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England (Counties as in 1851-1901) => England => Somerset => Topic started by: mark foot on Wednesday 13 December 17 00:14 GMT (UK)
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Charles higgins b 1866 lived in tatworth. Parents george and charlotte higgins. Since my post a couple of years ago it appears ne might have gone to the usa, probably to see his sister in seatlle.the inquest of his brother george nentioned a son visiting from tge usa. He might also have been in the army and we still believe he drowned. Any help would be most welcome. Mark
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Think it would help if you amend birthdate on your post - Charles Higgins was born in 1863 (not 1866), birth reg'd Dec.qtr.1863 Chard (son of George Higgins and Charlotte Ring).
Annette
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Charles was also baptised with the middle name Paul on the 1 Nov 1866, which may or may not help identify him when searching. His sister Bessie was baptised the same day
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There is this death
Charles P Higgins
Age at death - 44
Registered Sept 1/4 1910, born about 1866
Registration district -Shepton Mallet Somerset
Vol 5c Page 230
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There is a Charles P Higgins returning to the UK from New York on 3 Sep 1899. I can't read his occupation.
There is a military record on ancestry for a Charles Higgins but I can't access it as it is only available through Fold3.
Also ancestry has a Chelsea Pensioner soldier service record for a Charles Higgins of Pylle Somerset. Pylle is about 30 miles NNE of Tatworth. Again available through Fold3. However there is a birth registration for a Charles Higgins 1866 reg district Shepton Mallet which includes Pylle so these military records could very well be his. Also he is with his grandfather Edward in 1871 in Pyle so off the list of possibilities?
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There is a military record on ancestry for a Charles Higgins but I can't access it as it is only available through Fold3.
Also ancestry has a Chelsea Pensioner soldier service record for a Charles Higgins of Pylle Somerset.
Many of these records that Ancestry has put on Fold3 are available on FindMyPast
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The Charles Higgins b.1866 Pylle is a different person entirely. This one was the illegitimate son of a Jane Higgins who later married a Joseph Ashford and it is this man who was in the army - his mother and stepfather listed on his service papers. On 1871 census he is listed as 'Charles P' (although birth entry as plain Charles) and was clearly another Charles Paul Higgins - he married an Irish lady named Amy and he is the Charles Paul Higgins buried 22/7/1910 Pylle. Census the following year shows Amy as a widow.
So, son of George and Charlotte (nee Ring), was registered at birth as plain Charles in Dec.qtr.1863, baptised as Charles Paul together with his sister Bessie in 1866, and vanishes between 1881 and 1891 census.
Bessie Higgins was registered in June quarter 1865 (mmn Ring). Having read your previous thread on this family you say that Bessie was your gt. grandmother but she didn't marry until 1914 when she was 49 (having previously lived at home until then) so wondering how she was your gt. grandmother (unless she'd had an illegitimate child at some point who hadn't lived with her).
Annette
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Many thanks for all your help. Charles was from the Tatworth/Chard area and born at Crewkerne (all close). He witnessed a will in Chard in 7/1883 whilst working as a sols clerk. Chard Volunteers had a colour sergt Higgins in 1894 which might have been him. A challenge cup was won by Charles Higgins in the Chard area Western Gazette 7/11/1884.
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Mark, you didn't explain about Bessie?
Annette
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Bessie was the mother of my grandmother Margaret Higgins. Bessie had Margaret when she was in her 30's. Margaret born 1902 at Yeovil and Bessie lived with her father a couple of miles away at Trent just inside Dorset. Bessie was not married but I have suspicions the father was a 'March'who lived locally but I can not dfind any records showing financial support.
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Bessie was the mother of my grandmother Margaret Higgins. Bessie had Margaret when she was in her 30's. Margaret born 1902 at Yeovil and Bessie lived with her father a couple of miles away at Trent just inside Dorset. Bessie was not married but I have suspicions the father was a 'March'who lived locally but I can not dfind any records showing financial support.
Thank you for explaining that. I see that Margaret was living with her Uncle William and family.
Annette
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Charles is proving to be a real challenge and apart from a possible mention re the local military in 1884 the latest definite knowledge I have about his whereabouts is witnessing a will on the 16.7.1883 in his role as a sols clerk for his employee rs Messrs Tucker and Forward of Chard, Sim. At his brothers inquest in May 1889 it was mentioned a brother had come over from the USA 4 years earlier for a visit. My grandmother told him he had drowned. I can find no details of his entry or departure from this country or death. He appears to have disappeared. I have family photographs for many members of the Higgins family but nothing for him. I would have expected to have come across some if he had survived. Any lines, thoughts would be much appreciated. Mark
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The Bath Chronicle dated 15/3/1888 and other newspapers have recorded a death at sea, having left Portland (I believe in USA). Charles Higgins was drowned. He was then a cook and might it be possible he was working his passage home? I wonder if anyone has access to suitable records? July 1883 is the last 100% record for him although it might be him a year later in the local military.
