Did Willoughby die?

[BlueSavannah]

I am looking at a distant twig in my tree and I have Clarissa Winfield (daughter of Robert & Mary and born 14th April 1855 in Sheffield).

She married Willoughby Jennings at St Matthew, Sheffield on the 4th November 1877. I've found a burial of a child of Willoughby & Clarissa at the General Cemetery in Sheffield in February 1878 and he was 2 months old. Clarissa must have been almost ready for dropping when she married.

But after this, I have found no further trace of Willoughby. On the 1881 census, Clarissa Jennings is at the home of her parents at 66 Carver Street, Sheffield. She is listed as married. But on the 91 census, she's back to being called Clarissa Winfield and listed as unmarried. Clarissa marries again in 1897 in Sheffield. She does call herself Clarissa Jennings and states she is a widow but I have found nothing to suggest that Willoughby Jennings actually died.

Looking at census etc, Willoughby was born in Laughton en le Morthen in South Yorkshire in 1857. He was the son of William Jennings. Willoughby's occupation on the burial record for his son was a Confectioner.

Can anyone find what I can't, any proof that he actually died?

[JessBow]

I might be being thick, but how can Willoughby Jennings be the son of William Willoughby??

[kiterunner]

He is definitely dead by now, Claire! But I guess you mean proof that he died before Clarissa remarried? I can't see a death record at the moment but will keep looking.

[BlueSavannah]

Sorry Jess, that's a typo on my part. Should say William Jennings. Have changed that now.

Lol Kite. Yes, I mean did he die before Clarissa married again. I do wonder where he was on the 81 census because she does say she's married on that census but she's with her parents and I can't find him.

[JessBow]

What was his occupation?

[BlueSavannah]

I've only got him as a Confectioner from the burial record of his son in 1878. His marriage info was from the Sheffield marriage transcriptions on FMP and it didn't give his occupation on there sadly. The marriage was only about 2/3 months before the son died so I guess it will likely say the same occupation.

[Merry]

I spent quite a while looking earlier, but found nothing. I expect he vanished along with my Moses Attwood who was last seen in 1878 when he registered the birth of his daughter.

Maybe we just notice more when people with unusual names appear to vanish? If they are called John Smith we can just accept they are probably on the census/death index etc but we just can't recognise them!

[BlueSavannah]

Maybe we just notice more when people with unusual names appear to vanish? If they are called John Smith we can just accept they are probably on the census/death index etc but we just can't recognise them!

I would agree with that Merry. You would expect to find someone with a name like Willoughby Jennings even if it was badly transcribed. Also when they are born in a little village like Laughton en le Morthen.

Sounds like a shotgun wedding due to a baby about to make an appearance and then he did one rather quickly when he realised he didn't really want to be married to Clarissa. That or something special was happening in 1878 for men to disappear lol.

If he wasn't dead, then looks like Clarissa gave it about 20 years to make sure he wasn't coming back :)

[Phoenix]

I thought Willoughby was a girl's name? If he thought the same, might he have changed it?

[Merry]

Talk about parallel families - my Moses was married to Jemima. Jemima also waited until 1897 to remarry! She said she was married in 1881 too, though she said she was a widow in 1891 (did she know that?). The sad but for Jemima was that she died within a few weeks of her second marriage.

[Phoenix]

What happened to the rest of his family? Can't spot any of them in 1881.

[kiterunner]

Maybe he was known as Will short for Willoughby and whoever registered his death registered him as William. Though I didn't find a likely William Jennings death in Sheffield. Also he has a middle initial G on one of the censuses so maybe he was known by some name beginning with G and his death registered under that.

[Phoenix]

I thought along the same lines, Kite, but still couldn't find anything. Of course, he could have taken his mother's maiden name of Taylor as well, then he really would vanish into the woodwork.

[BlueSavannah]

Merry, that's really sad about Jemima dying. I wonder if they actually did or didn't know (Jemima & Clarissa) whether their husbands were dead or not. Looks more like they both gave it 20 years before thinking 'well I don't think he's coming back now even if he is still alive'.

Clarissa's father Robert Winfield was also born in Laughton en le Morthen so I wonder if his family knew the Jennings family from childhood and that's how Clarissa met Willoughby. Could just be a coincidence though but Laughton is a small village.

He could have just gone by Will/William or used a middle initial for his new name.

I just have this suspicion that he wasn't dead by the time Clarissa married again.

[Janet]

Don't know where it gets you, Clare, but in 1917 there's a Willoughby Jennings practicing dentistry on Madison Ave., New York City.
Willoughby Jennings dentist (http://search.ancestry.co.uk/browse/view.aspx?dbid=8773&iid=NY-NewYorkCity-NY-1917-00915740&rc=2019,471,2110,531;96,2112,199,2137;273,2684,389 ,2711;279,2812,395,2838;295,3424,417,3459;304,3634 ,495,3661;607,538,776,564;844,842,965,866;767,1560 ,887,1585;616,1714,786,1741;777,3672,893,3699;626, 3769,797,3794;1131,534,1302,560;1357,1172,1479,119 7;1156,2261,1300,2289;1353,2300,1480,2330;1236,241 1,1359,2441&pid=29882&ssrc=&fn=Will*by&ln=&st=g)

The 1920 U.S. census has a 27-year-old Willoughby Jennings, dentist, living with parents James B. a banker and Daisy, both born New York state, likewise their parents born NY except her father born in Connecticut.
1920 U.S. census - Willoughby Jennings (http://interactive.ancestry.com/6061/4313901-01223/85949560?backurl=http%3a%2f%2fsearch.ancestry.com% 2fcgi-bin%2fsse.dll%3fdb%3d1920usfedcen%26rank%3d1%26new %3d1%26so%3d3%26MSAV%3d1%26msT%3d1%26gss%3dms_db%2 6gsfn%3dWill*%26gsfn_x%3dXO%26gsln%3dJennings%26gs ln_x%3dXO%26msbpn__ftp%3dEngland%26msbpn%3d3251%26 msbpn_PInfo%3d3-%257c0%257c0%257c3257%257c3251%257c0%257c0%257c0%2 57c0%257c0%257c0%257c%26msrpn__ftp%3dNew%2bYork%2b City%2b(All%2bBoroughs)%252c%2bNew%2bYork%252c%2bU SA%26msrpn%3d1652382%26msrpn_PInfo%3d6-%257c0%257c1652393%257c0%257c2%257c3244%257c35%257 c1652382%257c0%257c0%257c0%257c%26dbOnly%3d_830040 06%257c_83004006_x%26dbOnly%3d_83004005%257c_83004 005_x%26uidh%3d9uh&ssrc=&backlabel=ReturnSearchResults)

EDIT: Well, never mind, I guess. Seems to be a complete red herring unless you can see something I can't. His full name is Willoughby Marks Jennings; Marks is his mother's maiden name. A bit tantalizing, though, that his father James declares on the 1900 U.S. census (mistranscribed by Ancestry as Jannings) that his (James's) parents are both born in Ireland. Contradicts himself in 1920.

By the way, in my meanderings I came across Willowby, Wilby, Willaby and Willoby as plausible spelling variants. Didn't get me anywhere though. :(

[BlueSavannah]

I did notice him too Janet and got very excited at first but then I noticed all you have too. He appears to be a red herring sadly.