Arthur Fearn (or Jellyman)

[kglm]

Arthur Fearn was born in Blenheim in 1882. The last known record of him was a mention in Papers Past that showed him living in Blenheim in 1913. Other earlier records show him on the Electoral Roll in Christchurch South 1911 and Wairau 1905-6.

He was illegitimate and his paternity is uncertain, but my belief is that his father was James Jellyman, a married brewer of Blenheim, who died in 1913. So there may be the possibilty he changed his name to Jellyman after 1913. Fearn was a name used by his mother.

I cant find any record of him after 1913.

[TwiggyTree]

Might this be his probate?  (If he had those middle names)
http://www.archway.archives.govt.nz/ViewFullItem.do?code=23100746

Not your man - this one was born 1886.

[minniehaha]

Hello,

There are fourteen items about an Arthur Fearn in the Australian newspapers. Maybe your man??

Go to the "TROVE" website.

Minniehaha.

[giblet]

Just a thought but have you checked WW1 military records?

[TwiggyTree]

He doesn't appear under FEARN in NZ or AU; nor under JELLYMAN.  I didn't try permutations.

NZ http://muse.aucklandmuseum.com/databases/cenotaph/locations.aspx

AU http://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/NameSearch/Interface/NameSearchForm.aspx

[minniehaha]

Maybe? Or maybe not..............?

An Arthur FEARN married Catherine York in 1928. If your Arthur, this man would have been aged abt. 46 years.

A possible birth (1907) for the bride; Catherine Ellen Jessie born to Catherine & David York. At marriage, Catherine would have been aged abt. 21 years.

Could be worth taking this further?

Minniehaha. 

[jorose]

Is this boy the son of Emma Fearn aka Frost/Fern/Reader?  (James Jellyman owned the house she lived in, according to one newspaper report).

How sure are you that the electoral roll entries and the 1913 newspaper record are your Arthur?  The 1913 record indicates that this particular Arthur Fearn had only arrived in Blenheim recently "with a circus".

 http://www.rootschat.com/links/0utl/  &  http://www.rootschat.com/links/0utm/  are interesting, the first because it shows some link between Jellyman and Fearn in terms of property inheritence (but who was Mrs Jones - perhaps Emma Reader who m. William Jones in 1886?), the second shows both he and his mother using "Fearn" in 1904.


ETA: Think Mrs Jones may be the mother of Arthur and various other kids who married William Jones - she seems to have taken on the name Helma Jones which appears on her probate in 1907.  Her sister, Evelyn Ann Reynolds wife of Alexander, states that she was generally known as "Emma" on the probate records - Arthur Fearn is also listed as an executor, stating that he is the son of Helma/Emma, who was the widow of William Jones but at the time of his birth was the wife of Thomas Fearn from Motueka, a bootmaker.

It seems the entirety of Emma's estate was not properly disposed of. Documents from 1939 in the file state that Evelyn Annie Ridgeway (late Reynolds) had died in 1931, and Arthur Fearn had lived in Blenheim until about 1909 but then left, and that he had not been seen by friends/relatives beyond 1914.   Newspaper advertisments had been placed to find "Arthur Fearn or Jones, son or step-son of Elma, Alma, Emma, or Helma Jones", without any luck.  (these can be seen on familysearch.org/ )

[hilda1907]

Hello, I would like to talk to anyone with an interest in Emma Frost, aka Fearn,Reader, Jones.
My connection is not a genealogical one, strictly speaking, she may have been a beneficiary of a great great fathers will in 1885.

Kind regards,

Cheryl.

[Gwila]

I have pieced quite a bit of information about Elma Frost. She never legally married Thomas Fearn/Fern whom she had 3 children to - Martha, Arthur and Thomas. She also did not marry William Reader to whom had 4 children.  Emma as she was mostly known was an infamous prostitute in the Nelson Marlborough area. 
Fearn was quite a bit older and was a shoemaker and drunkard.
Reaper worked on boats and drowned with the whole crew of a pilot boat in an accident in 1883.

Emma's father was quite a character, well educated but most of his children were largely uneducated and several were 'characters'.  A few short years before his death he received 9000 pounds from the estate of his brother in England. A huge sum in those days. His will was contested with allegations of wrong doing by one of the daughters and son in laws and it took years to sort it out.  So yes Emma is part of a grand inheritance - from her Uncle who she probably never met. I don't know if she ever received her share.  I have more on the family - mostly pieced together from public information via paperspast etc.  There is nothing that ever states that Arthur is not the son of Fearn and Emma wasn't too concerned with her reputation so see no need to cover up his birth. She stated that he was a son of Thomas Fearn in court.