Maria Frances Langley (Brunton)

[Lucy2]

Hi again

Have you viewed the Cemetery Records for Symonds Street and St. Stephen's (Auckland) ?

http://www.aucklandcity.govt.nz/

[Extract]  --  The Mrs LANGLEY (bur. 23 March 1870 - aged 46 years) is said to have arrived per "Silver Eagle" 1863 with a son and three daughters.   She is buried with her daughter Mrs ARMOUR.

[Lucy2]

NZ Marriage

Eleanor LANGLEY - George Donald Grieve ARMOUR -- 1880

[Eleanor LANGLEY appears in the 1851 UK census -- refer to posting on your KENT board thread.
Eleanor would appear to be the "Helen" LANGLEY on the "Silver Eagle" passenger list. ]

[Lucy2]

"New Zealand Herald"

- 22 March 1870 - page 4 - Another Awfully Sudden Death

- 23 March 1870 ... Inquest (death of Mary Maria LANGLEY)

[Lucy2]

Hi lindynz

*  Have you found this LANGLEY family on the UK 1861 census return ??

[jorose]

http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php/topic,479268.0.html
 - linking over so people can see what has been found

This would also fit with:
"Female" Langley b. Mar 1850 quarter Lewisham (Eleanor)
"Female" Langley b. Dec 1851 quarter Lewisham (Emma)
Edward Langley b. Sep 1853 quarter Lewisham (son)
Edward Langley d. Jun 1854 quarter Lewisham (the father?)

 http://www.rootschat.com/links/0vhw/
 - says that Mary Maria's husband was the late Edward Langley of "Ro'mpton Surrey" - copied to English papers. (interesting given the reference to Roehampton in the other thread)

Does the 1864 marriage give any hints e.g. who were the witnesses?

The real mystery is this:
From the English census, Mary was 28 in 1851, so in her early 30s when her husband died leaving her with four kids, the youngest just a baby, and then nearly ten years later she emigrates - why? Were there relatives there? It just seems a huge risk for a widow to take on her own with four kids, none of whom were old enough at the time to be much help in supporting the family.

[Lucy2]

The real mystery is this:
From the English census, Mary was 28 in 1851, so in her early 30s when her husband died leaving her with four kids, the youngest just a baby, and then nearly ten years later she emigrates - why? Were there relatives there? It just seems a huge risk for a widow to take on her own with four kids, none of whom were old enough at the time to be much help in supporting the family.

I agree "jorose" that there is an element of mystery surrounding Mrs LANGLEY in particular. 

Unfortunately some of our NZ resources (websites), are running at a snail's pace this morning, so not able to follow up on a few things I'd wish to check.   But I suspect that because there is no listing of the LANGLEY passengers per "Silver Eagle" (1863) amongst the NZ Immigration Passenger Lists (@ familysearch), it may be that this particular family paid their own passage to NZ ... or it was paid for them (by other than a New Zealand provincial government immigration scheme).   

   ~  Lu   

[Lucy2]

  ... just adding a more direct link for Symonds Street / St. Stephen's Cemeteries info.

http://www.aucklandcity.govt.nz/dbtw-wpd/symondsst/sscem.html

[Lucy2]

1861 Middlesex - Bethnal Green St. Matthew - Hackney Road

LANGLEY - Ellen - 10 - Scholar - boarder - b. Kent - Woolwich
LANGLEY - Emma C. - 9 -    * ditto *
LANGLEY - Edward - 7 -       * ditto *

... at 4 William Street  (educational institution ? )

Head of household is - Rachael W. WORTMAN (WORKMAN ?) - 62 - Governess
with her sisters Elizabeth C. (49) and Sarah G. (45) who are listed as teachers.

[lindynz]

Thank you for all that, Lucy and jorose. It's certainly sounding like this NZ Mary Maria Langley is Mary Maria Marchant from Kent, and the mother of (Maria) Frances. The little details seem to be adding up - like Frances naming two of her children Edward and Eleanor (Brunton), and the 1851 census showing Edward and Maria had a daughter Frances, but it would be great if a birth or christening record would show up naming them as Maria Frances' parents - fingers crossed I don't need to fork out for another certificate!

Funny that I've never previously found any suggestion before that Frances had Langley family in NZ - usually that sort of information is readily passed down through the generations, though with all the variations in names it would be understandable that researchers haven't uncovered this before! I've never heard of her referred to as "Fanny", but the "Marchard" reference on her death cert is the best evidence that Mary Maria is indeed her mother. There doesn't seem to be any mention of Fanny being around her mother after they arrived in NZ - perhaps they weren't very close?