Alonzo Goodhead - Inheritance information

[Paisley Al]

Hi.  I've received a lot of helpful information from Rootschatters re the above person and was very thankful.  I have another riddle to solve and ask for your help.  Alonzo was born August 1820 in Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, and died in April 1883 in Cambridge, Cambridgeshire.  In the 1860-1870's or thereabouts his family was associated with the Birmingham Steel Company, where two of his sons were apprenticed about 1876 or so.  Those sons then emigrated to New Zealand in 1878.  One, Thomas, disembarked in Adelaide because of illness, the other went on to N.Z. His whereabouts became unknown. Thomas moved on to Sydney.  His great-grandson is my friend who I'm trying to help with a family tree.  He is a recipient of part of a heritage from Alonzo. No one knows where that multi-million pound sterling originally came from, possibly from one of Alonzo's wives - Mary Ann nee Garness or Mary (Margaret) MacMahon nee Dilin, who divorced him in 1870. There was a possible third wife but I think now it was actually Mary Garness.  The only information Bob has is that there was a newspaper cutting about 1926 that detailed "Alonzo Goodhead's estate held in trust by the Chancellor of the Exchequer in England" which was then worth several million dollars sterling - mainly in shares in the "Birmingham Steel Company". lt is thought that most of the money came from "the rich widow who had married Alonzo"!  Through further checking re his wives I believe he had onky two.. the first Mary Goodhead nee Garness (possibly from Birmingham), born 1825 in Worcestershire, married Alonzo 1865 (seems like they married after having several children) and Mary (aka Margaret) Dilin (maiden name?) ex MacMahon Goodhead, born 1832?, maybe in Ireland, married Alonzo 1867, divorced 1870 (had two children during those divorce years - 1868-1870.)  I haven't been able to find out how to contact the appropriate office (the Chancellor?) or what paper.  I just recently found an email address which I've tried but no reply..yet.  Am not hopeful I'll actually get one!  Email sent to
"support@theyworkforyou.com".  I'm hoping someone here can give me some help in knowing where to go from here - if anywhere.  I'll be very grateful to receive anything.  Thank you!  Alice   ps. sorry this is so long... I can be a bit long-winded!!  😀

[GrahamSimons]

If you look on the probate records website https://probatesearch.service.gov.uk/ you should find all wills and adminstrations for England for that date. My brief search revealed nothing - which would suggest that Alonzo didn't leave a Will nor enough money to need an Adminstration. It's possible that his Will was proved much later - that would need a more thorough search. If the estate had a reasonably large value it would have attracted death duties - you could try searching for that - see https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/help-with-your-research/research-guides/death-duties-1796-1903/
Might also be worth a search of the London Gazette for official notices - I've had a quick search for Alonzo Goodhead and had no results, but the search engine is notoriously unreliable. See https://www.thegazette.co.uk/
If you can retrieve the newspaper article and quote it for us, we might be able to help as well.

[heywood]

Here is your previous thread. I can’t see a mention of the Steel Company though.
https://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=876037.0

[heywood]

This is Mary Goodhead in 1871 3124 /117/2

Mary Goodhead 39 yrs no occupation b Ennis, Ireland
Henry A Goodhead 2 yrs Son b Wednesbury
Albert Goodhead 1 yr b Birmingham

Henry has mother Dillin
Albert - mother McMahon

Marriage shows Margaret Dillin’s father as Thomas here
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QLQH-3YH6

Added
From the divorce/separation papers
On her marriage, the father is named as Thomas - a labourer.
She has a brother in Birmingham.
She changed her name a few years earlier to McMahon, her mother’s maiden name.
I hope this is right.

[Paisley Al]

Graham and Heywood,
Thank you both very much for the information you so quickly sent me... I will check out the websites as soon as possible - I had no idea where to look so these are very helpful.  Also, I need to update information re Margaret Dilin.  From a very grateful fellow Rootschatter! 

[GrahamSimons]

I searched for him as Alonzo; he may well show up as George.....

[Paisley Al]

I knew he was also known as George but hadn't thought of searching with that name, so thank you!

[heywood]

Just to say that, to me, it looks as though Margaret sought a judicial separation from Alonzo, which is not a divorce as we would refer to it.
You would need to check.
There is a newspaper snippet dated 1872 where Alonzo is charged with ‘assaulting his wife’. Also 1873, ‘allowing his wife to become chargeable to the Union’.
Which wife would that be?

[mckha489]

Just to say that, to me, it looks as though Margaret sought a judicial separation from Alonzo, which is not a divorce as we would refer to it.
You would need to check.
There is a newspaper snippet dated 1872 where Alonzo is charged with ‘assaulting his wife’. Also 1873, ‘allowing his wife to become chargeable to the Union’.
Which wife would that be?

Birmingham Daily Post
05 April 1873

This piece is about letting his wife become chargeable to the Union.
Under the terms of the judicial separation he was supposed to be giving alimony of 10s a week. But he didn’t.
Even though “the defendant had fifteen houses at Kings Hill”

Excuse was he was he was suffering from effects of a severe accident and dependent upon his children for support.  2 weeks imprisonment without hard labour (due to the injuries).