This has been a quandary for many, many years.
Perhaps fresh eyes might see something new.
Elizabeth Bertolle was baptised 1st Dec 1816 at Christ Church Spitalfields, London. She was the first child of Lewis Bertolle and Elizabeth.
A daughter Mary Ann was baptised 24th Nov 1822, Spitalfields, and was buried Nov 1829.
A son James was born about 1826 (from censuses, no baptism found).
Lewis Bertolle had been baptised 18th Sept 1795 at Christ Church Spitalfields.
I have a great deal of information about the Bertolle family, both before and after the birth of Lewis.
There is a record of Lewis Bertolle marriage to Elizabeth Shute 19th June 1816 at St Mary’s Islington by banns. Bachelor and spinster. Both sign their names. She definitely signs Elizabeth ‘Shute’. The only witness is a Charlotte Bateman.
(June marriage to Dec birth 6 months).
About 1830 Lewis Bertolle, Elizabeth and their two remaining children moved to Paisley, Scotland. Lewis and Elizabeth later moved to Dumbartonshire.
On the death registration for Elizabeth Bertolle, (born 1816), in Paisley in 1890, the name of her mother is given as ‘Elizabeth Clark’. Information given by her daughter.
Lewis Bertolle died 26th June 1863 at Alexandria, Dumbartonshire.
The informant was an ‘acquaintance’, a Robert Bruce. Robert Bruce did not know the name of Lewis’s wife, or Lewis’s mother. He did know Lewis’s father was also named Lewis, (this was correct).
At the time of his death in 1863, it looks as though Lewis’s wife was living in Paisley with her daughter.
On 10th May 1865, ‘the widow of Lewis Bertolle’ applied for poor relief in Paisley.
She gives her name as Elizabeth Clark, aged 70, born Clerkenwell, London. She states her son James, aged 40, had emigrated to America four weeks ago (there is evidence for this. He died in New Jersey in 1910. From what I can tell, death registrations for that year in New Jersey can't be found. Would they have given his mother's maiden name if they could be found?).
This Elizabeth, (Clark), died 19th Jan 1880 in Paisley, ‘widow of Lewis Bertolle’. On her death registration, her father’s name is given as ‘- Clark’, and her mother as Mary Ann Clark, nee Phelin. The informant was her grandson, who doesn’t seem to have known the first name of Elizabeth’s father.
So was she Elizabeth Shute or Elizabeth Clark?
Unfortunately, the application for poor relief has no signature, so there is nothing to compare the ‘Elizabeth Shute’ signature on the marriage entry with.
There is quite a lot of evidence for the name Clark. The only evidence for Shute is the marriage.
Did she give a different name at the marriage in 1816? She was already 3 months pregnant.
Lewis, aged 20 at the marriage in 1816, was in the middle of an apprenticeship to be a dyer, started in 1812, lasting 7 years. By rights, apprentices were not supposed to marry during those 7 years.
No other marriage records for a Lewis Bertolle (plus variations) to an Elizabeth found.
No burial found for an Elizabeth Bertolle who may have been a first wife.
Any ideas gratefully received!
