hello - so pleased to meet you all

[Frenchie]

Hi

My name is Lisa and I am researching my family history on my Granda's side of the family as something he wanted me to do. I am find it addictive but also a bit tricky. If anyone can point me in the right direction it would be most welcome.

My granda has a story from the family that he wanted me to check out that he believed involved a divorce back in the 1890's (between Sarah Elizabeth Bell and Arthur James Bell, Staffordshire). So far I can not find that?! But i have found on his mothers side strange goings on. To try to confirm her name and marriage(s) I wanted to looked at siblings. But I can not find a daughter known as Flora Booth born in 1892.
My question is if I can find several Florence Booths over a 2 - 3 year period (1891+) how do I know which one to order?

sorry for the many questions but i am stuck.

thanks
x

 

[juliejtp]

Hi Frenchie,

Have a browse through the National Archives Kew under divorce.

http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/...r bell&aqgQueryText=arthur bell&queryType=ALL

There is this one where a Arthur James Bell is a co-respondent in a divorce.

http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/catalogue/displaycataloguedetails.asp?CATLN=7&CATID=-3096560

 

[juliejtp]

Hi Lisa,

Can you give a few more details eg place of birth, date of birth.

 

[Frenchie]

thanks so much for your help Julie.

Flora Booth was born (according to the 1901 census) in 1892 in Kidsgrove, Staffordshire and is a daughter to the person i am researching who is Sarah Elizabeth Booth formerly Whieldon. Basically Sarah has a daughter called Maud who is my great grandmother. Maud is born as Maud Lily Bell in 1890 but is Maud L Booth by the time of the 1901 census. I wanted to check out her sister Florence who was born in 1892 to see who her parents are - are they the same as Maud's? Maud's father was Arthur James Bell.
To further complicate things Sarah Elizabeth changes her first name to Lily at times - it is on Maud's birth certificate (as Lily Bell formerly Whieldon) and on Maud's marriage certificate (as Lily Booth).
My granda (George Ellis)does not have any idea why this is the case as far as he knew his mother was never a Booth but always a Bell however this is not the case according to records. I am struggling to find a marriage between Arthur James Bell and Sarah Elizabeth (Lily)Whieldon but will keep searching. There are other things my granda has believed that are true which helps me know i am on the right track??.

thanks again

 

[davelambert271]

Hi
Just to complicate things further, how about this

Sarah Elizabeth (Lily) was born in Derby in 1863, rather than 1867 as indicated on 1901 census. This is important as I have her 1st marriage in Dec 1882 (7b 1108 ) to Thomas Forskut Shotton at Belper, Derby, at age 19.

I haven't found a death, but then in 1891, Lily was living in Wolstanton, Staffs, with, but not married to Arthur James Bell (b1864 Newcastle Staffs), and that Maud Lily (b1890 Longton) and Flora or Florence (b1892 ) were their children.

Arthur then goes of the scene leaving Lily Forskett (having dropped the Shotton) to marry Sydney Albert Booth in Dec 1896 (6b 250)at Wolstanton.

This theory would tie in with your grandfathers understanding, in that Maud was a Bell and although not a divorce, a break up of Arthur and Lily. After Lily married Sydney, Maud and Flora used the Booth name which explains the name on the Mge cert. If I am correct, Flora (6b 138 Wolstanton)should be the same

dave

 

[sterico]

hi lisa hope you enjoy the forums welcome to the FHUK family
regards sterico

 

[leefer]

Welcome Lisa....and good luck...Lee

 

[Frenchie]

wow - thank you all so much for the lovely words and especially a big thanks to Dave. A lot of what you have said I have come across but I have not understood it fully so thank you loads. I will look into it more. thanks so much x

 

[Frenchie]

help please
After Dave pointed me in the direction of an earlier marriage of Sarah Elizabeth Whieldon to a Thomas Forskett Shotton I have become a bit confused because the names are all the same. Am i on the right track??

Sarah marries Thomas in 1882 in Belper, Derby.
She has a daughter Maud Lily Bell with Arthur James Bell in 1890 the birth certificate confirms the mothers maiden name as Whieldon. She also has another daughter called Flora in 1892.

I am confused though at the original marriage - it appears that Thomas Forskett Shotton brings up 2 girls over the next few decades by himself. These are born after their marriage, in 1883 and 1886 so before Sarah/Lily leaves him for Arthur. The things is is that the names of these children are Maud Liliian and Florence - the same names for the children she has with Arthur.

If this is right why would that happen? Has she left her children? why does she change her own name from Sarah Elizabeth Whieldon to Lily Whieldon / Forskett, Bell and Booth??

any help please?

thanks
Lisa
xx

 

[davelambert271]

Hi Lisa
I said I'd complicate things
How about if Elizabeth was known as Lili, a diminutive of Elizabeth. This could easily be converted to Lily.
If, and all this is my justification for my theory!!!, Elizabeth and Thomas Shotton are the ones who divorced after having the two girls. If Elizabeth was the cause of the divorce by having an affair, maybe she had to leave her children behind. She may then have named the next two children after them, but couldn't marry Arthur as she was not yet divorced, ie Thomas didn't agree and she had to wait at least 5 years. She obviously liked the name Lily (Was it her mothers name?) so did she start to use it when she left Thomas.
Mmmmm!!
dave

 

[juliejtp]

Thomas Shotton is on the 1901 census with Florence and Maud and Sydney and Sarah have Maud and Flora with them in 1901

 

[juliejtp]

Thomas Forskert Shotton is on the 1911 census born 1857 living in the district of Belper Derbyshire. If they didnt divorce that may account for Sarah changing her name.

 

[Frenchie]

thanks Julie.
It is strange one isn't it - I can't get my head around the fact that she has two children and leaves them with their father whilst she goes off with someone else and has two more children and then calls them almost the exact same names.

I can't find a divorce and when you look at her names when she remarries she puts down her first married name as her maiden name - she uses Forskett rather than Whieldon.

thanks for your help

 

[Ellie]

Hello and welcome to the forum