William/Martha how are they related?

[Oakum Picker]

William CRICKMORE died in 1892 in Ipswich Suffolk aged 45 on cert. but 43 in reality. Present at the death was Martha GARDNER -sister. Although this is a hand-written copy I have rung the Register Office & they have confirmed that this is what the cert. says.

William was the son of Henry CRICKMORE & Bridget HAYES. They did not have a daughter Martha.

The only Martha GARDNER living in Ipswich in 1891 was born Belfast.

Henry & Bridget married in Kings County in 1846 & baptised a daughter Louisa in 1847. William was born in Ipswich in 1848. Henry's musters show no trip to Belfast & a son George is registered in Mar 1851 c. the time Martha would have been born.

Martha HAWKINS m. Alexander GARDNER in Belfast in 1868. Her father was George, a clerk.

The only other coincidence is that Martha & Alexander had a daughter Louisa.

All ideas welcome.

[Nell]

Sister-in-law?

[Nell]

Or maybe Sister as in a nun, possibly of the nursing variety?

[kiterunner]

Couldn't your Martha Gardner have lived somewhere else, or been away from Ipswich on census night?

[kiterunner]

Or maybe she's a stepsister, or sister-in-law, or step-sister-in-law!

[Oakum Picker]

Thanks for your suggestions.

Neither William nor Susan had a sister Martha. Both families can be tracked through the earlier censuses. Both sets of parents had only the one marriage.

The men could have fathered an illegitimate child but I can't find a suitable Martha GARDNER birth nor a GARDNER/Martha marriage.

There is only one Martha GARDNER in Ipswich on census night '81, '91 '01. Prior to that there aren't any.

The 'nun' angle I hadn't thought of but I can't find any Martha GARDNER in any religious order in any census. I have seen nuns named but I suppose some may have been recorded by their initials.

Thanks again - just trying to make sure I've covered all the angles before I tuck it away once more.

[marquette]

Perhaps she said "sister" instead of something less acceptable ! Maybe be she wanted to explain why she was living at the same address, or was his wife still alive ? If they were living together without being married, perhaps sister was an acceptable explanation ! (no that does not work, Susan did not die until 1928)

If this is the death of said Martha Gardener, it might be worth getting her death cert to find out - I guess it depends how curious you are about it

Deaths Jun 1913
Gardner Martha 66 Ipswich 4a 980

Di

[Oakum Picker]

Thanks for your thoughts Di.

I believe that to be the Belfast Martha. She is with husband Alexander & daughter Katherine in 1911 although I don't know their address. She was living at Old Trimley Road when she died.

[marquette]

Was she just a neighbour or friend who registered the death, but perhaps she thought being a relative was a requirement, so she said sister make sure she was allowed to do the registration.

Di

[Oakum Picker]

That seems the most likely possibility Di. The two families were not particularly near in 1891 but who knows by 1892.

A small coincidence years apart: in 1891 the GARDNERs were living at 7 Dove Yard & when William's wife Susan died in 1928 she was living at No' 5.