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London and Middlesex / Re: Maude Whitecombe, engaged 1901 - a mystery
« on: Thursday 03 June 10 20:35 BST (UK) »
Thank you Valda! That was interesting reading. 
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London and Middlesex / Re: Maude Whitecombe, engaged 1901 - a mystery
« on: Thursday 03 June 10 18:08 BST (UK) »Difficult about the journalist's daughter being only 15 at the time. Was it even possible to get engaged that young? As for getting engaged to a member of a lower social class, it isn't really impossible, is it? That could perhaps even be a reason for the engagement having been broken off...?
It would have perfectly lawful for her to be engaged (and married) at age 15 at the turn of the 20th century, though parental consent would have been required for such a marriage. In 1929 the law was changed so that 16 became the minimum age for marriage in England.
Thank you! That is certainly new to me.
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London & Middlesex Completed Lookup Requests / Re: Edith or Florence Massey-Lawless, married 1904
« on: Thursday 03 June 10 18:05 BST (UK) »
Thank you, wozzle, there was lots of information that I didn't already have. I didn't know their year of death or anything. Really nice!
I didn't know their year of death or anything. Really nice!
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London and Middlesex / Re: Maude Whitecombe, engaged 1901 - a mystery
« on: Thursday 03 June 10 12:57 BST (UK) »If he was residing in the Finnish embassy in London at the time of the census I don't think he would be enumerated as technically speaking this would be Finnish territory not British. This applies to all embassies.
Oh, that's a good point. I didn't know that about embassies. (I think technically he'd have been attached to the Russian Consulate, this being pre-Finnish independence, but no matter).
Yes, that is true, it was the Russian Consulate. He was previously a staff captain in the Tzarina's personal guard. I don't know whether he lived in the consulate or not. When he was married to Florence E. Massey-Lawless they lived in London, in Melrose House (which is now a B & B, http://www.uk-bedandbreakfast.com).
Difficult about the journalist's daughter being only 15 at the time. Was it even possible to get engaged that young? As for getting engaged to a member of a lower social class, it isn't really impossible, is it? That could perhaps even be a reason for the engagement having been broken off...?
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London & Middlesex Completed Lookup Requests / Re: Edith or Florence Massey-Lawless, married 1904
« on: Thursday 03 June 10 12:17 BST (UK) »
Thank you, that is great! How interesting! :-)
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London & Middlesex Completed Lookup Requests / Re: Edith or Florence Massey-Lawless, married 1904
« on: Thursday 03 June 10 11:54 BST (UK) »
Thank you! That explains why some say she was called Edith, some Florence. Is there any information on her parents at all?
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London and Middlesex / Re: Maude Whitecombe, engaged 1901 - a mystery
« on: Thursday 03 June 10 11:52 BST (UK) »Don't apologise! He's not easily found in 1901 (census date 31 March) - perhaps he and Maude had taken a spring trip to Finland to break the happy news to his family?
Yes, that is possible, I suppose!
The information that he was at the Consulate from 1900 comes from http://www.finemb.org.uk/public/default.aspx?nodeid=35340&contentlan=2&culture=en-GB:
"In 1900, Anders Johan Leopold Norrgren succeeded him in London to deal with consular affairs. Norrgren, a graduate of St. Petersburg Diplomatic School, had previously been a staff captain in the Finnish Guards Battalion. In 1902, he married an Englishwoman, Miss Edith Massey-Lawless and continued as Consul General right up until 1930. "
They are wrong about the date of marriage to Florence Edith Massey-Lawless, which was in 1904, not 1902 as they state on the webpage. but I would assume that they know the history of the consulate...?
Two possibilities I can see:
1) The Maud Whitcombe b. 1883 Chesterfield d. 1903 Chesterfield aged 20 (doesn't seem to be any connection to London, I think she was in Derby also in the 1901 census)
2) The Maud Edith M. Whitcomb b. 1885 West Ham district m. 1908 Hendon, Middlesex.
("Whitecombe" seems to be a variant spelling of the above which is not common).
But without an address or father's name for her hard to prove anything. (either an address for Maud or if you know where Anders would be living at the time you could look for Whitcomb/Whitecombe families nearby or somehow connected via his work).
If it was the first Maud, who died in 1903, that would explain why they never married. But Maud number 2 is of course better placed geographically.
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London and Middlesex / Re: Maude Whitecombe, engaged 1901 - a mystery
« on: Thursday 03 June 10 11:36 BST (UK) »Anders was the Finnish Consul-General (or consular agent) in London at the time of the announcement - is that right? Have you found him in the 1901 (English) census?
Yes, he was the Finnish Consul-General in London from 1900 to 1930. I haven't looked in the census as I have no clue about genealogical research in England. I'm sorry if I'm asking about things that would have been really easy to figure out for myself. :-/
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London and Middlesex / Maude Whitecombe, engaged 1901 - a mystery
« on: Thursday 03 June 10 01:25 BST (UK) »
I found a notice in a Finnish newspaper from 19th April 1901 announcing that my great-grandfather's brother Anders Johan Leopold Norrgren was engaged to Miss Maud Whitecombe, London.
I have never heard of her before, and he never married her - he married miss Edith/Roberta Massey-Lawless three years later.
I wonder if somebody could help me find out what happened? Who was Maud Whitecombe? Did they cancel the engagement? Or did she die?
I have never heard of her before, and he never married her - he married miss Edith/Roberta Massey-Lawless three years later.
I wonder if somebody could help me find out what happened? Who was Maud Whitecombe? Did they cancel the engagement? Or did she die?
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