Am I clutching at straws?

[Christine in Herts]

This is about a side-branch in my tree.

James CHRISTMAS, bap 2 Sep 1838, Lymington Parish Church (Hants) became a policeman - eventually served in the City Police from 1861, and retired by 1891. In 1881, he's here:
RG11/585 fo 108 p 15: age 42, City police constable, 16D Block Peabody Buildings, Lambeth
with his wife and family.

I've identified five children:
James Wm CHRISTMAS 1869-1937
Charles Foster CHRISTMAS 1870-1929
Anne Dupre(e) CHRISTMAS 1871-1934
Arthur Henry ("Harry") CHRISTMAS 1873-(after 1911)
Edwin Watson CHRISTMAS 1876-1880

In 1911, although his wife, Anne (née WATSON) had died, he included the children information: 5-4-1
That all adds up, but there are these two very similar newspaper articles (I've just transcribed the one)...

Does this child belong to the same family?

MISSING .
Lloyd's Weekly Newspaper (London, England), Sunday, September 9, 1883; Issue 2129
MYSTERIOUS DISAPPEARANCES .
Reynolds's Newspaper (London, England), Sunday, September 9, 1883; Issue 1726.

Yesterday, at Southwark, Mrs CHRISTMAS, wife of James CHRISTMAS, of 21, O Block, Peabody's-buildings, Duke-street, Stamford-street, waited upon his worship, in great distress, stating that her child, Ada CHRISTMAS, two years and a half old, had been missed since Tuesday morning last. The child went down to play in the yard about eleven o'clock, and a quarter of an hour afterwards she missed her, and had not since been able to find her. The child was of fair complexion, dressed in a dark green plaid frock, light ulster (black hood lined with black satin), speckled straw hat with black crape on it, a white shawl around her neck; some part of her hair was closely cut away to the remains of a sore head.

wording per Reynolds, but Lloyds very similar

I should say that I can't spot the birth registration - or haven't yet, anyway. I think she'd have been born just late enough to have missed the 1881 census.

Christine

[Christine in Herts]

On Ancestry, I can see an 1881 baptism for an Ada Annie CHRISTMAS, d/o James Charles and Annie Eliza. It's in the LMA records, but I can't look to see if it's a possible, even tho' I'd thought that James and Anne didn't have middle names.

She probably corresponds to the Ada Ann CHRISTMAS, whose birth was registered in 1881q2 in Holborn. That doesn't seem the right District for a birth reg for a family in the Peabody Buildings in Southwark. On the other hand, if she had been born at the beginning of Q2 in 1881, she would be about 2-&-a-half by early Sept 1883.

Christine

[Elaine ..Spain]

There is an Ada Ann Christmas - baptism - parents James & Annie

http://search.ancestry.co.uk/cgi-bin/sse.dll?indiv=1&db=LMAbirths%2c&rank=0&gsfn=ada&gsln=christmas&sx=&gs1co=1%2cAll+Countries&gs1pl=1%2c+&year=&yearend=&sbo=0&sbor=&ufr=0&wp=4%3b_80000002%3b_80000003&srchb=r&prox=1&ti=5538&ti.si=0&gss=angs-d&o_iid=21417&o_lid=21417&o_sch=Web+Property&offerid=0%3a21318%3a0&pcat=34&fh=0&h=2588646&recoff=8+10

with a corresponding birth registration in 1881 2nd qtr. Holborn.

Could this be the Ada Christmas mentioned in the newspaper cutting.

[Elaine ..Spain]

Snap ..

[JudithM]

The Ada Ann Christmas baptism in 1881 shows father James' occupation as warehouseman so presumably not your policeman James.

[Elaine ..Spain]

There is another Christmas child baptism on this page on Ancestry - parents James & Annie - James occ. workehouse man
address Peabody buildings

http://search.ancestry.co.uk/iexec?htx=View&r=5538&dbid=1558&iid=31280_199157-00928&fn=Florence&ln=Christmas&st=d&ssrc=&pid=5833721

I don't think the Christmas family in the newspaper article is your one.

[Christine in Herts]

Thank you! Then I'll leave her in peace. But a tragedy for that family. I wonder if they ever found out what happened to Ada.

Christine

[Elaine ..Spain]

Think she must have been found - there is a possible marriage for her in 1900

http://search.ancestry.co.uk/cgi-bin/sse.dll?indiv=1&db=LMAmarriages%2c&rank=0&gsfn=ada+ann&gsln=christmas&sx=&gs1co=1%2cAll+Countries&gs1pl=1%2c+&year=&yearend=&sbo=0&sbor=&ufr=0&wp=4%3b_80000002%3b_80000003&srchb=r&prox=1&ti=5538&ti.si=0&gss=angs-d&o_iid=21417&o_lid=21417&o_sch=Web+Property&offerid=0%3a21318%3a0&pcat=34&fh=0&h=6700400&recoff=8+9+10

[Christine in Herts]

Think she must have been found - there is a possible marriage for her in 1900
http://search.ancestry.co.uk/cgi-bin...&recoff=8+9+10

Oh, good!

I can't look at the link (no current Ancestry sub), but I'll take our word for it.

Christine

[Little Nell]

Very restrained of her parents to resist calling her Merry!

[Christine in Herts]

Very restrained of her parents to resist calling her Merry!

There's more than one Mary CHRISTMAS (sometimes it's a middle name) in my tree! And (I think I've mentioned this before) I'm a descendant of the second (or, probably, third) marriage of William CHRISTMAS (aged about 55) - in 1802 to Hannah FROST (aged 24).

Christine