Actress/dramatist Gertrude L. Robins (abt. 1880-1917) - looking for birth date

[avm228]

Do any family photographs of Gertrude the schoolmistress survive, to compare with these of the actress?

http://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/person.php?LinkID=mp67367&wPage=0

[NB It's interesting that some of them are dated 31 March 1911; the census was taken two days later.]

[Spidermonkey]

Am completely tied up in knots here!!  So, this is Frederic and John's family in 1861:

Kings Place, Chigwell, Essex (ecc. parish Buckhurst Hill)
Christopher T Robins  Head  Mar  53  Hat and cap manuf.  bn Botolph, London
Elizabeth  Wife  Mar  42  bn Southwark st Saviour
John  Son 16  bn MEOT
Elizabeth Dau  14  bn MEOT
Eleanor  13  bn MEOT
Frances  11  bn MEOT
Charles  10  bn MEOT
Herbert  7  bn MEOT
Grace  5  bn MEOT
Frederic  3  bnMEOT

Have you traced all of the siblings forward to check that none of the girls had a daughter out of wedlock and 'borrowed' John's name for the father, which if your Gertrude belonged to John could make her cousins to the other Gertrude (and so account for similarities when talking about their families)

Just a thought (and probably not my brightest!)

[Spidermonkey]

Other children of Christopher T Robins:

With first wife (Ann Eliza Winter)
Frances Eliza Robins (7 Jul 1830) according to parish records
Christopher Terrey Robins (6 Mar 1839)

Apparently with first wife (from 1851 census)
Emily bn c. 1847 Stepney

[Berlin-Bob]

Hi Gudrun,

in case you haven't come across it before,
  
MEOT means "Mile End Old Town", an area within the East End of London.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mile_End

regards,
Bob

[guvoko]

All: the number of good suggestions is really overwhelming! In addition to the contributions in this thread I got a message with a very promising hint on an article on http://newspapers.bl.uk/blcs/ , obviously mentioning Gertrude L Robins in connection with a college and an address in Church End (!). Thank you all for your help!

So, there is some homework to do now... of course, any further suggestions are still very welcome!

@ Spidermonkey: the will... no I did not buy it yet. I was assuming only Mr. Dawson would be mentioned after I found the probate calendar entry "Dawson Gertrude Louise of 46 Berner's-street Middlesex (wife of Charles Edwin Dawson) died 24 December 1917 at Shotter Mill Surrey Probate London 28 March to Charles Edwin Dawson lieutenant H.M. Army. Effects £ 50." But you are right, this is something we can chase! Especially since "my"  Gertrude's elderly sister Elizabeth Caroline died in 1958 only.

@BarbaraH: As arevans777 said, "looks like an excellent resource"!

@avm228: No, no photo's of Gertrude the schoolmistress, no photos of her parents either. A pity! Your remark re. the census, was it taken on a specific day countrywide? I was not aware of that...

@spidermonkey (once more), re: the Robins siblings : have to review how much we have about the siblings... for sure not all details. But same first names + birth year of a second Gertrude L. in the same family... hm... and still, the main reason for our doubts is that "Irish father" thing (one possibility for that could of course be that the guy being her father on paper was not her father in reality and she knew that... IF we are talking about ONE Gertrude).

If anybody has the free access to the British Newspapers mentioned initially, it would be great if you could look up

Publication Date: on 30 June 1900
Search: Robins n3 Station

for us. I just asked my co-researchers and am waiting for their reply now. Otherwise I'll go ahead and buy the 24 hours access tomorrow...

All the best,
Gudrun

[arevans777]

@ Spidermonkey: the will... no I did not buy it yet. I was assuming only Mr. Dawson would be mentioned after I found the probate calendar entry "Dawson Gertrude Louise of 46 Berner's-street Middlesex (wife of Charles Edwin Dawson) died 24 December 1917 at Shotter Mill Surrey Probate London 28 March to Charles Edwin Dawson lieutenant H.M. Army. Effects £ 50." But you are right, this is something we can chase! Especially since "my"  Gertrude's elderly sister Elizabeth Caroline died in 1958 only.

I have a scan of the will (sent to me by another researcher of GLR). It leaves everything, and particularly the royalties from her plays to her son, Robin Giles Dawson (b1912).  The executer named is her husband. Sadly, it makes no reference to any other family members.  Robin did not marry or have any children and died in 1969. It is witnessed by Fanny Filmore and Florence Tilleray (wife of A.H. Tilleray), neither of whom seem to be significant to the puzzle... yet.

[Spidermonkey]

Obituary sent!

I've just checked, and I don't think I do have access to the newspapers at the British Library, sorry.

[Barbara.H]

Have you come across a Gertrude Minnie Robins in your family history?

Only there is a writer of that name who wrote a novel called "A False Position" published 1887. So would be a good few years older than your Gertrude Louise Robins (there is a Gertrude Minnie Robins on the BMDs registered Kingston, Surrey in 1861).

I have access to the British Library archive, and this Gertrude is mentioned in an article dated 16th March 1889. The journalist is (favourably) reviewing an amateur performance of a play by Gertrude Minnie Robins called "Our Maiden Aunt"

I'll keep working forward in the archive, but will be a bit slow as I've got the usual domestic stuff to do as well 

  Barbara

[arevans777]

Mystery solved. One and the same:

Same address as her mother Helene in the 1901 census.