Cornish Mystery

[deb usa]

Hi again

I think this Mary palmer has been mentioned before.
Her age is off 

1901
Devon
Tavistock
Tamerton Foliot
Plympton, St Mary
Maristow Barton
Thomas Sturtridge and family ..Farmer
MARY PALMER Married 38, dom servant b St Mary's Truro


I can't see a Mary Palmer b 1863, Truro in 1891 census.

I wonder if this could be Mary remarrying;
Mary Palmer to either William Henry Bezzell or Charles William Johnson
Mar q 1910 Plympton St Mary

deb

[deb usa]

Hi Britgirl

Going on the assumption that our Mary Palmer is in Devon, Tavistock area in 1901 and stayed in Devon, I wonder if Annie followed her and got married there?

Marriage;
Tavistock, Devon
Annie Palmer to either
Richard Harry W Marks or Sidney George Bolt
Dec q 1909
5b 779
 
What do you think?

deb

[Britgirl]

That is very interesting Deb! And makes a lot of sense.

I was never aware of any ill feeling in my branch of the family. Uncle Jack Palmer (& his family) was liked amongst my mum and her cousins, and his sister Mary (my Gt Gran) was a darling from all accounts. There was never mention of any other Palmers though! I must ask my mum's cousin to talk to Auntie Nic. She married Jack Palmer's son. so might know something!

The problem I have with Mary Palmer remarrying, is that her and John probably wern't divorced and therefore not free to marry anyone else. Divorces were difficult and expensive back then, so usually the couple just split then lived with another partner, without the benefit of the clergy.

So John saying he is married is probably the truth, but not necessarily to Alice Philp! "Housekeeper" was a popular eupherism, as was lodger!
Women who split up and didn't find anyone else often said they were widowed.

[deb usa]

Hi

I think the bad vibes stemmed from Bessie .... she disliked her dad, maybe because of his dalliance with Alice. She never had any problem with your gran and Uncle Jack. 

My Nan remembers being with her dying mother, Bessie and that her Granddad Palmer stood at the end of the street and did not attend Bessie's funeral. My Nan remembers her granddad Palmer (john snr.), his funeral procession ...supposedly he had a big black hearse pulled by black horses addorned with "feather head dresses'...she remembers standing watching it and shouting "may you rot in hell' and some woman slapping her saying : "be quiet, that's your grandfather' .... something must have happened for Bessie to pass these feelings onto her children! I am glad that your Mary and Jack did not have these feelings.

William Penfold and Bessie died within months of each other ... 1926

deb

[deb usa]

another thought

Perhaps it was possible for Mary Palmer to remarry in Devon as she was not known there. I have come across many marriages lately even though the person was still married to the 1st spouse.

John may not have been able to marry as he stayed in Truro.

deb

[Britgirl]

Could be.

I had a look on 1911 as best I could for an Annie or Mary married to either of those men, but didn't come up with any matches. I even tried the other women on the marriage page to see if that could rule out one, but again, nothing I could see for sure.
If I ever subscribe to the 1911 I'll look for sure.

I really need to get myself to the genealogy library and look up the Truro baptisms for those Philp/Palmer kids to see for sure.
Looking at all the Philp babies born to a Philp mother on FreeBMD (with the mysterious P initial) he could have had up to 14 children with her, well into his 70s  , though about half of them seem to have died before the age of 5.

[Britgirl]

When did John Sr die? Obviously after 1926!

[deb usa]

I have no clue when John snr died. But if my Nan was born in 1914 and she did what she said she did as a child , then I would say he had to have died circa 1930's or earlier.

I think the fact that Bessie knew that her dad was carrying on with this younger woman, made her really angry. Especially since maybe everyone in Truro knew what was happening! I am even thinking that maybe Bessie, Mary or Annie may have introduced her into the family if she was a friend of theirs as Alice was of the same age. I see that Alice is born St Clements ...why can't I find her in 1891 . There are a couple of PHILP families in St Clement in 1891 ...no Alice but there is an Olivia Alice.

I will ask my cousin (Middleton side) in Canada to have a look at 1911 for us.

Maybe ordering the certs could put this to rest ...but lets investigate further before we do this.

deb

[Truromian]

Hi Deb
was wondering if there was every any conclusion to the
things that I came across Marriage to Ellen Palmer in March 1883 in Truro
to Joseph Ivey (sc239)
According to what I can find Ellen died in Truro in Sept 1895 (sc81)
that would explain why Joseph went to London
the rest stayed in Cornwall
Obviously it may not be Your Ellen - but it would be good to find out