James18
21-12-15, 01:21
Hi all,
I wondered if, as a fairly experienced group, I could ask you for a second opinion on something. I am wont to make the odd amateur mistake, as I am sure several of you are by now well aware. :D
I am trying to trace a chap named James Turner after the 1891 census, and whilst I am quietly confident (!) that I have discovered what happened to him, I am by no means certain and would appreciate an unbiased view of the matter.
I'll list his census records here: 1851 (http://interactive.ancestry.co.uk/8860/KENHO107_1593_1593-0531?pid=1990371&backurl=http%3a%2f%2fsearch.ancestry.co.uk%2f%2fcg i-bin%2fsse.dll%3findiv%3d1%26dbid%3d8860%26h%3d1990 371%26ssrc%3dpt%26tid%3d84918040%26pid%3d305109061 95%26usePUB%3dtrue&ssrc=pt&treeid=84918040&personid=30510906195&hintid=&usePUB=true) 1861 (http://interactive.ancestry.co.uk/8767/KENRG9_420_423-0800?pid=6738084&backurl=http%3a%2f%2fsearch.ancestry.co.uk%2f%2fcg i-bin%2fsse.dll%3findiv%3d1%26dbid%3d8767%26h%3d6738 084%26ssrc%3dpt%26tid%3d84918040%26pid%3d305109061 95%26usePUB%3dtrue&ssrc=pt&treeid=84918040&personid=30510906195&hintid=&usePUB=true) 1871 (http://interactive.ancestry.co.uk/7619/SRYRG10_804_806-0130?pid=6010480&backurl=http%3a%2f%2fsearch.ancestry.co.uk%2f%2fcg i-bin%2fsse.dll%3findiv%3d1%26dbid%3d7619%26h%3d6010 480%26ssrc%3dpt%26tid%3d84918040%26pid%3d305109061 95%26usePUB%3dtrue&ssrc=pt&treeid=84918040&personid=30510906195&hintid=&usePUB=true) 1881 (http://interactive.ancestry.co.uk/7572/SRYRG11_765_769-0720?pid=21322588&backurl=http%3a%2f%2fsearch.ancestry.co.uk%2f%2fcg i-bin%2fsse.dll%3findiv%3d1%26dbid%3d7572%26h%3d2132 2588%26ssrc%3dpt%26tid%3d84918040%26pid%3d30510906 195%26usePUB%3dtrue&ssrc=pt&treeid=84918040&personid=30510906195&hintid=&usePUB=true) 1891 (http://interactive.ancestry.co.uk/6598/SRYRG12_552_554-0458?pid=18128157&backurl=http%3a%2f%2fsearch.ancestry.co.uk%2f%2fcg i-bin%2fsse.dll%3findiv%3d1%26dbid%3d6598%26h%3d1812 8157%26ssrc%3dpt%26tid%3d84918040%26pid%3d30510906 195%26usePUB%3dtrue&ssrc=pt&treeid=84918040&personid=30510906195&hintid=&usePUB=true) 1901 (http://interactive.ancestry.co.uk/7814/SRYRG13_592_594-0105?pid=4531189&backurl=http%3a%2f%2fsearch.ancestry.co.uk%2f%2fcg i-bin%2fsse.dll%3findiv%3d1%26dbid%3d7814%26h%3d4531 189%26ssrc%3dpt%26tid%3d84918040%26pid%3d305109061 95%26usePUB%3dtrue&ssrc=pt&treeid=84918040&personid=30510906195&hintid=&usePUB=true)*
The asterisk is because I have not confirmed that to be our James, but I'll explain why I think it is. James and Ellen no longer appear together after the 1891 census; in 1901 (http://interactive.ancestry.co.uk/7814/SRYRG13_588_591-0487/4520647?backurl=http://person.ancestry.co.uk/tree/84918040/person/30534424539/facts/citation/163519611849/edit/record) she is staying with one of their children and her husband, with Ellen being listed as mother-in-law and married but without James being present. This in itself is perhaps not that surprising, and of course he could simply have been absent on census day, but I suspect there is more to it and I doubt that both parents would have been living with their daughter.
