What happened to Sarah & her daughter?

[[Ray]]

Hi

You have the 1911 census.

"They had a son, William 1900-1905. It also appears there was a daughter, Sarah, born about 1902.
It appears that William Henry Chapman left the family in England abt 1903."

Sarah states that the "marriage" had produced 5 children, with 4 having died.
Of course, the other 3 may have died after he deserted her.


Ray

[RedMystic]

Oh my goodness, Ray. I hadn't noticed the 5 children. Is there any way to verify the births? There must have been at least 1 set of twins if it's true. With the 1st child in Canada born Oct 1903, there wasn't time for 5 children with Sarah unless there was a multiple birth or 2. 

[groom]

Are you certain that the child born in Canada in 1903 was actually William's child and not his second wife's illegitamate child?

If the number 6 after deserted is correct, that means he left Sarah in 1906. This would give enough time for another child to be born. It is also possible that some of the children that she lost were not his and were born after he deserted her.

Births and deaths can be searched using Freebmd http://www.freebmd.org.uk/

[RedMystic]

Hi Groom. It has been a while since we've crossed paths. Good to see you again.

Thanks for the FreeBMD. I knew there was one, but it's been a while since I've been researching in England so had forgotten where to find it.

Great thoughts on why there might have been 5 births (perhaps not all William's or perhaps William wasn't the father of the 1903 daughter in Canada). Food for thought.

The family was told that William arrived in North America 1901, but that's unlikely given daughter Sarah b abt 1902 in England. I'm in the process of figuring out how to order birth certs from Province of Quebec for the two daughters born there (1903 & 1906). Hopefully, that will illuminate the situation.

Now I'm hustling to the FreeBMD site you've provided to see if I can determine what happened to the 1st family, mother-in-law Sarah, wife Sarah, and daughter Sarah. 

Thanks again. 

[groom]

Hello

I can't find a birth for Sarah between 1900 and 1904. The 1911 says she was born in Sth Norwood, which would come under Surrey, probably Croydon, but I can't see any births there at all.

I wonder if she could be the Audrey Sarah Chapman who was born Sept quarter 1901 and registered in Croydon  https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/2FZV-9P9  That would make her 9 when the census was taken but I can't find that one in 1911.

Audrey Sarah Chapman born abt 1902 died 8th April 1955 in Hammersmith, London, according to probate records she was a spinster.

Daughter, Sarah Chapman (b abt 1902), was living with her maternal grandmother, Sarah Ann Masters (nee Charlton) b abt 1843, in Kensington, London.

Interestingly, Audrey Sarah Chapman was on the electoral register in Kensington in the late 1920s. and early 1930s

[RedMystic]

Thanks Groom. You're amazing! I'll order a cert for Audrey Sarah to see if her parentage aligns.

[groom]

Death for her grandmother

Sarah A Masters
Estimated birth year:   abt 1843   Age at Death:   71
1914   Jul-Aug-Sep
Registration district:   Kensington
Volume:   1a   Page:   165

[RedMystic]

You've knocked it out of the park again. Many thanks. 

I have to wonder what happened to daughter Sarah when her grandmother died. She'd have been only 13. If her mother was still a live-in domestic then the girl likely went to work. 

Did the electoral rolls for Audrey Sarah Chapman happen to say what she did for a living?

[groom]

No, all they give is an address. Up until around 1935 she is in Kensington and then moves to the Balham/ Clapham area. I wonder if she could have been a nurse, as the address from 1945 to 1952 is Clapham Common South Side, South London Hospital.