Alma Blanche Lukey / Alma Blanche Kelly b1867 - Death record help

[SplanK]

Hi all
A little help in finding a death record, please!

The person im looking for is Alma Blanche Kelly (nee Lukey/Luke)  great-great grandmother to my wife. 

Alma, born 1867 in Cornwall to parents Nicholas and Mary Ann Lukey (nee Cornish).

She married Patrick Kelly (b. Ireland ~1859) in 1890 in Newton in Makerfield, Warrington.  Between them, they had 8 children.

John b1890
William b1893
James Robert b1894
Thomas b1897
Mary Ann b1899
Winifred b1901
Patrick b1904
Lily Elizabeth b1907

In 1902, Alma was charged and sentenced to 3 months hard labour for 'unlawfully wounding'

In 1911 census, Alma is documented as being a widow living in Earlestown
In 1921, 1 of her children, Lily, being under 15 is documented that her parents are "both dead" and is living with her uncle and aunt in Wigan.

Despite having a narrowed 10-year window of when to look, I have yet to find anything about her passing!  Every search I've done seems to lead to 0 results, be it GRO, FreeBMD, CheshireBMD, Family Search, LancsOPC, probate, find a grave, billion graves, BNA....  Alma just seems to just vanish!  I have considered that Alma may have re-married but again, I've not found a record that suggests this either!

I have also yet to find Patrick's death, however, the name Patrick Kelly is rather popular so I have hit a brick wall just through sheer numbers!  I was hoping to find Alma, which may point me in the direction of a grave where he might also be buried..... maybe!  Some Ancestry trees suggest he passed in 1908 in Bolton, however, I never been able to firm that up myself.

[jo1962]

It appears from a newspaper article in 1906 that Patrick kelly was dead. Hopefully that will narrow down a search for his death. The article states that Alma Blanche Kelly of suez street, Earlestown was charged with neglecting her children and suggests she was living off immoral earnings.

[ShaunJ]

Her husband was still alive in September 1902.

https://www.findmypast.co.uk/image-share/2aa2444a-b36f-4b9f-a1c4-45f852068fdb

[SplanK]

Thanks for finding that article!!

That certainly helps and disproves the 1908 death of Patrick in Bolton some others had, as well as narrowing down his passing to between 1902 and 1906!

There are 2 death records of interest for Patrick then, 1902 aged 40, and 1903 aged 49 (with the latter being closer to his estimated DoB in 1891 and 1901 censuses).  Will do some digging!

The BNA search is frustrating!  Using keywords +alma +blanche +kelly and limiting the search to 1906 brings the article straight up, doing it without a date filter doesn't seem to return it, or at least within the first 5 pages!.  Forcing it to find the exact wording "alma blanche kelly"- again, only the 1902 articles despite it clearly existing with the correct spelling.

Mind if I ask, given my frustrations, how you manage to locate it?

[SplanK]

Her husband was still alive in September 1902.

https://www.findmypast.co.uk/image-share/2aa2444a-b36f-4b9f-a1c4-45f852068fdb

Thanks for the link   I should have clocked that he was named in these articles

Thinking about it and the previously mentioned 2x death records of interest, the 1902 death record was in 'Jul-Aug-Sep', so it's highly likely that with him being named in the Oct-1902 newspaper article, it should mean the 1902 death record of interest can be removed from interest and I can focus on 1903!

[SplanK]

quick update... thanks to GRO making the death certs available as a download image, I have an answer for Patrick's death...

Patrick died 17th Aug 1903.  The giveaway/evidence that it's him is that the informant was Alma, at address Hazel Grove, matching that of the newspaper article

One step closer at least (and I must get back to doing some work  )

[jo1962]

There are 4 newspaper reports for 1906. I have found these on find my past and all are free to view. The first one is the Runcorn examiner 7/4/1906

Second is from the warrington examiner, again 7th April 1906.
Third is from St Helen's examiner 7th April 1906.
Fourth is from the Widnes examiner 7th April 1906.

I always use the advanced search. You should be able to view these at the BNA as well as at find my past.

[ShaunJ]

Here's a clip of the 1906 Runcorn Examiner report

https://www.findmypast.co.uk/image-share/2f161256-aec2-423c-abed-4aca2209c0e4

[SplanK]

Thanks
I did stumble across the free view on FindMyPast over lunch - quite a story it paints of Alma's situation!  I will play around with the search function because something squiffy for me is happening here and it is likely im missing out on useful information!

Although one thing I have taken away from this after finding Patrick's death is that he could not have fathered Lily Elizabeth Kelly in 1907 (wife's great grandmother) which explains why there was no father listed on her birth certificate. It's plausible her son, Patrick Kelly in 1904 might be similar.