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The Common Room / The one I'd love to be able to find! Completed with many thanks!
« on: Tuesday 08 October 13 23:42 BST (UK) »
Not something that would be earth shattering but one of those things that natters at you!
My great aunt Sarah Elizabeth (also known as Sarah Eliza) Crackles was married on 11 October 1885 in Leeds parish church to James Mc Mellor. He was 27 and a "striker" at Armley (I'm presuming that's in the foundry) and she gave her age as 22. I think this is a bit of a dodgy marriage, probably her parents didn't approve as in reality she was only about 18 and had been living in Barnsley working as a domestic servant - I reckon she'd gone out of the area and falsified her age to be able to marry him. It didn't seem to last long anyway as on the 1891 census she's reverted to her maiden name of Crackles and is working as a servant in the Railway Hotel Dewsbury (giving her age on the census return as 24!) By the time of the next census she's acquired a husband and children, now calling herself Mrs Bamforth and that's how she lives out her days - marrying Walter Bamforth in 1926 when she was 59, calling herself a spinster presumably thinking husband number one had died by then (he hadn't!)
It's the rogue Mc Mellor I'm curious about!! I'm pretty sure that he's actually James Higgins (Leeds 1861 census) Born around 1858 in Leeds. His mother Margaret's maiden name was McMullen which I think he later bases a false name on! In 1871 he's James Higgins, no sign of him in 1881,Marries in 1885 as Mc Mellor, on the 1891 census he's gone back to Higgins but in 1901 and 1911 is in Armley and back to James Mc Mellor, saying he's married but of course no sign of a wife!
Would love to know where he was and what he was calling himself in 1881 just to get the complete picture but no luck. He's led me a merry dance!! Would the marriage under a false name have not been legal or was Sara Eliza a bigamist when she married Walter? I bet someone tried to warn her off him but would she listen?!!!
My great aunt Sarah Elizabeth (also known as Sarah Eliza) Crackles was married on 11 October 1885 in Leeds parish church to James Mc Mellor. He was 27 and a "striker" at Armley (I'm presuming that's in the foundry) and she gave her age as 22. I think this is a bit of a dodgy marriage, probably her parents didn't approve as in reality she was only about 18 and had been living in Barnsley working as a domestic servant - I reckon she'd gone out of the area and falsified her age to be able to marry him. It didn't seem to last long anyway as on the 1891 census she's reverted to her maiden name of Crackles and is working as a servant in the Railway Hotel Dewsbury (giving her age on the census return as 24!) By the time of the next census she's acquired a husband and children, now calling herself Mrs Bamforth and that's how she lives out her days - marrying Walter Bamforth in 1926 when she was 59, calling herself a spinster presumably thinking husband number one had died by then (he hadn't!)
It's the rogue Mc Mellor I'm curious about!! I'm pretty sure that he's actually James Higgins (Leeds 1861 census) Born around 1858 in Leeds. His mother Margaret's maiden name was McMullen which I think he later bases a false name on! In 1871 he's James Higgins, no sign of him in 1881,Marries in 1885 as Mc Mellor, on the 1891 census he's gone back to Higgins but in 1901 and 1911 is in Armley and back to James Mc Mellor, saying he's married but of course no sign of a wife!
Would love to know where he was and what he was calling himself in 1881 just to get the complete picture but no luck. He's led me a merry dance!! Would the marriage under a false name have not been legal or was Sara Eliza a bigamist when she married Walter? I bet someone tried to warn her off him but would she listen?!!!