Missing marriage: Findlay-Jones about 1935

[mckha489]

And the "not known if there is a widow or not" suggests to me that he had been previously married and Jean knew that, but she didn't know if the previous wife was alive or not.


And

re Hales.  If Jean wrote that detail down and passed it to the Undertaker. Sometimes  a W does look like an H.

[Lucy2]

Agree with your thinking (re: widow) McKha.      (And an error, if birthplace was taken from say, a written note.)

    ~  Lu

[Lucy2]

... sorry Gordon, forgot to reply re: a Will for Edward J. JONES.

Well, not all people (including business people), had a Will.    And not all Wills were probated.
Perhaps, as Jean took over the Butchery business, it may be that all "was in order" at the time of Edward's passing ?   And that there was not the need either to apply for administration of his estate ?

Think you mentioned that Edward JONES was the manager of Lambton Meats ?  Was he also the owner at a later date ?

Gordon, could you also let us have Jean's date and place of death, please ?

    ~  Lu

Edited to add further text.

[mckha489]

Wonder if this would be useful?

https://www.archway.archives.govt.nz/ViewFullItem.do?code=15429352

[Lucy2]

,,, had just been about to add that Archives file.     

Was going to first ask Gordon if he knew when (date) that Jean relinquished the business ?

   ~  Lu

[spades]

Hi Gordon,

I've ordered the file mentioned by Mckha above in case it has any mention of him.

Hopefully sight it later next week.

Spades

[GordonFindlay]

Wow - lots of interest. Thank you all. Especially for making me revisit documents and assumptions.

To answer questions:

 1: Jean died in Auckland, 15 Jun 1970. Her will, which I have, leaves everything to "my son EDWARD JAMES JONES".  It was made in 1962, she signs Jean Burns.

2: The son is referred to in the death notice: "beloved father of Edward". We always knew the son as Jimmy.  Games with names! He was living with his mother until the late 50s.   I don't know what happened between her son and second husband, but in any case she was with her second husband for a very short time.

3: Jones' age in 1935 was ~51, but she was only 27 so I'm not convinced the son must have been from a previous relationship. Perhaps his appearance forced them to marry or pretend to at least.

4: Her son is recorded as 35 years old on her death registration, hence the estimated birth date of 1935. I'll attach the file.

5: It also records two marriages. Her son must have supplied the information but would have no reason to doubt she was married.

6: She is referred to as proprietress of the meat company in Wises directories from 1946 to 1956. By 1959 the building had been taken over by the Ministry of Works for government offices (it's just across the road from both Govt Buildings and Parliament).

7: Thanks for the mention of the ownership records - I had enquired about them.

It certainly begins to seem that the most logical explanation is that she never formally married Jones, but they had a good go at pretending,

Thanks again everyone.

Slainte
Gordon

[Lucy2]

 ....  She divorced Burns in 1963, but continued to use the surname Burns.  ....

Her death certificate records her as married, and two husbands are listed: Edward James Jones married in Wellington, date omitted, and Burns as above. The "Number of children" is left blank.

Slainte
Gordon

Cheers for all the clarification, Gordon. 

The only reason I'd asked about the child "Edward" and his birth year (and then queried if he'd perhaps been a child of an earlier relationship his father may have had) was not just because of the age gap between Jean and Edward James JONES, but because you'd indicated earlier (^ above), that "the number of children is left blank" on Jean's death certificate.

But on Jean's death certificate, of which you've now posted a copy, her male child aged 35 (in 1970)  from marriage (a) is clearly recorded in the column marked "If Living Issue".

   ~  Lu

[minniehaha]

The son?

Death:
1992/37437   Jones   Edward James   4 April 1935


Cemetery Record for Edward James Jones
Date of birth
Unknown

Occupation
Radio Despatcher

Date of death
9 May 1992

Age at death
57 years

Gender
Male

Region
West

Cemetery name
Waikumete Cemetery

Remains type
Ash

Date of cremation
13 May 1992

Funeral director
W M Morrison Funeral Directors


Probated will:

https://www.archway.archives.govt.nz/ViewFullItem.do?code=16524483


Minniehaha.