Can you help to solve an Indian mystery?

[nicdigby]

Robert should the the executor and guardian of his six 'natural' children. Does this mean that there wasn't a second marriage ceremony? Was she a common-law wife? Was she of Indian descent?

Yes. natural children means the parents were not married.

Of Indian descent? Well, if Frank Smith Coombs is  your branch…are you?

Thank you.

Cross post. Nope, all the family are white, blue eyes, fair complexion right across the board and up to the grandparents.

[bearkat]

Online trees suggest the mother of the subsequent children was Mary Archer.  She doesn't sound Indian.

[nicdigby]

Online trees suggest the mother of the subsequent children was Mary Archer.  She doesn't sound Indian.

Thank you. With the trees you’ve found, have they managed to provide sources? I’ve come across Mary Archer too but no sources and multiple others suggest mother as “Sophia” and I am aware how many people on ancestry just copy each other. Was Mary Archer born in India?

[mckha489]

I see Louisa Charlotte Carter’s mother was named Louisa Sophia. I wonder if that is where that name has come in.   

[bearkat]

There is a death announcement in the Morning Herald, London to say that Louisa Coombe the beloved wife of Mr R S Coombs died at Buxar on 7th August aged 35 years and 3 months.

If Robert was free to marry, you have to ask if the mother of the later children wasn't

[nicdigby]

There is a death announcement in the Morning Herald, London to say that Louisa Coombe the beloved wife of Mr R S Coombs died at Buxar on 7th August aged 35 years and 3 months.

If Robert was free to marry, you have to ask if the mother of the later children wasn't

Yes indeed, and it is interesting that the family historian thirty years ago states that Louisa sailed back to England with her child, when actually she died in India. So what happened to her son? I cannot find an emigration record for him from India at all….but I can see that he married in Jersey and died in SE England.

And the mother of the later children. Who was she and as you’ve pointed out, perhaps she wasn’t free to marry?

I’ve had a look at the Ancestry records for Mary Archer whom three Ancestry people name as his second wife…none of them have the second marriage source and all of them have a mystery seventh child (Mary) added so I think they’ve copied each other. The question is, are they correct? Or Are some others who all claim she’s called Sophia?

And why isn’t she mentioned ever in the diaries? I mean, never. Not even in his Will etc despite bearing him six children.

[mckha489]

Regarding the missing diaries. Perhaps they were lost around this time…

[nicdigby]

Regarding the missing diaries. Perhaps they were lost around this time…

Thank you, this is really interesting. The Coombs were indeed indigo traders and it’s the correct location.

[brigidmac]

Have any of your relatives taken dna tests that would show ethnicity and possible links to ARCHER relatives

Im wondering if the lady who left India with her son could have been Louisa's mother leaving with her grandson .. family stories get distorted sometimes

How many of the natural childrens descendants have you traced ? Maybe some will have photos

Following this story with interest