A Walker who walked off

[Ayashi]

I have an Alien Abduction story, as I'm sure many of us do...

The unfortunate abductee in this case is my great grandfather's half sister, born Annie Letitia WALKER.

Born- 10 Aug 1881, Race Hill, Launceston, Cornwall, the illegitimate daughter of Edwin WALKER and Elizabeth Jane Uglow HAMLEY. Elizabeth J registered the birth and pretended to be married to Edwin. Elizabeth J herself was illegitimate and her mother at this time had married ROBBINS- Race Hill was her mother's house.
Christened- 25 Aug 1881 Privately, received into church (St Mary Magdalene) 27 Sept 1881, the illegitimate daughter as above.
1891 Census- stepdaughter living in the household of Theophilus JONES and Elizabeth J JONES in East Stonehouse, Devon. Her place of birth is incorrectly given as Folkestone, Kent- this appears to be where she was conceived, as this was where Edwin WALKER was stationed at the time (making him an incredibly virile man apparently. I can only speculate that Eliz J was in service to a household who moved over there??)
And then poof... I haven't seen hide nor hair of her after that point.

It's worth noting that Eliz J blamed Edwin for a second illegitimate child, Charles (HAMLEY, later WALKER) 1884. Edwin was in Leeds at this point and I'm not convinced he was the father, but who knows. The christening of Charles names Edwin specifically. Charles I can trace- he was with his grandmother in 1891, his great uncle in 1901 and in Plymouth married in 1911.

Eliz J herself is my most surnamed lady in my tree, being recorded at various points as HAMLEY, ROBBINS, WALKER, UGLOW and JONES so if her daughter follows suit it might make it even more complicated!

Does anyone have the eagle eyes to spot this elusive lady? I never managed to kill of Edwin or Charles either but at least I know something about each of them, I know nothing about Annie at all.

Regards
Ayashi

[pinefamily]

I have the opposite, Ayashi. I seem to have an alien landing of my own. Haven't even had a response to my posts yet either.
I'll have a look and see if Annie can be found.

[Ayashi]

Thanks, and good luck to you too! I also had an alien landing on another branch- he appeared aged 18 out of nowhere. It eventually turned out he was the illegitimate child of his widowed mother so his birth and christening were under her married name, his first census was under her remarried surname and then he married and lived under her maiden name! 

[AncestryFinder]

Your message was from a LONG time ago but I just came across it now ---  have  you been successful in finding Annie Letitia Walker?

I noted her name on WikiTree (https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Walker-48271) as marrying in Toronto, Ontario, Canada in 1906 to James Edward Dowding. The person who takes care of her profile says that on her marriage record, she gave her parents' names as Charles Walker and Elizabeth Jane Robbins.

Good luck!!

my great grandfather's half sister, born Annie Letitia WALKER.

Born- 10 Aug 1881, Race Hill, Launceston, Cornwall, the illegitimate daughter of Edwin WALKER and Elizabeth Jane Uglow HAMLEY. Elizabeth J registered the birth and pretended to be married to Edwin. Elizabeth J herself was illegitimate and her mother at this time had married ROBBINS- Race Hill was her mother's house.
Christened- 25 Aug 1881 Privately, received into church (St Mary Magdalene) 27 Sept 1881, the illegitimate daughter as above.

Regards
Ayashi

[Ayashi]

Hi

Thank you for asking and your information. Yes, that's correct! I eventually made contact with a descendant of Annie's. No wonder I didn't find her!

She interchangably notes her maiden name as WALKER, JONES, WALKER-JONES etc... and names a child middle name Theophilus. I also later found military records belonging to Theophilus that noted Annie as first of their children (presumably as a dependent) but not Eliz J's second child, Charles. I suppose I can only speculate on why that was. Did Theo feel threatened by a male child but not a female? But then it wasn't like he owned a farm or something where inheritance could cause a conflict (he was a soldier). Did one child need more support than the other, either to remain with the mother or to be raised by attentive family? I've also vaguely considered that Charles was easier to hide so she didn't have to admit to two children out of wedlock but then again why admit to one? I haven't been successful in locating a descendant of Charles.

I guess I can only speculate.

[AncestryFinder]

I noted that Annie always says she was born in Kent, England or Hyde, Kent -- with birth on Aug 10 and baptism Aug 25 in Launceston, do you think that's enough time in those days for her mother to travel from Kent back home??

The oldest child of Mary Ann Robbins Hamley and Richard Edwards emigrated to America about 1913 and married twice and died in Cleveland, Ohio in the 1960s.

I have an interest in the Uglow name and that's  how I originally came across Elizabeth Jane Uglow Hamley. It was interesting when you mentioned in another post that the possibilities for her father are a couple of the brothers of Margaret Ann Uglow who married her uncle Richard Hamley.

