George and Augusta Underwood (nee Dunn)

[cara1000hughes]

I am looking for any information I can find on George and Augusta Underwood (Nee Dunn).

I know that George was born in 1824 in Southwark, Surrey and Augusta in 1831 in Bethnal Green. They were married in 1849 in St Andrew's Parish Church in Holborn and had three children Betha (1851 Chelsea), Theodore (1853 Chelsea) and Horace (1854 Chelsea).

In 1851 they were living in Symonds Street, Chelsea and in 1854 (When all three children were christened) in 51 Lamb's Conduit Street in St George in the Maryter.

I cannot find them in any census' after that, I think I have found all the children in the 1861 census scattered with various Aunts and Uncles. I can find no death records for them (thinking Augusta died in childbirth and George could not cope with the children!!!).

If anyone knows of anything that may help to solve this mystery please let me know.

Thank you in advance

Cara Hughes

[jennifer c]

George gains a new wife Emily between 1851 -1871 and three more children.

The two boys Theodore & Horace both follow their father's occupation as fine art dealers, although when his daughter by Emily gets married she gives his occ. as Brica Brac dealer, I bet he did not like that!

Geoge seems to die in 1906

Although the sons had a bad start in life, Theodore was 89 & Horace 90 when they died.

Jennifer

[DORAN54]

there is a death for a george underwood born 1824 died april 1906 croyden surrey  vol 2a page 165

[cara1000hughes]

Thank you for the replies,

Jennifer you know lots on the family do you have them in your family tree?

I have found that Augusta Underwood applied for a passport in 1855 so I wonder if she travelled abroad and died. My ancestry subscription only has travel records leaving the UK from 1890, is there any other records you know of to trace before this date?

Thank you

Cara

[DORAN54]

i dont know if this is your augusta but quite likely

 augusta underwood and a helen &florence underwood arrived london 24 may 1911 on the cunard line ship ivernia  from boston

[cara1000hughes]

Surely that would make George a bigamist (unless they divorced) as he remarried in 1864 it looks like?

[cara1000hughes]

Such a confusing story

[DORAN54]

very  maybe he was a bigamist

[Valda]

Hi

Augusta Underwood isn't a unique name. If Augusta Underwood nee Dunn was born circa 1831 then she would be 80 if it was her travelling in 1911. This Augusta was listed under the 'alien' passenger list - not British. An Augusta Underwood travelled to New York in 1914 from London.  She was aged 65 married and born in America. With her was Florence Underwood also American aged 40. There were seven Augusta Underwoods on the U.S 1880 census so expect one at least to have travelled.

The next step would seem to be to obtain George's second marriage certificate to see what he said his status was. He could of course have lied on his second marriage but then his family, his sons who followed him into the same trade and their maternal relatives would all have had to condone and cover up the illegal act. Families did that but usually it wasn't such a wide circle that would have known and have to be involved. Unless George cut and run and severed all contact with his first family and also his professional contacts in his trade, bigamy would be very risky.

The GRO index is not infallible so it is possible there is an error (especially after the old written indexes were retyped with no checking and the old indexes thrown away). It sometimes happens that names are incorrectly recorded on certificates. A distraught spouse with three young children or someone else sent to register the death aren't always completely coherent so a pet name gets recorded instead.

Does the 1855 passport application confirm it is your Augusta Underwood?


Regards

Valda