A Family Mystery: Arthur Marsden Shaw and Wallace Wilson Shaw.

[fortyeighter]

We have a family mystery which seems unsolvable, so we are hoping to find answers here.

  My husband's maternal grandmother, Florence Heppenstall (b. 1882) married Arthur Marsden Shaw in June 1902. They named all their children with the middle name of Marsden, and their last child, Lilian Marsden Shaw, was born in 1906. Arthur's father's name (as stated on their marriage certificate) was Thomas Shaw.

  Then Arthur seems to disappear!

  The next we see of Florence is in the 2 April 1911 Census where she is listed in the household of her parents, Beaumont and Mary Jane Heppenstall in Honley, Yorkshire, along with two of her children, Jack Marsden Shaw, and Lilian Marsden Shaw. She puts herself as 'Married', not widowed.

  Then... on 14 June 1911 we find born to Florence a son: Harry WILSON Shaw. Three more children follow, but all die in infancy, all with the middle name of WILSON. Then my husband's mother Mary is Florence's last child (without the middle name of Wilson), but on her birth certificate it clearly states her father was Wallace Wilson Shaw.

  Now... I have been unable to find a Death Record for Arthur Marsden Shaw (except a possibility in 1918 in France & Flanders, WWI); but that is a long gap between his disappearance and his (apparent) death. And how come Florence was having children (apparently) by Wallace Wilson Shaw? She died at the birth of Mary, my husband's mother, in 1923.

  We also have the death certificate of Wallace Wilson Shaw in 1942, in St. Luke's Hospital, Lockwood, Huddersfield. His address being 40 Ridings Road, Sheepridge; occupation: Retired Newsagent.

  We are coming to terms with the possibility that Florence and Wallace were never actually married, since I have never been able to find a Marriage Record for the event. We also are wondering if his real name was Wallace Wilson (without the Shaw), and that he adopted that name to 'save face' for Florence. It obviously stuck, because that name was on his death certificate.

  Can anyone throw any light on the above conundrum? If so, we would be very grateful.

PS -  By the way, there is another Arthur Marsden Shaw 'out there' who is not the man I am refering to above. This other Arthur's father's name is Henry. I found that out from his WWI Army Pension Records.

     
 

[CaroleW]

Hi

You haven't included Arthurs birthyear.  The 1902 marriage cert shows him as 23 occ collier so birthyear approx 1879.

However - there is no birth reg for him on freebmd.  Where was he born

[CaroleW]

The 1901 census has a Wallace Wilson aged 19 b Huddersfield - occ newsagent

[fortyeighter]

Dear Carole,

  Oops! Sorry about that. I have Arthur born 2 April 1878 in Huddersfield. However, this is only a tentative record. His baptismal record from the West Yorkshire Births and Baptisms is as follows:

29 Feb 1880, Age: 1 at Rashcliffe St Stephen and Primrose Hill St Matthew Mission, Yorkshire, England. Name: Arthur Shaw, Birth Date: 1878 Parish: Rashcliffe, Baptism Date: Feb 1880, Father's Name: Thomas Shaw, Mother's name: Elizabeth Shaw.

  Notice, though, that the middle name of Marsden is missing, but his mother's maiden name was Elizabeth Marsden.

  And thanks for that 1901 Census hint for Wallace Wilson, newsagent. I have him on my Ancestry Tree as being 'missing' in 1901, but he would have been 22 years old. Not far off!

Thanks for your help,
Jan 

[J.R.Ellam]

Could Arthur have emigrated, being a miner and a casualty of the war he could have gone to Canada.

John

[J.R.Ellam]

Hi

This is a coincidence. I have just had a quick look and on Ancestry there is a members story for this which is by someone I am distantly connected.
Two Arthur Marsden Shaw's one seems to be easy to trace who died 11 Apr 1948 and left a will.
Then this one which seems to have no documents and those that are there seem vague. The death in France 15 Sep 1918 but he was in the KOYLI and enlisted Sandal (Wakefield) which would suggest he went to the area to get an mining job?
The war record as him from Stainforth so even more confusing.

John

[WolfieSmith]

CWGC (Commonwealth War Graves) website has the burial of the A M Shaw, died 15 Sep 1918, but he's not the right one.

He's aged 29 and his parents are Albert Edward and M. A. Shaw, of 4, Harvey Terrace, Cross Lane, Sandal, Wakefield, Yorks.

Alan.

[J.R.Ellam]

Yes just noticed it was the wrong one.

Been trying to see if there was a connexion with the marriage witness, George Leatham Marsden but nothing yet. (But found a link to my great grand aunt.)

John

[J.R.Ellam]

Hi
It looks like he is the Arthur Shaw born 1878? and baptised at Rashcliffe St. Stephen's 29 Feb 1880, the son of Thomas & Elizabeth Shaw. Thomas was a delver which corresponds with marriage cert.
On the same day Clara Lenore Shaw was baptised daughter of Thomas but mother was Matilda, they are all living together in 1881 census (RG11/4388 folio 23 page 40. So it looks like Elizabeth was Thomas's second wife?
In the 1891 census Thomas is a widow but there is another son Richard E. M. Shaw aged 9. The GRO gives him as Richard Ernest M. Shaw born Sep Qtr. 1891, but by 1901 census Richard is a boarder so it looks like Thomas must have died in-between the census's.
(It also looks like Elizabeth was previously married to a Sykes)

John