Frederick George Hirons - widowed 4 times in 6 years! Suspicious??

[groom]

I wonder if a pedlar would have the nous for an insurance scam.

I doubt very much if he could have afforded to have had any insurance anyway, and even if he did it wouldn't have paid out that much. I think, as you said, he was just unlucky and either remarried as he didn't like living alone, or wanted a mother for the children. 

[Barbara.H]

There are burial slips from Warwick Cemetery on Ancestry which give dates and address at death for Frederick and some of his wives, but not cause of death unfortunately. I can see Frederick George Hirons d. 1917, Hannah d. 1899, Flora Jane d. 1904 and Emma Rose d. 1902 all buried there.

Also at Warwick Cemetery:
Ada Daisy Hirons, child of Frederick George Hirons of 27 Market St, died 25 Jan 1902 age 21 days (born 4 Jan 1902).
Rose Emma [sic] Hirons died 9th January 1902, same address, wife of Frederick George Hirons
So that death looks like post-childbirth complications.

Lloyd George Hirons is there as well, d. 6th Nov 1919 age 9 "child of Sarah Ellen Hirons, 22 Market St"

Have a look if you can, there may be other names, addresses and clues that will help.

  Barbara

[chris_49]

There are burial slips from Warwick Cemetery on Ancestry which give dates and address at death for Frederick and some of his wives, but not cause of death unfortunately. I can see Frederick George Hirons d. 1917, Hannah d. 1899, Flora Jane d. 1904 and Emma Rose d. 1902 all buried there.

Also at Warwick Cemetery:
Ada Daisy Hirons, child of Frederick George Hirons of 27 Market St, died 25 Jan 1902 age 21 days (born 4 Jan 1902).
Rose Emma [sic] Hirons died 9th January 1902, same address, wife of Frederick George Hirons
So that death looks like post-childbirth complications.

Lloyd George Hirons is there as well, d. 6th Nov 1919 age 9 "child of Sarah Ellen Hirons, 22 Market St"

Have a look if you can, there may be other names, addresses and clues that will help.

  Barbara

Wow, thanks a lot, Barbara, that's really useful. I didn't know about those burial slips. Could it be that these are non-Anglican burials not found at the Warwick churches?

So it does look as if two of his wives died as a result of childbirth. Hannah was probably infertile (9 years with no sign of a child) and poor Flora was not married long enough for a full-term pregnancy    anyway. It does look as if Fred was just very unlucky  - to lose 4 wives in 6 years is unimaginable nowadays.

[Billyblue]

If he was a pedlar, they were probably poor.
Poor = insanitary conditions for living, in a lot of cases.
Life was short and ugly for many in those conditions, even in the early 1900s.

Dawn M

[Jennaya]

Back in those days a widower with children had 2 choices, remarry or put the children in an orphanage.

It was much the same for widows.

Glad in I live in these times

[chris_49]

Now a clearer picture emerges. Flora Jane Hirons was also buried at Warwick cemetery. The only one not found there was Matilda nee Mowe, perhaps she was buried at Foleshill. The one thing these interments have in common is that they were all in unconsecrated ground  - no wonder they weren't in church records.

As to Frederick's poverty, it's true a pedlar is not in the higher echelons of society - and in 1891 he and Hannah were living in the "Cherry Orchard" Wellesbourne Hastings, which implies camping out - but his long presence on Market Street and Market Square in unshared dwellings does imply he had his own premises - this area of Warwick not as upmarket as it is now, I assume. In 1911 they lived in 5 rooms, which is fairly luxurious compared to many of my relatives then.

[Singingsnail]

Cherry Orchard is a row of terraced cottages in Wellesbourne! I'd say at a guess they are much older than the average 19thC type - maybe date from late 18thC. Small but the sort of place your retired family retainer might live rather than the farm labourer. I suppose there once may have been a cherry orchard - but Wellesbourne really isn't cherry country.......
As a Wellesbourne raised lass, I'd be pleased to answer other questions about the village.

[chris_49]

Cherry Orchard is a row of terraced cottages in Wellesbourne! I'd say at a guess they are much older than the average 19thC type - maybe date from late 18thC. Small but the sort of place your retired family retainer might live rather than the farm labourer. I suppose there once may have been a cherry orchard - but Wellesbourne really isn't cherry country.......
As a Wellesbourne raised lass, I'd be pleased to answer other questions about the village.

Thanks very much. At least it proves that Frederick was living in an actual house on every census, despite being a pedlar. Fred and Hannah wouldn't need anything bigger as
they had no children.