Edward Simonds (Symonds) - Abbots Bromley

[lancs.fox]

I wonder whether anybody can help solve a problem which I have encountered as to what happened to Edward Simonds (also known as Symonds) as he just seemed to disappear.

What I do know is that he was born in 1858 in Atherstone, Warwickshire, and lived there, working as a hatter, until 1891 at least.

Then, for a period (but I don't know how long), he ran the Goats Head Inn in Abbots Bromley with a friend.  So far I've not been able to find any Directory listing him as licensee, though.

The 1901 Census reveals his wife, Mary Olivia Symonds, with her five children at their home, Bentilee Cottages in Abbots Bromley, but no Edward was present.  She described herself as 'married'.  A thorough search for Edward in that census has not turned up anything.

The next information that I have found is that Mary and the children emigrated to the States in about 1903, but Edward never did emigrate, and in the 1910 US Census Mary described herself as a widow.

One rumour in the family is that Edward died in a farm accident, but I have not been able to find any appropriate entry on St. Catherine's Register for the death.

Does anyone have any access to Abbots Bromley records which may shed any light on this man's fate?

Thank you for reading this. 

[Sandyq]

Hi,

Have been looking at your query with interest as I live fairly close to Abbots Bromley.Haven't been able to yet find out what happened to Edward.
In 1891 as you probably know the family lived in Atherstone and with them was Edward senior shown as an uncle -also a Hatter from Atherstone.
Between 1891 and 1901 Mary Olive had two more children (presumably by Edward) Francis 1893 and William 1895.
In 1901 Edward Simonds (the uncle) is in the Uttoxeter workhouse aged 67
and he died there in 1903 aged 70.
That is the only Edward Simonds/symonds death in that area between 1891/1910.
I can only surmise that Edward left his wife and family but will keep on looking
Kind regards
Sandra

[lancs.fox]

Hi Sandra,

Thanks for your reply and for having a look at this problem for me.

The fate of Edward Simonds (Symonds) has mystified me - he just seemed to disappear.

In the 1901 Census, Mary Olivia describes herself as 'married', just as she does on the passenger list when sailing to New York in 1904.  However, by the time of the 1910 US Census she states that she is a 'widow'.

A direct descendant of Edward and Mary Olivia, whose mother remembers having Sunday lunch at home with Mary Olivia in attendance in the early 1940s, is strongly of the opinion that Edward never made it out to the States.  She has also told me that the mention of Edward's name was frowned upon in the family.  This belief is supported by the fact that I haven't been able to find Edward on any passenger list.

It is believed that he stayed in England and died there in suspicious circumstances - but, even so, his death should show up somewhere.  Had he perhaps formed a new relationship and decided to 'opt out' of having his whereabouts recorded in the 1901 Census?

It is beginning to look as though we'll never know.

Richard

[etonjim]

I just happened to come across this post last week, and I joined RootsChat so I could reply. I don't know whether anyone is still interested, but Edward and Mary Olivia (Fox) Simonds were my great-grandparents. I know much more about Mary Olivia than Edward, but I'd be happy to share what I know.

[lancs.fox]

Hello, etonjim - welcome to 'RootsChat'.

Thanks for your reply.

I haven't really got any further with my research on this matter since posting just over two years ago, though I was contacted by the grand-daughter of Mary Olivia Simonds who resides in the States.  She sent me a photo of Mary Olivia (with one of her sons who was in the US army at the time) and I was able to send her a photo of Georgiana Fox, one of the sisters of Mary Olivia taken in Ashby-de-la-Zouche in 1938.

It is interesting that Mary Olivia was your great-grandmother.  There will therefore be a connection between us through Mary Olivia's father George James Fox of Atherstone who was my great-great-grandfather.

Are you in touch with any of Mary Olivia's descendants in the US?

I won't mention any specific names of current descendants in this post as this would be best done through a private communication.

I would be pleased to hear from you further so I'm sending you a personal message with my e-mail address.

[alyson123]

Well there is certainly no death that matches with your Edward but befor you
discount it as a possibility I would contact Lichfield RO and ask them to do a search for you
between 1895 1903 for the parishes of Abbots Bromley, Newborough and Hoar Cross.
Unfortunately there is no MI's for Edward in these churches but you may get lucky in the burial registers.
Other than that it does look as though Edward may have used an alias, especially if he ran off with
someone! Have checked 'Smith' and 'Jones' for b.1858 Warwickshire-No luck!
Regards
Alyson

[etonjim]

Thank you, Alyson. Hoar Cross is probably my best bet, since that's the church my great-uncle mentioned attending when the family lived in Abbots Bromley.

Jim

[alyson123]

 Jim, ......they did'nt actually live in Abbots Bromley.
I come from AB and know the area very well and looking at the census 1901
details they are in actual fact some distance away, but for the purpose of census
it came under AB, though why Newborough enumerators did'nt do it I don't
know....to me that seems more logical, hence my suggestion to check Newborough
parish records aswell. I did have a look at Newborough census to see if Edward was
maybe working on a farm?.....but alas no!
reagrds
Alyson

[etonjim]

Alyson,

Thank you so much, that's actually very helpful. I had difficultly locating them at all in the 1901 census until, on a hunch, I tried Symonds and not Simonds. Apparently, they had changed the spelling BEFORE leaving England. I was always told that they did it upon arrival in America, since Mary Olivia preferred the "old English" spelling. It's also interesting to note that the youngest child, William, was born in (presumably) Newborough around 1895, which puts the family in the Abbots Bromley area at least by that time. I think they changed the spelling to distance themselves from Edward, one of the "bad lot" Simondses, I've been told. I rarely heard his name mentioned, and my father (his grandson) called him "Eddie" the one time he spoke of him.

Here's the piece on Edward that I can add to the puzzle. He worked with an uncle or cousin at the Goat's Head at some point until the time that he abandoned the family to fight in the Boer War. That would put him out of the picture from 1899 to 1901, which makes sense since he doesn't appear in the census. He made it back to England from South Africa, but just barely, as he died accidently some time before 1903 when my grandfather John R (transcription error on the census, not John K) left for the States. I was always told that my grandfather had to identify his body, so he had to have died by 1903. Odd that there's absolutely no record of his military service or of his death. That part's still a mystery. But we're getting closer.