View Full Version : Arthur Day
I’m trying to find out what happened to Arthur Day, who vanishes after 1881.
He was born in Limehouse, Middlesex 23 April 1853, worked as a printer, and married Clara Sophia Church 6 Feb 1875 at St Paul, Bow Common, Middlesex.
They had 2 children that I can find – Charles Christopher Church Day in 1877, and Horace Ernest in 1878.
In 1881 the family are living with Clara’s parents in Limehouse: https://www.ancestry.co.uk/imageviewer/collections/7572/images/LNDRG11_469_472-0414?treeid=&personid=&rc=&usePUB=true&_phsrc=Xzq278&_phstart=successSource&pId=15315143
Son Horace died age 5 in West Ham, Essex in 1884.
In 1891 son Charles is in an Industrial School in Islington, but I can’t find Arthur or Clara. https://www.ancestry.co.uk/imageviewer/collections/6598/images/LNDRG12_154_155-0194?treeid=&personid=&rc=&usePUB=true&_phsrc=Xzq284&_phstart=successSource&pId=7989909
In 1901 I think Clara might be the widow in the London Hospital (who dies soon after age 48). https://www.ancestry.co.uk/imageviewer/collections/7814/images/LNDRG13_304_306-0083?treeid=&personid=&rc=&usePUB=true&_phsrc=Xzq281&_phstart=successSource&pId=17746837
It seems likely Arthur died or otherwise disappeared soon after the 1881 census but I’ve drawn a complete blank in trying to pin him down (and so have all the Ancestry trees he appears on). Can anyone find anything to prove what happened to him?
It's no help, but they also seem to have had a son, Charles Arthur b 1875 d 1876 in West Ham district.
Also, Ethel Constance Victoria Day mmn Church
GRO Reference: 1886 S Quarter in WEST HAM Volume 04A Page 19
Name: Ethel Constance Day
Baptism Date: 14 Oct 1886
Baptism Place: Essex , England
Father: Arthur Day
Mother: Clara Day
I don't know where this is going to go and I don't know if I have time to get to the end before I have to go out in the gale to visit my mum, but here goes....!
I didn't think this death was particularly likely to be connected, as the birth date is the wrong year and it just felt like the wrong place in the country. Plus no Day to Mitten marriage:
Name: Ethel Constance V Mitten
Death Age: 96
Birth Date: 7 Jul 1888
Registration Date: Feb 1985
Registration district: Birmingham
Inferred County: West Midlands
Volume: 32
Page: 339
Then, 1939 Register, Ethel's dob gets better:
93 South Road Birmingham
William A Mitten 12 Dec 1886 married postman
Ethel C Mitten 7 Jul 1886 married unpaid domestic duties
Marriage:
Marriages Dec 1918
Freemantle Ethel C V Mitten Tamworth 6b 721
Mitten Albert W Freemantle Tamworth 6b 721
So, wrong surname for Ethel and his forenames switched about. I wondered if she was a war widow, but 1) no prev marriage I could find and 2) two sons born in the 1920s surname Mitten, mmn Freemantle (there are two hidden entries with Ethel and Wm in 1939 who are probably these children).
I spent a lot of time trying to find a birth reg for Ethel Freemantle with no luck. However, I saw this tree:
https://www.ancestry.co.uk/family-tree/person/tree/469049/person/24450747709/facts?_phsrc=WEQ7741&_phstart=successSource
which shows Ethel as being born in Stratford Essex which is where Ethel C V Day was baptised (for some reason when I copied and pasted the baptism yesterday the place didn't copy, but it was def Stratford).
Also, the tree owner has Ethel's mother as a Clara, though surname Marsh and no dates etc for Clara. There's a school admission doc attached to the tree which shows Oliver W Freemantle as the father.
Here they are in 1901 with Ethel b West Ham and Clara about the right age to be Clara Church/Day, b Poplar which is close enough to Limehouse.
https://www.ancestry.co.uk/imageviewer/collections/7814/images/LNDRG13_338_340-0048?backlabel=ReturnSearchResults&queryId=1bdaf9359b2907c0b87522c741d034fc&pId=15346575
The next stumbling bloc is that Oliver Freemantle and Clara Marsh married in 1890, so who is Clara?
