From Little Acorns ...

SKELETONS IN THE CLOSET 

     Every tree has it's Skeletons, things which have been swept under the carpet, hushed up and never mentioned again, and things which have been handed down the generations in whispered rumours.

     It's often the rumours and hearsay which make the family tree come alive, here are just a few of the Skeletons I've found along the way. 

Shotgun Wedding !

William Free (b.1822 Horseheath, Cambridge) married Rebecca Stinton (b.1819 Horseheath, Cambridge).  Rebecca had a daughter, Mary, aged 6 at the time of their wedding in 1841.

On the 1851 Census, there is no sign of William Free living anywhere in Cambridge, however, in 1861 he re-appears as the husband of Mary Davies living in Ivor Street, Cardiff, in Glamorgan.

William and Mary were married in Cardiff on 13th October 1853.  William is noted as being a bachelor on the marriage certificate. 

On 31st of October, just 13 days after the wedding, William and Mary's first child was born.

Mary's father, John Davies was deceased at the time of the wedding but since it is not known how many brothers or uncles Mary might have had, under the circumstances William could be forgiven for not mentioning his former marriage at the time.

No evidence of the death of Rebecca Stinton has been found although it is hoped that the death of a Rebecca Free in the March quarter of 1853 in the registration district of Camberwell will prove promising.

Who left who ?

Charles William Cutter (b.1839 in Stanton on Wye, Hereford, England) was married to Jane Morris (b.1836 Richards Castle, Hereford).  In 1881, when the census was taken, Charles, Jane and their family were living at Railway Crossing, Kingsland, in Hereford.  The two youngest of their children were William (b. James William 1876 in Kingsland, Hereford) and Albert Arthur (b.1877 in Kingsland, Hereford).

In 1891, Charles William Cutter was lodging at a dwelling which appears to be called the Messrs Arms, with a family in Blackwood, Bedwelty in East Monmouth.  He has given his marital status to be widowed. Again, in 1901, Charles William Cutter is found to be widowed and boarding with a family.  This time in Liswenny Road, in Newport, Monmouth.

After a fruitless search for the date and place of death of Jane Cutter and the whereabouts of the two youngest children, William and Arthur on the 1891 Census.  A family was found with some surprising resemblances to the missing Cutter family ...

Jane Evans was living with her husband George Evans at The Lodge, Rumney, in Cardiff, Glamorgan, with their two sons, William Evans and Albert Evans.  Although Jane Evans was noted as being aged 48, making her date of birth to be 1843, she was born in Richards Castle, Hereford.  Her two sons, William and Albert were born in 1876 and 1877, both in Kingsland, Hereford.

William and Albert both re-appear on the 1901 Census to continue their lives as Cutters While Jane and George Evans moved to Middlesborough to continue theirs.

Did Charles William Cutter walk out and leave Jane with two small sons to fend for or did Jane leave Charles and go to live with George Evans as his wife ?

Just to add a little more intrigue, Charles William Cutter and Jane had a number of children.  On the birth certificates of the first few children, up until as late as 1866, Jane is noted as being "Mother, Formerly Morris" but on the certificates of the later children, starting from as early as 1872, Jane is noted as being "Mother, Formerly Postons".

Rumour has it that Jane left Charles for another man for a while whilst the children were small and then returned to the family and had more children with Charles.  Maybe Jane left Charles for a while and went to live with "Mr Postons", then eventually left him for good, taking the two younger children with her to go and live with George Evans.

The plot thickens !

Scarlet Pimpernel ...

or Scarlet Lady ?

I do love a puzzle and the story of Esther Wennington is a good one.

Esther was the granddaughter of Ann Wilson (b.1792).  She was born in 1846 in Harrowgate to Jonathan Wennington and Esther Pease, Ann's daughter by her first marriage.  In 1851, Esther Wennington was living in Meadomsly with her parents and 5 siblings.  In 1852, her father Jonathan Wennington died and her mother entered into a second marriage, to George Etherington in 1857.  In 1861 Esther was  working as a house servant in the household of John and Mary Holmes of Woodline Cottage, Framwellgate, Durahm, but from here, she slipped out of view and disappeared into the record books.

Some time later, two spinster sisters, Ann and Elizabeth Liddell, were living in a little village called Merrington.  These two little old ladies would have been Esther Wennington's Half Aunts.  Ann Liddell died at the age of 88 on 22nd January 1917 and Elizabeth Liddell at the age of 84 on 12th February of the same year.  Since they lived together with it seemed no other family members it was interesting to see that the informants at their deaths were noted as being their nephews, Isaac Liddell of 39 Steavenson Street, Bowburn, Coxhoe, and John Richard Liddell of 20 Rennie Street, Dean Bank, Ferryhill.  Two nephews of which I had apparently no previous knowledge.

