Please help me piece together this puzzle...

[Autumn9]

My great great grandfather JAMES ESHERWOOD born approx. 1867 in Westminster...

The story (short version) so far is that he joined the army aged 14 in London, married, was made a widow, was posted to Dublin, met and married again (to my great great grandmother Kathleen), had children, moved to Birmingham.

This is where it gets a bit tricky and I need help... (Sorry if it's long!)

...the 1939 electoral roll shows James Snr, Kathleen and their youngest son James Patrick Jnr living at 50 Grosvenor Road, Handsworth.

The 1939 census shows James P Esherwood living with a Maud Hindle and Elsie Blakemore. James' DOB on this census is 07.02.1866. Maud's is 06.04.1890.

The 1945 electoral roll shows James Snr and Kathleen living at 41 Cramlington Road.

The 1950 electoral roll shows Maud and James are still living together at 20 Rocky Lane.

James Esherwood Snr died in 1946. It also shows Kathleen Esherwood at 235 Percy Road with her daughter and son in law.

Now I know for a fact that Kathleen lived at Percy Road in Sparkhill with her daughter and family for a number of years and that James Snr wasn't living there. I was told it was because they had separated and apparently he was living with other family members. This could possibly be true as their other son, Bartholomew, was registered at the Cramlington Rd address on his death certificate.

My question is... it appears on the 1939 census that Maud married James Snr (due to occupation and DOB) BUT could it have been possible that she was actually married to James Jnr and he lied about his age/DOB??? He was born in 1912. Could it have been that the age gap was quite large and it was frowned upon maybe?

Any help would be massively appreciated! TIA.

[familydar]

1939 register doesn't give relationships.  Lots of mixed up households as people moved around at the start of ww2.  Absence of wife/husb can't be taken to mean separation, wife might be staying with relatives in supposed safety of countryside or visiting evacuated kids.  Husb might be on military training somewhere.

[Milliepede]

You might need the marriage certificate to confirm - there is one registered in Sep 1939 Birmingham

James P Esherwood
Maud Hindle

Did James Snr have a middle name?  If not then it's probably the son especially if you have them both in separate places in 1939.

[Cas (stallc)]

1939 with Maud does not have him as James P, just James..

Do you have the marriage cert, it would possibly confirm it was the son that married Maud?

Marriages Sep Q 1939   

Esherwood    James P    Hindel    Birmingham    6d   2430    
Hindel    Maud    Esherwood    Birmingham    6d   2430    

If Maud & James are together in 1950, James Snr dies 1946 then it must be the son she is with...

Cas


 

[Autumn9]

I don't have any marriage certificates as yet unfortunately.

I have been doing a bit more in depth digging since my post and it would make sense to believe that it was James Jnr that married Maud, and not James Snr.

1939
50 Grosvenor Road, Handsworth

Marriage 1939 (September)
James Patrick marries Maud Hindle

Census 1939 (September)
20 Rocky Lane, Perry Barr
Living with Maud Esherwood and Elsie Blakemore (Maud's Sister)

Electoral Roll 1950
20 Rocky Lane, Perry Barr
Living with Maud Esherwood and Elsie Blakemore

Electoral Roll 1955
20 Rocky Lane, Perry Barr
James no longer living @ address, only Maud and Elsie

Death of Wife 1974 (June)
Death of wife Maud

Marriage 1974 (September)
Married Irene Alice in Lewes, Sussex

Phone Book (1975)
James' name registered in phone book @ 20 Rocky Lane, Perry Barr

Phone Book (1978 & 1980)
Irene's name registered in phone book @ 30 Meeching Rise, Newhaven, Sussex

I now also know, from my Great Aunt, that James Jnr did marry twice but she couldn't remember any names. There is also an address in my late Nan's address book with both Rocky Lane and a Newhaven address for James Jnr. (She would not have had an address book at the time of her Grandfather's (James Snr) death).

It baffles me why James Snr's date of birth is on the census and not James Jnr. It might be an option that both James were living at the address at the time of the census (father living with son) and a mistake was made when recording names.

[JohninSussex]

Marriage 1939 (September)
James Patrick marries Maud Hindle

Census 1939 National Registration (September)
20 Rocky Lane, Perry Barr
Living with Maud Esherwood and Elsie Blakemore (Maud's Sister)

I now also know, from my Great Aunt, that James Jnr did marry twice but she couldn't remember any names. There is also an address in my late Nan's address book with both Rocky Lane and a Newhaven address for James Jnr. (She would not have had an address book at the time of her Grandfather's (James Snr) death).

It baffles me why James Snr's date of birth is on the census wartime register and not James Jnr. It might be an option that both James were living at the address at the time of the census (father living with son) and a mistake was made when recording names.

You may know whether James Jr had a service record:  isn't it possible that James Jr got married in that fateful month of September 1939 and immediately went to serve somewhere so wasn't registered at the home address?