Hi all, I introduced myself on the newbie thread and am plunging straight in - would value any and all help on this! It’s very long, but I’m giving all the info I have, in the hope that it’s useful.
I found a wonderfully indignant contemporary newspaper article about my (married!) 3xg-grandfather who was successfully pursued for a maintenance order as part of an ‘affiliation case’, in 1875. Despite the ‘shocking immorality’ and ‘improper intimacy’ (honestly, it could be straight from the Daily Mail :D) the lady in question is nonetheless awarded her order for 5 shillings a week. Lord only knows what his wife thought of it all…
Anyway, there are a number of specific details mentioned but none so definite as to be able to subsequently identify and trace the children. The gentleman in question is Joseph Stockton born 1834 in Wolstanton, Staffordshire. The woman he was frequenting was Lydia White born 1851, Yoxall, Staffs. In the report of the case Lydia says that she has had a previous illegitimate by a Mr Gee (no dates), and that her sister had also had a child with Joseph Stockton ‘about six years ago’.
I’m particularly interested in trying to trace Joseph’s two children. I have been able to find Lydia quite easily on the censuses and in 1871 she is living in Yoxall with her mother Mary White, and a 3 year old child, Herbert White, who is listed as Mary’s grandson. The obvious interpretation is that this is Lydia’s child but I think it is in fact her sister’s child by Joseph Stockton, given the coincidence of dates from the newspaper article. However there is no real clue as to who the mother/sister is – in 1861 Lydia is still at home with both parents but there are three other sisters present, two of whom could easily be the mother.
I’ve found the (?) bmd ref for Herbert White (Dec Q 1867, Lichfield 6b 372) but I can’t find any trace of him on the 1881 census - I was hoping this would show him possibly with his mother. Lydia is out in service up in Yorkshire. The only real possibility is a Herbert White born 1868, who is listed as an orphan living in the All Saint’s Boys Orphanage, Lewisham London; with a birthplace listed simply as Middlesex, London. This is interesting because I believe that my Herbert marries and spends the rest of his life in Islington, London – he is present on the remaining censuses and lists his birthplace as Yoxall. Did Herbert and parent move to London, she subsequently dies, he gets taken in, birthplace misreported or unknown? But birthplaces of other of the orphans at the school are listed as unknown on the 1881 census – why would Herbert’s not be?
I suppose I could either try and track the other potential mother/sisters or shell out the £7 for a quicker answer - Herbert's birth cert should confirm his mother's name, whether it's Lydia or not.
Grateful for all your thoughts,
Kate
I found a wonderfully indignant contemporary newspaper article about my (married!) 3xg-grandfather who was successfully pursued for a maintenance order as part of an ‘affiliation case’, in 1875. Despite the ‘shocking immorality’ and ‘improper intimacy’ (honestly, it could be straight from the Daily Mail :D) the lady in question is nonetheless awarded her order for 5 shillings a week. Lord only knows what his wife thought of it all…
Anyway, there are a number of specific details mentioned but none so definite as to be able to subsequently identify and trace the children. The gentleman in question is Joseph Stockton born 1834 in Wolstanton, Staffordshire. The woman he was frequenting was Lydia White born 1851, Yoxall, Staffs. In the report of the case Lydia says that she has had a previous illegitimate by a Mr Gee (no dates), and that her sister had also had a child with Joseph Stockton ‘about six years ago’.
I’m particularly interested in trying to trace Joseph’s two children. I have been able to find Lydia quite easily on the censuses and in 1871 she is living in Yoxall with her mother Mary White, and a 3 year old child, Herbert White, who is listed as Mary’s grandson. The obvious interpretation is that this is Lydia’s child but I think it is in fact her sister’s child by Joseph Stockton, given the coincidence of dates from the newspaper article. However there is no real clue as to who the mother/sister is – in 1861 Lydia is still at home with both parents but there are three other sisters present, two of whom could easily be the mother.
I’ve found the (?) bmd ref for Herbert White (Dec Q 1867, Lichfield 6b 372) but I can’t find any trace of him on the 1881 census - I was hoping this would show him possibly with his mother. Lydia is out in service up in Yorkshire. The only real possibility is a Herbert White born 1868, who is listed as an orphan living in the All Saint’s Boys Orphanage, Lewisham London; with a birthplace listed simply as Middlesex, London. This is interesting because I believe that my Herbert marries and spends the rest of his life in Islington, London – he is present on the remaining censuses and lists his birthplace as Yoxall. Did Herbert and parent move to London, she subsequently dies, he gets taken in, birthplace misreported or unknown? But birthplaces of other of the orphans at the school are listed as unknown on the 1881 census – why would Herbert’s not be?
I suppose I could either try and track the other potential mother/sisters or shell out the £7 for a quicker answer - Herbert's birth cert should confirm his mother's name, whether it's Lydia or not.
Grateful for all your thoughts,
Kate
Comment