COMPLETED Eleanor(a) Bowing

[droops]

I have hit a brickwall with this one.

The earliest record I have of her is from her marriage certificate in 1908 when she marries Vishnu Sukthankar (24) in Wandsworth. She is 21 and her fathers name is John Bowing, chemist (master). Her residence is 36 Lebanon Gardens, Wandsworth, which is different from the groom. Her name here is Eleanora Hamilton Bowing.

In 1911, she is 25, living with her husband aged 23 in Wandsworth. What is odd about the age difference between 1911 and 1908 is that he read maths at Cambridge University. She was born in Battersea.

In 1919 she is on a ship bound to New York with her husband. She is aged 31 years and 4 months.

In the US census of 1920 she is 30.

On the marriage certicate she is Eleanora; elsewhere Eleanor, Elenor.


What I am struggling with is that I cannot find her birth index. Nor her, or her father John in any census prior to 1911 (or John in 1911).
There are various John Bowings around, but none of them that I can see that would be a possible jump to a chemist occupation in 1908.

Any pointers would be much appreciated.

[mosiefish]

Hi,

There is an interesting John Bowing aged 81 and wife Eleanor 71 on the ships passenger lists to NY in May 1920.  He was born Woolwich.  The address they are going to is: Daughter in Law Mrs E Bowing of 504 W 151 St. New York.   It seems a bit of a coincidence that your Eleanor was living on West 151 Street on the 1920 census.  Unfortunately it doesn`t show the house number, just the schedule number.

Searching the English Census finds the only John Bowing born Woolwich and lo and behold he was a Chemist.  I just can`t find Eleanor with them.  I think Johns wife Eleanor is his second wife as he was married to a Mary.  I wonder if young Eleanor was actually his second wifes daughter?

Regards,
Mo
 

[wozzle]

the second marr to eleanor took place in the 2nd qtr of 1911 in camberwell reg dist
eleanors maiden name (or previous married name was davies)

[wozzle]

there is a eleanor davies born in wandsworth  birth regd in the 2nd qtr 1889
possibly her?

[droops]

Mo,

Thank you very much. I have been stuck on this one for about a year, and within hours you seem to have sussed it. Annoyingly, I had briefly looked at this John Bowing and discounted him as Eleanor was not there and Mary looked too old to be her mother. I had not looked at his occupation. I have to learn to slow down.

From what you tell me, it has to be the same John Bowing. Same occupation, visiting same address in US, and an extremely expected mothers name.
This would explain why I cannot find an Eleanor Bowing, it wasnt her surname at birth and she gave her step-fathers name on the marriage certificate.

I have a few more questions though.
With what you say, I have found the passenger list of John and Eleanor Bowing sailing from Liverpool to NY.  Thats quite a impressive journey for an 81 year old. But I cant see the address where they are goign to stay. I think I am looking at a different document from you. Where have you got that address from?
Nor can I see the address where Eleanor Sukthankar is living in NY in 1920. I suspect that because I am looking at my only US census and am missing info? Or again, are you looking at a different document?


Wozzle, those look as if they might be Eleanor's marriage and birth. I am intrigued by John Bowings second marriage being 3 years after his step daughter, why would she name him as her father before that. Will have to send off for certificates to see if i can get to the bottom of it.

Thanks a lot for the help.

[mosiefish]

Hi,

I got the passenger information from Anc**try.  There is a shorter passenger list on FindMyPast which is perhaps the one you are looking at.  If you don`t have access, go to the new family search site:
https://www.familysearch.org/
Type in John Bowing and the date range 1920 to 1920 and he should be the 3rd one down.
If you click on his name it should give you the option to view the record through the Ellis Island site.
You have to register, but they only need a valid e-mail address and password. 
There are two images - I have just tried and it shows the second one first (he is the 6th down), you then have to go to the previous image to view the first page.  Click on the Zoom to open another window and enlarge the images.

The image for the 1920 census shows the street address written vertically down the left hand side.

Regards,
Mo

[vero]

The dates for Vishnu S. Sukthankar are 1887-1943. Therefore if he married in 1908 he would have been 21 years old.

The exact dates for Eleanor are not clear. She was born 1886-1890 and died circa 1929.

Vishnu and Eleanor had the following children born in south London: John (born Dec 1908), Kathleen (born 1911) and Maurice (born 1913).

[vero]

With what you say, I have found the passenger list of John and Eleanor Bowing sailing from Liverpool to NY.  Thats quite a impressive journey for an 81 year old.

Having checked the Ellis Island site, it should be noted that the age of John Bowing (travelling with Eleanor Bowing, aged 71) arriving in New York 3 May 1920 is 61 not 81.

Two further pieces of information from the ship manifest are of interest. First, the couple state that they are visiting their daughter-in-law, Mrs E. Bowing, yet surely this refers to their daughter, Eleanor, who is now Eleanor Sukthankar. One possible explanation for this probable untruth is that the elderly parents wished to avoid stating the foreign-sounding name “Sukthankar” to US border officials, and instead pretended they had a son in New York whose wife would, of course be, Mrs Bowing. Yet if that really were the case they would have named their son, not his wife, as their host. So my supposition stands: they wanted to avoid using the name Sukthankar and the Mrs E. Bowing is really their daughter.

The second piece of interesting information is that the elderly couple claim in the manifest that the voyage was financed by their son. Most likely the voyage was paid for by their wealthy son-in-law Vishnu S. Sukthankar. But in the absence of evidence all of this must sadly remain speculation.

By the way, the best photograph of Eleanor Sukthankar (née Bowing formally Hamilton) on the net is here:

http://www.ipernity.com/doc/peter.bowing/8292768

Does anyone know who this Hamilton might be?

[droops]

vero,
Sorry for missing your post here.

I had not got anywhere with the death of Eleanor. I presumed it was in India but that was just a guess.

I would question the age of John Bowing being 61 in the Ellis Island records. That does not tie in with whats in the various census'. There are other John Bowings, some with the date that would make them 61ish in 1920; but none of those have the same occupation of chemist.

Nice photo, can I copy it?