what happened to General Hales??

[dannibaggaley]

I'm trying to trace what happened to General Hales.
He was born in London, some reports say 1849 but its more likely to be 1852, parents married in 1851 and his father was touring america with the circus in 1848 to 1850
In 1861 he is on the census living with his parents Robert Hales and Maria Charlotte Webb at the Burgoyne Arms in Yorkshire
In 1863 his father dies in Great Yarmouth
In 1867 his mother remarries in london to a Henry Garbins (there are many variations of that surname!!) And on the 1871 census can be found in a pub in covent garden
But there is no sign of General, no census entry (apart from '61) no marriage or death record
I would be grateful if someone could check passenger lists for that name as I'm guessing he's gone abroard!
If anyone has any more information about General Hales, I'd love to hear it,
Thanks, dani

[dannibaggaley]

Sorry, surname of the second husband was gravins or gravius not garbins!!

[jorose]

I would first try and track down a birth/christening to see if he had any middle names etc.
I see on freebmd his parents' marriage in 1852 in Lewisham district but can't see his birth.
Where were his parents living in the 1851 census?
Where were his mother's family from 1861 onwards? (he might have been staying with them).
Could he have been Maria's son but not Robert's?

There appears an obituary for Robert Hales in The Era, Sunday, November 29, 1863, which says he leaves a widow but no family. Then again, given that his death was falsely reported the year before then who knows how accurate this info is!

[Spidermonkey]

Erm, probably being really daft here, but are you certain that the Henry Gravins on the 1871 census is yours - his wife appears to be H J?

[Spidermonkey]

Henry John Gravius left a will when he died in 1889, perhaps it is worth getting hold of and seeing whether he mentions his stepson?

It gives his address as the "Telegraph"  Tavern 21 Regency St, Westminster

[Spidermonkey]

Maria Charlotte Gravius also left a will.  Address is 44 Stockwell Green, Surrey.  Her executor was Henry Honeyman Webb.  Do we know who he was?

Maria died 17 Jan 1893, leaving £1163 10s 6d

[Spidermonkey]

Henry HOneyman Webb ch 20th July 1853 to George James and Mary Ann Webb of Garden Stairs?, Licensed Victueller.  Ch at St Alphege, Greenwich


Henry Honeyman Webb married Matilda Mary Ann Preddy Mar qtr 1873 Strand 1b 642

Henry Honeyman Webb died 15 June 1934, of 193 Malpas Rd, Brockley Kent; died at 48 Vanbrugh Hill, Greenwich.  Probate to  Henry John Webb, musician

[Spidermonkey]

So were Maria and Henry Honeyman brother and sister? HO107; Piece: 1586; Folio: 4; Page: 1

If so, does the fact that she makes Henry her executor suggest that General Hales is dead?

Incidently, the obit for Robert Hales from The Times makes no mention of any family at all.

[dannibaggaley]

Hi spidermonkey

That's a lot of info!! Thanks so much for your hard work.
I'm not very familiar with Maria's family, so I haven't researched any of the info you have given me
There is no death record for General so can't confirm that
We weren't sure about the HJ on the '71 but birthplace and age match Maria and Maria and Henry married in 1867. His previous wife was Harriett Emily and she died before '67.
We believed there was no children for Robert and Maria and we only stumbled across General on a roots web tree, then thought to check the census. We found a birth record on familysearch and a census entry for '61. That's it, we know little else