Reginald Stroud married Ellen Swyers (sometimes Swyres or Swyre) in Wimborne, Dorset in Sep 1901. They were both single.
In 1911 they are living in Bournemouth, had been married 10 years, there were 6 children of the marriage, 5 living, 1 had died. The 5 living children, Reginald F (b. 1902), Ellen Kate (1903), Gladys (1904) Rosalie (1905) and Arthur (1909) were all living with the parents and all were born in Christchurch.
A search for the births of Stroud/Swyers children at the GRO (initially to find the child who had died) showed only one child, Reginald F, as having a mother named Swyers. Ellen, Gladys, Rosalie and Arthur Stroud are shown as having their mother’s maiden name as Richmond, as had the child who died, Walter George (b.1907)
In Sep 1939, Reginald and Ellen were living at the same Bournemouth address together with Gladys and Arthur and also with further Stroud children- Violet (1911), Dorothy (1920), Edward (1921) and Winifred (1924). Of these only Violet’s mother was Swyers, Richmond being the mother of the others. There are 3 further entries at the address in 1939 whose names are withheld. These may well be 3 further children found in the birth registers, born 1917, 1918 and 1925 (all from Richmond) as was a final child, Ronald (born and died in 1930). All the children were born in Christchurch. I can find no marriage of a Stroud to a Richmond. Reginald Stroud died in Christchurch in 1943 and Ellen (Swyers) Stroud in Christchurch in 1956.
Ellen Swyers was born in Sept 1882, could she be the mother of all 14 children, born between 1902 and 1930, or only the two, Reginald in 1902 and Violet in 1911, who are registered with her maiden name. She must have been very tolerant to care for 12 of her husband’s children by another woman. Were they all adopted perhaps? Where was ‘Miss Richmond’ all this time?
Is there a simple explanation that I have completely missed? Any ideas most welcome!
