Advice please

[Lin Fisher]

Just looked at the newspaper thumb nails that Christine put in post 14. One article say who attended and also who sent flowers. The attendants at the funeral were all men but the first flowers noted were from Adele Andrew and Keith and Roberta were mentioned but no surname.

If it has already been mentioned sorry for repeating it as I haven't read it all again today.

[Gwen@coggiecorner]

I’ve looked at the probate record again - I’m not quite sure what Administration (with will) means in terms of the documentation you would get - it seems to be a half-way house between admin (where someone dies without leaving a will) and full probate. Interesting too that it was granted to the Public Trustee, presumably because Keith was a minor.

I think wills are still only £1.50 so I would go for it!

Christine

Thank you I just sent for the will was filling in the form as your message showed. I will put details on here if anything interesting is mentioned as I see a few of you are intrigued about this.. I just spoke to my sister in Law, as it is her mother - in laws family, her daughter my niece tried to research the family as she was very very close to her grandmother but got stuck. I am doing it for her as a surprise, I just hope I can find more information. My sister in law said that she thought Keith was adopted by a family connected to the church but found nothing that links to that so far, but have found out a lot more than she knows already. Thanks again for everyone's help.

[Gwen@coggiecorner]

I have sent for the will and then saw your message. I will post on here if anything interesting details are contained within it.
once again thank you and everyone for your help

[Lin Fisher]

That's great. Think we would all like to know what it says. Wills can have so much information sometimes.

[cbcarolyn]

thought it might be useful to see all the names following on from Lin Fisher post 21


Screenshot 2022-05-13 195318.jpg

Screenshot 2022-05-13 195344.jpg

[Karamazov]

cbcarolyn
Re final line of article “An extended report is held over.” Have you been able to find this later report - it might just be more about the funeral, but hopefully it would include some more biographical info.

Christine

[cbcarolyn]

cbcarolyn
Re final line of article “An extended report is held over.” Have you been able to find this later report - it might just be more about the funeral, but hopefully it would include some more biographical info.

Christine

will look later

[Karamazov]

The

Same search done for London, brings up
Births Mar 1897

Andrews	Keith Edward	Wandsworth	1d	724

e

Crosschecking on GRO, the mother’s maiden name is Edinburgh. Took me a while as there is no evidence his parents ever married, but with finding other Andrews/Edinburgh siblings I have found them in 1901, 1911 so definitely not your Keith.
Christine

[Karamazov]

That's great. Think we would all like to know what it says. Wills can have so much information sometimes.

Yes, intrigued to know what it might reveal!

Christine

[cbcarolyn]

will have a look and see if anything else, but did find this
Screenshot 2022-05-14 143206.jpg

[GallowayLass]

How very odd that those two inherited his entire property but neither are mentioned as attending his funeral. The list seems to contain only the ‘local great and good’ and some past professional associates.

[Karamazov]

Going back to Walter - even if he wasn’t Keith’s natural father, he was nevertheless an important figure in his life. So here’s a potted summary on what I’ve found on him:
His parents were David George Edwards and Mary Issott. His birth was registered in Richmond, Surrey q2 1869. There are various siblings too, all registered as Edwards. 1871 and 1881 census his father is a carpenter, but 1891 and 1901 he is an architect and builder, as per the 1891 marriage that Keldon found.
Father dies between 1901 and 1911 when his widowed mother Mary is living with a married daughter.
1871 - as Andrew
https://www.ancestry.co.uk/discoveryui-content/view/2691119:7619?tid=&pid=&queryId=dae34a155dcf3ef6f0a 16d56d4cad242&_phsrc=enx1&_phstart=successSource
1881 - as Andrews
https://search.ancestry.co.uk/cgi-bin/sse.dll?dbid=7572&h=21660627&indiv=try&o_vc=Record :OtherRecord&rhSource=7619

1891 - can’t find him or his wife-to-be Adele Susannah Melville nee Gisborne, anywhere despite the fact that they marry in Bognor, only 3 weeks after the census date (as found by Keldon, above).
Like Keldon, can’t find her in 1901 and he has posted the link to her in 1911. She dies in Gloucester in q3 1927.
She was born in 1849 (but knocks years off her age in later censuses) so she was 20 years older than Walter and marries him only a matter of months after her first husband dies. Makes you wonder how they hooked up! Her first marriage was to James Northage James Melville on 24 Mar 1885 at St John the Evangelist, Mansfield and his death is registered in q4 1890 in Cuckfield, Sussex.

