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England (Counties as in 1851-1901) => England => Leicestershire => Topic started by: Derek C Goodwin on Monday 18 June 18 19:16 BST (UK)

Title: Two Bigamists?
Post by: Derek C Goodwin on Monday 18 June 18 19:16 BST (UK)
I have two people who married, walter henry walford and sarah foster, married leicester st marks, may 25th 1884, parents, DOB match etc. (Walter was no stranger to the law and he was a drunken brawler).

Walter later married Charlotte Ryder August 1895, dob etc match, fathers names etc, definately him, but says he is a batchelor. This couple were blaggards, using false names and all sorts.

I can't for the life of me pin down this Sarah Foster, I have spent hours trying to find her, did she die, I have tried looking under sarah walford, and sarah walker which is a false name walter used a bit. Its eating at me!

I wonder if anyone can help?
Title: Re: Two Bigamists?
Post by: Kay99 on Monday 18 June 18 19:58 BST (UK)
Have you checked the GRO Birth Index for possible children of the 1884 marriage??   

Possibly  which I can't see in 1891  :-\

FLORENCE  WALFORD mmn FOSTER     
GRO Ref 1884  Sept Qrtr LEICESTER  Vol 07A  Page 266    

ELLEN  CARTER WALFORD mmn  FOSTER      
GRO Ref 1886  Dec Qrtr  BARROW ON SOAR  Vol 07A  Page 159

WILLIAM  CARTER  WALFORD mmn FOSTER      
GRO Ref 1888  D Qrtr  BARROW-UPON-SOAR  Vol 07A  Page 161    
 
 Kay
Title: Re: Two Bigamists?
Post by: Kay99 on Monday 18 June 18 20:15 BST (UK)
Just a thought - Could Sarah have left with a William Carter  with the children taking Carter as their middle name when they were registered??   In 1901 living at Belgrave, Leicestershire

William Carter 37  b Leicestershire
Sarah Carter 34  b  Coventry, Warwickshire
Ellen Carter 14 b Leicestershire
William Carter 12  b Leicestershire
Minnie Carter 7 b Coventry, Warwickshire
Albert Carter 3 b Coventry, Warwickshire
Title: Re: Two Bigamists?
Post by: Kay99 on Monday 18 June 18 20:33 BST (UK)
I think this is the same family in 1891 -  living at St Margaret, Leicester   - minus Florence who may have died in 1884

William Carte 27 b Oadby, Leicestershire
Sarah Carte 24 b Coventry
Ellen Carte 4
William Carte 2

Added -And in June Qtr 1909 Leicester - Marriage - William Carter Walford to Phoebe  Flowers and the couple in 1911 https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XWZV-H1Q
Title: Re: Two Bigamists?
Post by: Derek C Goodwin on Monday 18 June 18 22:40 BST (UK)
Thats a very handy bit of information, the dates work out nice for other stuff going on. I shall dig into it, a great job.
Title: Re: Two Bigamists?
Post by: Kay99 on Tuesday 19 June 18 06:40 BST (UK)
Glad it's of use.    The rest of the Carter-Walford children seemed to have followed the naming pattern

Kay
Title: Re: Two Bigamists?
Post by: Derek C Goodwin on Sunday 24 June 18 20:45 BST (UK)
We are still working on this, its going really well, your information and thoughts were invaluable. It has unlocked a long standing mystery!! Ill post the story when Ive finalised it!!
Title: Re: Two Bigamists?
Post by: Kay99 on Sunday 24 June 18 20:57 BST (UK)
Glad to hear it goes well - I love a puzzle  ;D

Kay
Title: Re: Two Bigamists?
Post by: trish1120 on Monday 25 June 18 16:09 BST (UK)
I love a puzzle too, good work Kay :)
Title: Re: Two Bigamists?
Post by: Kay99 on Monday 25 June 18 16:12 BST (UK)
 :)
Title: Re: Two Bigamists? completed.
Post by: Derek C Goodwin on Sunday 22 July 18 22:05 BST (UK)
Taken from the family story book (Lucy is me niece and sidekick)

The Sarah Foster Mystery.
On May 25th 1884 Walter Henry Walford married Sarah Foster at St Marks Church in Leicester. I have passed this church hundreds if not thousands of times and I had no idea. As far was we had known until recently Walter was married to Charlotte Ryder (more on Charlotte later) and that was it.
Sarah Foster was born approximately in1862, she herself is quite a mystery at this stage, she seems invisible to the Victorian record keepers with just a few spartan possibilities in the records, all hard to confirm. They were both living on the now gone Leadenhall Street, she at number 30 he at number 31. I have checked these addresses in the nearest census and in 1881 there is no sign of anyone from the marriage certificate, witnesses, bride nor groom. At the time there was a boom in Leicester, the shoe trade was growing in leaps and bounds and a new product was a Leicester specialty, elastic webbing! So its no surprise people flooded in like a gold rush!
Sarah Fosters father is another mystery at this point, we got his name from the wedding certificate. There are many John Fosters in and around Leicester, but none with a daughter called Sarah who fits with anything near the dates and places. Its all very untidy and I feel unsatisfied with what I have. However, Sarah Foster does come to life in the path of her children and their life journeys. It is fair to say, despite Lucy suspecting Walter had killed her and hid the body that we found her alive and well, she flourished in the end. I have to confess I also did start to think she was in a rug at the bottom of the Canal at Wigston…..
So Walter and Sarah are Married, a daughter is born shortly after they were married, Florence Walford in 1884, the GRO shows Florence and her mothers maiden name of Foster.
The marriage was not to last. By 1886 Sarah had left Walter Walford and was now with William Carter of Oadby, (B:1864) she gave birth to another daughter who was registered as Ellen Carter Walford, William Carter Walford was born 1888, Minnie in 1894 at Coventry and Albert in 1898, they also had George at Coventry in 1906 and it seems she made a good and happy life for herself in Coventry.
Just a few months after Walter Henry Walford died William Carter Married Sarah Foster, she used her married name of Walford, she was never a bigamist, she was not murdered, but she did have a very lucky escape from Walter! Sarah Foster passed away in 1923 in Coventry.
It has taken six months of heavy research to unravel the Sarah Foster story, I am pleased we have done so, it has helped her descendants whom never knew where she came from, all they had was “Sarah, wife of William Carter”.

Thank you for the help here, we would never have done it without you.

Completed
Title: Re: Two Bigamists?
Post by: Kay99 on Monday 23 July 18 04:39 BST (UK)
Glad it mostly works out  :)   Just a thought - I presume you have discounted this Sarah Foster b 1867 in Coventry  :-\  https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q27N-LW6M

Kay
Title: Re: Two Bigamists?
Post by: Derek C Goodwin on Monday 23 July 18 19:49 BST (UK)
I checked that one out,  :)
Title: Re: Two Bigamists?
Post by: Finley 1 on Friday 03 August 18 15:34 BST (UK)
sounds like some of my Ravens from Leicester.. wayward to say the least :)



BUT I feel that is what this research business is all about, getting to the truth --  I cry often at the hard times and the lost babies. :( 
xin
Title: Re: Two Bigamists?
Post by: Derek C Goodwin on Sunday 26 August 18 17:33 BST (UK)
I have done a large document on this line of my tree with the said people involved. Its a bit of an epic, its 14 pages. Like I said earlier if anyone would like a copy pm your email address and Ill be glad to supply it.

Only one party involved in this was a bigamist in the end, but the story was fascinating!!

Kind regards

Derek C Goodwin - Leicester.