Now, in 1910 Ellen married a man named James Greener (http://interactive.ancestry.co.uk/4779/40815_1831109333_1779-00063?pid=2521268&backurl=http%3a%2f%2fsearch.ancestry.co.uk%2f%2fcg i-bin%2fsse.dll%3findiv%3dtry%26db%3dSurreyMarriages %26h%3d2521268&treeid=&personid=&hintid=&usePUB=true) - both are listed as widowed; it is certainly the same woman as her father's name is given, and it is not a common surname. Thus, by this time we can safely assume that James Turner has died, and so his widow is free to legally re-marry. The pair then appear together on the 1911 (http://interactive.ancestry.co.uk/2352/rg14_03001_0087_03?pid=41508151&backurl=http%3a%2f%2fsearch.ancestry.co.uk%2f%2fcg i-bin%2fsse.dll%3findiv%3dtry%26db%3d1911England%26h %3d41508151&treeid=&personid=&hintid=&usePUB=true) census.
In the above 1901 census, there is a James Turner living as a pauper in the Chertsey Union Workhouse. I admit that the age is a bit out, but I am often told not to worry too much about ages on census records as they can vary wildly and can often be rounded up or down by third parties. Also, in the case of a workhouse or prison it is possible that the census taker wouldn't have known the ages of the inmates. Anyway, this would certainly explain why Ellen and James are both listed as married in 1901 but are not together.
So, on the assumption that James Turner died between 1901 and 1910, I decided to search FreeBMD for death registrations in Surrey for a man of that name during that period, and although some looked better than others, one in particular caught my eye as there was a corresponding burial entry (http://interactive.ancestry.co.uk/4786/40815_1831101883_1261-00049/2232000?backurl=http://person.ancestry.co.uk/tree/84918040/person/30510906195/facts/citation/163519615704/edit/record) for it on Ancestry.
Again, the age is slightly off and so I had doubts initially, but is it just coincidence that a man with the same name died during the same time period in a Surrey workhouse? Guildford is only down the road from Chertsey, and so presumably it is not out of the question that he was transferred at some point between 1901 and 1909. Had it not been for the workhouse remark I probably wouldn't have given it a second glance, but to me it just looked like a good match, and the fact that Ellen re-married the following year is also interesting, as clearly they will have been separated for some years by this time... but bigamy is bigamy whilst the husband is still alive.
What do you think? Just wishful thinking, or does this sound like a plausible scenario?
I wondered if, as a fairly experienced group, I could ask you for a second opinion on something. I am wont to make the odd amateur mistake, as I am sure several of you are by now well aware. :D
I am trying to trace a chap named James Turner after the 1891 census, and whilst I am quietly confident (!) that I have discovered what happened to him, I am by no means certain and would appreciate an unbiased view of the matter.
I'll list his census records here: 1851 (http://interactive.ancestry.co.uk/8860/KENHO107_1593_1593-0531?pid=1990371&backurl=http%3a%2f%2fsearch.ancestry.co.uk%2f%2fcg i-bin%2fsse.dll%3findiv%3d1%26dbid%3d8860%26h%3d1990 371%26ssrc%3dpt%26tid%3d84918040%26pid%3d305109061 95%26usePUB%3dtrue&ssrc=pt&treeid=84918040&personid=30510906195&hintid=&usePUB=true) 1861 (http://interactive.ancestry.co.uk/8767/KENRG9_420_423-0800?pid=6738084&backurl=http%3a%2f%2fsearch.ancestry.co.uk%2f%2fcg i-bin%2fsse.dll%3findiv%3d1%26dbid%3d8767%26h%3d6738 084%26ssrc%3dpt%26tid%3d84918040%26pid%3d305109061 95%26usePUB%3dtrue&ssrc=pt&treeid=84918040&personid=30510906195&hintid=&usePUB=true) 1871 (http://interactive.ancestry.co.uk/7619/SRYRG10_804_806-0130?pid=6010480&backurl=http%3a%2f%2fsearch.ancestry.co.uk%2f%2fcg i-bin%2fsse.dll%3findiv%3d1%26dbid%3d7619%26h%3d6010 480%26ssrc%3dpt%26tid%3d84918040%26pid%3d305109061 95%26usePUB%3dtrue&ssrc=pt&treeid=84918040&personid=30510906195&hintid=&usePUB=true) 1881 (http://interactive.ancestry.co.uk/7572/SRYRG11_765_769-0720?pid=21322588&backurl=http%3a%2f%2fsearch.ancestry.co.uk%2f%2fcg