Trouble with my Samuel Newtons

[Tuggybear]

It seems that my Grandma's father was named after his father, who was named after his father, who was named after his father, who was named ... well basically I have at least 4, maybe 5 Samuel Newtons stretching back from my great granddad, who helpfully was named Samuel Robert Newton.
Samuel Robert was born to Samuel Newton and Emma Watts around 16th January 1866, he was baptised in 21st January of that year along with his siblings.

So, I'm filling in an information sheet on Samuel Newton who was possibly christened on 8th January 1834
by the Age of 7, Samuel was in the Blaby Union Workhouse with his parents and siblings (I have to sort out issues with them too but my mind can only cope with one problem at a time.)

In 1851 they were living at Dryden Street

In 1856 (22nd September to be exact, which is actually my 89 year old dad's birth day.)Samuel married Emma Watts at St Mary de Castro in old Leicester

By 1861/71 Samuel and Emma were at 43, Wheat Street.

In 1881 however, Samuel has moved to the house next door (45) but his wife is listed as Elizabeth
There is a name error on this census return as his married daughter Adelaide and her husband George Butt are living with them but Adelaide is listed as Ann. (Ann was already married to William Bee by this time.

By 1891 The census return is very mixed up. Samuel is listed as his son, Samuel Robert. His wife Elizabeth is still there, as is Adelaide, who is now a widow, and her son. Samuel Robert, the real one, is listed as Thomas R. He is also widowed. He has two sons from this first marriage. Thomas R is actually Thomas William and Samuel W is actually Samuel Robert (the second)

1901 vsees Samuel living at 25 Brittannia Street, Leicester (Model Lodging House) which I understand to have been a lodging house for up to 129 working men living in large communal bedrooms. The only problem is that Samuel's wife is living with him and this time she's back to being Emma. Samuel is a general shopkeeper

by 1911 Samuel and his wife, who is still Emma, are living with their daughter, Adelaide Hood , who has remarried for a third time and has rather carelessly lost her third husband too.  On this census return Samuel and Emma have been married for 54 years and have had 7 children, only 3 of whom are still living. (One of them being my great granddad.

I can't find anything about the death of an Elizabeth Newton and am left wondering if somehow, for whatever reason, Emma became Elizabeth for up to 10-20 years. Also, why would Emma be living at the model lodging house if it was for men only?

I'd love some ideas to play around with if anyone can suggest anything.  Thanks in advance.

June

[Annie65115]

On the 1901 census, Samuel isn'tin the lodging house-it looks as though that was at nos 23 and 27 Britannia St, but Samuel is in a separate household at no.25, inbetween the two. So one mystery solved!

[Annie65115]

I take it you have the names of the other children? If not --

Ann 1856
James 1858
Harriet Hannah 1859
Adelaide 1861
Sam Robery 1864  (NB it says Sam on the GRO, not Samuel)
Lucy 1865
Elizabeth 1867

And three of the children were buried in the same grave at WelfordRd;

Plot uN 891
NEWCOMBE   JAMES   1858   NOV   22   3MTHS   CARLEY STREET   SAINT MARGARET   CORONER'S WARRANT
NEWTON   HARRIET HANNAH   1861   MAY   23   1YR 9MTHS   WHEAT STREET   SAINT GEORGE   
WATTS   ROBERT JOHN   1864   OCT   16   2YRS 6MTHS   WHEAT STREET   SAINT MARGARET   
NEWTON   ELIZABETH   1868   AUG   4   8MTHS   WHEAT STREET   SAINT GEORGE   
NEWTON   LUCY   1868   AUG   6   2   WHEAT STREET   SAINT GEORGE   20959   
WILLSON   JOSEPH   1902   JAN   22   6WKS   36 WILLIAM STREET   LEICESTER   
TOMPKINS   MARY ANN MATILDA   1927   JAN   7   30   R.I. / 89 OXFORD STREET   LEICESTER   [ROYAL INFIRMARY]

I wonder if "James Newcombe" should actually be James Newton? The age would fit.

That confirms the address as Wheat Street throughout the 1860s.

[willsy]

Samuel and Emma are buried in the same grave at Gilroes, death is registered as Emma Newton Leics Q4 7a/219

Gilroes
L 300   
NEWTON   Emma   74   2 Bay Street   Leicester   21-Nov   1911
NEWTON   Samuel   78   2 Bay Street   Leicester   30-Mar   1915

L 232   
NEWTON   Matilda   44   125 Dorset Street   Leicester  07-Aug 1911
NEWTON   Samuel Robert   53   Royal Infirmary   Leicester 08-Feb 1918

Adelaide's husband

F 640
HOOD   David   48   2 Bay Street   Leicester   30-Jan   1906

[Tuggybear]

Many thanks Annie65115 and Willsy, that is very helpful and gives me some great information.

The lodging house is one building opened in 1889 and run by the same family until it closed in 1946. According to the only information I can find it is at No: 55 Britannia Street (I think it is now a listed building.)
 From the photograph I have of it I think it possibly had a coach arch and it is possible it part of the ground floor could have been a shop with living quarters. The numbers don't match but it could be that Britannia Street was lengthened at some point and the building was renumbered to fit in with that.

I didn't have all the names of the children so that's a huge help thanks and the burials are also very helpful. I also think that James Newcombe might be James Newton, it would be easy so confuse the two names. Does a coroner's warrant mean it was a suspicious death?
I wonder if Robert Watts might be Emma's nephew so will look into that too.

I'm really surprised that Samuel Robert was actually registered as Sam, He was definitely christened as Samuel and has always been referred to by my grandma as Samuel so I imaging she didn't know either.

I think I now have this Samuel fairly well sorted out. I'll be able to get started on his father next.

[Annie65115]

If a death is suspicious, a coroner would certainly be involved; but in fact a coroner should be atleast preliminarily involved if the death is in any way unexpected (so an accident, say) or unexplained. So it doesn't necessarily imply foul play. I had a look to see if I could see any newspaper reports of an inquest for James, but I couldn't-- but a coroner can agree to release a body for burial without an inquest if he feels the inquest is unnecessary.

[Tuggybear]

Ah, I see, thanks Annie65115. So as Samuel and Emma claimed to have had 7 children, 4 of whom had died, I think it makes it quite possible that James Newcombe was, in fact, James Newton. How sad to lose so many children in infancy. It happened in most families, I know but it makes me realise how lucky we are these days.