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Looking for any info on Henry Southcott of Witheridge. Henry was married to Mary Elworthy (born 1766 in Witheridge) in 1785 in Witheridge.

Their children were William (b. 1786), Elizabeth (b. 17880, Thomas (b. 1789), Henry (b. 1794), John (b. 1796) and Ann (b. 1807).

I know there are many Southcotts in Devonshire, but haven't been able to go back any further than Henry and Mary. Any further info would be great!

Matthew

Hi Maddie,

More mystery! I've found a record for a marriage between Charlotte Wheeler and a Stephen Chapman in Islington in 1891. She is listed as a widow, her father is William Carter, a shop keep and her address 35 North Street, Islington. The witnesses to the marriage are George and Jessie Munt, so it's certainly her. Stephen Chapman, born c. 1863, is a miner and living at 27 Wharfdale Road.

They're together in the 1891 census at Wharfdale Road, Hannah Charlotte is listed as 'Anna' and her birthplace Writtle, Essex. They have a daughter, Emily Cecilia, born in 1886. I presume Emily is also Hannah Charlotte Cecilia's daughter but can't be sure.

I'd hoped that this would finally solve the riddle of Harry and Edwin's father but .... there's also a marriage for Stephen Chapman in 1892 in Tottenham with all the same details at the man who married HCC - 28, father Stephen Chapman, occupation miner.

Still no joy on finding HCC, Harry or Edwin in 1901, or indeed Stephen Chapman.

So, it gets even more mysterious - HCC seems to have married twice whilst her first husband was still alive, and the first of those bigamous marriages lasting only a year. Odd too that Jessie Munt was a witness to the Chapman wedding, but when she informed for HCC's death certificate she states Charlotte is the widow of Joshua Wheeler, not Chapman or EA Wheeler!

I'll keep trying to find them in 1901. And maybe see if Charlotte's address on the 1891 marriage entry is where we find William Carter & family ....

What complicated lives these people had!!!!

Hi Maddie,

I'm not if Charlotte was in Wales before her son Harry's birth - he was said to be born in Bermondsey you see - and with him and Edwin listed in 1911 with London birthplaces in the 1890s .... I think she probably went to Wales with Alfred Ernest Wheeler.

It seems very odd to me that Joshua and Charlotte are both absent from the 1891 census and there's no trace of them in 1901 either; nor of Harry and Edwin. The only record I have of Edwin anywhere is the 1911 census. His niece tells me he was always called Ted - so I wonder if he was really Edward???

I also can't find the original William Carter in 1891 and haven't found a marriage for him and Charlotte Curtis either.....

I think a new step might be for me to get Charlotte's death certificate from 1916 in London - Alice was there that year and died there, but I wonder if there was another reason she was there.

I'm beginning to think this particular group of the family gathered round on census night and thought it might be fun to confuse their descendants a hundred years hence ....

I'll keep searching - they must have been somewhere!

Just thinking about Harrington Street and HCC Wheeler living there - it's in / near an area called Somers Town - I wonder if this is the 'Summerstown' mentioned on the 1911 census as FH's birthplace rather than the actual 'Summerstown' in south London???

I've ordered HCC's 1907 marriage certificate so hopefully that will shed some light!

Yes, that's Fredrick Harry. I've tried to look for probable matches with the FreeBMD for his birth but without actually buying the certificates of likely matches it seems impossible to tell which Harry Wheeler or Fredrick Wheeler is he.

The only thing I heard of Edwin is that he died in the 1914 war. There seem to be quite a few Edwin Wheelers who fell, but again hard to tell which is our Edwin Wheeler.....

Odd that Alice and Charlotte should both die in 1916. I wonder if there was a connexion ....