Here's the marriage:
https://www.ancestry.co.uk/imageviewer/collections/1623/images/31280_196350-00223?backlabel=ReturnSearchResults&queryId=570c1f8f94ae36e2ffd0c2a316d83d48&pId=2717673
Woo hoo!! Father of the widowed bride is James Church!! :D
So, this is probably the death of your Clara Church:
FREEMANTLE, CLARA SOPHIA 77
GRO Reference: 1932 S Quarter in BILLERICAY Volume 04A Page 508
I can't find her in 1891 or 1911 at the moment, but I've only had time to look for her without any spelling issues!
and her husband:
ame: Oliver William Freemantle
Estimated birth year: abt 1865
Registration Year: 1909
Registration Quarter: Jul-Aug-Sep
Age at Death: 44
Registration district: Mile End Old Town
Parishes for this Registration District: View Ecclesiastical Parishes associated with this Registration District
Inferred County: London
Volume: 1c
Page: 224
Here's the birth reg for their dau who shows up on the 1901 census (I've not looked for other children)
FREEMANTLE, CICELY MILLICENT mmn CHURCH
GRO Reference: 1893 D Quarter in MILE END OLD TOWN Volume 01C Page 463
Two half-sisters together in 1911:
https://www.ancestry.co.uk/imageviewer/collections/2352/images/rg14_01171_0255_03?treeid=&personid=&hintid=&queryId=a1cecb990a2f3d6e45b739ee5734a006&usePUB=true&_phsrc=WEQ7759&_phstart=successSource&usePUBJs=true&pId=183560
So, we still don't know what happened to Arthur Day or why Clara was called Marsh in 1890 (no Day/March marriage or Church/Marsh marriage).
I have to stop now!
1891 FMP:
https://search.findmypast.co.uk/record?id=GBC%2F1891%2F0306%2F0257&parentid=GBC%2F1891%2F0002658095
At 26 Portman Place in 1891:
https://search.findmypast.co.uk/record?id=GBC%2F1891%2F0306%2F0257&parentid=GBC%2F1891%2F0002658094
With Ethel.
Note that the witness Sarah Louisa Marchant is probably a sister. She's in MEOT in 1891, with husband, family and baby Reginald:
MARCHANT, REGINALD GORDON CHURCH
GRO Reference: 1891 M Quarter in MILE END OLD TOWN
Another child:
Stanley Oliver Freemantle
bap 27 Jan 1891 Stepney St Anthony Tower Hamlets parents Oliver William (policeman) and Clara.
Births Dec 1890 (>99%)
Freemantle Stanley Oliver Mile End 1c 497
Deaths Mar 1891 (>99%)
Freemantle Stanley Oliver 0 Mile End 1c 406
Twins:
FREEMANTLE, RICHARD mmn CHURCH
GRO Reference: 1895 S Quarter in MILE END OLD TOWN Volume 01C Page 486
FREEMANTLE, ROBERT mmn CHURCH
GRO Reference: 1895 S Quarter in MILE END OLD TOWN Volume 01C Page 487
Deaths Sep 1895 (>99%)
Freemantle Richard 0 Mile End 1c 340
Freemantle Robert 0 Mile End 1c 340
Clara with her daughter on the erolls in 1930 in Erdington (Birmingham):
https://www.ancestry.co.uk/imageviewer/collections/2584/images/m0464f-00238?backlabel=ReturnSearchResults&queryId=62d356e43471fd3d8e6260fd9047bdb7&pId=4475530
This could possibly be her in 1911, though her age is underestimated and her place of birth (Arundel St, Strand) is well to the west of Limehouse, but she was married to Oliver Freemantle for about 25 years and she did have two surviving children, though the dec'd children are not recorded. Also, if this is a different Clara Freemantle, she should appear on the 1901 and 1891 census in that name, but I can't find her on those at the moment.
https://www.ancestry.co.uk/imageviewer/collections/2352/images/rg14_01643_0679_03?backlabel=ReturnSearchResults&queryId=e2435ae20817afa32ecb42ca15743d0b&pId=2862834
Bit off topic, but these are Oliver's police records:
https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C14110955
Wow, well done Merry and Phoenix!
Lots of food for thought there. I recognise the name Marchant, as one of Arthur's nieces married a Marchant. It never ceases to amaze me what small social circles my east end ancestors moved in.
I'll have a look around and see if I can find anything else, given the brilliant info you've already uncovered.
Note that the witness Sarah Louisa Marchant is probably a sister. She's in MEOT in 1891, with husband, family and baby Reginald:
MARCHANT, REGINALD GORDON CHURCH
GRO Reference: 1891 M Quarter in MILE END OLD TOWN
And her address on that census is the same address Clara gave at her marriage to Oliver Freemantle.
I did wonder if it's possible Arthur Day lived in MEOT too? This could be him at a stretch, but obviously it could very easily not be:
Name: Arthur Day
Estimated birth year: abt 1857
Registration Year: 1889
Registration Quarter: Jan-Feb-Mar
Age at Death: 32
Registration district: Mile End Old Town
Inferred County: London
Volume: 1c
Page: 355
He's a bit young, but not too much.
