Bowditch

[groom]

There is a possibility that Elias was in trouble in August 1866 

"Petty Sessions, Saturday Before H. Williams, Esq. (chairman), E W. Williams, Esq., E. Pearce, Esq., and Major Steward.— Elias Bowditch was summoned James Lovelace, his master, for misbehaviour in service"   

It seems that he had an arguement with the farmer who employed him under a contract as a yearly servant and refused to go to work. He claimed he and his lad were owed money and that he had a wife and seven children to support. The magistrate disolved the contract.

Perhaps that meant he had to go elsewhere to work and changed his name.

[Lisajj]

Thank you so much - you did all of this while I was asleep!
 

[groom]

Morning.

It was lucky that James reverted to his real name once he was an adult, as that was the key. Once I'd found his baptism the rest fell into place quite easily, especially as they weren't common names.

The mystery is what happened to Elias - after his wedding and the court case, he just disappears. There is no death record, so unless he went abroad to work and died there, he must have changed his name. The fact that Mary Ann had 4 children after this means he was either around somewhere, or they weren't his.

[Lisajj]

Thanks - I'm going to get all this entered into my tree now.
It's actually a branch off the tree - my mum's cousins mum's tree.
I'm thinking of sending off for Amy Rosetta Bowditch's birth certificate, as she was one of the youngest of Mary Ann's children - maybe it will tell me who her father was.  I haven't found a baptism for her yet.

[groom]

I have a suspicion that Amy may not be Elias's daughter, there is a huge gap between her and the previous child, unless Elias popped home between censuses. However, her certificate would probably still show him as her father, as that would be assumed as Mary Ann was married to him.

Looking at dates, if all were telling the truth, we can narrow Elias's death down to two years - between 1889 when his daughter marries but doesn't say her father is dead and 1891 when Mary Ann says she is a widow. My gut feeling is that he abandoned the family and used another name, after him being missing for several years, Mary Ann decided he was dead and called herself a widow.

[Lisajj]

I suppose being a widow was less shameful than admitting your husband was a criminal of sorts.

[Lisajj]

I've found Mary Ann and Eliza Whittle in the Union Workhouse on 1851 census, but not any of their other siblings (yet, but I havent looked that hard)

[groom]

1861 for Mary Ann
RG 9; Piece: 1359; Folio: 22; Page: 37

Harriett Whittle      30 widow Farm Lab                      Ryme Intrinseca, Dorset
Mary Whittle      11 daughter                                Ryme Intrinseca, Dorset
Ann Whittle        6 son                                        Ryme Intrinseca, Dorset
Herbert Whittle        3 son                                        Ryme Intrinseca, Dorset
Mary Ann Whittle   21 lodger  single  Farm lab            Ryme Intrinseca, Dorset                             
James Whittle        1  lodger                                    Ryme Intrinseca, Dorset
John Little              78  father in law                            Ryme Intrinseca, Dorset

[groom]

Possible for Mary Ann's family in 1841

HO107; Piece: 292; Book: 14
Ryme Intrinsica

George Whittle   30  ag lab
Ann Whittle   30
James Whittle   12
Harriet Whittle   10
Jane Whittle   7
Eliza Whittle   5
Susan Whittle   2
Mary Whittle   2 Months

So it looks as if Harriet may not have been married, although John Little is described as father in law in 1861.