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Valda.....Has anyone ever told you, that you are very good at this?

I ordered the Marriage Certificate for Esther Hill & William Thorp. Although she lied about her age; she was 48 or 49 at the time in 1879, and stated she was 46, everything else matches up. She is listed as a widow with her father listed as James Stevens (deceased by then). Stevens was her maiden name. The names that really seal the deal are the witnesses. They were her married daughter Emily Connop and her husband E. L. Connop (Edward Leonard)

I will now order the death certificate for Esther Thorpe from 1880 to confirm that this was in fact my Great Great Grandmother.

Now the only wild card that remains is confirming that the "Robert Hill" that died in the Paddington Workhouse is the "Robert Hill" that I'm after. I did e-mail "archives @westminster " before Christmas about the possible location of the Family plot, if one exists, but I have yet to hear back. It looks like there is nothing on line for that Workhouse for the period I am after. Hopefully i will get somewhere with the Cemetery search.

Thank you again

Thank You for this information. I have the Death Certificate for the Robert Hill that you speak of who died in 1876. It shows he was a Drover...(which is related to the cattle industry). He died at the Paddington Workhouse and no next of kin are listed. This fits time wise (the 1875 to 1878 Window)  and occupation somewhat ( he was a Cattle Dealer) but there is no direct tie in to his wife or children.

The possible re-marriage in 1879 and death in 1880 of Esther could explain why my Great Grandfather was sent to the Bisley Farm School along with his brother William Arthur in 1881.

I guess the question is now, how do we prove these theories?

Should I pull a death and/ or marriage certificate for Esther Hill Thorp? How do we look further into the demise of "Robert Hill" in 1876? I have the exact death date (28 July,1876). How do I search these Borough records and what are the associated costs?

I really appreciate you looking into this. You have certainly given me a few new posiblities to consider.

Thank you

The Hill Family was living in Thame as of the 1871 census. The father, Robert Hill; born in 1826 ,was a Cattle Dealer and moved the family to the Hammersmith area sometime after 1871. By 1881, the family had virtually disappeared. My Great Grandfather, Sackville Hill born in 1866, was listed on the 1881 census as living at the Bisley Farm School in Surrey. This was part of the Shaftesbury Homes and unfortunately all their records were destroyed in a fire in the 1950's. My Great Grandfather ended up on a ship to Canada in 1882 or 1883. We have documented his life and family on this side of the pond successfully. We have also documented his fathers family (ie Robert Hill) in England going back several further generations.

The mystery has been what happened to the family that lead to my Great Grandfather becoming a Home Child. Through help with some of the folks at the British Genealogy site we have learned that Robert Hill died sometime between April 1875 & November 1878. We know this through a 1875 death certificate of his daughter and a 1878 marriage certificate of another daughter.  The 1875 death certificate of Catharine Elizabeth Hill states the family lived at 13 York Terrace in Hammersmith. The 1878 marriage of Harriette Mary Hill to Alfred Roger Connop in November 1878 states that father Robert was deceased. Although I can't quite make out the street address, I can see both Harriette and Alfred were living in Hammersmith in 1878.

Roberts wife was the former Esther Stevens born in 1831 in Haddenham.  I can not pinpoint what happened to her or exactly when Robert died. My guess is that Robert died and left Esther and her younger brood destitute and she had to give up the kids which lead to my Great Grandfather's situation. I have access to the Ancestry site and I can't find anything that jumps out for Robert or Esther . There is an 1872 death for an Esther Hill in Holbron however this is not the correct person.

Since we have narrowed it down to the Hammersmith district  in the mid 1870's, are there any local records available that may shed some more light on the family and help to solve this age old mystery? Being from Canada, I am at a disadvantage as to the geography of the area and possible leads to follow.

Any assistance, thoughts or ideas would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you
Canadian Hills