In Prison in 1887

[coombs]

He must have come home from America for some reason. I did think he was awaiting trial and returned to the UK for the trial but he may have returned from America and was then arrested and tried for something. Have you tried passenger lists. Incoming ones survive from 1878 but they are not infallible.

[squiggle]

Hi Coombs

I haven't got a subscription to A.......y, so I have to use the local library, I think I found what was probably my man travelling in 1885, but there were no details, so not proven.

In fairness to William,.... he was with his mistress sporadically between 1882 and 1887 then as his  wife from 1887, definitely in the 1900 and 1910 census in America. It seems that his mistress turned out to be a more tolerable match., or a more tolerant one!

He did nip back to England in 1909, I would be interested to know why he did this then. I can't see any significant family events around this time.

As you say, he must have come back in 1886 for a reason,.... it was not for his mistress as she was already installed in America. (Unless it was her who pushed him into going back to sort out the divorce. If he was already "wanted" why would he have come back?
Unfortunately, what I do know about his travels, give no clues as to what landed him in prison.


Becky

[Valda]

Hi

Beyond the time frame of the prison registers for Millbank prison but not beyond the time frame of the survival of other records such as prison calendars (see The National Archives research leaflet) and of course potential newspaper reports if the trial was interesting enough. These records with the exceptions of some newspapers are not online (most records still aren't).

The divorce papers definitely state he was incarcerated in Millbank, he wasn't just employed there?

If the divorce papers were served on him while he was in Millbank prison and it had anything to do with a conviction for bigamy then you would expect the divorce papers to mention it. The odds were stacked against a woman wanting a divorce - adultery alone was not enough. She would need to prove adultery and desertion or adultery and physical cruelty for instance. Conviction for bigamy would be extremely solid evidence for adultery and desertion. If you wanted the easiest of divorces that is what you would cite. Besides you state he married his mistress only after he finally left England for America in May 1887 and not before so after the divorce and the obtaining decree nisi but before gaining decree absolute. Since the marriage was in America and he never returned I doubt quite anyone really noticed or cared. You can only be convicted of bigamy if you have gone through with a marriage. The record of the marriage in the GRO index should still stand.


Regards


Valda

[squiggle]

Hi All,

Just wanted to say, that William did not even wait for his decree nisi, so technically he did marry his mistress bigamously, but after he had come out of prison and the divorce was under way.

I'm sure that he was a prisoner as he also refers to two letters that he received from his mistress in January and March 1887.
I will look again.... to see if I can find anything re. the prison calenders.... Thanks for that Valda!

Back to 1885......
William's wife was aware of his committing adultery with his mistress and gives the address at which it occurred, she says it was with "a person who's name is unknown to me"
Now..... if she gives the address, I can hardly believe that she did not know the name of his mistress or indeed that she and William had a nine month old child.
There were also four events mentioned in the divorce papers in the latter part of 1885
Oct 1885- struck her
Nov 1885-choked her and threatened her with scissors
Dec-1885-seized her by the throat,...same month seized her by throat and illused her.He left the country just a few days later
I get the feeling, that just enough was revealed to the courts to get the divorce through.

As I said I will see if I can find anything more and let you all know if I find anything, thanks again for everyone's interest
Becky

[coombs]

I am amazed at the amount of immigrants who did make the occasional trip back to their homeland. My 3xgreat grandfather did in 1891 but I think I know why, his grandson was born. William Jarvis certainly liked his Atlantic hopping.

[squiggle]

Valda- I meant to say that the two letters he received from his mistress were while he was in Millbank prison........ he lodged these with Mr Urquhart his solicitor.

Coombs- I appreciate you lateral thinking, I have looked at the BMD records to see if I can find a "life event" that William came back for, but nothing so far.
 I was stuck on William for a long time,... and now I have a lot of tantalizing information, which might help me fill in the gaps but I am not getting any further at the moment.

I have him in America in 1910, and his widow in 1920
I have information on his daughter and her husband.
I have information on his ex-wife and her children.

Lots more to find out
Thanks again for your interest
Becky

[coombs]

Where in America was he in 1910?

[squiggle]

Hi Coombs,

Sorry for the late reply, I had no internet yesterday,.....

The family settled in the New york and then the New Jersey area. William died sometime between 1910 and 1920, but I have his wife and one of their daughters family, through to 1930 and a WWII registration card for the son in law for 1942.
All the best...Becky

[coombs]

If his wife was still in New Jersey in 1920 then he must have died in that area inbetween 1910 and 1920. I am not sure about the coverage of New York death records for that time.