Ernest WATSON- Ancestor on the run-Born 1877, bigamist

[sunshine18]

Hi there, I have just brought my Great Grandmothers divorce records which are an interesting read. Ernest Watson b 1877 Taihope New Zealand left her five months after marrying her at Wickham in 1927. She sent a warrant for his arrest and I believe thats how she found out he had previously been married to a Alma Rose Pearson in 1921. The lawyer in the divorce case sent a letter to the police force asking for the wereabouts of Ernest Watson and they said they just didnt get involved with divorce proceedings? Is that police speak for we know where he is we're just not telling? I would have thought the police would be interested in tracking a bigamist down? Anyhow I was wondering whether anyone could give some advice about where to go from here to find out where Ernest dissapeared to? Letters of the divorce proceedings were posted in the Sydney Herald and New Zealand Newspaper but he never appeared for trial.

[judb]

You have probably read this but thought I'd post it;

The Sydney Morning Herald, Friday 27 September 1929 mentions the divorce proceedings undertaken by Alma Rose WATSON (nee Pearson), because of his adultery and bigamy with Hilda Doris COOPER.

http://newspapers.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/16587893?searchTerm=ernest+watson+divorce

The decree absolute is listed on Thursday 24 April 1930

Did he have a second name at all?  My thoughts are that he may well have changed his name after he shot through!  I don't think th epolice would have known where he was but perhaps ...........

Judith

[regross]

Have you looked for his death in the NSW online records?

http://www.bdm.nsw.gov.au

Robyn

[majm]

Hi there,

There's a submitted tree, so it may not be reliable and needs to be verified,

But it seems that submitter has this Ernest Watson firstly married to Eva Louisa Lankow, in NZ in 1901, 2 boys, 1 girl .... Eva's dates are recorded as 1880 - 1962    That submission has Ernest Watson marrying Alma Rose PEARSON in 1921 with a child born 1907 to Alma and Ernest, and next married to Hilda Doris COOPER 1927, and notes their separation. 

Also it has Ernest Watson coming from  Melbourne (not from NZ) to Sydney 1911   And the actual image has the passenger as Ernest Geo Watson.  I think "Geo" is abbreviation for GEORGE ... hope that helps with possible middle name, but do remember that it was found on a submitted tree.

Cheers,  JM

[jorose]

His birthplace might be Taihape, rather than Taihope? Do you know his parents' names, did he have any siblings?

From http://newspapers.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/29767342?searchTerm=%22Alma+Rose+Watson%22
there was a child Jeanne to Alma, she was married to Geoffrey Gere (or Gore, I think).

On NSW the marriage is listed between Geoffrey H Gore and Alma J Aujard in Sydney, 1927.
Her birth is as Alma J Pearson mother Alma R Pearson no father listed.

http://newspapers.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/16332042?searchTerm=%22Aujard%22
 - she was using the surname Aujard by 1926 - a first marriage? (doesn't seem to have taken place in NSW if so).

On NZ bmd the marriage in 1901 has him as "Earnest Watson", and three children (1903, 1906, 1909) to Ernest and Eva. He could be the father of both Alma Jeanne in 1907 and the 1909 child in NZ (possible, certainly, especially if he was in some job that took him back and forth), but then again he might have left after the birth of the second child and she named him on the birth certificate in 1909 to save face. Don't see any divorce records in NZ for him.

[sunshine18]

Hi there, Thanks everyone. His parents were George Henry WATSON and mother Margaret Margery Maxwell and he appears to have had quite alot of siblings all of which stayed in New Zealand. The first marriage is definately his because it has been vertified through another researcher. It appears he was a serial bigamist. There is a possibility he is the unknown father of my grandfather which would make him a sailor which would make sense with all the traveling he appears to have done. I have checked nsw bdm for a death but none of them seem to fit. Perhaps someone could have a look for me and see if there are any possibilities I'm missing?

[jorose]

Interesting coincidence: on the NSW bmd site there's an Ernest Cooper death in Wickham in 1934, parents George and Margaret.

Do any of the other records you have say anything about his occupation? If he was a sailor he could have gone just about anywhere, unfortunately.

[sunshine18]

The two marriage certicates list him as just labourer. That is an interesting coincidence about the Ernest Cooper. Though you'd presume if he was in Newcastle Hilda would have seen him.