Wherefore art thou, Alice?

[Springbok]

 Alice Bedford was a daughter of John Bentley Bedford and 2nd wife Catherine (Kate) (variously Byrn/ O'Brian) b Cork Ireland
living at 20,Richards St. Islington

1871 census 10/253/73/49
1881  ...do... 11/227/74/32

Alice  b1863/64 married Leon Marc Francois Pittet  2nd.Nov 1882

Leon divorced Alice for adultery, June 1890 (I have first five pages of petiton  from Nat. Archives)

1891 census 12/168/73/23 ,Alice age 28 was Lodging at 19.St.James St.,Islington  (next to last on page)

She was entered under the name of the name of " Pettit" /single and a Post Office Clerk

29th April 1892 Alice Celia  is born. at 19 St. James St Islington. Registerd by mother Alice "Pittet" on 8th. June 1892.now of  33,Hanover St Islington..

She gave the name " Leonard"  Pittet as Father (He had already married Gertrude Silvester Jul- Sep qtr. 1891)

Alice Celia " Pettit" aged 8 yrs. is on the 1901 Census 13/184/36/32 with her widowed Half Aunt, Esther Wilkins and her Uncle John Bentley Bedford jnr.(half brother to Esther)!

I can find no mention of Alice Pittet (mother)  (1864) after the birth registration.The surname has been entered so many ways that it I've lost track of my searches!!

Hopefully someone can track her .

Spring

[jennifer c]

Hi, It sounds like you will have to spend some money on the 1911 census.

Jennifer

[Valda]

Hi

I would also check whether Alice reverted to her maiden name and to a single status on censuses.


Regards

Valda

[Springbok]

Thankyou both,

I have tried both single and married names(hopefully all spellings) BMDs. Also possible remarriages.

There are a couple of the latter but then ,either the census details are incompatible or I just haven't managed to find any entry which could be a "maybe".

Was just hoping someone could find a lead which I have missed

Spring

[Valda]

Hi

Have you eliminated the Alice Bedford in Southampton the boarding house keeper on the 1901 census?

Regards

Valda

[Springbok]

Missed that, thanks velda, will check

Spring

[Attore]

Hi - Alice was married to my great-grandfather, Leon Marc Francois Pittet. Their divorce was finalised in March 1891 (the petition having been filed in Feb 1890), by which time Alice was working again as a telegraphist for the Post Office (her job before marrying) and also a charwoman. She would have conceived Alice jnr around Aug 1891, long after she had left the marital home (she was lodging in 19 St James St in the 1891 census) and around the time (12 Sept 1891) that Leon remarried (my great-grandmother). The child was probably that of John Russell, the co-respondent in the divorce. He seems to have abandoned Alice, who, after leaving St James Street and briefly lodging in Hanover St, enters the Islington Parish Workhouse on 19 July 1892, with '11-week-old' Alice jnr. One-year-old Alice was discharged from the workhouse into the care of a 'Mrs Bayliss (friend)' on 1 May 1893; her mother left on 2 May. It looks as though Alice jnr then lived with her mother's sister, Esther Wilkins. They both then disappear from the record, though an Islington Alice Pittet appears on the electoral register 1922-37 at 16 Albert St, then (1938) at 16 Culpeper St. There is a death registered (1b 236) for 'Alice Pittet, Islington, aged 78' for the second quarter of 1941. I hope this helps. Did those pages from the divorce contain anything useful?
Yrs,
Attore

[janan]

Hi Attore

Welcome to Rootschat

Springbok hasn't been around since April last year but hopefully she will get notification of your reply and come back

Jan