John Richard Liddell appeared at the same address in Ferryhill on the 1911 Census, he had been married to Sushanna Clark in 1906 and they had one son in 1909.  The un-married John Richard Liddell was found on the 1901 Census living with two siblings, Joseph Liddell age 27 and Elizabeth Jane Liddell age 13, and his widdowed mother, Esther Liddell.  Isaac Liddell was also easy to find on the 1911 Census, at his address in Steavenson Street, along with his wife, Elizabeth Jane.  The 1901 placed him and his wife in Quebec Street, Durham.

Workng backwards, the 1891 census proved elusive, but John, Joseph and Isaac Liddell were living with their already widowed mother, Esther in Eldon on the 1881 with another son, Mark Liddell, aged 21. 

Mark Liddell, born in 1860, was the key to finding the 1871 census where the link to the Liddells was finally made.  Mark appeared to be the son of John Liddell (b.1829)... Son of Ann Wilson by her second marriage.  John was marreid to Margaret Robbinson who would have been Mark's mother and there too was Esther... Esther Smurthwaite, John's neice, with her son, Isaac Smurthwaite.  All were living at Quaking Houses, Greencroft, Durham.

Isaac Smurthwaite was born on 21st February 1871, he was registered by his mother, Esther Smurthwaite, both residing at Quaking Houses, Greencroft, Durham ... The address given for John Liddell and family on the 1871 Census.  However, although Esther Smurthwaite was noted as the mother, there is no mention of Mr Smurthwaite or any other "Mr" as the father on Isaac's birth certificate.

Joseph Smurthwaite was born on 19th April 1873, also residing at Quaking Houses, and also registered by just his mother, Esther Smurthwaite.

John Richard Liddell was born on 10th July 1875.  His address was Binchester Cottages, Old Park and his father was John Liddell.  Esther is clearly noted as Esther Liddell, formerly Wennington and the informant was John Liddell, father, also living at Binchester Cottages, Old Park.

The death certificate of John's first wife, Margaret throws a little more light onto the possible living arrangements of  this "family".  Margaret died on the 6th August 1878 whilst living at 20 Gardner Street, North Brancepeth Colliery, Durham.  Number 20 Gardner Street is the same address as the informant on her death certificate, her eldest son, Robert , from her previous marrige. 

Shortly after Margaret's death, Esther and John were married.  John Liddell, a widdower, married Esther Smurthwaite, a widow, on 5th October 1878.  John's father was the deceased Edward Liddell, and Esther's father was the deceased Jonathan Wennington.  Esther Smurthwaite was formerly Esther Wennington, and since John Liddell was Ann Wilson's son by her second marriage, and Esther was her granddaughter by her first, this would make John and Esther uncle and half-niece.

Esther's marriage to John was short lived as John died in the September quarter of 1880 in Auckland reg.dist which explains Esther being widdowed by the 1881 Census. 

In 1901, Elizabeth Jane Liddell appears on the census with Esther, Joseph and John, Who was she?  And where were they all in 1891 ?  Both questions seem to have been answered by the discovery of the previously mentioned 1891 Census page ...

John Richard Liddell was living at No 3 Claypath, St. Nicholas, Durham on the night of the 1891 census.  the other members of the household consisted of Isaac and Joseph Smurthwaite, and Esther Smith and her daughter, Elizabeth J Smith age 3.  Esther is noted as the head of the household, and as married, Mr Smith would have been her third husband, although he is nowhere in sight.

Another marrige certificate shows Esther Liddell, widow, married John Smith, a widower on May 16th 1884 in the parish of Shildon, Durham.  Elizabeth J Smith would have been born in 1888, the 1901 census says in Pelton Fell.  She was possibly registered in the December of 1888 in the Sunderland reg.dist as Pelton is one of the sub-districts listed there.

Although Esther had reverted back to Esther Liddell for the census on March 31st, She was registered as Esther Smith when she died on 9th May 1901 of maligant desease of the womb.  She was living at Back Lane, St Nicholas Durham and the informant on her death certificate was her son, Isaac Liddell, living at Langly Park in Durham.

Most of this puzzle has come together bit by bit, but one very large piece is still missing ...  Mr Smurthwaite ?