Help needed finding a needle in a haystack.

[Braindead]

Thanks Tati, that link has worked & I'm now wading through a mass of French. It's interesting that the name "Mary Broadwood Hamilton" is given for Hélène's mother.

I certainly will get the marriage certificate of Michel Bartholomey and Frances Mary Broadwood & I'll let you know what it says.

I've got a feeling that Mary Short, Mary Louisa Broadwood, Mary Broadwood Hamilton, Marie Broadwood Tormaly Hamilton and Frances Mary Broadwood may well all have been the same person; a mistress of self-reinvention, I suspect.

I quite agree!

A copy of the marriage cert for Mary Short and Charles Broadwood is online, if you search in Ancestry.

I've got that now, thanks. & thanks for the updated reply.

this was someone's tree and it didn't state the source of this info.

I know how frustrating this can be!

[Annie65115]

I'll look forward to hearing about the cert -- or anything else you find out!

[Braindead]

I've already ordered it - should be dispatched on Jan 5th.

I've looked at the web pages on rootsweb that refer to Charles Hamilton Broadwood  & Mary Louisa Broadwood & am not convinced that the details are correct - the 1861 census gives her age as 25 and place of birth as Inverness whereas the rootsweb pages put her 5 years older and born in London - not that it's strictly relevant to whether she's the same person Michel de Bartholomey married.

[Braindead]

Just been looking at the Passenger lists on Ancestry & have found the entry for Michel, Frances & Helen Bartholomey to USA in 1880. Interestingly, Tatiana, the younger daughter isn't listed as a passenger, & Frances gives her age as 30 - some 15 years younger than the Mary Broadwood we've been looking at.

 

Edit: Been looking at the Broadwood divorce case in the Times & the judge was very unflattering about all parties & in the end, refused the divorce petition! This means that Mary WASN'T divorced, so when my certificate arrives, I'm now hoping that her status reads "Widow" rather than divorcee.

[Dizzifish]

Hello all....

Some great work by Rootchat members as usual!

Braindead...I see from your profile you are in North Notts....so if you are not already aware you can use your Nottinghamshire Library card number to access the Infotrac newspaper resource online -  http://infotrac.galegroup.com/itweb/ntm_ttda

The newspapers have 27 references for "Charles Hamilton Broadwood" and one for "Mary Hamilton Broadwood"....... fascinating and too much to report here.

The 1870 for Mary says she lived and cohabited with her husband for nine years in England, France, Italy & Belgium....had one child now dead....husband deserted her and ever since remained apart and separate....

[Braindead]

Thanks - I'll have a look. I've looked at the Times reports of the divorce case, but haven't searched the individual names. I will now.
Thanks again.

[Braindead]

Well, the marriage certificate arrived today, which I think is pretty good going allowing for the holidays.

Unfortunately, it isn't exactly conclusive:
Frances Mary Broadwood is listed as a widow, which fits, but the certificate doesn't name her father - in the father's name and surname section is what looks like the word "George" but that has been crossed out and initialled "B" (I assume the registrar, Mr Barnes). There is nothing in the father's occupation.

I guess the next step is to get the birth certificate for her children - hopefully that'll give her maiden name, but what do people think - are Frances Mary Broadwood and Mary Hamilton Broadwood one and the same?

Interestingly the address of both parties is given as 47 Beaufort Gardens, Brompton so they were obviously living together quite openly.

[Tati]

Oh, what a shame! Does it give her age at least?

[Braindead]

Unfortunately the entry is just "full age".

 

The certificate hasn't been a total waste though - I now know the exact date of their marriage + the name and occupation of Michel Bartholomei's father. I had no idea of these before.



I have also been given permission by my better half to get the necessary birth certificate.