India: Help please with Baker 1880's West Bengal

[hepburn]

1901 census Bedfordshire,in the Family of Katherine Freeman.RG13/1488/119/page 28.
Mabel I F Baker (transcribed as Mabel J F Baker )boarder, age 14 born in India, British subject...*it looks like an I to me.

[hepburn]

Is this Frederick.......BT26/794/item 171.
Frederick C Baker born abt 1894 India.   Arriving England 15 April 1925 from Bombay..?

[chris2705]

Looking at the passenger record for Frederick he appears to be working for the Indian Police and going to visit Grindalys Bank (curious). The British Library looks as if it will have records of Police and so I think this will be another thing to look up there.

It puzzles me why two of the children now look to have been returned to England as they are on the 1901 census as boarders (at other ends of the country) at the ages of just 14 and 16.

[hepburn]

Maybe their Father was shipped off to work somewhere else ,in another Country..

[hepburn]

Katherine Freeman's late Husband, Charles Frederic was a solicitor,perhaps William had a business friendship with with him...

[chris2705]

It is certainly possible, the ages would be similar I imagine. I wonder how common it would have been to send a child back to England from India unless it was to go to school? If Mabel was shown as a "scholar" then it might be less surprising, but she is simply listed as a "boarder"when aged only 14. Is this significant or unusual?

[hepburn]

I don't know,wasn't school leaving age 14?
Harriet Macmillan's late husband was a gas engineer,they travelled around a lot,two children born in Peru (Lima) one in Ireland,does this lead to them knowing William Baker,I don't know.......
Where is Laura Florence in 1901?
Can you have a look at the 1911 to see where Mabel is?

[chris2705]

BINGO!!

In 1911 Helena (aged 47, born in Singapore) is shown as a widow living in Bedford with Laura Florence, Frederick and a previously unknown sibling, a son, Cedric Stansmore Baker, born in 1898 in Bedford, England. 

I can't find an English death record for William Henry, so my guess is that he died in India before Cedric was born (timing seems very unfortunate or maybe there is some gossip there) or that they all returned and I simply have not found his English death record.

[chris2705]

ARRGGGH!!

This is frustrating! Now they all seem to vanish. I can't find any marriage or death records anywhere for the five children or Helena. I am curious though about her, she had her first child at 17 so probably married at 16 I wonder what the story was?

I would love to find William and Henry's marriage certificate.......