Author Topic: Family scandal!  (Read 3561 times)

Offline ~Rachel~

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Family scandal!
« on: Monday 21 May 07 15:29 BST (UK) »
Was having an idle chat with my aunt the other day when she told me somethiing that shocked me - I can't believe that my whole famly have known I've been researching our history yet nobody told me!

It was about my great great aunt, Ellen Elizabeth Waite. I always knew she ran off to America after the WW1 with a soldier.

However, what I DIDN'T know was that before this she had been forced into a marriage by her father - who seems to have been a very nasty character (rumour goes that he SOLD her!! did things like this really happen??!).  So aged about 14 she married a Scotsman who was very cruel to her, and she gave birth to two boys.

It was after this that she met the American - so she abandoned her babies and ran off to the US!

As you can imagine I would LOVE to find out more about this, slightly stumped at where to start though.  ::)

Just felt the need to share the story with someone!

Waite, Marchant, Nash, Goddard, Pocock, Hiles, Switzer, Larondie, Harris, Radford, Monger, Harper, Harris, Sixsmith, Fitzgerald.

Offline avm228

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Re: Family scandal!
« Reply #1 on: Monday 21 May 07 16:04 BST (UK) »
Scandalous indeed!

Do you know her date and place of birth - and/or whether she married the cruel Scotsman in England or Scotland?

Anna
Ayr: Barnes, Wylie
Caithness: MacGregor
Essex: Eldred (Pebmarsh)
Gloucs: Timbrell (Winchcomb)
Hants: Stares (Wickham)
Lincs: Maw, Jackson (Epworth, Belton)
London: Pierce
Suffolk: Markham (Framlingham)
Surrey: Gosling (Richmond)
Wilts: Matthews, Tarrant (Calne, Preshute)
Worcs: Milward (Redditch)
Yorks: Beaumont, Crook, Moore, Styring (Huddersfield); Middleton (Church Fenton); Exley, Gelder (High Hoyland); Barnes, Birchinall (Sheffield); Kenyon, Wood (Cumberworth/Denby Dale)

Offline avm228

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Re: Family scandal!
« Reply #2 on: Monday 21 May 07 16:06 BST (UK) »
Oh...

and also the names and any further info re

1.  Cruel Scotsman
2. Two sons by cruel Scotsman
3. American soldier

Anna
Ayr: Barnes, Wylie
Caithness: MacGregor
Essex: Eldred (Pebmarsh)
Gloucs: Timbrell (Winchcomb)
Hants: Stares (Wickham)
Lincs: Maw, Jackson (Epworth, Belton)
London: Pierce
Suffolk: Markham (Framlingham)
Surrey: Gosling (Richmond)
Wilts: Matthews, Tarrant (Calne, Preshute)
Worcs: Milward (Redditch)
Yorks: Beaumont, Crook, Moore, Styring (Huddersfield); Middleton (Church Fenton); Exley, Gelder (High Hoyland); Barnes, Birchinall (Sheffield); Kenyon, Wood (Cumberworth/Denby Dale)

Offline ~Rachel~

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Re: Family scandal!
« Reply #3 on: Monday 21 May 07 16:36 BST (UK) »
Ellen was born in 1893 in Bradfield, Berkshire.

Other than that I don't know anything.  ???
Waite, Marchant, Nash, Goddard, Pocock, Hiles, Switzer, Larondie, Harris, Radford, Monger, Harper, Harris, Sixsmith, Fitzgerald.


Offline avm228

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Re: Family scandal!
« Reply #4 on: Monday 21 May 07 16:59 BST (UK) »
That is tricky - without knowing her married surname(s) I should think it will be well nigh impossible to trace what became of Ellen Elizabeth.  It's a shame, because if she went to the US after WW1 she is likely to appear in the 1920 and 1930 censuses and possibly also in published migration records.

Do you think your aunt might remember anything more about the Scot/the American/the sons?  The smallest snippet can be an important clue.

Incidentally, am I right in thinking that Ellen's father Thomas appears to be bigamously married in the 1901 census?

