My apologies for straying from this thread. I think my enthusiasm for this trail got the better of me, but will now post everything on here.
As promised, I can now give latest update re Charles Harrington b. 1892, Sudbury. I have received the birth certificate I mentioned and he was indeed born to George Harrington and Alice Cook in September 1892, in Bures, Suffolk, so the research so far has been about the right family. Huge thanks for all your help with this. It is extraordinary that he seems to be totally missing from any of the other family history. I have managed to contact descendants of 2 of his siblings: Rebecca, b.1887, and Frederick Charles, b. 1884. From memories the current families have, no one had heard of Charles. His mother Alice died the same month as he was born, and I am waiting for her death certificate to see if she died in childbirth. Could it be that he was given to someone else to be raised and his siblings didn't know him? Following Alice's death, the family split up, as you have helped me discover, possibly due to Alice's husband George Harrington's remarriage in 1895 (to Sarah Jane Death nee Steggles). Frederick Charles' (1884) family remember him saying that the Harrington children were angry with their father for remarrying and didn't like the new wife he had. George Harrington seems to have been cut out of their lives, and certainly Frederick Charles would never talk of him.
What is sad is that it seems there was some effort from some of the Harrington children to find and contact their siblings later in life, but with limited success. Rebecca it seems visited Bures to try and find anyone who remembered the family from the time of the split, but without success, and she died not knowing where, and to some degree who her siblings were. The same was true of Frederick Charles' family.
Also from my contacts with Rebecca's family, I have seen photos of her, and we all agree that there is a striking resemblance to my grandfather, whom I now believe was Charles Harrington b. 1892. There is strong DNA evidence through my Y chromosome linking to this Harrington family, and the story of the family split and loss of contact, along with the dates involved all make sense. It does indeed look like this 100 year old mystery in my family could well be solved, and yet again so much has been achieved by the time and effort of people in this forum. I owe you my enormous thanks.
My current task is to try and contact more of the Harrington children's descendants, and possibly put them all in contact again. Only 2 are now eluding me, and apologies again for deviating from this original complex thread in my search. Maria Jane Harrington, b.1879, Bures, Suffolk, and Alice Harrington, b.1889, Bures, Suffolk.
Keyboard 86 and avm228 were particularly helpful with these in finding Maria Jane as Jane Harrington in Prittlewell, Essex in 1901 (servant to the March family), and Alice in 1901 in Bures, Suffolk with her grandparents, and in White Colne, Essex in 1911 living with her uncle. Can I ask if anyone can find anything more of these 2? As I said, it would help me to see if there are any more descendants to contact, and possibly find some more details of this complex and rather sad story.
My thanks as always for your help.
