Maria Holmes

[abcj123]

It would be lovely to see a photograph if one exists.
The person who visited Maria, was my husband's aunt, his mother's eldest sister.  I don't know the reason, perhaps curiosity? I wonder if Maria ever knew that her daughter had died?
What was Winifred's married name?  Did they settle and stay in Norwich?
I don't know what caused Maria to leave home, which I suppose is not surprising.  It must have been very upsetting for everyone.
I think I must have gone astray tracing Maria's family.  I have gone back quite a way, but don't have a Robert as her grandfather but a James! I will have to check where I went wrong.  How awful to lose your father in that way?  Did he come back at the end of his transportation?

[Olleyke]

Robert Holmes was Maria's mothers Charlottes father. Winifred married William Thomas Smith in 1914. Yes they stayed in Norwich, Winifred died in 13 Oct 1933 from Septicaemia a week or so after giving birth to their 10th child.

I can't find any record of Robert coming back. His wife Phoebe Holmes nee Goose was left looking after 5 children and is living in St Faiths Workhouse in 1841.

On my next visit to the Forum I will see if I can find anything in the paper about Charlottes death, their may of been an inquest. I wonder if it mentions her mother in any way. I don't suppose you know her date of death? I only know the quarter.

[abcj123]

Aah!  Robert Holmes! Of course, yes I do have him as her grandfather and Phoebe Goose as her grandmother.
Thank you for Winifred's name. 
Charlotte died in 1900, I am afraid I don't have the date.  She fell down the well near the Lazar house.  She had blond hair and blue eyes - the opposite of her sister! Like you, I only have the quarter she died, not the actual date.
Do I take it that you still live in Norwich?  My husband and his family were all born and brought up there and many of them are still local.

[Olleyke]

I just found Charlotte's burial at Sprowston church, on 13 Dec 1900, so I will look backwards from that date in the newspapers. Yes I still live in Norwich, about 20-30 minutes from the city centre. I assume you do too? 

Winifred's husband William spoke highly of Maria in his autobiography, not much mentioned about her, but he refers to her as "really a darling woman" and "I met her mother, such a nice woman, and she guessed right away I was from Norwich she took to me and embraced me. Well she told me so much, she had had a very hard life, bringing up five children, with a husband always the worse for drink, and a bit of a demon, and quite easily bribed."

[abcj123]

Kirsty,

Just been going through various things and came across this thread again.  I was positive that I had  replied to you, to thank you for the information you found about Charlotte's death.  However, my reply doesn't seem to be here, and must therefore not have been sent.  Whatever must you have thought? I want to apologise, and to thank you for all the trouble you took for me.  It was lovely, though obviously very sad, to read the newspaper report of her death.

I hope your research, in the Landamore line, and elsewhere is going well.  I am not sure I have progressed very much further on this line recently.
Bridget