Have I Got the Right People?

[Siamese Girl]

This is a bit long but I’ve been puzzling away on this for ages and I don’t seem to be getting anywhere, so I hope other (better) brains might be able to help.

My gt gt grandmother Jane Leedom was born 15 December 1842 in Manchester the daughter of Peter Leedom a silk dyer and his wife Sarah Conway. The family then moved to London. Sarah’s illegitimate son William was born 15 October 1862 in Shoreditch. On the 1871 he is living with his widowed grandmother Sarah in New North Road Islington census RG10 piece 288 folio 6 page 6, as her “nephew”. I haven’t been able to find Jane in the 1871 census.


On 10 September 1877 Jane Eleanor Leedon married Edwin Reuben Lawrence a plumber the son of Alfred Reuben Lawrence at St Alphege Greenwich. I'm sure this must be her despite the slight difference in spelling (she couldn't write) and the acquisition of a middle name because she said her father was Peter Leedon, a dyer.

I’ve found the baptism of an Edwin Reuben Lawrence in 1862 at St Pancras, with a note that he was born 15 February 1859, the son of Alfred Reuben Lawrence and his wife Ellen (nee Eleanor Swann). Alfred Reuben Lawrence seems to have died the December Quarter before his son was born.

This makes Edwin Reuben 18 when he married (although he said he was of full age) and Jane Eleanor 35 – almost twice his age. I know there’s no accounting for people’s behaviour but do you think I’ve got the right people?

I can’t find anything about them after the marriage – census BMD, anything

There is a Lawrence family with sons, Edwin and Reuben living near Greenwich in Depford, but as far as I can see they aren't connected.

In 1871 Edwin Reuben Lawrence is living with his mother Ellen in Hackney, although he is called “Edwd” in the census RG10 piece 317 folio 56 page 69, so I could be looking for them under almost any name.


Carole

[Hazel17]

My first thought is that if you have nothing on them after the marriage how have you traced back to them? Or do you descend from Jane's illegitimate son William?

Have you tried tracing Jane forward by assuming she hasn't married?

The marriage does seems a bit odd. Have you see the actual copy from the PR's on ancestry? Just in case there are any errors on the GRO copy. I'm guessing you have a GRO copy.

Are there any other Jane Eleanor Leedon's that could be the lady who got married?

Have you traced the son William forward?

I would do some searching but I am very tired from work  but I will puzzle about until I have some time at the weekend unless anyone has any better ideas to help you. 

[Siamese Girl]

William was my gt. grandfather and I know all about him and his family, but nothing about his mother.

The information on the marriage has come from Ancestry's PRs - it was from playing around trying different search ideas that turned Jane's marriage up. Previously I had lost sight of her after William was born.  I'm guessing the Leedom family took care of him and she went her own way.
I'm sure the marriage must be her. Leedom (or Leedon) are rare names and the fact that this Jane had a father called Peter who was a dyer is too much to be coincidence.

Carole

[memyself]

Have you seen ?
Jane Leedham death Mar quarter 1864 in Wandsworth? From free BMD unfortunately no age.

[Richard Knott]

I'm guessing the Leedom family took care of him and she went her own way.

There is a William Leedom, age 22, marrying a Harriet Carter in 1885. He claims his father is dead; but he may just be hiding the truth.

He gives his place of birth as London in 1891 and Hoxton in 1901; the latter is pretty much Shoreditch. (In 1881 he seems to be on board a ship).

Richard

[Siamese Girl]

I'm guessing the Leedom family took care of him and she went her own way.

There is a William Leedom, age 22, marrying a Harriet Carter in 1885. He claims his father is dead; but he may just be hiding the truth.

He gives his place of birth as London in 1891 and Hoxton in 1901; the latter is pretty much Shoreditch. (In 1881 he seems to be on board a ship).

Richard

Yes they are my gt grandparents.

Leedham is another possibility - there are quite a few permutations possible.

Carole

[sadler32]

Hi Carole

I have been on Rootschats for a while but never posted. My Grand Mother was Dorothy Leedom the younger sister to your Grand Mother Eleanor. There have been several things I wanted to ask you. I have been abit stumped with regards to going further back in to the past mainly with Jane Leedoms family plus the whole of the Carter family. So hopefully you can help me with that. As you are aware Dorothy had 3 sons. I am her GrandSon. My Uncle has recently be talking to Pauline Leedom, Wife of the late Graham Leedom. It came to light about a Leah Leedom who lives in New Zealand and was (age removed by moderator) in April, have you heard of here. Pauline seems to think she was born in New Zealand, is she a descendant from Jane Leedoms family. Hope you maybe able to help on any of the points above.

Regards Simon

[Siamese Girl]

Hello Simon.

If you make 2 more posts we'll be able to contact each other through the PM system and I'll give you my email address. I'm sure I must have met your grandmother Doll, when I was little, but we seem to have drifted away from the Leedoms. I have some photos of her - a couple of portrait photos from the 1920s and one that always fascinated me of her dressed in overalls aged 15 - I assume she was doing some kind of war work?

I got stumped on the Leedoms when it got back to the Irish connection. I haven't done anything on the Carters recently but now the Essex parish registers for Downham are available online I might look for Elijah Carter who said he was born there  c. 1818 and his brother Eleazer who was also born there c. 1810 - at least they had unusual names!

I may have gone a little further back on the Maynard line as I think I probably found  Elizabeth Maynard's grandfather Brad(d)ick Maynard http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php/topic,515493.msg3713293.html#msg3713293

I remember being contacted by Leah Leedom many years ago now, but I'm not sure that, at the time, that we worked out a connection .

Carole

[sadler32]

Hi Carole

Many thanks for the prompt reply. With regards to Leah Leedom, Pauline Leedom was going to contact her on Sunday as it was her birthday and ask her about her family history. Hopefully she will be able to find out where Leah fits in within the family tree.

My Father has very few photos of either his Parents or Grandparents so it would be interesting to view yours. I will ask him if he knows what she may have been doing when she was a child.

Regards Simon.