I'll ramble away to myself ...

[Callmebill]

I wonder whether Pearly Poll’s name is Mary Ann? Considering the number of monikers people used, Pearly probably followed the same practise. Pearly was a masculine looking female with a hoarse voice. Mary Ann, slang; an effeminate man, or one who takes a female role; a homosexual man – a playful nickname for someone of doubtful sex.
My hunch is her name was Margaret Mary Connelly. The name Margaret means pearl, and Polly is a nickname for Mary. Pearly Poll.

Pearly had a cousin, Mrs Sheen, Drury Lane – or thereabouts, in St Giles. Is this Johanna Sheen/Shean/Shehan Pearly Poll’s cousin? She lived in Little Wild Street for twenty years or more.

Johanha Shehan
England and Wales Census, 1881
Name Johanha Shehan
Event Type Census
Event Date 1881
Event Place St Giles In The Fields And St George Bloomsbury, London, Middlesex, England
Registration District St Giles
Residence Note Little Wild St
Gender Female
Age 42
Marital Status (Original) Married
Occupation Bookfolder
Relationship to Head of Household Wife
Birth Year (Estimated) 1839
Birthplace Middlesex, England
Page Number 62
Registration Number RG11
Piece/Folio 323/68
Birthplace
D Shehan Head M 44 Ireland
Johanha Shehan Wife F 42 Middlesex, England
Mary Shehan Daughter F 21 Middlesex, England
John Shehan Son M 19 Middlesex, England
Norah Shehan Daughter F 17 Middlesex, England
Margt Shehan Daughter F 15 Middlesex, England
Johanah Shehan Daughter F 9 Middlesex, England
Mich Shehan Son M 6 Middlesex, England
Ed Shehan Son M 3 Middlesex, England
Ellen Shehan Daughter F 0 Middlesex, England

Johanna Shean
England and Wales Census, 1871
Name Johanna Shean
Event Type Census
Event Date 1871
Event Place St Giles, London, Middlesex, England
Enumeration District 5
Gender Female
Age 32
Marital Status Married
Occupation Castermenger
Relationship to Head of Household Wife
Birth Year (Estimated) 1839
Birthplace St Giles, Middlesex
Entry Number 15
Affiliate Image Identifier GBC/1871/0344/0118
Birthplace
Dennis Shean Head M 32 Ireland
Johanna Shean Wife F 32 St Giles, Middlesex
Mary Shean Daughter F 12 St Giles, Middlesex
John Shean Son M 10 St Giles, Middlesex
Norah Shean Daughter F 8 St Giles, Middlesex
Margaret Shean Daughter F 5 St Giles, Middlesex
Edward Shean Son M 3 St Giles, Middlesex

Dennis Shean
England and Wales Census, 1861
Name Dennis Shean
County London, Middlesex
Event Type Census
Event Date 1861
Event Place St Giles, London, Middlesex, England
Ecclesiastical Parish London
Registration District St Giles
Residence Note Little Wild Street
Gender Male
Age 22
Marital Status Married
Occupation Bricklayers Labourer
Relationship to Head of Household Boarder
Birth Year (Estimated) 1839
Birthplace Ireland
Page Number 63
Registration Number RG09
Piece/Folio 169 / 94
Birthplace
John Barry Head M 51 Ireland
Catherine Barry Wife F 50 Ireland
Elizabeth Barry Daughter F 16 Ireland
Catherine Barry Daughter F 14 Ireland
Johanna Barry Daughter F 12 Ireland
Honnora Barry Daughter F 8 Ireland
Ellen Barry Daughter F 5 Ireland
Dennis Shean Boarder M 22 Ireland
Johanna Shean Boarder F 21 Ireland
Mary A Shean Boarder F 2 London, Middlesex

I haven’t found a marriage between Johanna and Dennis but anyway:

Johanna Mccarthy
England and Wales Census, 1851
Name Johanna Mccarthy
Event Type Census
Event Date 1851
Event Place Kensington, Middlesex, England
Registration District Kensington
Residence Note Jennings Buildings
Gender Female
Age 10
Occupation Scholar
Relationship to Head of Household Lodger
Birth Year (Estimated) 1841
Birthplace Kensington, Middlesex
Birthplace
John Simpson Head M 37 Kensington, Middlesex
Helen Simpson Wife F 36 Ireland
James Simpson Son M 63 Kensington, Middlesex
William Simpson Son M 10 Kensington, Middlesex
John Simpson Son M 9 Kensington, Middlesex
Joseph Simpson Son M 7 Kensington, Middlesex
Vincent Simpson Son M 3 Kensington, Middlesex
Edward Simpson M 0 Kensington, Middlesex
James Sullivan Lodger M 36 Ireland
Ellen Sullivan Lodger F 34 Ireland
Edward Turpin Lodger M 27 Bristol,
Maria Brian Lodger M 30 Ireland
Catherine Kent Lodger F 18 Ireland
William Barsley Lodger M 17 Kensington,
John Kraghorn Lodger M 40 Ireland
George Wilde Lodger M 47 Taunton,
Thomas Jackson Lodger M 17 , N K
Robert Roach Lodger M 26 Ireland
Stephen Berry Lodger M 34 Dublin Ireland
Charles Mccarthy Lodger M 57 Ireland
Mary Mccarthy Lodger F 43 Ireland
Charles Mccarthy Lodger M 6 Kensington
Johanna Mccarthy Lodger F 10 Kensington, Middlesex

