Samuel Smith & Sarah Bedell - Chelmsford - Husband in workhouse but not wife?

[Kate-Birchtree]

Hi everyone

Bit of a mystery here: per censuses, husband appears to be in the local workhouse (married) while wife (also married) and children are living at home.

Google tells me that husbands and wives (and their families) would not enter the workhouse separately: that it was an all-or-nothing package deal (to paraphrase).

However, were there any known exceptions or anomalies with this practice?

My Samuel Smith (a carpenter, possibly also/later a boot/shoemaker, born about 1798 in Essex, place unknown) and wife Sarah Smith (born 1800, Chelmsford) were married in Springfield, 1824 and are recorded on the same census, with their children, in 1841 in Chelmsford.

In 1851, Sarah is recorded with (some) children as "Married" but sans husband:
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:SGVX-WGC

Meanwhile, there is an 1851 census record for a Samuel Smith (house joiner), married, as an inmate at the Chelmsford Union Workhouse: https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:SGVC-V1N

By 1861, it looks as though Sarah was listed as a widowed lodger (should be mother-in-law - recording error?) living with her daughter Mary Thurston nee Smith, son-in-law John Thurston and granddaughter (Alice) Mary Thurston in Leyton:
https://www.ancestry.com.au/sharing/3820819?mark=7b22746f6b656e223a224e31584b4c75553668535934474b5a4d703047446e75487873534379614f773133344e636f5144486542593d222c22746f6b656e5f76657273696f6e223a225632227d (apologies if you don't have an Ancestry subscription - I can't find this one on FamilySearch or FreeCen)

I checked for the possibility that Sarah might have remarried, but I imagine the chances of divorcing, remarrying, remarrying with the same surname and having THAT husband absent on census night are just a little slim?! (I couldn't find any correlating remarriage records, anyway...)

If Workhouse Samuel Smith is the same as Sarah's Samuel Smith, then:

• Is it even remotely plausible that he would be in the workhouse, while she's at home with their children?
• Are there any repositories online where I might be able to access more details or documents about the Chelmsford Union Workhouse inmates, admissions, etc? I'm in Australia, so I'm limited to what I can access online unfortunately
• Is it possible that wife Sarah and some of the children might have been in the workhouse with Samuel (between the 1841 and 1851 censuses) but Sarah and children discharged earlier? Was that a 'thing'?

[Pheno]

Workhouses were also hospitals/infirmaries and he could have been there having medical treatment, especially as he appears to have died before the next census.

Pheno

[Andy J2022]

Workhouses were also hospitals/infirmaries and he could have been there having medical treatment, especially as he appears to have died before the next census.

That was my first thought too. However he is listed as a 'pauper', not a patient. Patients are listed earlier in the census return for the institution under the heading 'hospital' ( see page 2 of HO107/1775/523 for example: https://search.findmypast.co.uk/record/browse?id=gbc%2f1851%2f4355465%2f01008)

[Millmoor]

I think that Thurston has been transcribed as Thornton on Family Search. See the attached 1861 census transcription.

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M71T-7PZ

I cannot see a death for Samuel in Chelmsford between 1851 and 1861. Have you considered that he may have died in Leyton?

William

[Kate-Birchtree]

I think that Thurston has been transcribed as Thornton on Family Search. See the attached 1861 census transcription.

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M71T-7PZ

I cannot see a death for Samuel in Chelmsford between 1851 and 1861. Have you considered that he may have died in Leyton?

William

Thanks for your reply - in between receiving the first post reply and yours, I looked closer at the records and have a theory that he may have died in Leyton (West Ham) in June 1860. There's a burial for a Samuel Smith at Emmanuel, Forest Gate on 7 June 1860, which is the same church his adult daughter Mary was buried in less than a year later.

Thanks for the pointer re the spelling error - I will definitely have a look!

[Millmoor]

Gro indexes have a death for Samuel Smith age 64 in West Ham RD J quarter 1860 which would seem to match with the burial you have found. Not sure if you are aware of the digital images now offered by Gro - they only cost £2.50  and are instant on payment. This would be the most cost effective way of testing your theory.

William

[Kate-Birchtree]

I think that Thurston has been transcribed as Thornton on Family Search. See the attached 1861 census transcription.

Bingo! Thanks so much. This explains why I couldn't find the Thurstons' 1861 census anywhere on FS  This one lines up exactly with the one on Ancestry (aside from the transcribing problems).

Great idea re the GRO. I'll give this a try!

[Kate-Birchtree]

Workhouses were also hospitals/infirmaries and he could have been there having medical treatment, especially as he appears to have died before the next census.

That was my first thought too. However he is listed as a 'pauper', not a patient. Patients are listed earlier in the census return for the institution under the heading 'hospital' ( see page 2 of HO107/1775/523 for example: https://search.findmypast.co.uk/record/browse?id=gbc%2f1851%2f4355465%2f01008)

Thanks for this info - very helpful to know about the hospital possibility for future records. The pauper situation still has me scratching my head though! I'm sure there's a logical explanation though...

[Kate-Birchtree]

Gro indexes have a death for Samuel Smith age 64 in West Ham RD J quarter 1860 which would seem to match with the burial you have found. Not sure if you are aware of the digital images now offered by Gro - they only cost £2.50  and are instant on payment. This would be the most cost effective way of testing your theory.

William

I've downloaded the image, but unfortunately it looks as though it's not the right Samuel. This one was recorded as a "baker" by occupation...  Was definitely worth a try though!