RootsChat.Com

Alice DANIELS - an actress aged 30 - appeared according to numerous newspaper reports in North London Police Court on 28 Oct 1899, charged with attempted suicide.

She had been cohabiting with a "man of foreign appearance", with whom she had evidently quarrelled,  giving rise to her suicide attempt. At the first hearing - date not clear from reports - the defendant's daughter was left in the charge of the man she had been living with. The daughter is described as being approximately 18 months. At the subsequent hearing, the man asked to be relieved of caring duties, asking for the defendant to be released on bail so as to be able to care for the child. This was refused and the court ordered the child to be taken to the workhouse. Presumably the Islington workhouse. The refusal was based on the fact that the defendant had been up before Guildhall court the previous month for an earlier attempt at suicide.

Eventually - at a third hearing? - the court released both the defendant and her child, on the condition that they moved into a safe environment, a "nursing" home for the acting profession, championed by a Mr Holmes, who seems to have been a proto social worker attached to the court.

I have discovered that Alice was admitted to Islington Workhouse on 11 Oct 1899 and discharged on 13 Oct 1899. This seems to pre-date the second suicide attempt, though I must admit I am finding it difficult to keep track of the dates. I cannot, however, find an admission date for her daughter.

Indeed, her daughter remains a total mystery, even her name remaining unknown. According to reports she was 18 months to 2 years of age.

I would very much like to discover what happened to Alice and her daughter in the immediate aftermath of the court hearing. Where and what was this nursing home for the acting profession? When and where was the daughter born? And what was her name?

Alice - though I am not certain that it is her - next pops up according to the 1901 census as a boarder at the home of Hattie Taylor in Retcar Street, St Pancras. If it is her, she has no daughter.

There are numerous newspaper reports on FindMyPast relating to the case. And of course Workhouse records are to be found on Ancestry. I am, however, having great difficulties in weaving a coherent story from the various threads and sources. I find the workhouse records particularly problematic. So any help would be gratefully received.


 

On 14 Nov 1802, John BIRD married Anne HEAD in Edmonton, Middlesex. According to the baptism of their daughter Mary Ann in 1814, John was a soldier.

In 1817, Anne gave birth to another daughter named Eliza, though the father according to the baptism record was not John BIRD but rather a John ROBERTS.

In 1824, Anne married John ROBERTS in Edmonton. According to the marriage record she was a widow and he a widower.

So what happened to John BIRD? It would appear that Anne was co-habiting with John ROBERTS from 1817 onwards, though she didn't marry him until 1824. I am guessing that John BIRD must have died sometime between 1814 and 1824. I am further speculating that he was still alive in 1817, as Anne did not marry John ROBERTS until 1824.

I know that the Napoleonic Wars were raging around this period. The only mention I can find of John BIRD in military records is on Ancestry recording his presence as a member of the 20th Foot at the battle of Vitoria in 1813. I am not sure whether this is the correct John BIRD.

Is there anybody out there with the necessary research skills to find out some more about John BIRD, who would have been my 4x GGF. All I really know about him is that he married Anne in 1802. Apart from Mary Ann born in 1814, there are two other likely children: John, b 1807 and William, b1812. All three were baptised at All Saints in Edmonton, where John and Anne had been married. Given the dates there were possibly other children, though the gaps could be explained by military service.

Any help would be gratefully received, especially from some of you military experts.

Many thanks for the efforts, which unfortunately - lie my own - have not yielded the answer.

I suppose he could have been a non-conformist. Records for such people are harder to come by compared to Anglicans, so I would be very grateful for any help from those with access to such records.

Talking of non-conformists, what is the best site for searching their records? I know both Ancestry and FindMyPast have some records, but they are anything but comprehensive and I have rarely found missing relatives in those collections. Is the Genealogist better for non-conformists? Or is there another site I haven't considered?

Very interesting. I would really like to know more about the young child. We know Alice married later, but the child simply disappears.

Does anybody have any idea on the unit?

Not even sure which war. Could be WW1, but then again.

Thanks for any help.