i-bin%2fsse.dll%3findiv%3d1%26dbid%3d7572%26h%3d2132 2588%26ssrc%3dpt%26tid%3d84918040%26pid%3d30510906 195%26usePUB%3dtrue&ssrc=pt&treeid=84918040&personid=30510906195&hintid=&usePUB=true) 1891 (http://interactive.ancestry.co.uk/6598/SRYRG12_552_554-0458?pid=18128157&backurl=http%3a%2f%2fsearch.ancestry.co.uk%2f%2fcg i-bin%2fsse.dll%3findiv%3d1%26dbid%3d6598%26h%3d1812 8157%26ssrc%3dpt%26tid%3d84918040%26pid%3d30510906 195%26usePUB%3dtrue&ssrc=pt&treeid=84918040&personid=30510906195&hintid=&usePUB=true) 1901 (http://interactive.ancestry.co.uk/7814/SRYRG13_592_594-0105?pid=4531189&backurl=http%3a%2f%2fsearch.ancestry.co.uk%2f%2fcg i-bin%2fsse.dll%3findiv%3d1%26dbid%3d7814%26h%3d4531 189%26ssrc%3dpt%26tid%3d84918040%26pid%3d305109061 95%26usePUB%3dtrue&ssrc=pt&treeid=84918040&personid=30510906195&hintid=&usePUB=true)*
The asterisk is because I have not confirmed that to be our James, but I'll explain why I think it is. James and Ellen no longer appear together after the 1891 census; in 1901 (http://interactive.ancestry.co.uk/7814/SRYRG13_588_591-0487/4520647?backurl=http://person.ancestry.co.uk/tree/84918040/person/30534424539/facts/citation/163519611849/edit/record) she is staying with one of their children and her husband, with Ellen being listed as mother-in-law and married but without James being present. This in itself is perhaps not that surprising, and of course he could simply have been absent on census day, but I suspect there is more to it and I doubt that both parents would have been living with their daughter.
Now, in 1910 Ellen married a man named James Greener (http://interactive.ancestry.co.uk/4779/40815_1831109333_1779-00063?pid=2521268&backurl=http%3a%2f%2fsearch.ancestry.co.uk%2f%2fcg i-bin%2fsse.dll%3findiv%3dtry%26db%3dSurreyMarriages %26h%3d2521268&treeid=&personid=&hintid=&usePUB=true) - both are listed as widowed; it is certainly the same woman as her father's name is given, and it is not a common surname. Thus, by this time we can safely assume that James Turner has died, and so his widow is free to legally re-marry. The pair then appear together on the 1911 (http://interactive.ancestry.co.uk/2352/rg14_03001_0087_03?pid=41508151&backurl=http%3a%2f%2fsearch.ancestry.co.uk%2f%2fcg i-bin%2fsse.dll%3findiv%3dtry%26db%3d1911England%26h %3d41508151&treeid=&personid=&hintid=&usePUB=true) census.
In the above 1901 census, there is a James Turner living as a pauper in the Chertsey Union Workhouse. I admit that the age is a bit out, but I am often told not to worry too much about ages on census records as they can vary wildly and can often be rounded up or down by third parties. Also, in the case of a workhouse or prison it is possible that the census taker wouldn't have known the ages of the inmates. Anyway, this would certainly explain why Ellen and James are both listed as married in 1901 but are not together.
So, on the assumption that James Turner died between 1901 and 1910, I decided to search FreeBMD for death registrations in Surrey for a man of that name during that period, and although some looked better than others, one in particular caught my eye as there was a corresponding burial entry (http://interactive.ancestry.co.uk/4786/40815_1831101883_1261-00049/2232000?backurl=http://person.ancestry.co.uk/tree/84918040/person/30510906195/facts/citation/163519615704/edit/record) for it on Ancestry.
Again, the age is slightly off and so I had doubts initially, but is it just coincidence that a man with the same name died during the same time period in a Surrey workhouse? Guildford is only down the road from Chertsey, and so presumably it is not out of the question that he was transferred at some point between 1901 and 1909. Had it not been for the workhouse remark I probably wouldn't have given it a second glance, but to me it just looked like a good match, and the fact that Ellen re-married the following year is also interesting, as clearly they will have been separated for some years by this time... but bigamy is bigamy whilst the husband is still alive.
What do you think? Just wishful thinking, or does this sound like a plausible scenario?