Another missing Pope from East Stonehouse, Devon

[overlandermatt]

I have a missing great aunt that I have been unable to locate. The trail seems to go cold after 1911 and I'm wondering what might have happened.

Ethel Margaret Pope was born in East Stonehouse on 3rd Nov 1885 and appears with her family at Chapel Street then Quarry Street in the 1891 and 1901 census returns. In 1911 she is working as a servant in Surrey then the trail goes cold...

In 1902 her father, a Royal Marine sergeant (Benjamin Pope b1859) died leaving the family in a difficult spot. There were 3 girls who were old enough to take care of themselves in those days and 4 boys (born 1890-1896) who were still at school.

It's a strange one because in the 1911 census, the 3 girls including Ethel are all working around Caterham and there are links with the mental asylum there. One dies in Surrey in 1920, one returns to Devon/Cornwall and Ethel Margaret disappears....
 
What took the siblings to Surrey? When they were the right age, the 3 youngest boys went to Greenwich from 1908 onwards as orphans to the Royal Hospital School before joining the marines.

What could have happened to Ethel Margaret? The name appears in a couple of Ancestry hints overseas that I have not investigated. The oldest boy, Albert Edward did move to California possibly via Canada but this is something I have not pursued yet.

Any help on the above would be much appreciated. RootsChat has been very helpful of late in solving some mysteries.

 

[osprey]

possible marriage
Ethel Pope sept qtr 1922 St Germans, Cornwall vol 5c pg 49 to Alfred B Kingdom

On the electoral register as Ethel Margaret Kingdom & Alfred Burlace Kingdom at Back Street, Kingsand.

Possible death regs
Alfred B Kingdon 64 june qtr 1956 St Germans 7A 179
Ethel M Kingdon 70 sept qtr 1957 Plymouth 7a 576

Probate :- Ethel Margaret Kingdon of Hillcrest, Fire St, Kingsand, widow, died 8 Aug 1957 at Greenbank Hospital, Plymouth. Probate to Frederick Charles Pope and Emmeline Pope, wife of the said Frederick Charles Pope.
Probate for Alfred also granted to Frederick Charles Pope, caretaker.

[osprey]

marriage
Frederick C Pope june qtr 1949 Romford to Emmaline A Holyoak

death regs?
Frederick C Pope 63 march qtr 1960 Romford
Emmeline A Pope 53 dec qtr 1962 Romford

[overlandermatt]

Thanks again Osprey.

The solution was much closer to Plymouth than I thought...

Fred was the youngest brother.

[OurAncestors]

The Caterham Mental Hospital seemed to be the size of a small town. I think I have found one of my family working there as a nurse. It must have employed a massive workforce as well as the inmates.
https://www.workhouses.org.uk/MAB-Caterham/
Makes it sound quite benign ?
When looking for missing deceased relatives always check the institutions!

[overlandermatt]

Thanks for the reply! It looks a mammoth organisation typical of the Victorian era. It must have been a very impressive building.

I'm not sure whether there are many employment records available from that time. I am quite interested to know when my relatives started to work there. The three young sisters probably found employment through an uncle who ended up working there at a similar time after leaving the military. 

[OurAncestors]

1921 census has Mary Ann Graham working there as a nurse and the place of birth being listed as Newcastle upon Tyne so given her age in 1921 I am putting her on my list of probable people matching my missing relative.

These types of institutions provided accommodation for staff so they would be listed in the census if they were there on the night. I imagine that it would have been one of the biggest employers in the area.

[Mabel Bagshawe]

Alfred Kingdon is living in Rame in 1921 (transcribed as Hengdon on Ancestry), so I wonder if Ethel is back in the south west  by then, given they married the next year

yes - she's in Millbrook, Cornwall, with her mother and sister. Age is slightly out

[overlandermatt]

Thanks Mabel.

It's been a little while since I was looking at this branch of the family. I hadn't really appreciated how many family members had moved across the river into Cornwall. I think that is worth a bit more digging into that particular link.