Toni*’s OH Sc Hunt part 9

[Aceh]

Morning Toni,

I have now checked the birth certificate of Frederick son of Alfred Cullmer & Ellen Wheeler:

Born 8 March 1867 at 50, Leonard Street, Shoreditch - Frederick Edward - father's occupation Furniture (?) Dealer.

Subsequent census returns record his name as just Frederick and his birth being in Bethnal Green (71), Stepney (81); I don't have the rest - I must get them!

[toni*]

Hi Alan I've not seen that newspaper before and thanks for the info on Frederick.

Did we find Alfred and eleanor death in Australia? 

[Aceh]

Toni,

From my biodata.doc file:

According to an Osborn family anecdote, there was an ancestor, (who may have been Rosina Osborn’s younger brother Alfred the legitimate son of Alfred & Mary Cullmer), whose occupation was a toffee apple vendor. This ancestor was said to have emigrated from England to Australia, introduced this new confectionery and made a fortune. He than changed his name; one wonders why?

The trial stuff we know, then:

So it would appear that Alfred Cullmer Jnr knew his father’s 2nd family well and was aware of his half brother George’s criminal activities, and presumably his father Alfred Snr’s also, but there appears to be no evidence that he was implicated in the crimes themselves. It would also appear that Alfred Jnr emigrated from London to Australia, presumably Melbourne, in early 1890.

An Eleanor Culmer, confectioner, is recorded in the 1893 Sands & McDougal commercial directory of Melbourne, Australia, as living at 78, Smith Street, Collingwood, (Eastern side); but she does not appear in the preceding or subsequent years. So it appears that Alfred & Eleanor were in Melbourne from around mid 1890 until 1893 at least.

However, there was a series of small-ads in the Missing Friends column on the back page of The Western Australian, The Sydney Morning Herald, and other newspapers, from 18 November 1899 until 13 January 1900, in which the Assets Finance Company of 424 Little Collins Street, Melbourne, Victoria, was searching for an Alfred and Eleanor Culmer:
 
Text of advertisement:

“CULMER ALFRED or ELEANOR - Please Communicate Assets Finance Company, 424 Little Collins Street, Melbourne. Important.”

So, although he was Alfred Culmer jr in 1893, by the time the advertisement of 1899 / 1900 he may have had another name entirely, this, added to the non-availability of census data has put him on the back burner.

Unless our antipodean hunters consider Alfred jr a challenge?

[toni*]

i think from memory they do not appear on the 1890 census in the UK
George and Warren were both in possession of letters to and from Alfred respectively when they were arrested
Alfredwas said to live at 27 A........... Street
According to the newspapers and / or the trial papers the letter that Warren had was telling his mother to come to Australia as there was plenty of opportunity for smokes and not much in the way of detection - so it would seem that Alfred Jnr was aware of their money making activities
Alfred Jnr as far as i know was not illegitimate Mary Hale and Alfred Snr were married by the time of his birth
I did not know about the confectionery bit but i was aware the insurance company were looking for them in 1899

[Aceh]

Toni,

You are right Alfred jr and his wife Eleanor were not on the 1891 census for England & Wales; whether or not they were in the Australian census we are debarred from finding out due to Australian confidentiality law.
When you say that Warren Ingram had a letter from Alfred jr telling his mother to come out to Australia, do you mean Warren's mother or Alfred's mother Mary? If the latter this implies that she too knew what had been going on.
Alfred jr was the only legitimate son of Alfred sr and Mary, as Alfred & Mary's youngest son George died as an infant

[toni*]

Warren had in his possession a letter to Ellen Ingram from Alfred Culmer
of course i forgot that Ellen was not Alfred jnr mother

[Aceh]

Ah, so Alfred jr sent a letter to Ellen Ingram nee Wheeler advertising that Australia might be a suitable place to branch out with the Fire Business. Therefore were the newspapers correct in saying that she went to New Zealand? Could she have followed Alfred's advice and gone to Australia? Did she then move on to New Zealand for the 1913 fire?
There will be the same tracing difficulties of course with not being able to check the census returns.

[toni*]

MOrning Alan and Everyone,

Ellen, could well have gone anywhere in the world.
She was said to have taken steerage to NZ disguised as a boy.
I had a brief discussion with Jan regarding this
I doubt she would have escaped the country on a normal passenger ship.
and thus would have gone on a cargo ship.
In those days they wouldnt like to have women aboard ships and thus she would have been disguised as a boy. but i cannot trace her after she left the country the only lead we have is the papers saying she went to NZ and then the 1913 fire.
the papers also said what the letter from Alfred to Ellen entailed and this is not elaborated in the court papers so wheterh it was sensationlised or not is hard to tell.
One thing for sure is if Ellen managed to disguise herself as a boy then she was of small build.
How do i search the illustrated police news ?

[Aceh]

Morning Toni.

I came across "Illustrated Police News" while viewing a TV programme called "Murder on the Victorian Railway"on BBC I Player a few days ago. One of the shots had front page heading of the IPN as background so I quickly scribbled it down. I've just Googled it:

http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/search/results/1850-01-01/1899-12-31?newspapertitle=illustrated%20police%20news&sortorder=dayrecent

and find that the front page at least has drawn illustrations (not photographs) so maybe there was something on the trials of 1891, so I'm off now to see whether I can find anything.