Skeletons in the closet anyone?

[pinefamily]

You have reminded me of my great grandmother, who sold grog in the stables after hours, with one of the kids down the road, watching out for the constable. And she went bankrupt after being conned in a dodgy land deal.

[jaybelnz]

Peter Black was born Peter White, and worked first for his parents’ Shark fin soup Michelin Star restaurant in Timbuctoo until it went bankrupt in 1842. He later went into the Church and became vicar of the new A Frame Church at Malawiin 1856. In 1866 he caused a scandal by leaving his wife and four children and eloping with his children’s governess, Little Cheater. After laying a false trail to Zambia, they moved to the Antarctic and changed their names to Vicars.  Little Cheater had a child, Valerie in 1875 (she died in 1894) and Peter and Little Cheater married in 1888, three months after Peter's wife Josephine's death. Peter's death certificate states that he died of Chilblains and the 1891 Census indicates that he was then paralysed.

NB I found this enquiry/message in an old historical society's newsletter. As I am not the owner of this message, I have changed the names and locations, and cause of death.  But everything else is as it was!

I do however own Little Cheater!
Peter is on one of the census entries that I have for the family involved! Status Boarder

Monkey Business.

Jeanne 😱

[ThrelfallYorky]

Oh dear ... do I have the most boringly respectable family tree in history? My sheep seem all a delicate fluffy white hue. I got all excited about a pale grey one, once, only to find it wasn't mine, just same name and almost same age and birthplace. Ah well, (adjusting the halo over the family tree....)

[Regorian]

Only thing I know about is my grandfathers (1881 - 1962) eldest brother (1858 - 1904) was often up before the beaks for drunk and disorderly behaviour. He must have been an all time loser, aged 46, he was crushed by a fall of earth and coal in a South Wales colliery. He survived a bit longer, but the Inquest into his death and his death certificate showed he was doomed anyway, TB.

I wouldn't be too keen to find a skeleton. I had some married friends who got the family history bug. Both highly intelligent, but they could not get very far back, couple of generations at most. It went on for years. Then, purely by luck the wife found there had been a change of name. Due to financial fraud in the family, his grandfather had changed his name, moved to London and joined the Army, a regiment posted for India. He came back with enough money to get married and buy an  automobile. I've seen the photograph from c1905.   

[Redroger]

Peter Black was born Peter White, and worked first for his parents’ Shark fin soup Michelin Star restaurant in Timbuctoo until it went bankrupt in 1842. He later went into the Church and became vicar of the new A Frame Church at Malawiin 1856. In 1866 he caused a scandal by leaving his wife and four children and eloping with his children’s governess, Little Cheater. After laying a false trail to Zambia, they moved to the Antarctic and changed their names to Vicars.  Little Cheater had a child, Valerie in 1875 (she died in 1894) and Peter and Little Cheater married in 1888, three months after Peter's wife Josephine's death. Peter's death certificate states that he died of Chilblains and the 1891 Census indicates that he was then paralysed.

NB I found this enquiry/message in an old historical society's newsletter. As I am not the owner of this message, I have changed the names and locations, and cause of death.  But everything else is as it was!

I do however own Little Cheater!
Peter is on one of the census entries that I have for the family involved! Status Boarder

Monkey Business.

Jeanne 😱

I am intrigued. Where did they move to in the Antarctic in the 1860's -1870's?

[jaybelnz]

LOL, probably a big iceberg!

Jeanne 😃

[BumbleB]

Peter Black was born Peter White, and worked first for his parents’ Shark fin soup Michelin Star restaurant in Timbuctoo until it went bankrupt in 1842.

I definitely think that someone is pulling someone's leg here - Michelin Guides were not produced until 1900 and Michelin Stars were not awarded before 1926 

[sallyyorks]

Only my Great(x3) grandfather, Abner Lucas, who was convicted in 1820 of throwing rocks at a yeomanry patrol in Burslem, and got 2 years in jail. I wonder if it had something to do with the Peterloo Massacre?

It may have been some kind of demonstration related to Peterloo or a general demonstration over wages and conditions in Staffordshire. Peterloo would have been on their minds certainly
There was a lot of unrest at this time. The Corn Laws, The Six Acts and hundreds of bread riots, "bread or blood" was a popular cry, and waves of strikes often related to wage cuts.  The Blanketeers, the Pentrich Rising and the Cato Street Conspiracy all happened around this time too.
Staffordshire Yeomanry
http://staffordshireyeomanrymuseum.weebly.com/background.html
"The first half of the 19th Century was a period of great political and social upheaval. At a time when the country was largely without a police force, in an attempt to deal with the widespread strikes, riots, and demonstrations, the authorities began to call upon the Yeomanry to take on the role of a mounted riot police, to assist local magistrates to maintain law and order. The working populations of the northern and southern districts of Staffordshire suffered greatly due to the effects of the crude economics of early industry, and the effect of the post-Napoleonic Wars slump. Social unrest was at such a pitch in the county that by 1819, the Staffordshire Yeomanry had been expanded to twelve troops, having tripled its original numbers. The turbulent character of these times is illustrated by the many occasions on which the regiment was called out on duty."

[jaybelnz]

Oh My Goodness 

If you look back a few to my original post , the second one on this page, you will see that I am not pulling anyone's leg re the postings.

NB ...  the second paragraph provides information about names and locations only having been changed, and my reasons for making those changes!  I'm a bit sensitive about that kind of thing, but "Little Cheater" truly does belong to me! She is the sister of one of my great grandmothers!

Incidentally, that particular great grandmother ran away from home to marry my great grand father!
These two daughters must have been a worry to their parents! 

Ok. All done, not a leg pull at all, just an attempt to respect the privacy of the person who put the original message in the newsletter. 

I didn't expect that anyone would get cracking to try and solve a mystery!! We are On The Lighter Side Board after all!  But this is such a fantastically helpful community, I should have known better!
Sorry if anyone has been on a wild goose chase on my behalf, or on an Antarctic Expedition!!  It's just a fun thing, but as I said, it really happened!

Modified this post to add that the cause of death was also changed!

Jeanne 😊
 

😄