CHANDLER Family from Devizes

[Mort29]

well, all those men I show (Thomas G, Alfred B and Robert John) are Mary O's brothers - see the list in the 1871 transcription I posted first thing today.

The point about living people will become effective if you go much further forward than 1911 for births, which is the point we are at now.

I cant go further online w/o purchasing Certificates now, as sadly the use of a full middle name isnt employed post c1909 in the Marriage Indices.

So Robert's son Thomas R(aymond) cant be easily used for marriage searching 

[RPCW]

Ok Mort, thank you very much.

I have just noticed that there are four Chandlers listed in the phone book with addresses in Devizes.
Maybe I will concoct a little letter and write to them.... if that is not considered bad form? 

[Mort29]

are you still pursuing a newspaper obituary and/or Mary O's actual Death Cert from the Consular Records - these may give the info you need w/o resorting to writing to people.

As you will have seen, only one of the sons stayed in the Devizes area - true, a later generation may have returned, or an earlier one stayed.

[RPCW]

Yes, I will try to trace a newsper obituary... didn't do anything about it today. About the consular site you gave me:  I am not sure how to use this.... they seem to want me to sign up and pay quite a lot of money. Any advice?

[Mort29]

I think you can just pay to view one or two items, so buy the minimum # of credits.

My subscription to Ancestry is on an annual basis, but I use it a lot, so doesnt seem to hurt as much   

You can buy 60 credits min it seems 

PayAsYouGo options
 PayAsYouGo 280 =  Valid for 365 Days
Number of credits 280 credits -  £24.95

PayAsYouGo 60  = Valid for 90 Days - 60 credits
 £6.95


However, I think that this will only give a name and date etc, and hopefully Refn data so you can order the full Death Cert from the GRO

[RPCW]

Thanks again..

[RPCW]

I have just received a copy of Mary Octavia's will, dated and signed 14th June 1912... about a month before the date given for her death, 19th July 1912, in the Austrian Tyrol.

The will was proved in October that year. ( i hope this is the right terminology )
It seems to me then that authorities in Austria must have been pretty certain of the identification of her body, and possibly her date of death.
The story that her son was told was that she had disappeared.... gone for a walk and not come back.... and that weeks later the bodies of two women who could not be identified were found downstream in the river that passed the spa where she was staying.
This all looks a bit unlikely now..... What does anybody think?
I realise I've still got to check for local newspaper reports around the time of her death, perhaps for High Wycombe and in Brixen Where she died. Not sure how to do the foreign ones though....

[Barbara F]

Hi RP

Well done on getting the will.  I agree there must have been strong evidence of her death for the will to be proved at that time.

Who were the executors of the will?  If it was a firm of Solicitors maybe you could try to trace them or where their papers have gone?   (they may have been destroyed of course)  As the children were very young I assume the estate was held in trust until they reached the age of 21?  Definitely worth pursuing as there could be papers from the Austrian authorities which enabled probate to be granted.

Barbara

[RPCW]

Thanks Barbara. The Executors were her brother, and also two nephews of her mother in law. One of the nephews was 18 in 1912 so he had Power Reserved.

The paper is stamped by the Probate office in Oxford, (October 1912 ) There is also the name of a firm of solicitors in High Wycombe who certify that it a genuine copy of the will.

I have just realised that anyone who googles Mary Octavia can  now be directed to this site and read these threads. That is good in that they may have something to contribute, but a concern in that even after nearly a hundred years this may still be rather a sensitive subject in some families descending from Mary Octavia or her relatives. I hope nobody is offended so far!