Possible St Johns,Jersey burial

[jane k]

My gt-gt-grandfather, Alfred William Boardman, died in 1866 and one of his children was admitted to the Infant Orphan Asylum in Wanstead.  The orphanage records state that Alfred William was buried Jan 26 St Johns, Guernsey.  However I have been in touch with the Priaulx Library in Guernsey and they can find no record of this.  They have suggested that perhaps the orphanage records were incorrect and that he was actually buried at St Johns, Jersey. (He lived in England but there is no record of his death there).

Can anyone help? I believe the Channel Islands Family History Society will undertake research but I am a bit unwilling to pay any more until I am certain he did die there.

Thanks             Jane

[Hill]

Hi Jane

I have had a look at the deaths for an AWB in the Parish of St John and also St Helier. The reason why I also looked at St Helier is that Mont a Labbe cemetery is in New St John's Road and it always gets confused with the Parish of St John cemetery.

There is no death recorded in either Parish for that name and that date in 1866.

There is an index for graves in the St Helier cemetery and there is no Boardman. There is no index for the St John's Parish cemetery.

Sorry.

Stewart

[jane k]

Hi Stewart

Thanks very much for your efforts.  It looks like this is going to remain a mystery - very frustrating! After his death/disappearance his family was left destitute and the children were separated from their mother and each other so it would have been nice to find out exactly what happened.

Kind regards            Jane

[Bessy S]

Dear Jane

This is my first post on Rootschat - actually on any online forum. I registered because I was doing a google search for one of my ancestors and saw your posts.

Alfred William Boardman is also my great great grandfather. My great grandfather was his son Henry Jesse Boardman. Like you I was puzzled about what had happened to Alfred as I couldn't find him in the censuses.

Could you tell me some details of the 1871 census entry for Amelia so that I can find her and also the name of her second husband so I can look up the marriage on Free BMD? I'd be happy to tell you what I know about what became of H J Boardman if you are interested? I expect you've found the census records for our great great great grandfather Thomas James Boardman who was an organist and doctor of music? I found him on the 1841 and 1861 censuses.

I hope to hear from you

Best wishes

Martha

[jane k]

Hello Martha

I am thrilled to hear from you - it`s always good to learn about another branch of the family.  My great grandfather was Amelia`s oldest son, Alfred Thomas.
In 1871 Amelia is calling herself a widow and working at the Barley Mow Inn, Droitwich - the Innkeeper is a widower Henry Todd and on 21/10/1873 Amelia married Henry Todd.  Florence Mary Todd was born in 1874 (but died in 1883), and Edith Annie Todd was born in 1877.  However the marriage seems to have collapsed as in 1881 Amelia Todd is working in Wakefield (still calling herself `married`) and Henry Todd is in Aston (Birmingham), with 2 of his sons & calling himself a widower.

Most of the children seem to have been boarded out at some point in their lives - I can`t decide if Amelia was a bad mother or very unlucky! Because of this you may have missed one of her sons - Reginald Alexander Boardman who was born in Devon in 1864.  There was also another daughter, Amy Cecilia who was born on the Isle of Wight in1862 but died in 1866 at Belgrave Street, Kings Norton - which is where Amelia`s mother Catherine Solomon was living.

I have lots more information which I would be very happy to share with you but I quite understand if you prefer to puzzle things out for yourself.  I would love to know more about Henry Jesse too - am I right in thinking he was in the Navy?

Kind regards    Jane

[Bessy S]

Hi Jane

It's great to hear from you - and so quickly.

Thanks for the details about Amelia.

You're right, Henry J was a captain in the Merchant Navy. He married in 1894 and went to South Africa where he had been appointed Harbour Master of Port Elizabeth Dock. He and his wife Elizabeth had four children, one of whom was my grandmother. His wife died in about 1912 and he returned to England without his children (I think he was going to send for the children but WW1 intervened and my grandmother didn't come to England until 1919). Henry J remarried and settled in the Birmingham area. He was crippled by a piano falling on him when the ship was unloading. My mother has photos of him in a bath chair. He died in 1934.

I have to go out now but look forward to chatting to you more soon.

Kind regards

Martha

[Bessy S]

Hi Jane

Not sure how to add a comment that is not a reply. I'm waiting for my husband to be ready to go out and had another thought. It has been puzzling me that Amelia is recorded on the 1861 census, when she's with her mum, as "Professor of Music". I don't see how she could have been as she would have been busy having babies during the time when she would have trained. Do you think this is just a ref to Alfred's occupation?

Kind regards

Martha