What happened to Johanah and Mary Stilwell?

[ElizabethHerts]

The brother of my 3xgt grandfather was Abraham Stilwell born 1791 in Linchmere Sussex. His son Abraham Stilwell was christened on 5 October 1823 in Linchmere although his parents were living in Whitechapel.

Abraham was a blacksmith like his father.
In Dec qr 1849 he married Johanah Regan in Chelsea.
On the 1851 census Abraham, Johanah (born Ireland) and Mary, aged 9 months, are together in Chelsea:

RG number: HO107 Piece: 1472 Folio: 432 Page: 52

Civil Parish: Chelsea
Address: 13, Wilderness Row, Chelsea County: Middlesex

I finally found Abraham in 1871 - FMP had mistranscribed his surnamel.

RG number: RG10 Piece: 77 Folio: 65 Page: 33

Address:
Turk's Row, Chelsea County: London, Middlesex

However, he is with "wife" Mary and children Abraham (c. 1855) , Eliza (c. 1861) and James (c. 1863).

I have searched the death indexes, with no result. So what happened to Johanah and Mary?

[Merry]

I noticed there's a birth reg for Mary but there are none for the other three children. I imagined they were reg with their mother's name (if they were reg at all!) but having looked at children called Abraham reg in Cheslea district there are none to fit Abraham jr's age in 1871.

I wonder who this is?

Births Dec 1857
Stillwell Joanna Eliza Chelsea 1a 134

Maybe a dau born before the breakdown of the 1st marriage?

[ElizabethHerts]

Thanks, Merry. I am getting confused with them now.

I have found this for 1881:

RG number: RG11 Piece: 78 Folio: 3 Page: 7


Civil Parish: Chelsea
20, Caversham St, Chelsea County:
Middlesex

STILLWALL, Ann Head Widow F 52 1829 Laundress Ireland
STILLWELL, Eliza Daughter Single F 21 1860 Laundress Chelsea Middlesex
STILLWELL, Kate Daughter Single F 27 1854 Laundress Chelsea Middlesex
STILLWELL, Mary Daughter Married F 30 1851 Laundress Chelsea Middlesex
STILLWELL, Abraham Son Married M 25 1856 Labourer Chelsea Middlesex
STILLWELL, James Son Single M 19 1862 Seaman Chelsea Middlesex
MAYSE, Louisa Wife Married F 42 1839 Laundress Marylebone Middlesex
MAYSE, Charlotte Sophia Daughter Single F 12 1869 Scholar St Martins Middlesex

So is this Ann our Johannah??

[kiterunner]

I wonder whether Johana went back to Ireland?

(Sorry, posted at same time)

[Merry]

Oooh, is it Joanna?

I saw this in 1881 which is confusing, given you have an Abraham aged 25 in your 1881 census record....

14 Franklin Row, Chelsea

Abraham Stilwell head m 26 labourer Chelsea
Eliza Stilwell wife m 26 b Chelsea
James Stilwell son 1 b Chelsea

Confused?? lol

[kiterunner]

Looking at the image on ancestry, Louisa Mayse and Charlotte are in a different household from the Stillwells.

[Merry]

Oh and you have James as well but he is also on a RN ship in 1881! lol (Ord Seaman HMS Beacon)

So, is Mary also Joannna and Ann? (or the other way round?)

Have you looked for a death for Mrs S?

[kiterunner]

Abram Stillwell age 25 on the 1881 is married, but his wife doesn't seem to be there, so it is very likely the same person.

[kiterunner]

There's an Ann Stilwell death in Jul-Sep 1901 Chelsea, age 70.

[kiterunner]

In 1891 and 1901 Ann Stilwell is on her own in St George Hanover Square.

[ElizabethHerts]

Merry and Kite, I'm going to have to write this all down before I get even more confused!

I found two Abraham Stilwells born c. 1855 earlier but stupidly didn't make a note.

There is one who keeps popping up who is Abraham Michael and his marriage to Eliza comes up on the IGI.

Does Michael sound Irish to you?:)
Thought: perhaps she wanted them to be RC?

I must re-subscribe to Ancestry which I let lapse. Are any of these coming up in the LMA records?

[ElizabethHerts]

In 1891 and 1901 Ann Stilwell is on her own in St George Hanover Square.

Thanks Kiterunner, I'll look into those.

I already had a death for Abraham Stilwell senior of Sep qr 1875 Chelsea.

[ElizabethHerts]

In 1901 Ann Stillwell is living at 5a Robert Street (St George Hanover Square) and in 1911 Abraham Michael Stilwell is living at 18 Robert Street with son Willie (aged 21) and Phoebe Main boarder (but she was with him 10 years earlier too!)

Who on earth was the "Mary A Stilwell" on the 1871 Census with Abraham Stilwell senior and Abraham 16, Eliza 10 and James 8. She was born in Whitechapel.

And where were Johanah and Mary?

And who is Kate Stillwell who on the 1881 census given as Daughter Unmarried 31? Where is she on other censuses?

[kiterunner]

There is no Mary A with them in 1871, just Mary age 38. I would think that the enumerator merged the two entries for Johana and Mary into one by mistake.

[kiterunner]

Kate Stilwell on the 1881 is 27, not 31 (it's Eliza who's 31) so she wouldn't be on the 1851 and we haven't managed to find them in 1861, have we? I suppose they could be among the missing pages from 1861, though. Maybe she was away from home in 1871.

[ElizabethHerts]

Kate, what you said re. the 1871 entry makes a lot of sense. I think the enumerator got more confused than me!

I wish that Abraham had registered the births!

Thanks for your help.

[kiterunner]

There is a just about possible for Kate in 1871 - H Stilwell Niece 19 born Middlesex Chelsea, at 49 Kings Cross Road, Marylebone with H C Reeve Head 35 born Middlesex, City and his wife M E age 36 born St George the Martyr.

[ElizabethHerts]

Kate, well done!!

Henry Charles Reeves married Mary Elizabeth Stilwell in Jun qr 1857 Pancras.

Mary Elizabeth Stilwell was the daughter of Abraham Stilwell (born 1871 Linchmere) and his second wife Elizabeth Sarah (nee Jagelman). Mary was born 8 Dec 1834 at Little Omerod Yard (I found this when I still had Ancestry)

So this is Mary Elizabeth's family and I hadn't found her before!

Many thanks, I have another line to add. :)

[ElizabethHerts]

The IGI has the marriage too.

[kiterunner]

Ooh, that's good.

[ElizabethHerts]

Ooh, that's good.

Thanks for your help, Kate, I was getting bogged down with this one.:)