Dennis Sheen
England and Wales Census, 1851
Name Dennis Sheen
Event Type Census
Event Date 1851
Event Place Saint Luke, Middlesex, England
Registration District Saint Luke
Residence Note Elizabeth Court
Gender Male
Age 11
Occupation Wood Cutter
Relationship to Head of Household Son
Birth Year (Estimated) 1840
Birthplace St Lukes, Middlesex
Page Number 35
Registration Number HO107
Piece/Folio 1522 / 21
Affiliate Record Type Household
Birthplace
Patrick Sheen Head M 52 Ireland
Bridgett Sheen Wife F 53 Ireland
John Sheen Son M 21 St Lukes, Middlesex
Maurice Sheen Son M 15 St Lukes, Middlesex
Dennis Sheen Son M 11 St Lukes, Middlesex

So this Charlie is Johanna Shean’s brother?
England and Wales Census, 1871
Name Mccarthy
Event Type Census
Event Date 1871
Event Place St Andrew, London, Middlesex, England
Enumeration District 7
Relationship to Head of Household
Birthplace Ventam Place
Entry Number 10
Affiliate Image Identifier GBC/1871/0374/0154
Birthplace
Charles Mccarthy Head M 28 Ireland
Joanna Mccarthy Wife F 29 Ireland
Julia MccarthyDaughter F 4 Ventam Place
James Mccarthy Son M 2 Ventam Place
Joanna MccarthyDaughter F 0 Ventam Place

Margarett Conley
England and Wales Census, 1841
Name Margarett Conley
Titles and Terms NULL
Event Type Census
Event Date 1841
Event Place St George, Middlesex, England
Residence Note Three Colt Alley
Gender Female
Age 7
Age (Original) 7
Occupation Null
Birth Year (Estimated) 1834
Birthplace Middlesex
Registration District St George, East
Book Number 1
Parish St George
County Middlesex
Page Number 12
Registration Number HO107
Piece/Folio 696/27
Affiliate Record Type Institution
Household
Birthplace
Mary Mccarthy F 40-44 Ireland
Ellen Mccarthy F 13 Middlesex
Norah Mccarthy F 15-19 Middlesex
Daniel Mccarthy M 23-27 Ireland
Michael Conley M NULL Ireland
Margarett Conley F 7 Middlesex
Michael Conley M 10 Middlesex
John Calden M 22-26 Ireland
Daniel Connor M 34-38 Ireland
Jeremiah Madden M 23-27 Ireland

It doesn’t look as if there’s much here, but there is a Margret Conley in the same institution as Mary McCarthy, Johanna’s mother? Mary doesn’t appear to have aged in ten years but two Charlies have arrived, one son and an errant husband. But Johanna has called her two of her children Norah and Ellen – after her aunts?
This other 1841 census has a Margreth Connelly living in the same workhouse as a Johana McCarty. Perhaps someone looking after baby Johanna?

Johana Mccarty
England and Wales Census, 1841
Name Johana Mccarty
Titles and Terms NULL
Event Type Census
Event Date 1841
Event Place St Giles In The Fields, Middlesex, England
Residence Note Church Street
Gender Female
Age 1
Age (Original) 1
Occupation Null
Birth Year (Estimated) 1840
Birthplace Middlesex
Registration District St Giles & St George
Book Number 16
Parish St Giles In The Fields
County Middlesex
Page Number 63
Registration Number HO107
Piece/Folio 673/35
Affiliate Record Type Institution
Household
Birthplace
John Mccarty M 30-34 Ireland
Catharine Mccarty F 25-29 Middlesex
Owen Mccarty M 25-29 Ireland
Bridget Mccarty F 20-24 Ireland
Johana Mccarty F 1 Middlesex
Michl Connelly M 45-49 Ireland
Ellen Connelly F 30-34 Ireland
Michl Connelly M 15-19 Middlesex
Margreth Connelly F 8 Middlesex ... (50 in 1888 born 1838) .....1833
Wilm Sullivan M 25-29 Middlesex
Hanorah Sullivan F 30-34 Ireland
Hanorah Sullivan F 10 Middlesex
Catharine Harinton F 40-44 Ireland
Wilm Galaway M 40-44 Ireland
Anne Galaway F 35-39 Middlesex
Elliza Connor F 25-29 Ireland
Bridget Kusick F 25-29 Ireland
Catharine Kusick F 3 Middlesex
Jane James F 25-29 Middlesex
Margreth Brian F 35-39 Ireland
Anne Boyd F 40-44 Middlesex
Mary Field F 50-54 Middlesex
Bridget Cooly F 50-54 Middlesex

[Sam Flynn]

Hello Bill

Indeed she was a "Mary Ann", and here she is, husky voice and all:

There were three entries for Pearly Poll in the Whitechapel Infirmary records for 1888, and on two occasions she was suffering from a respiratory infection:

[ATTACH]18308[/ATTACH]

[Callmebill]

Okay. So named Mary Ann at birth or called Mary Ann as a moniker?

[Sam Flynn]

I'd guess it was her birth-name, Bill, and I'd say that - on the basis of her medical history - her husky voice was due to a tendency to throat infections.

[Debra A]

There's research on her here that might interest you, Bill

https://www.jtrforums.com/showthread.php?t=23130

http://www.jtrforums.com/showthread.php?t=17649

Unfortunate;y some of the images are now missing because photobucket doesn't allow image hosting anymore.

Debs

[Debra A]

Another thread connected is research on Poll's husband Thomas Fogarty

https://www.jtrforums.com/showthread.php?t=27058

[Callmebill]

I suppose that's what keeps us all digging in them there old disused goldmines. Nuggets - of information.