Show Posts

This section allows you to view all posts made by this member. Note that you can only see posts made in areas you currently have access to.


Topics - thetowers

Pages: [1]
1
Handwriting Deciphering & Recognition / Where was this woman from
« on: Sunday 09 November 14 21:47 GMT (UK)  »
I'm interested in the birthplace of the woman,  the second line of this fragment of the 1871 census at St Bees, Whitehaven, Cumberland.

The 1851 census, when she lived in Dumfriesshire,  said she was born in Dumfriesshire.


2
Wiltshire / The problem with Ambrose Heal, born about 1830
« on: Sunday 09 November 14 08:29 GMT (UK)  »
One of my relatives has asked me to look at the problem of Ambrose Heal, born about 1830, who was a soldier in the British Army for about 20 years.

This chap appears to have been born about 1830, although his parents didn't get around to having him baptised until Christmas Day, 1834.    His parents appear to have been John Heale ( or Heal, or Hale, or Hall ),  and his wife Mary,  family name unknown.  His parents appear to have had seven children,  including a brother Henry born in 1820 [  whose baptism has been transcribed as Hall ],   and a sister Martha Amelia born in 1826,  who subsequently appears as Amelia.  This family was from Bradford-on-Avon near Bath.

He appears as Ambrous Heal, aged 10, in the 1841 census.

He joined the Army,  in Middlesex, on 14 March 1851,   claiming to be born in Liverpool.  He appears two weeks later at Plymouth in the census as a soldier,   claiming to be born in Liverpool.  In the 1861 military census he is in Malta.   In the 1871 census he is at the barracks in Gillingham Kent  and still claims he was born in Liverpool.  In 1872 he was discharged  and said he planned to reside at Monmouth.

In 1881 he is back in the hamlet of Turley near Bradford-on-Avon,  aged 50,  living with his brother Henry, who was a retired schoolteacher,  aged 61,  and his sister Amelia aged 56,  and his occupation is listed as Chelsea pensioner and his birthplace listed as Turley Wiltshire. Henry appears in a couple of censuses in Worcestershire as a school teacher, and apparently returned to his home village when he retired - or inherited his father's house.

In 1891 these three are still there in Turley aged 70, 64 and 61, and his occupation is listed as retired soldier, claimed to be born in Bradford.

In 1901 only Henry and Amelia are left.  Henry died in 1905, aged 85  and Amelia in 1922, aged 97.

It appears that Ambrose' death occurred in the second quarter of 1896,   recorded at Bradford Wiltshire, vol 5a p 65,  although in the index it says he was 56,  and it would seem that he would have been 66 years old.  There were only about 6 individuals in Britain with the name Ambrose Heal in the 19th century,  and it doesn't appear that it could be one of the others.

So what is going on here ?   Were there two Ambrose Heal's the same age in the Army ?  If there really was two of them,  how come they never both appear in any census ?















3
Handwriting Deciphering & Recognition / Where did this soldier intend to live ?
« on: Saturday 08 November 14 11:32 GMT (UK)  »
This is from the 1872 discharge of a soldier in the British Army.  Where did he intend to reside ?


4
Kent / Does Kent have a Loughborough ?
« on: Saturday 01 November 14 03:29 GMT (UK)  »
According to a census transcription,  one of my relatives was born at Loughborough Kent.

I can't find it.  Is there one ?

I suspect it might be Southborough.

5
Australia / Who was Elsie Nichols ? Bridesmaid in 1907
« on: Monday 29 September 14 04:19 BST (UK)  »
Here's a mystery which may benefit from a fresh pair of eyes.

One of my in-laws relatives recently came across this newspaper account of the wedding of her great-aunt,  Sophia Louise Madgwick (1878-1950),  to George Toynton in 1907.   Apparently, the "Wellington Times" was only added to Trove recently.

http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/141591291

The curious and novel feature of this story,  is the mention that the only bridesmaid was Miss Elsie Nichols, niece of the bride. The identity of this Elsie is a mystery.

This Sophia Madgwick had one brother,  who was married in 1906 and whose oldest son was born in 1907.   Sophia also had 9 much older half-siblings by the name of Nicholls or Nichols,  the offspring of her mother's first marriage.  Obviously,  this alleged niece would seem to be one of their children.  But whose  ?

Only one of Sophia Madgwick's Nichols ( or Nicholls ) half-siblings was a male - William Nicholls (1854-1934).  According to Sophia (Madgwick) Toynton's daughter, who passed away a few years ago,  she knew this old chap, when she was a child, he was not married and had no children that she knew of.

The other 8 of Sophia Madgwick's Nichols half-sisters were females.   Apart from one who died aged 6,   the others had a whole bunch of children.  The catch is,  there doesn't seem to be any Elsie among them,  and they all seem to have had their husband's surnames.  There doesn't seem to be any obvious reason why any of Sophia's identifiable nieces would have been called "Miss Elsie Nichols".

Any suggestions on how to identify a mystery niece bridesmaid ?

My in-laws' screed on this family runs to about 97 pages,  I haven't retyped all of it here,  happy to provide any further details that are already known.

Sophia's half-sisters were:
Catherine (1851? 1937) married Dougherty, 13 children.
Elizabeth (1856-1931) married New, 5 children
Ellen (1861?-?) married Brown, 9 children.  When this lady died, is another mystery.
Mary(1864-??) married New and then McLeod. 2 children.
Margaret(1866-1905) married McLeod, 8 children
Flora(1868-1952) married Clifton, probably 2 children.

My relative says she has looked for any subsequent marriage or demise for this 'Miss Elsie Nichols"  and could not find any.

Any suggestions on how to identify a mystery niece bridesmaid ?




 














6
Australia / Marriage in Queensland 1940s
« on: Monday 15 September 14 15:00 BST (UK)  »
I have an elderley relative born in 1931.

Her mother was born in 1912, married in 1928,  and supposedly absconded, abandonning her husband and three young children in 1934.

I've found out, using Trove,  that my elderley relative's father (decd 1964) did not get around to obtaining a divorce from his wife until 1942.

I have also found out that her mother died in 1981, with a different surname.

Does anyone know if it is possible for a person who is not the next of kin to get a death certificate for a person who has died as recently as 1981 ?

In NSW, the BDM index for marriages runs to 1963 I think,   but in Queensland it stops in 1939.   This woman ran off with another man in 1934, but presumably could not have actually married him ( or someone else ) until after she was divorced in 1942.

Are there any suggestions on find out when, where, or to whom,  she was married ?





Pages: [1]