Marion Nichols was born in August 31, 1887 to James and Minnie Nichols (St. Thomas Anglican Parish, St. John's East district). Her given name at birth is recorded as Miriam. The mother's name might be incorrect. James apparently had a sister, Minnie Nichols who married Joesph Judge. Miriam's mother's name is recorded as Mary in the records of birth for Marion's siblings.

James was a printer for the Evening Telegram.

James' full name was probably James Hatches Nichols, as shown in a marriage record for his daughter Ethel, recorded in Montreal. Mary's maiden surname was probably Martin or Martell, and her middle name was probably Josephine.

I'm not able to locate a marriage record for James Hatches Nichols and Mary Josephine Marin / Martell. If anyone comes across one, please let me know by personal message. It must have been not long before the birth of Marion in 1887, becuse both parents died in 1915 in their late 40s.

The marriage record for Joesph Judge and Minnie Nichols is from Topsail Anglican, and dated 1897, but there seems to be a gap in the Topsail records just around the time that James and Mary would have been married, if that is where they were married. The father of Minnie Nichols and James Hatches Nichols is another James Nichols, a fisherman. Sometimes the Nichols appears as Nicholas or Nicholls in the online records both here and at familysearch.org

Peter Enneson