Several siblings plus his mother were alive in 1911 when Walter died but no mention of them in the list of attendees or wreath senders. I wonder if what seems to be a conscious decision on his part to go by the surname Andrew rather than Andrews might be an indication of a possible rift with the family? That’s why it will be interesting to see if his mother, siblings or Adele are mentioned at all in the will...
Please keep us posted in when you get it!


Christine

[keldon]

Good summary Christine. Found a bit more to add to it. There's a glowing article in the Bournemouth Guardian 14 August 1897 about his prowess in cricket and other sports. It's a lengthy article but these are the relevant bits to add to the bio. Also a photo.

Born 22 March 1869 in Richmond. Attended Hampton Grammar School.
Left Surrey to live in neighbourhood of Burgess Hill and Hayward's Heath, Sussex. (no dates)
Then moved to Parkstone. (no dates)
Visits and has friends in Mansfield Woodhouse in Nottinghamshire.

[cbcarolyn]

he is certainly in the papers a lot, I thought this was interesting the auctioning of his house content
s Screenshot 2022-05-14 143634.jpg

[cbcarolyn]

I have looked at the address for the marriage, I am wondering if they were visitors. The Steyne is a victorian place popular with visitors, and found a couple of cottages in 1891 census with visitors.

[Janet in Yorkshire]

Coming into this thread late, but I seem to think that legal adoption, as we know it, only dates from about 1927. Before that, people did take care of non-birth children, although there was no legal formality, and also they may have acted as guardians for wards.

With regards to funerals, it was not uncommon for women and children not to attend, although widows and daughters sometimes attended.

[Gwen@coggiecorner]

Hi everyone

Sorry for taking so long to return to this thread but I was in the middle of selling our house which has now happened and I moved two weeks ago. I am now settled and finally have the internet.
I have been itching to get back to this family and of course tell you that I applied for the will and have received it, unfortunately it did not tell me anything new. His whole estate was left to Roberta Owen and Keith Smith in equal shares who were both living with him at The Orchard, Parkstone. It also stated that Roberta Owen was the sole guardian of Keith Smith. It was signed in the presence of Walters Architectural assistant's.

I thought you might like to know the outcome as you were all so involved in helping me, I'm just sorry it has taken me so long to post again.

Tonight I am having another look to see what happened to Alice Smith and Roberta Owen but having no luck so far, I thought as Alice was born in India it might make it easier to find her previous history but no luck so far.

thank you all again for your help

[teasie]

Coming late to this, but finding it very intriguing!

I think I may have found Roberta Owen and her presumed daughter Margaret Mary Owen, who was described as Niece in 1911 (Keith was described as Nephew).

There is a probate in 1957:
OWEN Ann Louise Roberta otherwise Annie Louise Roberta otherwise Ann Louise Roberta otherwise Roberta of 26 Malcolm Street, Cambridge spinster died 27 April 1957 at Addenbrookes Hospital Cambridge. Probate Peterborough 18 September to Margaret Mary Robin Andrew, spinster. Effects £2411 14s 6d

Interesting that Margaret Mary now has the surname Andrew.......

Margaret Mary Robin Andrew died in Cambridge in 1999, DoB 29 Jan 1909

[Gwen@coggiecorner]

Coming late to this, but finding it very intriguing!

I think I may have found Roberta Owen and her presumed daughter Margaret Mary Owen, who was described as Niece in 1911 (Keith was described as Nephew).

There is a probate in 1957:
OWEN Ann Louise Roberta otherwise Annie Louise Roberta otherwise Ann Louise Roberta otherwise Roberta of 26 Malcolm Street, Cambridge spinster died 27 April 1957 at Addenbrookes Hospital Cambridge. Probate Peterborough 18 September to Margaret Mary Robin Andrew, spinster. Effects £2411 14s 6d

Interesting that Margaret Mary now has the surname Andrew.......

Margaret Mary Robin Andrew died in Cambridge in 1999, DoB 29 Jan 1909

Hi
Thanks for that I too have them in 1911 and was trying to unravel the relationships between them all, I did assume that Margaret was her daughter but was trying to prove it! I wonder where Robin comes in. I will have a look at the records and see if I can find a birth record of Roberta and Margaret not sure it will help me figure out who Keith's real father was and if Alice was really his mother, But I will keep looking for a while.

[cbcarolyn]

who is Annie South on 1911 census - any idea?

I see she has a will in 1928 was living at 5 Brighton Road, Southampton. Can find notice in papers for property up for sale - guess that is the same person.

When did Keith die? was it before or after Roberta?