Mystery

[NooshieW]

WHAT!!!! What on earth is going on? Thanks a million,but this is throwing up more questions than answers, so I will recap:
So I have Catherine Hunter b 1822 Woolwich parents Robert and Mary, he is a soldier
On 1851 Plymouth census, she is next door to her Dad and his second wife and she is living with sisters:Ann and Jane and the two boys Robert and Richard Hunter,but I now believe there was another sister Esther who died in 1846.
Then we pick up the story when a Catherine HUNTER marries Robert MILLS in 1855 in London, then she is widowed goes to the workhouse pregnant .Then four children are admitted Robert and Richard HUNTER and Thomas and Henry DAY?
Catherine then gives birth to a baby boy John Thomas has him baptised and her name magically changes to ANDERSON???
Goodness me what is going on?

[jim1]

Workhouse John Mills was born c.1800. Could he be father to Robert?

[sarah]

PaulineJ I sent you a pm earlier this morning regarding this topic..perhaps you have missed it

Regards

Sarah

[NooshieW]

Thanks, yes John Mills could be the father in law of Catherine. He dies in the workhouse in 1873, all that time in the workhouse, terrible.

[jim1]

He was discharged in May 1856 so must have been in before.Probably a frequent inmate up until his death.

[jonw65]

But we have the baptism record saying that the father was Robert Mills (deceased)

I have just found the death of Robert Mills - husband of Catherine in Q4 1855

Another great find, Liz.
Buried at St Alphege, 24 Dec 1855
Age 38, abode East Street
Register gives dates of death! But does it say 10 Dec or is it a badly written 2, thus making it 20 Dec? Two weeks from death to burial would be a longish time back then.

[NooshieW]

Thanks everyone,is it possible to find when Catherine and the children were discharged please?

[jonw65]

There is a Robert Mills, age 32, in Greenwich in 1851
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:SGLW-LCD

It says that he is a Butcher. Married to Emma
Two sons, Thomas, 4, born Mile End, and Henry, 1, born Greenwich

Ages work out as similar to the Day children admitted to the workhouse in 1856
Possible birth reg of Henry?
March 1850 Greenwich vol 5 page 253
Mills, Henry
Mothers maiden surname Day

[Pennines]

Nooshie -- just looking back to the start of the query -- in 1851 the 3 unmarried sisters;
Ann Hunter 29
Catherine Hunter 25
Jane Hunter 23

are living in the same house as another family - but as a separate household..
Robert Hunter 7
Richard Hunter 5
are with the sisters, both shown as 'Brother' -- effectively 'brother' to Ann Hunter who is the head of this separate household. All 3 sisters are unmarried.

The sisters don't appear to be living next door to their father, Robert - which is what I thought you had said originally (but may have misunderstood - and now I have started writing this I cannot go back and re-check!)

Also where are they in 1841 please?

I can see a birth for a Richard Hunter in Plymouth 1846 -- no mother's maiden name.
There is one for a Robert James Hunter - Plymouth in 1844 - again no mother's maiden name.

Might it be worth obtaining one of those certificates for £7 PDF copy just to check who the mother is? Or don't you consider it to be worth it?

If this were me - I would really want sight of the workhouse admission papers, if they exist and would definitely try enquiring with London Metropolitan Archives - or popping along there if you live nearby.

(Sorry I  see 2 replies have come in whilst writing this -- dealing with different aspects of this query I didn't mean to mix things things up - I was trying to get back to basics by 'starting again')