Changing Surname and missing wife

[snowdrop]

Hello My G grandfather was born Richard Norton 1854 London he married in 1876, had a child 1877,then in 1901 he changed his surname to Wellesley so this has been my family name his wife and child go missing, 1901 census he is living with Aida  whom he calls his wife but he didn't marry her until 1910, he also puts on census that he was born in America, my family have always believed this to be true up until now, i can find no death or re marriage for first wife and no marriage for child, any ideas please would be a great help.
 snowdrop

[jorose]

Is he the one who is at 40 Belmont St in 1881? Is his wife nee Anne Harriet L. Pearce, possibly Anne Harriet Lindsey Pearce b. 1854 in Clifton?
Have you found him or any of his family in 1891?
What information is listed about him at his marriage, and about his first wife - you might find her by looking at her family, she may have moved back in with them and changed her surname back.

[snowdrop]

Hi Thankyou for reply, yes this is them Richard is on 1891 with new love Aida Harris calling herself wife, My g aunt Olga was the first child of Richard and Aida or so i thought, i could never find her birth certificate up until now, i have it and the surname is Terris Norton mother Aida Elmore formerly Harris not true i think Elmore may have been a stage,and she and Richard married in 1910
all that is on Marriage cert with Anne is age 22 parents and parents name William and Eliza Norton nee Bartlett, I thought  the parents to be Wellesley's as I knew their names but they were Norton what a muddle.

[jorose]

I think there's something dodgy happening with Anne's family as well - her father is John Noah Pearce and mother is Amelia Lindsey. She is with them in 1861 and 1871 and then in 1881 John appears to be enumerated twice! Once in Battersea with Amelia, once in London with a two year old son, also John Noah Pearce, and a 'border' Rosa M. Jones.

In 1882, Amelia appears to die and then I think he almost immediately remarries Rose Mary S. Jones, probably the same as the border who is also probably the mother of John Noah Pearce Jr. He still should be around in 1891 - he died in 1898 in Liverpool.

Also, her sister, Amelia Lindsey/Lindsay Pearce, married in 1874 I think to Francis Somerford Walker (indexed on freebmd as 'Frances'). In 1881 they are living in London. Francis died in 1892.  In 1899 she remarried to Charles Goram.  She may have died in 1916 in Islington.

I think the other sister, Clara Lindsey, may have died as Clara Lindsey Dubeck in 1905 in Pancras district, but I can't spot a marriage for her.

[snowdrop]

Richard and Aida had 8 children my grandfather Cecil Ronald Wellesley born 1896 no birth registered in that name or Norton Harris yet his sister born 1894 (Mascote Ella Erminia Norton ) I have the birth certificate Richard is the Father Aida nee Harris Mother! yet on 1901 census Mascote is a Wellesley,
no birth registered for the rest of the siblings,have been trying to sort this out for 15 years plus.
Thankyou

[candlemas]

Can confirm Jorose's info on the Pearce family and add some more to the debate on changing names and missing wives.  Changing identity seems to have been endemic amongst the Norton/Wellesleys and Pearces.  The three Pearce girls were the daughters of John Noah Pearce and Amelia Lindsey and originated in Bristol.  John Noah was an artist in stained glass and a "medieval muralist" with a studio in Chelsea.  He seems to have run two domestic establishments; one in Wandsworth with his wife, daughters and nieces and one in Chelsea with his mistress and their son.  He appears twice on the 1881 census.  After the death of his wife in 1882 he marries Rose Jones and they have more children.  He goes bankrupt in 1887 and next reappears in the Toxteth area of Liverpool where he dies in 1899.  His eldest daughter Amelia Lindsey Pearce marries in 1874 Francis Somerford Walker and has a number of children.  He dies in 1892 and Amelia marries Charles Goram in 1899.  She dies in Highgate in 1916. Nobody seems to change their name in this branch of the family!  John Noah's second daughter, Clara Lindsey Pearce (b.1853) is a very mysterious lady.  In 1881 she is still living at the Wandsworth address with her mother. By 1891 she is living with Phillip Dubeck and their daughter Alice Maud (b. 1883/4) in Whitechapel, calling herself Florence Maud Dubeck. Later that year she has a second daughter, Florence Maud and the mother's name is given as Florence Maud Dubeck, formerly Pearce.  In 1901 she is still calling herself Florence Maud Dubeck and living with Phillip in Leyton.  Her place of birth on both census is given as Bristol so I'm pretty sure its her though her age seems very variable.  He is described as a cook and a Swiss national.  She dies in 1905 and has gone back to being Clara Lindsey Dubeck.  The death is registered by A. Cross who is described as her mother!  This is subsequently amended to niece.  A. Cross turns out to be Alice Maud who has married in 1900 and is described on the marriage certificate as the daughter of Phillip Dubeck.  However I can't find any record of either her birth or her parent's marriage.  The last sister, Ann Harriet Lindsey Pearce (b.1854) was 6 months pregnant when she married Richard Norton in1876.  He is described as a printer but later becomes a "tragedian".  They are still together in 1881 with their 4 year old daughter Anne Louisa but he subsequently becomes someone else as Snowdrop has described and she seems to disappear.  Anne Louisa turns up in 1891 staying with her aunt, Louisa Barber and described as a domestic and then she disappears.  Why all this change of identity?  I think it may be something to do with divorce being so much more difficult then and people wanting to move on and cover their tracks.  Also they seem to have been arty folk---artists, actors etc.  Am still working on it all---will keep you posted.

[catperson]

What an extraordinary story. Thankyou. I have just discovered that Richard Norton was the brother of my GGMother, Louisa Elizabeth Norton who married George Barber in 1874. The witnesses were Richard Norton and Anne Lindsey Pearce.

[Gilly9]

My great grandmother was Louisa Norton, who married George Barber. I would welcome any information on them or Louisa's brother, Richard.

[rawmilk]

HI Richard was my g grandfather I do hope we have some information to share
June