Possible children to Canada - how can I find out more

[ozgirl]

Willis William Attewell was born in Sep Q 1854 in Nuneham Courtenay Oxfordshire, to an unmarried mother. His mother then married Newman Speller and Willis took his step-fathers' surname. I have him on all censuses to 1881. Sometime between 1881 and 1891 he married and is with his wife Alice, and 4 children in Islington. (http://search.ancestry.co.uk/iexec/?...c=&pid=8030087, Class: RG12; Piece: 176; Folio 127; Page 40; GSU roll: 6095286.)

After that all I can find is possibly his 2 daughters being sent to Canada in 1900 - Maud, aged 1 on the 1891 census was christened Alice Maud, so ties in with this entry. (http://search.ancestry.co.uk/iexec/?...c=&pid=3375385).

Can anyone shed any light on this - I'm completely stumped)

Thanks

Linda

[Velma Dinkley]

You might find the latest issue of the magazine helpful ;)

[ozgirl]

I had read the article before, but not remembered much - just had another look, and coincidentally these 2 girls were on the same sailing as Val's great aunts! They must have been Barnardo's children as well then!

Linda

[Velma Dinkley]

Result!

[ozgirl]

Still can't find any trace of Willis and Alice, though I think I have found one of the 2 boys, Fred in a boys home in 1901. Just checking atmo.

Linda

[Guest]

there is a W Speller going out on the 26 Oct 1905 from Liverpool to Rangoon in Burma ???? doesnt state age though

[Mary from Italy]

The Canadian Home Children database confirms that the Alice and Gertrude Speller who sailed on the Tunisian were with the Barnardos party.

http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/databases/home-children/001015-119.01-e.php?&id_nbr=51335&&PHPSESSID=1kt6m1st4repslj51mnqaj3k16

[ozgirl]

Thanks Val and Mary - I'll have to have a look at the Canadian recordsand see if I can find any more entries for them.

Linda

[Mary from Italy]

The final destination of the ship was given as Ontario, and Gertrude was working as a domestic servant for a family in Ontario in 1901. Her age is given as 13, but it says she emigrated in 1900, so it's presumably the right person.

http://search.ancestry.co.uk/iexec/?htx=View&r=5538&dbid=8826&iid=z000102237&fn=Gertrude&ln=Speller&st=d&ssrc=&pid=6685577

This might possibly be Alice, surname shown as Sparling:

http://search.ancestry.co.uk/iexec/?htx=View&r=5538&dbid=8826&iid=z000101408&fn=Alice&ln=Sparling&st=d&ssrc=&pid=12054865

[Mary from Italy]

A Gertrude Speller born 1888 is living in Toronto in 1911:

http://www.automatedgenealogy.com/census11/View.jsp?id=52160&highlight=46&desc=1911+Census+of+Canada+page+containing+Gertrude+Speller

Can't find her on the Ancestry version of the 1911 census.

Can't see Alice.

There are some Ontario marriages on Ancestry, but I haven't found an obvious one for either of them yet.

[ozgirl]

Thanks for those Mary - I think I've found Alice - it looks like she remarried in 1899 to a William Ireton in London. Thanks to LMA according to the record she is a widow, maiden name Bacon. I found her on the 1901, and she is with William and a 9 year old Ethel Speller, who is stated to be niece, but in 1911 Ethel is down as a Step-daughter.

So Willis, who is still proving very elusive died, leaving Alice with 5 children, with whom she couldn't cope, so at least 3 were put in homes, the eldest Willie might have been old enough to work, and she kept the baby. Possible?

I've tried looking for a marriage between Alice Bacon and Willis William ?? but so far no luck.

Linda

[Mary from Italy]

Did you look at the LMA baptisms on Ancestry? I've found baptisms for Gertrude Lydia, William George (aged 5) and Frederick James (aged 4) on 8th April 1889; the ages seem to fit with Willis and Alice's children, but the parents' names are given as William George and Alice Sophia. Father is a carman, address 36 Newington Green Road.

[ozgirl]

No I haven't found those - off for a looksee, thanks Mary

Linda

[Mary from Italy]

If that's the same family, this could be Willis's death:

Deaths Dec 1896
SPELLER william george 42 Islington 1b 245

[ozgirl]

Ooh - guess what, there is a death for a William George Speller, aged 42, in Islington in 1896 - he ties in beautifully with Willis William age - could be he changed his name.

Those baptisms certainly look like the family too.

Linda

[ozgirl]

Snap Mary

Linda

[Mary from Italy]

This is Frederick's marriage; he's with his wife and daughter Lilian in 1911:

Marriages Jun 1909
SPELLER Frederick James Barnet 3a 653
WEEDON Rose Ethel Barnet 3a 653

[Mary from Italy]

Frederick's service record's online:

http://search.ancestry.co.uk/cgi-bin/sse.dll?db=BritishArmyService&so=2&rank=0&gsfn=frederick+james&gsln=speller&sx=&=%2c%2c1%2c+%2c%2c%2c1%2c+&gs1co=1%2cAll+Countries&gs1pl=1%2c+&year=&yearend=&sbo=1&sbor=&srchb=r&prox=1&db=&ti=5538&ti.si=0&gss=angs-c

Haven't found his brother William.

[Mary from Italy]

Ethel seems to have married a Thomas Webb in 1911; the marriage cert is among the LMA records, and her father is given as George William Speller deceased.

[ozgirl]

Thank you so much for all your help on this one Mary, the amount you found is tremendous. I hope it didn't keep you up too late last night!

Linda