2nd Wife Mystery

[Sop_AF]

Hello,

I've recently come across something interesting whilst researching the Parkinson side of my family. My GGG-Grandfather was called Frederick Parkinson (b.1822 Portsmouth) and he had 3 children with Ann Elizabeth Thomas: Frederick, Benjamin, and Ann.

Ann appears in the 1851 census but just as a visitor along with Frederick. There is then no more records of her as far as I can see. However, I have stumbled across a picture of Frederick that somebody else has put onto Ancestry. We now believe Frederick went on to remarry a Margaret Craggs (However, we cannot find a marriage cert) and live in Northumberland with a new family.

The reason we are nearly certain of this is that his naval service records match with his occupation in the 1861 and 1871 censuses we've found him in.

My real question is: what happened to Ann Elizabeth and the children?

In the 1861 census with Frederick and the new family there is no mention of the children from his previous marriage (and they would have been young at this point.) Although, there seems to be another son called Frederick through his 2nd marriage but the birth date is different!

I haven't found a death cert of Ann Elizabeth. Nor have I found the children in a 1861 census, which I think will be the key to this.

If anyone is able to help or point me in the right direction I'd be very grateful!

[trish1120]

Sometimes people just split up and took other partners,
Have you tried looking for Ann Elizabeth in 1861 Census without a surname?
She may have a new partner also.

Trish

[iluleah]

Name    Frederick Parkinson
Spouse's Name    Ann Elizabeth Thomas
Event Date    13 Jul 1844
Event Place    Saint Marys,Portsea,Hampshire,England

and in the 1851 he is 'married' to Margaret...so a shorter timeline of any death 1844-1851

 ...just a thought they may not have got married or married Margaret bigamously ( moving to another part of the country also makes this likely).

I was looking for my great grandparents marriage for two decades and couldn't find it, on the 1911 census they stated they married 18 yrs prior, still couldn't find it and only when I started looking at their childrens marriages did I find their own marriage 19 yrs after they stated they married...did some more research and found wife number one died 2 weeks before he married my great gran and wife number 2...so there might not be a death to find, wife one might be living in sin with someone else and have taken his name, along with also using his name for the children

[trish1120]

Also 1851 Census has Ann Parkinson born c 1828 Portsmouth, Hampshire.
Frederick c 1843

Ann would be very young to marry 1844 from her Census age.


I can find Birth Regs;
Frederick 1848
Benjamin Lawrence 1851
Ann Lawrence 1853

Still looking for 1861 Census

[trish1120]

This may be a red herring but in 1861 we have;
Benjamin Lawrence 30
Ann Lawrence 30
Charles Lawrence 13
Benjamin Lawrence 9**
Ann Lawrence 8**

Cant find this Family in 1851 or after 1861.

Although this Ann is also too young to marry 1844

[osprey]

details of first marriage 13 July 1844 at Portsea parish church byLicence
Frederick Parkinson full seaman Trafalgar St father John, shipwright &
Ann Elizabeth Thomas minor Greetham St father John, shipwright
witnesses Ann Thomas & John Thomas

Frederic was baptised at Portsea parish church 2 oct 1822 son of John, shipwright, and Ann of Church Path
Ann Elizabeth Thomas bp 18 Nov 1827 dau of John, shipwright, and Maria of Kings Place

1841 census Greetham Street HO107/414/5 folio 35 pg 26
John Thomas 50 shipwright
Maria 45
Sharlot 15
George 15
Ann 10
John & Maria not born in county

Benjamin Parkinson is still in same area later, he marries 8 Oct 1874 at All Saints, Portsea
Benjamin Parkinson 23, seaman RN, HMS Seam? father Frederick, seaman RN &
Louisa Ware, 19, Hampton St father William, labourer
witnesses G Young, A Freeman

[osprey]

the records of the Allotments to dependants of Royal Navy personnel are available via FindmyPast. The last one I can see for Ann Elizabeth Parkinson was dated 1 July 1850 when her address was 12 Green Road, Landport, previous records had address of 21 Greetham St.

A newspaper article in 1864 refers to 4 boys, including Frederick & Benjamin Parkinson. being sentenced to 14 days imprisonment with hard labour for stealing an iron grate. They had been in court prior to this in 1862, no case to answer, referred to as Frederick Charles Parkinson & Benjamin George Parkinson.

Looks like the family Trish found in 1861 is Ann Elizabeth & her children. You can understand calling Frederick Charles by his middle name. Less of a reminder of first husband.

[Sop_AF]

Interesting!! Thank you so much for all your help so far, everybody!

I have actually seen that newspaper article about the 2 boys before, however I have always discounted it because my GG-Grandfathers middle name is Lawrence and not George...

But you are right - that family look suspiciously like the one I’m loooing for. It’s intriguing that Ann May have married someone with the last name Lawrence when the middle names of her 2 youngest are Lawrence? I wonder where that name comes from - it’s not been passed down through generations it seems...

[osprey]

It's possible that they were named Lawrence because Benjamin Lawrence was their father and as Ann Elizabeth wasn't married to him, it was a way of showing the relationship.  You quite often see this with children born to single women, the father's surname is given as a middle name.
Although, Benjamin does name Frederick on his marriage cert...