What would be likely re burial in 1890?

[jenn270]

In 1890 George Walker of Streatham died at the age of 42 due to an influenza epidemic leaving a wife and 5 young children; he was a wine merchant. His family of origin lived in Yorkshire and his wife's in Lancashire. We are trying to determine where it was likely he was buried given all these details. Was there a usual procedure then?

[Valda]

Hi

There is a list of London civic cemeteries, links for each and when each opened, in the help guide at the top of the Rootschat London and Middlesex boards

http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php/topic,403485.0.html

as the family was in Lambeth at the time of George Walker's death unless you have any other information which might show he was buried with family members elsewhere who predeceased him, the logical place to start is with Lambeth cemeteries. Be aware that searches by London boroughs in their cemetery records can be expensive. Lambeth archives will also hold microfilm copies of the burial registers (contact link for them is given in the help guide to local studies libraries and other useful archives also found at the top of the Rootschat London and Middlesex boards. It helps if you know his exact date of death as there can be many burials on a daily basis in London cemeteries making a search time consuming if it has to be done over a three month period.


Regards

Valda

[jenn270]

Thank you Valda. We do indeed have exact details which say that he died 9 Jan. 1890 at the age of 42 at home (of influenza) which was Thirlby, Mount Nod Road in Streatham. What is most important is finding his wife's date of death as they are the grandparents of my 90 yr. old friend who so much wants to find out about her grandmother. My friend believes she lived until around 1930 but we lose all track of her. As we are coming to England (from Canada) in mid October I would like to zero in on the best places to search so we don't waste time, energy and expense. Any suggestions greatly appreciated.

[Valda]

Hi

If you've read the guide you know the difficulties that can be involved with tracking burials in London and how time consuming (and expensive) it might turn out to be.
Streatham is in Lambeth - the guide gives the link to Lambeth cemetery office. If his wife lived at least 40 years after her husband's death there is no guarantee she remained in the area, or when she died was buried with him or that he was buried in a Lambeth cemetery in the first place. A cemetery in for instance adjacent Southwark or even Brookwood cemetery in Surrey might have been chosen.

Have you a copy of George's will as just occasionally wills can give information about where someone wishes to be buried?

1890
The will of George Walker formerly of Leigham-court-road West Streatham but lately of Thirlly Mount Nod-road both in Streatham


Did Eliza Maria continue to live in Streatham? Did she remarry?


Regards

Valda

[jenn270]

Your help is greatly appreciated, Valda!!
No, George's wife did not remain in Streatham and as far as we know she did not remarry unless it was much later in her life. The last record of her existence I have been able to find online was in 1916 when she lived at 71 Hallam Street, near Portland Place in London W. I am stymied as to where she was in both the 1891 and 1901 census records. In the 1911 census she was living at 108 Cranbrook Road in Chiswick. All 5 of their children seemed to have been under the care of Eliza Marie's (she seems to have gone by 'Marie' rather than Maria or Eliza) mother in the 1891 census. Her name was Sarah Maria (Fennell) Eveleigh and though she and her husband did for a time live in the London area too, she seems to have returned to the Manchester area where they had lived originally. He had died by then but was a hat manufacturer and I think was fairly 'comfortable' financially. 'Marie' had only one sister Gertrude who died in childbirth. The child lived but never married. So, Marie's grandchildren were the only ones to continue the family line and of the 5, only my friend's father Frank had children.
At this late date it seems futile to send for a will which likely won't get here before we leave on Oct. 14. Where would we go to get a copy in London?
Have you other ideas or suggestions about how we can find out what happened to 'Marie' in the years following her husband's death? My friend can recall her parents receiving a telegram giving them the news of Marie's death when she was around 10 years old so guesses it was sometime around 1930. We will be in the London area for no more than 4 days before moving on to Lancashire and North Yorkshire so I am concerned that we do whatever is most important during that small window of time.

Jennifer, friend of Marie's granddaughter Dorothy

[Valda]

Hi

The nearest death registration on FreeBMD with a birth date of circa 1855 would be the one given below. Hallam Street is in Paddington so this death registration would be consistent with the 1916 address

Deaths Jun 1936
Walker  Eliza M  81  Paddington  1a 77

http://freebmd.rootsweb.com/cgi/search.pl


The transcription of the General Registry Office index for BMDs does not have complete coverage of the 1930s for deaths

http://freebmd.rootsweb.com/progressD.shtml#1930


A death notice may have been inserted in a local newspaper which would give an indication of where she was buried. In the case of Paddington that would be Westminster Archives (their newspaper collection may be wider than just Westminster)

http://www.westminster.gov.uk/services/libraries/archives/

They also hold the registers for Hanwell cemetery (not sure up to what date)


In the case of Streatham that is Lambeth Archives (they also hold copies of the burial registers - but not the further registers held at the cemetery office if the grave was purchased which give further details on who purchased the grave and who was buried and when at what depth and whether a gravestone was purchased). They will also hold local newspapers.

http://www.lambeth.gov.uk/Services/LeisureCulture/LocalHistory/Archives.htm



Copies of wills can be obtained from

London Probate Department
PRFD, First Avenue House
42-49 High Holborn
7th Floor
Holborn London

http://www.hmcourts-service.gov.uk/cms/1176.htm

It might be worth obtaining a copy of Eliza Marie's mother's will

Sarah Maria Eveleigh died 22nd June 1906

It might give some clue about her daughter during the missing years.


On the 1901 census Janet Kathleen  and Marie Gertrude Walker were scholars at Ackworth school which is a very famous Quaker school which would indicate the family were Quakers? Ackworth school's records may give further information

http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/nra/searches/subjectView.asp?ID=O37607

http://www.archives.wyjs.org.uk/wyjs-archives-wakefield.asp

If the family were Quakers then the Society of Friends library in London might be useful as the Quakers were copious record keepers

http://www.quaker.org.uk/library

The first two baptisms for the children George Hunter Eveleigh Walker (1880) and William Fennell Walker (1883) at St Leonard Streatham indicate the family were not Quakers at that time.



Regards

Valda

[jenn270]

Hello again,

You are a marvel, Valda! I shall reply to you directly but for the sake of anyone following this will add a few bits here.
- We do have the will for Sarah Eveleigh and it only makes mention of money she has given her daughter over the years to help her but says nothing about where she is.
- As my friend Dorothy also attended Ackworth and is a Quaker we had considered that route but like you came to the conclusion the family was not Quaker then. Dorothy is a Quaker because of her maternal grandparents.

I shall write to you shortly,
Jennifer