Colleen,
A great Christmas gift indeed! I had almost given up on finding the ending to the Carruthers/Whetham story. Apologies for the delay in responding, but the Christmas period has been particularly hectic this year.
You have so much information I’m not sure I can add much to it, but I have read the newspaper articles regarding the divorce. Edward and Edith Carruthers had a daughter Eleanor Jane (Nellie) born in Limerick in 1898. Edward and Paul Whetham met and became close friends when they were both posted to Kent. Edward was subsequently posted to Hong Kong and Edith could not, or would not, (don’t know which) accompany him, so Edward asked his good friend Paul to take care of Edith while he was away. (A bit naïve of him!) Paul obviously carried out his duties too seriously, and when Edward returned from Hong Kong, Edith refused to join him, so he instigated divorce proceedings on the grounds of Paul’s misconduct with Edith. It was accepted that Edward was the innocent party and he was awarded custody of their daughter, and also damages of £1,500 – a pretty large sum at that time as I believe Edward’s salary was around £400 a year.
Edith and Paul travelled to Buenos Aires on the “Asturias” in April 1910, listed as Mr & Mrs Whetham, and Edward Carruthers married Alice Molony in London in September 1911.
Sadly Edward died in 1917 in his 52nd year. He was in Sevenoaks, Kent, for his father James’ funeral, and after the funeral had a cerebral haemorrhage and died three hours later. He had been in poor health for several years with kidney problems. In his will he asked Alice to take care of his daughter, Eleanor. I have seen a file of correspondence at the National Archives between 1917 and 1924 concerning his wife Alice’s petitions for a widow’s pension, which she was not automatically entitled to apparently as Edward was an honorary Captain, and later Major, in the Royal Engineers and not strictly speaking military personnel. Not sure if she ever succeeded as I have not found any further trace of her after 1924, but she did succeed in getting a War Grave for him in Sevenoaks due to his contribution to WW1 despite not being fit enough to go to the front line in France.
Eleanor was at a boarding school according to the 1911 census, and I am not sure how much Alice contributed to her welfare. She didn’t mention a dependant step-daughter in her correspondence with the War Office. Eleanor married Flight Lieut. Harry Bligh in 1922. He was from an old Sevenoaks family, which suggests that she must have spent time in Sevenoaks so maybe her Carruthers family took main responsibility for her welfare as I can’t imagine she could have had a very close relationship with her mother in Argentina.
Have just checked my Whetham notes and can’t find Thomas and Robert Whetham whom you are descended from. I only have the family of Stephan and Jane/Jenny Tucker, and also Stephan William & Maria Louisa Button Evans children. I suppose Thomas and Robert are a later generation I do not have information about.
Best wishes and Happy New Year,
Valerie
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Valerie
Here we go
BTW I am working from public tree - and haven't verified # of children. Also this tree also only goes back to Paul and Joan -- I actually got back to like 1400's, 'old John.'
Paul Whetham & Joan had 8 children, one was Paul Whetham, who married Anne Curland.
Paul & Anne had 4 children, one was William Whetham, who married Jane Bradford.
William and Jane had children, one was Robert Whetham, who married Susan 'Susanna' Bragg.
Robert & Susan had 9 children, one was Henry Walter Whetham, who married Caroline Elizabeth Murley [sic] They emigrated to U.S. in 1851.
Henry and Caroline had 3 children, one was Mariah 'Maria', who married William 0'dell.
William & Mariah = my GGP.
