Hi, I'm hoping someone can point me in the right direction on this one -
my grandfathers stepmother was born charlotte read/reed in 1867. She married Edward Caplin in 1886, in St Pancras, and he died in 1895 in Mile End. I have all these certificates. Then in 1898 she married walter hand (transcribed on ancestry as Haud), who was 20 years older than her, and a widower. His father was Thomas Hand, a gold lace manufacturer. I cannot find them together in 1901.
In 1903 she had a child with my great grandad, John Poole, then another child in 1905, before finally marrying in 1906. On all these certificates she used the surname Caplin, and stated she was a widow. This was all still in the same area of Mile End, East London.
I have now had contact with a descendant from charlottes first marriage, who told me that the family story was the second marriage turned out to be bigamous, and walter hand had another wife and children. Charlotte was left destitute when she found out, and her elder daughter (charlotte florence caplin, usually known as florence) was sent away to Leavesden Industrial School to train as a servant.
Sure enough, she is there in 1901. More curiously, John Poole (as pool) and his 2 children are living as one family at 36 Beachy Row, Bow with a lady named Ellen and her two children, rose and nellie. Rose and Nellie are the names of Charlotte caplins other two daughters.
So, is there any way that I can find out if there was indeed a bigamous marriage? What records should I be looking for? Given that charlotte finally married John in 1906, I would have hoped to find a death/divorce/legal proceedings shortly before that.
And what are the chances that Charlotte Read/Caplin/Hand would be living as Ellen Pool in 1901? Given that the daughters with her have the same names and ages, and there is no other record of this Ellen Pools existence?
Any pointers in the right direction would be appreciated
Thankyou
Darannon
my grandfathers stepmother was born charlotte read/reed in 1867. She married Edward Caplin in 1886, in St Pancras, and he died in 1895 in Mile End. I have all these certificates. Then in 1898 she married walter hand (transcribed on ancestry as Haud), who was 20 years older than her, and a widower. His father was Thomas Hand, a gold lace manufacturer. I cannot find them together in 1901.
In 1903 she had a child with my great grandad, John Poole, then another child in 1905, before finally marrying in 1906. On all these certificates she used the surname Caplin, and stated she was a widow. This was all still in the same area of Mile End, East London.
I have now had contact with a descendant from charlottes first marriage, who told me that the family story was the second marriage turned out to be bigamous, and walter hand had another wife and children. Charlotte was left destitute when she found out, and her elder daughter (charlotte florence caplin, usually known as florence) was sent away to Leavesden Industrial School to train as a servant.
Sure enough, she is there in 1901. More curiously, John Poole (as pool) and his 2 children are living as one family at 36 Beachy Row, Bow with a lady named Ellen and her two children, rose and nellie. Rose and Nellie are the names of Charlotte caplins other two daughters.
So, is there any way that I can find out if there was indeed a bigamous marriage? What records should I be looking for? Given that charlotte finally married John in 1906, I would have hoped to find a death/divorce/legal proceedings shortly before that.
And what are the chances that Charlotte Read/Caplin/Hand would be living as Ellen Pool in 1901? Given that the daughters with her have the same names and ages, and there is no other record of this Ellen Pools existence?
Any pointers in the right direction would be appreciated
Thankyou
Darannon
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