Edward Scifleet / William Henry Edward Smith

[adamjack]

Hello

My ancestor's brother was born as Edward Scifleet on 3 Jul 1867 in New South Wales, Australia. When he was aged 10 or 11 his maternal grandmother Charlotte Dixon, who had emigrated to Australia from England with her husband and children, took Edward with her to live in England (as her husband and children including Edward's mother had all died). I can't imagine my ancestor (Edward's father) allowing his former mother-in-law to take his son to live in England permanently, so I assume that Charlotte effectively kidnapped Edward, although I have found no evidence of this.

Edward enlisted in the British Army in 1885 (I obtained his service record from the British Army Soldiers Records held by the National Archives, Kew) under the name William Henry Edward Smith which he had adopted (he was also listed under this name and his original name in his grandmother's will). Edward/William's army enlistment and discharge papers list his distinctive marks as "wreath and ES 1878 on right arm, anchor on left arm". These were obviously tattoos. I believe that the initials ES were for his real name Edward Scifleet and the year 1878 was when he and his grandmother went to England.

His first 5 years service was in England and then from 1890-1904 he was stationed in China, North China and Hong Kong. On 6 Apr 1896 in Victoria, Hong Kong he married Constance Maria Louise Varden (born 1863 Islington RD, London).

On 24 Feb 1911 William's body was found floating in the foreshore in Southend/Southend on Sea (he was living in Westcliff). Please see the attached article which mentions his sister-in-law and niece (must have been a sister and niece of his wife). The article states his wife was still living in Hong Kong at the time but had sent him money. I would like to find out if he and his wife had children. If so, they were probably born in China/Hong Kong as William lived there until at least 1904, but his wife and child/children may have returned to England after William's death. Any help in tracing his wife and any children would be greatly appreciated, thank you.

[chempat]

My ancestor's brother was born as Edward Scifleet on 3 Jul 1867 in New South Wales, Australia. When he was aged 10 or 11 his maternal grandmother Charlotte Dixon, who had emigrated to Australia from England with her husband and children, took Edward with her to live in England (as her husband and children including Edward's mother had all died). I can't imagine my ancestor (Edward's father) allowing his former mother-in-law to take his son to live in England permanently, so I assume that Charlotte effectively kidnapped Edward, although I have found no evidence of this.

Sorry, this does not help to answer your query, but why assume she 'kidnapped' him?  Surely she could just have offered to bring him up as a way of helping out the family with his Mother dead?

[chempat]

Constance Varden is in about 30 trees on Ancestry - have you looked at any of them?

[chempat]

This is suggested as her death:
Deaths June quarter  1934 
 Constance M L Parkinson age  70 at Rochford, Essex

[chempat]

This is suggested as a daughter to Constance, not yet found any children to both of them in trees.  Constance was a midwife - pictures in trees.

GRO births 1885 December Quarter Edmonton
Edith Maud Varden, no mother's maiden name stated.

[adamjack]

To add to my earlier message, I've confirmed that the sister-in-law Beatrice Cook listed in the article was the sister of William's wife Constance. She was born Beatrice Mary Varden in Sep quarter 1866 in Pancras RD, London/Middlesex, so very close to Islington where Constance's birth was registered. Their mothers' maiden name is listed as Goodbrand on both Constance and Beatrice's birth registrations.
I've also found the marriage of Beatrice Mary Varden to Alfred Joseph Cooke.

[adamjack]

Hi chempat
Thank you for your messages. I take your point about whether he was kidnapped or not, but his father had remarried and had children with his second wife before Edward was taken to England by his grandmother, so I don't know that his father needed help to raise him after his wife died, as she died 10 years earlier when Edward was only a year old.
Regarding the possible child Edith Maud born in 1885 in England, yes she could be an illegitimate child of Constance. Obviously can't be a daughter of both Edward/William and Constance as they didn't marry until 1896 in Hong Kong.
Thank you for the possible death of Constance - I've checked the death registration and the given names match - Constance Maria Louise - and the age at death is correct too. I'll search for a marriage of a Constance Maria Louise Smith to a Parkinson between early 1911 (when William died, as I assume she married after his death) and 1934 when she died. I have searched for her in trees on Ancestry before but didn't find any with helpful information, I will have another check now.

[adamjack]

I've checked the Ancestry trees and many of them are my trees and my relatives' trees. Only one of them has Constance's second husband Charles Henry Parkinson listed, but no marriage as they must have married in Hong Kong before returning to England. This tree is my cousin in Australia's tree and she has researched Constance and her Varden line, even though that is not our direct line and we are only related to Constance via marriage. My cousin would have done this in an effort to find out if William and Constance had any children. My feeling is that they did not have children. As it looks like Constance did not return to the UK until 1923 probably the only way to find out if they had children in Hong Kong is to find their baptisms there.