Two Bessie Peters - one person?

[bugbear]

I have two lovely chains of records.

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The earlier one, principally census 1861-1891 tells the tale of John Peters (1833-1881) and Catherine Spriddell (1839-1892), and their 4 children (Emma b1861, John Henry b1865, Bessie b1872, Frederick Charles b1874). The children's DOBs are from GRO records.

Everybody except Catherine (born St Kew) was born and lived in St Austell. John Peters (engineman) died in a boiler explosion in 1881; Catherine then became a grocer, and died in turn in 1892, leaving an estate of £90, with Bessie as executor. Bessie shows in both the censuses 1881-1891 after her birth.

Census cites; Rg 9/1548/103 p 15; RG10/2265/40 p 17; RG12/1823/31 p 12

John and Catherine's marriage (1 May 1859) doesn't show in FreeBMD, but is on familysearch:
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HT-6XMB-VL?i=119&cc=1769414

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The second chain starts with Alfred Edward Wyatt and wife Bessie having a child, Victoria Florence Maud Wyatt, in 1897. The GRO index confirms the child's MMN as Peters. They are living in Camden. In the 1901 census parents and child are at 2 King St. Alfred Wyatt enters the Colney Hatch Asylum in 1905, and dies there in 1906. His DOB calculates as 1868. I cannot find a marriage for Alfred and Bessie, and Alfred has proven hard to trace pre-1901.

In 1907 Bessie (now Wyatt) marries Frederick Amott (1865-1939) (frequently mistranscribed as Arnott).  The 1911 census (Walthamstow) shows a slew of children from Frederick's first marriage to Mary Jane Lillywhite (1869-1906), and one "Florence Arnott". Florence is a perfect match for Victoria Florence Maud Wyatt. All the other children show up neatly as surname Amott, MMN Lillywhite in the GRO index (pace transcription variations)

By 1921 (census) the family are at 108 Markfield Rd, Tottenham. Bessie Amott died 1938, Frederick a year later in 1939. Both were at No 108 in 1937, both deaths are registered in Edmonton, so likely both died at 108. In the 1939 Electoral register No 108 is occupied only by Frederick's youngest daughter Rosina and her Husband Donald Keep.

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I think these 2 chains of records have Bessie Peters in common, but the connect is weaker than I like. The main link is the date - Bessie loses her last parent, and gains an inheritance in 1893, and Victoria Wyatt is born in 1897.

But there are problems. Whilst Bessie#1 is born and raised in St Austell, 3rd quarter 1872, Bessie #2 census ages go:

1901: 1873, St Columb
1911: 1874, St Columb
1921: 1875, St Austell

(perhaps she just preferred to age at 9 years per decade!)

So - do I have 1 Bessie or 2, and how can I make the answer to that question less ambiguous?

[osprey]

do you a copy of the 1907 marriage to see who Bessie names as her father?

[bugbear]

do you a copy of the 1907 marriage to see who Bessie names as her father?

No, I'm only doing this for a friend, so I'm using what I already have subs for -  FindMyPast, Ancestry, familysearch, FreeBMD, GRO index, British Newspaper Archive.

It is quite disappointing that Ancestry don't have the PR for this marriage though - the LMA has a lot of stuff for that era/locality (1907, St Pancras).

Perhaps it was registry office.

[osprey]

could well be registry office.

[amondg]

There are 5 Bessie Peters registered Cornwall  plus/minus 5 years of 1872
and another 8 named Elizabeth and one Victoria Elizabeth.

Unless you have time to trace each Bessie Peters buying the marriage certificate is the quickest way to get the answer.

[Mabel Bagshawe]

With a bit of digging around I've found records of Alfred Edward Wyatt's admission into the local lunatic ward before he was moved to Colney Hatch

First admitted 3rd May 1905, an a reception order made 10 May, when he was certified as being of unsound mind. In that period had had almost daily visits from his wife,  sister,  brother in law and/or friends

Age given as 40 - ie dob c1865, a little earlier than you thought

First illness - suggested cause intemperance

Sister Alice Barnes had previously been admitted to Bexley Heath Asylum

Reports of some delusional statements - that he'd eaten 5 fowls or smoked 10lb of tobacco since breakfast

[Mabel Bagshawe]

This is Alice's marriage - the dob matches an admission of an Alice Barnes in 1900 to Bexley Heath asylum

Alice Wyatt, 26
Father    William Wyatt (deceased), draughtsman

Joseph Barnes, 33, widower, painter

Marriage  1 Jul 1896, All Saints, Camden Town
Address 13 Pratt St

[bugbear]

This is Alice's marriage - the dob matches an admission of an Alice Barnes in 1900 to Bexley Heath asylum

Alice Wyatt, 26
Father    William Wyatt (deceased), draughtsman

Joseph Barnes, 33, widower, painter

Marriage  1 Jul 1896, All Saints, Camden Town
Address 13 Pratt St

Interesting - on the baptism cert of Victoria Florence Maud Wyatt, Alfred gives "Painter" as his occupation, and 13 Pratt St as residence.

[Mabel Bagshawe]

This is Bessie's parents' marriage registration - some mistranscription on FreeBMD which caused the issues

Q2 1859 St Austell  Vol 5c p196
Clase    Elizabeth Ann       
Michell    Thomas Guy        
Peters    John
Spiddle    Catharine        
Spiddle    Catherine