What happened to John Salthouse?

[hilarybelton]

Hi Everyone,

I have a mystery and I'm stuck!

My great great grandfather John SALTHOUSE married Lucy WALTERS at St Mary, Nether Alderley, in 1842. The family lived at Sossmoss Lane until at least 1871.

In February 1871, John SALTHOUSE appears to be alive as he appears to be 'living' on his son's marriage certificate. A couple of months later, when the census was taken, his wife, Lucy SALTHOUSE, is recorded as a widow.

Lucy and seven of the children are buried in two graves at St Mary, Nether Alderley, dates spanning 1842 to 1934 and there is no reason at all why John SALTHOUSE couldn't have been buried there. But I can't find any trace of John SALTHOUSE's death in BMD, Cheshire or Lancashire BMD or 1837 or GMRO. He seems to have just disappeared without trace! Even if his entry in the records was so illegible, I would have found him in his churchyard, but he's not there :-(

His wife, Lucy, died to TB 4 years later in 1875. She died in Southport, the death recorded by her eldest daughter, Annie, and her body was brought all the way back to Nether Alderley so that she could be buried with her children, so the family was not workhouse-poor. On her death certificate she is described as 'wife of John Salthouse, Master Shoemaker' so the family seemed to be proud of John and not trying to  forget about him.

Can anyone solve my mystery? I've checked every archive site online (I can't travel at the moment), wars, ships, transportations, etc, but nothing turns up.

Best wishes
Hilary

[Keith Bateman]

Hi Hilary,

I presume you think he's living in 1871 because it doesn't say deceased on the marriage certificate - not always the case.
I notice that a John Salthouse died aged 9 in the Ashton area in 1867 -includes parts of Cheshire not to far from Alderley - could he have been another son?

Good luck
Cheers
Keith

[hilarybelton]

thanks keith,

The other John Salthouse is Ashton is part of another family of Satlhouses (one of whom got into the papers for being shot at near Crime Lake!).

I was also going by the reference to his wife as a widow in 1871, I had thought that maybe he had left home - perhaps he went to Liverpool with his son to look for work or perhaps he went to America with the intentions of sending for his wife later, but I can't trace anything so far

Thanks for helping out,
Best wishes
Hilary

[Catherine]

Hi! Hilary

Came across  an entry for the Liverpool Poll Book of 1832 details are online, don't know if it is you John.

John Salthouse    Shoe Maker    Hodson Street, Liverpool. S&D, BGS/FMN

You will find it on the following site..
http://www.liverpool-genealogy.org.uk/1832Pollbook/polls.htm

Good Luck

Catherine   

[peterbennett]

Hi Hilary

              The 1861 census shows that he is alive and well at that date, do not forget that their was no penalty for not registering a death at that time,and no one would come knocking on the door if his death registration was forgoten. The North Cheshire FHS have a searchable data base of memorial insciptions which includes Nether Alderly details are on this link http://www.ncfhs.org.uk/.
Is it is also possible that he was buried in his place of birth Didsbury? The grave may have been a plot specially purchased for Lucy and her children only ? With regards to him emigrating and then sending for the family, I would think this unlikely as I noticed from the 1851 census I think it was one of his sons that was described as being an invalid and he died in 1871.

Please forgive me if I am going over old ground.

peterbennett

[hilarybelton]

Hi to Catherine

Catherine - thanks for that, I am keeping an eye on John Salthouse the shoemaker, but he is too old! My John Satlhouse would have been less than 21 years old and ineligible to vote - but I would like to find a connection one day

Cheers
Hilary

[hilarybelton]

Hi peter,

I hadn't thought about him being buried back at Didsbury - because so many of his young children were already buried at St Mary, Alderley; though I had thought that he might have died in Liverpool after his son's wedding and been buried there, but I can't find any trace.

There is another John Salthouse in Greenhalgh who is the same age but he seems to have bee happily married to another for many years so it is just coincidence. (The family were probably from the Fylde coast originally).

I'll follow up the NCFH link, though.

Many thanks
Hilary