Ellen Rooney. St.Helens, Lancs.

[nieve]

I have been trying to find the death of Ellen Rooney for some time with no luck.
Ellen, nee Moran, was married in 1878 in St. Helens to Patrick Rooney and on the 1881 Census was living at Peasley Cross Lane with one child and her parents etc.
On the 1891 he classed himself as a widow and the youngest child was 5.  So she must have alive in 1886 but I can't find a registered death.   I have tried all different variables of her name and even, after finding a site on RootsChat called namethesaurus, still can't find where/what happened to her.   Has anybody any other suggestions as to what I can do next?

[LizzieW]

Hi Nieve

I see her parents were born in Ireland.  I wonder if she had gone back to Ireland with them.  Just because Patrick called himself a widower, doesn't mean that he was.  Sometimes this was to cover the fact that people were separated.

Alternatively, as her parents were born in Ireland and Patrick was too, maybe they went to Ireland for a visit and Ellen died over there.

Lizzie

[nieve]

Hi LIzzie,  Thanks for your interest.   Ellen's  father died in 1890 in St. Helens and her mother died in 1887 once again in St. Helens.    I have considered the possibility that she 'did a runner' but living with parents and extended family may have been a problem!    I have searched high and low for both a maiden and married name, but she could have changed her name to hide herself which is always a possibility.   But did she have the wherewithall to do that, as poverty was paramount in those days.   Maybe somebody else can come up with a suggestion.    Nieve.

[jvy20]

Hi,

You may have this but just in case.

Patrick Rooney married Ellen Moran on 5 May 1878  at Holy Cross RC in St Helens.

Regards

John

[nieve]

John, Thanks for your interest.   I have the marriage certificate in front of me.   Patrick lived at Merton Bank Lane, Parr and Ellen lived at 111 Peasley Cross Lane, Sutton.   They were married at Holy Cross and I think that these areas had a high Irish population.    But where did Ellen get to?    Nieve

[LizzieW]

It's still possible that if she produced a child around 1886, that she took the child to Ireland to visit Patrick's parents (if they still lived over there) and then she died whilst in Ireland.

Lizzie

ps.  Perhaps Patrick just didn't register her death.  As they were RC, you could check with Holy Cross RC Church in St Helens to see if they have any records of a burial of an Ellen Rooney.

[nieve]

Hi LIzzieW.   Anything is a possibe.   It gets more like a Catherine Cookson story every minute.    That is a very good idea about contacting Holy Cross, because I know it still exists.     Thank you - Nieve.

[jvy20]

Hi Nieve,

If Holy Cross is at the bottom of Borough Road, St Helens then I think you will find it was demolished within the last couple of years.

Regards

John

[heywood]

Hello,
can't offer anything more- apart from searching for her and her death  with no results.
You can't imagine that Patrick would live with the family as a widower if Ellen had gone off somewhere.
Neither, as you say, can you imagine that she would be able to/ want to go to Ireland at that time.
1901 stays the same with Patrick with the Moran family.
The only other thing I notice, is that in 1891 the family are in Haydock (Warrington reg. district) rather than St Helens -not that there is a death there either.
I did wonder if Winwick mental hospital was open at that time but can't find anything in census.
Have also looked for E R in census (patients listed by initials in mental institutions) but although some show in Prestwich (Manchester)- not born St Helens.
I would hope that Ellen didn't end up in an asylum.

best wishes
heywood