I did wonder if it's possible Arthur Day lived in MEOT too? This could be him at a stretch, but obviously it could very easily not be:
Name: Arthur Day
Estimated birth year: abt 1857
Registration Year: 1889
Registration Quarter: Jan-Feb-Mar
Age at Death: 32
Registration district: Mile End Old Town
Inferred County: London
Volume: 1c
Page: 355
He's a bit young, but not too much.
Yes, I was looking at that. This family are usually pretty accurate with ages, but of course it depends who registered the death. There are very few other candidates. I'll probably get the death cert even if just to eliminate him.
It doesn't leave much time for Mr Marsh to appear!
No. Perhaps Clara was already living with Mr Marsh before Arthur Day's death and then by the time Arthur died it may have been too late for her to marry Mr Marsh.
Indeed. There's quite a gap between Horace (1878) and Ethel (1886) which could be significant...or not.
Anyway, I've sent for the 1889 death cert for Arthur to see if he's the right one. Thanks for your help!
These two died as babies:
DAY, JOHN FREDERICK CHURCH
GRO Reference: 1884 M Quarter in SHOREDITCH Volume 01C Page 42
DAY, WALLACE FRANK CHURCH
GRO Reference: 1885 M Quarter in WEST HAM Volume 04A Page 36
There's more than one Church/Day marriage and I think I remember confirming that Wallace Frank was a child of the other couple (baptism? I don't remember!!). I don't remember John Frederick at all though.
Hmmm.... now I'm wondering if the one I'm thinking of was not that name (I think it was something unusual) and might have been a bit later date. I do know there was another marriage getting in the way though! :o
There's a Medway marriage. An Elizabeth Harriet Day (mmn Church) is living with her aunt Ann nee Church in 1891.
Oh, forget me, it was 1889, so after those births. The 1889 marriage was for Albert Day and Emily Florence Church in West Ham district. I was looking at 1890s births before I knew Clara was by then a Freemantle!
Yes, that mops up Daisy. (Thank goodness, as I notice that that family includes an actress)
And no proof that those two boys were Clara's sons, without certificates.
lol!! Yes, Daisy was the one I looked at before, not Wallace :rolleyes:
And no proof that those two boys were Clara's sons, without certificates.
They do look possible, but as they're not my main line I can't really justify getting certs.
But I would like to know what happened to Arthur; he's been bugging me for years!
Well, the death cert of the Arthur Day who died Mile End 1889 has arrived, and he's not mine. This one was a blacksmith, and newspaper reports of the inquest confirm he wasn't my man.
The search for Arthur continues...
It's a bit of a mystery really.
If he did die between, say, 1881 (census) and 1890 (Clara's remarriage), ignoring the daughter, Ethel, he seems to have had in 1886, there are hardly any registrations to choose from if his age is correct to withn two or three years. So, if he didn't die, then is he in an institution or overseas and so not showing on the census?
Also, who is Mr Marsh?
I suspect there must be something going on. This line seem on the surface to be pretty conventional - far more so than some of my other lines - but from other things I've found I think they just disguised it better.
I did wonder if Arthur Day and Mr Marsh are one and the same. However, there are no sensible Arthur Marsh deaths, and I couldn't really get inspired to look hard, because it's not all that likely that they are the same person.
I agree there is probably something going on! I was only able to track Ethel because she helpfully had several forenames and she stuck with those most of the time.
I'm really surprised just how common the name Arthur Day was in the 1850s. I didn't think the name Arthur was so common until a few decades later.
I did wonder if Clara met Oliver Freemantle in the course of his work as a police officer!!
Not sure if this is relevant, but in 1911 there's an Arthur Day, inmate, age 59, widower, in Erdington (edit: it's Aston Union Workhouse). That's where Ethel and Clara were living:
https://www.ancestry.co.uk/imageviewer/collections/2352/images/rg14_18370_0021_33?backlabel=ReturnSearchResults&queryId=61bc0457ffa88f00c1462733a01d1852&pId=26308837
Looks like he's listed as an imbecile.
Very interesting! I can't see any Arthur Day or A.D. in Warwickshire in 1901.
Needless to say, there's no death in Warwickshire for this man!
No, nor can I. Perhaps he's a red herring - as they didn't know his place of birth or occupation in 1911, I'm wondering how accurate the rest of his info is.
It's interesting that Ethel considered herself a Freemantle rather than a Day. Perhaps she didn't actually know her birth name.
Just a quick update in case anyone else comes looking for Arthur.
I still haven't found any trace of him after the birth of Ethel Constance Victoria in 1886, but I have her birth cert and Arthur was the informant. So, it seems he was still on the scene at that point.
Marsh, the name Clara Sophia used on her marriage to Mr Freemantle in 1890, was her mother's maiden name. Obviously she didn't want to use the name Day, which suggests that perhaps Arthur was still alive.
Wherever he was, he hid himself well!
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