Missing daughter

[genealogyem]

After reading through several articles about Alice's suicide attempt, I have constructed a rough timeline of events. Hopefully this helps to resolve some of the confusion.

Several newspapers described a suicide attempt on Oct 13, however this sounds near identical to the attempt from Oct 11 (fight with the man, followed by attempting suicide by drinking turpentine lotion, taken to chemist then infirmary). Additionally, she was released from the infirmary into police custody on Oct 13 so it is unlikely that she would have had the opportunity to go home and repeat these events. For these reasons I have not included an Oct 13 suicide attempt.

Mid 1897 to Early 1898
- Birth of Alice's daughter (based on age provided in newspaper reports)

August 1898
- Potentially Alice: newspapers describe a seriocomic named Alice Daniels performing as part of the "Genuine Kentucky Troupe" which impersonated plantation singers and dancers
(https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/search/results/1890-01-01/1899-12-31?basicsearch=%22negro%20kentucky%20troupe%22&exactsearch=false&county=london%2c%20england&retrievecountrycounts=false&mostspecificlocation=london%2c%20england)

abt July 1899
 - Alice claims to have started living with the "foreign looking man" as if they were a married couple (Islington Gazette, Oct 16 1899)

abt September 1899
- Alice attempts to commit suicide by throwing herself off of London Bridge (Lloyd's Weekly, Oct 22 1899)
- This may be when she appeared at Guildhall. I have not been able to find anything that confirms this.

October 11 1899 (Islington Gazette, Oct 16 1899)
- Alice gets into a financial dispute with the "foreign looking man"
- Following the fight she attempts to commit suicide by drinking a blue labelled lotion (that she believes is poisonous). It is later discovered that the bottle contained turpentine lotion and would have made her ill but was unlikely to kill her.
- After consuming the lotion she ran to a police officer who took her to a chemist who administered an emetic.
- She was admitted to the workhouse infirmary to recover (workhouse admission record)

October 13 1899 (Workhouse discharge record)
- Alice is discharged from the infirmary into police custody

btw October 11 and 16 1899 (Islington Gazette, Oct 16 1899)
- Alice's case is heard before a magistrate.
- During the hearing Alice claims that the man was a "brute" and accused him of "throwing the past in her face". This is in stark contrast to the man's claim that he would marry her if she would stop drinking. He wanted the Alice to go somewhere that she could be cured.
- Following this conversation, the "foreign looking man" agrees to take care of Alice's daughter even though she is not biologically his

October 21 1899 (Lloyd's Weekly News, Oct 22 1899)
- Alice is charged at the North London Police Court with attempting to commit suicide
- The "foreign looking man" now requests that Alice be released on bail because he is unable to properly care for her child and Alice's relatives refuse to be of assistance
- The child is sent to the workhouse (I have not been able to find a workhouse admission that confirms this)

October 28 1899 (Lloyd's Weekly News, Oct 29 1899)
- Alice is charged (again?) at the North London Police Court with attempting to commit suicide (Maybe a sentencing hearing or a follow up to decide what will happen with the child?)
- It is decided that both Alice and her daughter are to go live with the benevolent Mr Holmes for a period of 12 months. They are to stay at a home for the "benevolently disposed members of her profession"
- Alice raises a concern that the "foreign looking man" is auctioning off the entire contents of their home including her furniture. It is unclear if her belongings were being sold or not.
- Alice is reunited with her daughter who is described as being 2 years old

[maddys52]

August 1898
- Potentially Alice: newspapers describe a seriocomic named Alice Daniels performing as part of the "Genuine Kentucky Troupe" which impersonated plantation singers and dancers
(https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/search/results/1890-01-01/1899-12-31?basicsearch=%22negro%20kentucky%20troupe%22&exactsearch=false&county=london%2c%20england&retrievecountrycounts=false&mostspecificlocation=london%2c%20england)

Also a number of advertisements in Aug/Sept 1898 for performances at the Royal Aquarium with "... Violet Swinden, Male Impersonator: Alice Daniels, Serio ...". My reading of the advertisements for the shows with the Negro Kentucky Troupe was that Alice was a separate performer, ie not with the Troupe.

[maddys52]

For interest, there are a number of people at Macready House in 1901 census, however no children.
RG13/244/ pg 2 & 3

[Greaves]

Just an update on the Edith DANIELS b 1896 in Kensington.

The mother's MN was MAGGS. She had several other children in subsequent years in the Kensington area. On this basis alone this is not the child of Alice Daniels.

There is an Edith DANIELS (5) in the Kensington Infirmary in 1901 born in Middx [RG13 33 36 16].

And there is an Edith DANIELS (15) born in Wood Green living in Fortescue Villas, Enfield [RG14 7440]

Though there is no evidence that I can find that connects this Edith to Alice, indeed she seems a little too old, though given the uncertainty about ages this might be too forensic.

PS: With regard to Macready House, such a shame that the census is one year too late. If that is where they were sent, then Alice and her daughter would have been there between October 1899 and September 1900.

[Greaves]

it should also be noted that Alice has never been found in the 1911 census. After 1901 where she is living in Retcar Street in St Pancras, without it should be noted any sign of her daughter, she next appears in 1918 when she marries Philip CANNELL, a widower some 20 years older than her. The couple can be located in the 1921 census.

It would be interesting to know where she was in 1911. An institution?

[jonw65]

In 1891 Alice (21) has left her father's home and is living with her Grandparents, Charles and Eliza Daniels, at Cromwell Road, Islington. She is described as single and a general servant.

So it was your Alice who was in the Islington workhouse infirmary from 23 January to 5 April 1890
Board's Orders gives her address, 16 Cromwell Road, as per the 1891 census with her grandparents.
On FamilySearch
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CS1R-37G8-T

Admission of Alice Daniells, 20 (also on ancestry)
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CS1T-V7CP-Q

Discharge of Alice Daniels, 20
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CS1T-V7CV-N

[Greaves]

Apparently so. I wonder why? it seems to be for quite a long period, 23 Jan - 05 Apr. Why would she had been incapacitated for so long?

I also cannot make out some of the words. On the first record, what is the occupation? Something work?

On the second, who or what is Cambridge?

Finally, on the third, what is the word to the left of her name?

I hate workhouse records, I have never been able to get my head around them. Never understood the need for so many diet regimes.

[jonw65]

It looks to me like Mantle work.
Cambridge would be the relieving officer who admitted her.
I don't think there is anything to the left on the third one, it's probably from the admissions page before.

[heywood]

Yes, there is a Samuel Cambridge, Relieving Officer living in Islington.