Florence Riddell on 1939 Register

[cuffie81]

A bit more family background...

The Scotsman
04 Mar 1935
Books of the Day
I Go Wandering
By Florence Riddell
...
- like her husband,
- whom she lost in Kenya after a brief but
- not unenjoyable married life of struggle,
- she is of Scottish descent,
- and to her highland ancestry she
- is disposed to attribute certain unconvincing
- premonitions of good or ill-fortune
...


And as it's always nice to put a face to a name, attached is a photo of Florence from 1934.

[cuffie81]

Freebmd has 2 Florence Gertrude McDonald births - Dec 1885 Lambeth & March 1892 West Ham

This looks like the Lambeth family, which would tally with the Who's Who entry.

GRO BMD references:
1874 Q2 Marriage: Charles Napier McDonald & Annie Macdonald; Greenwich; 01D; 1159
1875 Q2 Birth: Edith Ann Mcdonald (mmn: Mcdonald); Wandsworth; 01D; 542
1877 Q1 Birth: Elizabeth Mcdonald (mmn: Mcdonald); Wandsworth; 01D; 608
1885 Q4 Birth: Florence Gertrude Mcdonald (mmn: Mcdonald); Lambeth; 01D; 467
1916 Q4 Death: Annie Robson Mcdonald; age 66 (born c1850); Christchurch; 02B; 988
1918 Q3 Death: Charles Napier Mcdonald; age 70 (born c1848); Christchurch; 02B; 808


Marriage
married: 11 May 1874; St Alphege, Greenwich
groom: Charles Napier? McDonald; fa; bach; Coach builder; King Street
bride: Annie? Macdonald; fa; spin; -; King Street
grooms father: John McDonald; station master
brides father: James Macdonald; distiller?
witnesses: Joseph Cherham?, Sophia Cherh__?


Baptism
name: Edith Ann McDonald
baptised: 07 Nov 1875; St John the Evangelist, Clapham, Lambeth
father: Charles Napier McDonald; coach maker
mother: Ann Robson McDonald
abode: 4 James? St


Probate
Charles Napier Mcdonald
of 63 Chatsworth Road Bournemouth
died 04 Jul 1918
Probate
to Frederick Charles Weaver, bank sub-manager
Effects £1249
https://probatesearch.service.gov.uk/Calendar?surname=mcdonald&yearOfDeath=1919&page=2#calendar


Census records:

1881 Gaskell Street, Clapham
Charles & Ann and daughters Edith & Elizabeth
Ref RG11; Piece 634; Folio 17; Page 25
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q27Q-PLQL

1891 Cologne Road, Battersea
Charles & Ann and daughters Edith, Elizabeth & Florence
Ref RG12; Piece 436; Folio 18; Page 30
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QZQQ-ZZM

1901 Leigh Road, Eastleigh, Hampshire
Charles & Ann and daughter Florence
Ref RG13; Piece 1066; Folio 48; Page 31
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XSFW-6BN

1911 Leigh Road, Eastleigh, Hampshire
Charles & Ann and daughter Florence
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XWQL-SQF

NB: Check the image for the 1911 census as some transcripts have an obvious mistake

[cuffie81]

Couple of likely newspaper items for Charles and Annie McDonald, possible parents of Florence.

Hampshire Advertiser
07 Mar 1914
page 2, column 7
Forty Years With The South-Western Company
Presentation At Eastleigh
- Mr C McDonald
- retirement, after forty years service with the Company
- presented with black marble drawing room clock,
- and pair of vases en suite,
- by staff of the Carriage and Wagon Department
- of the L and S.W. Railway at Eastleigh
- Mrs McDonald presented with a gold wristlet watch,
- together with a diamond and ruby ring
- Mr McDonald has chosen Bournemouth as his place of retirement
[long item, includes details of Mr McDonald's career]


Hampshire Advertiser
23 Dec 1916
Eastleigh
- several well known residents have recently passed away,
- at advanced ages
- Mrs McDonald,
- who a few years ago went to live at Bournemouth,
- at the age of 66

[cuffie81]

Curiosity got the better of me...

Probate
Charles Napier Mcdonald
of 63 Chatsworth Road Bournemouth
died 04 Jul 1918
Probate
to Frederick Charles Weaver, bank sub-manager
Effects £1249
https://probatesearch.service.gov.uk/Calendar?surname=mcdonald&yearOfDeath=1919&page=2#calendar

In his will, dated 16 Feb 1918, Charles names his 3 daughters:
- Edith Ann Thorne, of 63 Chatsworth Road, Bournemouth
- Elizabeth Arden, of 110 High Street, Winchester
- Florence Gertrude Riddell, of Eastville Kittredge Road, Colabar, Bombay


Which would mean Florence was born 1885, so she probably just fibbed on the odd record or two.

m23to53, if you want a copy of the will just let me know and I'll PM you a link.

Of Florence's sisters,
Edith Ann (1875-1941) married Wesley Thorne (1876-1950) in 1900.
Elizabeth (1877-1963) married Lawrence Arden (1864-1952) in 1901.