Any help/suggestions re this mystery would be much appreciated. My grandmother, when she was alive said he had drowned and I was young at the time and can't recall anything else about Charles (Chas) Higgins.
Mark
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I'm still stuck but is this a possibility?
1881 census shows a Charles Higgin not Higgins born in Somerset around 1863. I can't find a Higgin from Somerset around that time.
I believe he went to America and returned once and at sometime drowned. There is a record of Charles Higgin from Somerset with the correct age going to America in 1884. This would seem to tie up with the inquest report of his brother Heorge Higgins in Tredegar that reported a visit from a brother from America about 4 years prior to the death of George in 1889.
Any help/thoughts would be fantastic. My grandmother told me he drowned but I have no further details. Thanks Mark
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Might have more information?
https://www.nytimes.com/1888/02/28/archives/four-men-drowned.html
https://www.nytimes.com/1888/07/06/archives/two-bodies-found.html
if it was going from New York to Portland, he was not working his passage home.
There are Charles Higgins born in Maine in 1863 etc who could be that death.
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Many thanks but my relation was born in Crewkerne in Somerset. He worked near by in Chard and his parents and siblings lived at Tatworth, all Somerset, England.
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OK.
So you are no longer interested in any further information about the drowning reported in the Bath Chronicle?
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So you are no longer interested in any further information about the drowning reported in the Bath Chronicle?
Whether he was from Maine or not, his death is announced in the Courier—Gazette (Rockland, Maine), 6 March 1888, page 3
Deaths
HIGGINS—Drowned at sea at the wreck of schooner Nellie Bowers, off Richmond Island, Feb. 25,
Charles Higgins, aged about 25 years.
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Rockland Courier—Gazette, 28 Feb 1888
page 3 col 2
THE NELLIE BOWERS.
Her Sad Fate in Portland Harbor
Four Men Lost.
Schooner Nellie Bowers of Rockport, coal
laden, from New York, bound for Portland,
was wrecked at about 7 o’clock Saturday evening on the east point of Richmond Island.
The crew consisted of eight men, all told....
....It is thought that one of the mates was Fred
Gardner of Rockport, while the steward was
Charles Higgins of that place. Capt. Spear
was a man of high standing in the community,
and leaves a wife and child.
Here
https://digitalmaine.com/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=3028&context=courier_gazette
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Very many thanks and I will try and discover if it is my relation. Thank you again for your kindness. Mark
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Just to add that I have come across a letter dated 1915 from Mary Ann to her sisters Bessie and Annie Higgins that mentions the family, but there is no mention of the elusive Charles who I believe drowned. This would mean that he died between the 1880's and 1915. Bearing in mind that there appears to be no mention of him by 1890 most likely he died around that time. So frustrating, why didn't I press my grandmother all those years ago!
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Hi, I am still struggling to find the record of he death, likely drowning of Charles Higgins. I wish when I was a child I asked my grandmother to explain more about his situation, rather than just to accept he had drowned. A good lesson to speak with all relatives in order to acquire as much information as possible.
I think that it was likely he went to the USA, but not to see family as they went over later but to work. It would seem reasonable that he returned to visit and the 1899 visit by a Charles P Higgins would make sense. It may be on that trip or on his return the ship sank?. The inquest for his brother in 1889 (10 yrs before) also indicates he had returned earlier. It is a shame that there are no other clues. As he worked in a sols office I think the reference of a ship's cook drowning is unlikely although he might have been working his passage?
My best bet might be so see if there are any records across the pond. I have drawn a blank so far but any suggestions would be fantastic.
Merry Christmas to you all. Mark
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This is from the newspaper coverage in May 1889. It mentions his brothers.
George Higgins himself was the eldest then Charles b 1863 and William b 1874 and James E b 1868. There was a William F born & died 1871.
William 1874 became chief constable of Neath and Edward was a teacher and then a police detective.I don't think they travelled abroad.Also they don't disappear like Charles.
I think the inquest was slightly incorrect regarding a brother being a sols clerk and another coming back from USA as it would seem that was Charles Higgins.
To complete the family George's parents were George 1837-1917 and Charlotte (Ring) 1837-1883 both from Bradford Abbas in Dorset and he also had sisters Bessie 1865, Eliza-Ann 1867, Mary Jane 1872 and Ellen A 1878-1879.