Anna
Ayr: Barnes, Wylie
Caithness: MacGregor
Essex: Eldred (Pebmarsh)
Gloucs: Timbrell (Winchcomb)
Hants: Stares (Wickham)
Lincs: Maw, Jackson (Epworth, Belton)
London: Pierce
Suffolk: Markham (Framlingham)
Surrey: Gosling (Richmond)
Wilts: Matthews, Tarrant (Calne, Preshute)
Worcs: Milward (Redditch)
Yorks: Beaumont, Crook, Moore, Styring (Huddersfield); Middleton (Church Fenton); Exley, Gelder (High Hoyland); Barnes, Birchinall (Sheffield); Kenyon, Wood (Cumberworth/Denby Dale)

Offline KathMc

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Re: Family scandal!
« Reply #5 on: Monday 21 May 07 19:01 BST (UK) »
Obvious question, but have you checked the BMDs or scotlandsoeple for a marriage and tried to get a marriage cert? That could be a great start. You might even be able to find the kids then also. I know it's pretty obvious, but worth a shot.

Kath
Sligo: Davey (also Mayo), McCluskey, McNulty
Wexford and Staffordshire: Hayes, McClean
Galway and Staffordshire: Scott
Coventry: Wells, Collins, Palmer, Moody, Beck, Mickelwright, Husbands
Ireland: McNulty (Sligo), Kealy, Murphy (Carlow) Connolly, Gillen, Powell, Ryan, Moore, Martin
Davis from I don't know where originally
Stahl, Russia to England to USA

Offline BagpussBee

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Re: Family scandal!
« Reply #6 on: Tuesday 22 May 07 12:04 BST (UK) »
What a great story ! -

You said she ran off to America after WW1 with a soldier.

Was he definately American? I just didn't think there were any Americans over here during the first world war - (please correct me if I am wrong!!)

Not that that means he wasn't American of course - (just saying).
Glos: STEVENS, SHIPTON, MUSTOE, ALDER, MORSE, ROBBINS, SCOTT<br />Suffolk: FARROW, LAMBERT, RAMPLEN, LILLISTONE<br/>Somerset & Devon: Davys, Davey, Yeandle, Heal, Heywood, Williams, Palmer, Chilcott, Brewer, Bristow. Gold/Gould

Offline casalguidi

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Re: Family scandal!
« Reply #7 on: Tuesday 22 May 07 12:51 BST (UK) »
There were some Americans over here with the CEF (Canadian) in WW1 - at least one of our family married an American (signed up to the CEF) over here just after WW1.

Casalguidi
Census information is Crown Copyright http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk

Offline ~Rachel~

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Re: Family scandal!
« Reply #8 on: Tuesday 22 May 07 16:59 BST (UK) »
Do you think your aunt might remember anything more about the Scot/the American/the sons?  The smallest snippet can be an important clue.

I'm really really hoping so! She and the rest of my family have actually MET the Americans, back in the 60s. Unfortunately at the moment all anyone seems to remember is a few first names, no surnames.  :( We got the photos out a few weeks ago to try and jog some memories but to no avail.

Kath - I've ordered a couple of marriage certs so far, both which are definitely not the one I'm after. Can't find anything on scotlands people. Next two on my list are:

Ellen Elizabeth Waite 1906 Apr-May-Jun   Bath Avon, Somerset   
Ellen Elizabeth Waite 1909 Jul-Aug-Sep    Mutford  Suffolk 

Bagpuss - nope I don't even know if he was definitely American!

Incidentally, am I right in thinking that Ellen's father Thomas appears to be bigamously married in the 1901 census?

I'm very interested you should say that - what happened to Thomas has been driving me up the wall! I take it you mean this family:

Josie Waite 5 
Rose Waite 30 
Stanley Waite 9 
Thomas Waite 28 

living in Eckington, Worcestershire?

I've looked into this before and can't find a marriage for a Thomas Waite and Rose - nor can I find birth certs for  Stanley and Josie Waite. I wonder if they were illegitimate children of my Thomas or prehaps the children of somebody else? I know from my grandfather that Thomas walked out on his wife Edith, which is probably why she is back living at home with her parents on the 1901 census.

Obviously if someone could prove me wrong at least I could draw a line through that option!
Waite, Marchant, Nash, Goddard, Pocock, Hiles, Switzer, Larondie, Harris, Radford, Monger, Harper, Harris, Sixsmith, Fitzgerald.