Walker-Eveleigh disappearance

[jenn270]

Desperately seeking info on what happened to the older daughter of Samuel & Sarah (Fennell) Eveleigh. Eliza Maria Eveleigh, born in Manchester in 1854, married George Walker of Topcliffe, North Yorkshire (b. 1848) in Prestwich, Lancashire in 1879, had five children born in Wandsworth between 1880 & 1889, and then both George and Eliza disappear; their five children live from then on with Eliza's mother Sarah Eveleigh or at boarding schools. George was a wine merchant. Word came of the death of Eliza in the late 1920's or early 1930's but WHERE were she and George from 1890 until their deaths? Their granddaughter does not think they left England.
Sarah Eveleigh lived until 1906 and died in Chorlton cum Hardy. A family rumour had Eliza as being in the London area for a time. Her daughter's obituary said her parents were "of Buxton" but we don't know if this is correct.
Any info very greatly appreciated as Eliza's granddaughter is still living and would love to have these missing pieces to her family history. She is the only living descendant on either the Walker or the Eveleigh side. Have checked the 1891 and 1901 census numerous times but simply cannot find either of them.
Please Help!!

[Joan of Archives]

Hi & welcome to FTF

Have you got any earlier census refs to give us something to work on?

[Harrys mum]

Hello and welcome...................
When you say "word came" I presume that was hearsay???

Have you searched for George's death? or re-marriage for Eliza?

I'll have a look and see if something jumps out at me, but others will tell you I'm not great at finding lost women.

[Harrys mum]

Could we have some children's names please.

[Jessbowbag]

Joan/Libby - right name combo's to be them in 1891

Martha A Brodley 29 Servant
Sarah M Eveleigh 73 born Ireland
Caroline Fold 22 Servant
Ruth Fold 16 Servant
Frank M Walker 3 Streatham
Janet C Walker 1 Streatham
Marie E Walker 5 Streatham

[jenn270]

No, word of Eliza's death came to Frank Walker, a son of George & Eliza, by phone. He was living in Canada and somebody called from England. I can find all the children in the 1891 census records but not the parents after 1881. The five children were:

'Eveleigh' George Hunter Eveleigh Walker b. 10 Jul 1880
'Willie' William Fennell Walker b. 29 Oct 1883
'Gert' Marie Gertrude Walker b. 13 Sep 1885
Frank Arthur Kidson Walker b. 23 Oct 1887 [my friend's father]
Janet Kathleen Walker b. 05 May 1889

[jenn270]

Oops...I stand corrected...a cable was sent to Canada and the family was called with the message it contained about the death of Eliza.

[KiteRunner]

Jenn, have you searched through the GRO death indexes for possible death registrations for Eliza? (There may be a few since Walker is such a common name, though)

[jenn270]

I have looked at the Free BMD records; are they the same thing? If not, could you give me a link to the indexes?

[jenn270]

Hi & welcome to FTF

Have you got any earlier census refs to give us something to work on?

I do; in 1881 George, Eliza and their first child George Hunter 'Eveleigh' Walker, were listed as visitors in the home of James Hunter Robinson and his wife Jane in Streatham. Jane was a sister of George's father William. Both James Hunter and George Walker were wine merchants. James and Jane Hunter had no children. In 1871 George was living with the Hunters in Lambeth. Prior to that he was living with his parents, William and Elizabeth (Kidson) Walker in Langthorpe, Yorkshire.

Prior to her marriage Eliza lived with her parents, Samuel Birchall Eveleigh and Sarah Maria (Fennell) Eveleigh in Prestwich, Lancashire. Her only sibling Gertrude died during or soon after childbirth, and Gertrude's only child, (also named) Gertrude Jowitt, never married.

[KiteRunner]

I have looked at the Free BMD records; are they the same thing? If not, could you give me a link to the indexes?

Jenn, FreeBMD's database is a transcription of the actual indexes and it could well be that they haven't got as far forward as Eliza's death yet, so you may need to check the actual indexes - there are several different sites which have them but they are all pay sites:

Genealogy and Family History Records - Ancestry.co.uk
https://www.familyrelatives.com/
findmypast.com: welcome back | build your family tree and store your family history photos
Your local Family History Centre will probably have them on microfilm or microfiche - also many record offices and large libraries have them (sorry, don't know where you live so I don't know if that is any use!)

[jenn270]

Thank you very much for these links. At present I have an Ancestry subscription but still can't find Eliza's death using Walker as a surname. If she remarried I'd have no idea of what her surname might have been. We are very much hoping that when we get the copy of her mother's will it *might* shed some light on at least her name but on the other hand each possibility so far doesn't seem to lead anywhere. It would mean so much to her granddaughter just to know whatever became of her grandparents, be it good or bad news.

[jenn270]

London Directories?

A breakthrough at long last!
In the WW1 Attestation Paper for son William Fennell Walker, dated Jan. 31, 1916, he lists his mother as next-of-kin:

Marie Walker (so evidently she went by a variation of her middle name)
71 Hallam St. (near Portland Place)
London W

My question now is are there directories or other resources which would help me track her before and after that date?

[KiteRunner]

A breakthrough at long last!
In the WW1 Attestation Paper for son William Fennell Walker, dated Jan. 31, 1916, he lists his mother as next-of-kin:

Marie Walker (so evidently she went by a variation of her middle name)
71 Hallam St. (near Portland Place)
London W

My question now is are there directories or other resources which would help me track her before and after that date?

There are certainly plenty of London street directories if you look around, but not all are online - there will be copies at London Metropolitan Archives and no doubt at other record offices and libraries in London. But of course, if she is only listed as M Walker or E Walker or something like that, then you won't be able to tell which of many she is when she's not at that address. Even if she is listed as Eliza Walker or Maria Walker, there will be lots of them. Also, many households weren't listed in the street directories at all. But try on this site for a start:
http://www.historicaldirectories.org/hd/

She wouldn't have had the vote before 1918 but you could look at the electoral register from 1918 onwards to see if she is listed at that address - or if anybody else was. Again, you would need to go to a London record office or library.

There are old phone directories on ancestry which you could try, but of course most people didn't have a phone in those days.

Then there is the 1911 census - due to be available online in the next few years, and it is rumoured they are starting with London. You can order a copy of (most of) the entry for a particular address for £45 but it would be pretty risky since she may well not have been there in 1911.