Here are a few details on Margaret's Uglow family --

In the census in 1841, William her father is the miller at Badharlick, Egloskerry with 5 children - Margaret Ann is missing for some reason.

But by the censuses in 1851 and 1861, the family are resident in Lifton where William is a farmer of 85 acres employing 3 men at Lower Carley Farm close to Lifton.

In 1851, his eldest son, John Kittow Uglow, is working on the farm but he dies in 1871 and the management of the farm is taken on by the younger son, Wymond Cory. There was also a visitor James Benjamin Bawden Uglow age 29.

1861 CENSUS - Dwelling Place: Lower Curley, Lifton, Devon.

UGLOW, William, Head, widower, age 69, Farmer, born Week St.Mary-Con
UGLOW, John, Son, unmarried, age 38, born Tintagel-Con
UGLOW, Mary Jane, Daughter, unmarried, age 34, born Tintagel-Con
UGLOW, Wymond Cory, Son, unmarried, agd 30, born Egloskerry-Con
UGLOW, Ann, Visitor, Widow, age 76, Farmer's Sister in Law, born Hartland-Dev [Ann WHETTER, widow of William's brother George UGLOW]
UGLOW, James B, Visitor, unmarried, age 29, Draper's Shopman, born Anthony-Con
UGLOW, Mary, Servant, unmarried, age 13, General Servant, born Warbstow-Con

Regarding the Elizabeth Jane's marriage to Theophilus -- did you notice that she gave William Hamley, farmer, as  her father?? What did / do you make of that?

On another note, I found a marriage for Charles Walker in 1909 in Plymouth, Devon to Alice Maud Weeks and know they had at least 1 child, Kenneth Walker born there in 1911.

Wish I had a subscription to Ancestry to check the 1939 Register to find out if they were in UK at that time ......

All the best!

[Ayashi]

Thank you.

I'm familiar with the Uglow family tree website and have had communication with them. You may note that there's a comment confirming that Eliz J is almost certainly an UGLOW by virtue of DNA testing. I have a lot of hits in the UGLOW family but interestingly none in KITTOW, although that could be because of lack of descendants testing, the lack of named ancestors in that direction to compare against, etc. I admit though it has made me wonder if the Uglow father was responsible, not the sons!

Charles did have more children with Alice WEEKS I think. Aside from Alice (b and d 1909) and Kenneth, I think there may have been two others in 1918 and 1920- I guess the 1921 census will prove helpful here!

As for "William HAMLEY" it seems fairly logical to me that she used her mother's surname and her stepfather's forename. As far as made up names go, its not too outlandish. She would have known William ROBBINS even though I don't think he was around long. From what little I have I think the marriage broke down and he went back to Cornwall.

I did see that Annie was born Folkestone, Kent on the census, although her birth certificate was registered in Launceston (the birth taking place in her grandmother's house). I wonder if Eliz J was in service for a family that moved towards Kent and then got kicked back home as soon as her indiscretion was discovered so she had to register the birth in the wrong area. I do believe the conception happened there at least, since that's where Edwin WALKER was. He was in and out of military hospital at that time being treated for all your usual STDs...

Are you related to UGLOW or have some other interest in it as a name?

[AncestryFinder]

My husband is descended from Uglows and inter-related with them as well.

I hadn't thought of the father William being Elizabeth J's father ... but if no Kittows are coming up as DNA matches, coupled with her naming her father William Hamley and being in the same area as Elizabeth Hamley her mother .... all sounds plausible.

I know Jane Kittow Uglow died before the 1861 Census but I haven't yet gotten a year of death for her so I'm going to look for that.

I know that there was an Edwin F. T. Walker 1918 and Sybil V. Walker 1920, both born in Plymouth with mother's surname Weeks -- so you're saying that these belonged to them as well?

Any idea where or when Charles died? I saw a tree online that had him living in Berkshire during 1939 Register ....

Fascinating story and family!
Dallas

[Ayashi]

Those were the potential children, but haven't delved. The gap would make sense given the war.

Apparently Jane KITTOW died in 1852, so William UGLOW would have been a widower at the time of Eliz J's birth, which I hadn't realised until just now. A 41 year age gap is rather yikes, although not unheard of! I think a son is more likely but I'll just wait patiently to see if anything does turn up on the DNA. I've poked at the KITTOW side but haven't got back more than a couple of pencilled generations.

I don't know when or where Charles died. I can't find him on the 1939. I can see one for Berkshire, but it isn't him. For all I know he could have emigrated as well. I think I see the tree you are talking about, although it seems like a patchwork WIP- she is descended from what she takes a second marriage for Alice Maud, although the date and place of birth aren't even in the same country or decade.