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Research in Other Countries => United States of America => Topic started by: Adnepos_Iacobi on Sunday 22 February 09 17:24 GMT (UK)
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Frances Elizabeth UPFIELD married James GOODMAN at St Luke's New Kentish Town, London, October 18, 1882.
Next trace I have of her is back in England in the 1891 E&W census (April 5, RG12/722/95/32) Sheerness Barracks, Sheppey, Kent:
George HEATHCOTE, Head, Married, Messenger, 42 years, b Buxton, Derbyshire
Frances Elizabeth HEATHCOTE, Wife, Married, 32 years, b Wisborough Sussex
James HEATHCOTE, Son, Single, 7 years, Scholar, b Chicago America
Thomas Henry HEATHCOTE, Son, Single, 5 years, b Chicago America
Florence Alice HEATHCOTE, Daughter, Single, 3 years, Brooklyn America
I believe the Frances Elizabeth HEATHCOTE in the 1891 census is the Frances Elizabeth UPFIELD who married James GOODMAN: only one Frances Elizabeth UPFIELD in the E & W censuses and in the General Register Indexes, same age and named a subsequent son William Upfield Heathcote (1901 and 1911 censuses).
With my Ancestry resources I have failed to find births of the children James (Chicago, abt 1884), Thomas Henry (Chicago, abt 1886) and Florence Alice (Brooklyn, abt 1888) and a marriage of Frances Elizabeth GOODMAN (nee UPFIELD) to George HEATHCOTE.
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It's quite remarkable how many records just don't seem to be found! I'm wondering if you've exhausted the research in a couple avenues and I have a few more q's......
1. Have you tried tracing George via his military record? If you were able to track his whereabouts between 1871 and 1891 it might assist in knowing possible marriage searching.
2. Are you of a mind that the 3 youngest kids are all from the marriage of Frances to James Goodman? You don't happen to have exact dates of birth for any of them do you? How about the death of Florence in 1907....any additional clues from an obit or MI? Could the children have been adopted?
3. Do you know anything at all about James Goodman other than name?
4. Have you tried for a lookup in the New York City Archives for a birth of Florence in Brooklyn about 1887? http://www.nyc.gov/html/records/html/vitalrecords/home.shtml You might even find an RAOGK volunteer to have a go at things first. The Chicago births are extremely skethcy from this time frame. There are indexes on the FamilySearch pilot website but I'm not seeing anything of interest yet.
5. How about death details on Frances......was there ever an obituary for her that might have chronicled some of her life?
Not much help I realize.....
Best wishes
Jean
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Interestingly, William's birth is indexed on freebmd as William Upfield Heathcott.
Doesn't seem to be a marriage in IL for them. There is a marriage for a George Heathcote in 1886 in Cook Co (could be Chicago) to Eleonor Harriett Chantler.
In the full details of the 1911 census (you will have to purchase the image to see this), it should give year of marriage and how many children Frances had in her current marriage (including numbers of those who had passed away before the census). If they filled this out truthfully, this should answer a couple of important questions for you.
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Thank you Jean and Jo Rose for your ideas...
George HEATHCOTE's military career - I haven't traced George after the E&W 1861 census up to 1880 apart from his marriage to Charlotte FUGGLES in 1872 and the birth of their children in 1873, 1874 and 1875 all registered in striking distance of Chatham, suggesting an occupation related to the navy. But yes, he signed up to the US Signal Corps in October 1880 and was discharged in August 1885. I've seen the only US army record I believe there is. Then he was a civilian at the Admiralty (messenger then timekeeper according to censuses) from some time before 1891 -got him in the 1891, 1901 and 1911 E&W censuses- till the time of his death (1915) so would not expect any record at Kew. Can anybody suggest a record for Admiralty civilians or an easy way to find what he might have been doing at Chatham after April 7, 1861- before October 80?
James GOODMAN was an insurance agent lodging (as was his elder brother) in Paddington in 1881 but born 1860 in St Kew, Cornwall. No sign of him after his 1882 marriage -yes, I've checked later E&W censuses and GRO indexes!
A US colleague is currently trying NYC archives for a birth of Florence GOODMAN/HEATHCOTE and for a marriage between George HEATHCOTE and Frances UPFIELD/GOODMAN.
The 1911 census is 'interesting'. Frances reported she has been in the 'present' marriage 29 years, 9 children from this marriage. 1911-29 = 1882, the year of her marriage to James GOODMAN and I my tally makes the 9 children (with two deaths) include the offspring of her first marriage. That gem led me a merry dance before I found out who Frances married in 1882!
Thanks, it's definitely worth a look for obituaries for both Frances and her husband George considering their long and eventful lives.
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A colleague has found Frances Elizabeth's husband-to-be, George HEATHCOTE (as Heathcots), in the E&W 1871 census, at that time he was Lance Corporal in the Royal Engineers -so there's a visit to Kew after all.