Can you help me understand this confusing predicament?
QI have found a copy of a death certificate for an Edwin William Adams, died 21 July 1947 aged 76 years, which means he was born about 1871. He is also on the 1939 Register as being born 12 February 1872. On the death certificate the address given for his death was 61 Limes Ave Carshalton and an F Adams (daughter) is given as informant.
He is my wife’s maternal great-grandfather. He married Florence Louisa Bonehill in 1889. They had nine children, one of whom was Florence Emily born 1890; she married Percy William Stuart Adams in 1914. Florence died in 1964 and Percy died in 1976. On a copy of Percy’s probate certificate his address is given as 61 Limes Ave Carshalton.
The problem I have is on the copy of Florence Emily’s marriage certificate it says her father was deceased. Her mother Florence Louisa married again in 1928 to a Frederick Rivett and her status is widow. I also have copies of electoral rolls from 1918-1939 that says Florence Louisa was living with Frederick Rivett and named as Mrs Rivett. Two of the other children of Florence and Edwin got married. Their father is stated as deceased. Could anyone help me with this problem? E.M.
AI think you may have uncovered a spot of family skulduggery here, but then it’s hardly worth doing family history unless there’s a skeleton somewhere. Your question also illustrates some useful points about doing online searches.
Let’s look at those first.
Edwin’s baptism
On Ancestry I found an Edwin William Adams baptised in East Greenwich on 8 March 1871, and the original baptism record shows DOB as 12 February 1871.
Edwin william adams on the 1871 census
Edwin William Adams features in the 1871 census where his age is shown (not too clearly) as 2 weeks. In the Ancestry search list this had been misread as 2 years and the index list showed DOB as 1869. Even the 2 weeks is wrong as the census was on 2 April and the age should have been about 7 weeks or 2 months.
Edwin on the 1939 register
In the light of this it’s not surprising the 1939 register entry is a year out. I note that EW Adams is shown as married. There are no obvious family members at the address, which looks as if it could be a lodging house of some sort. He must have been in touch with his family as a daughter reported his death in 1947.
Frederick rivett on the 1921 census
By the time you read this you may well have looked at the 1921 census. It shows Frederick Rivett living with his wife Florence Rivett and step-daughters Edith and Minnie Adams at 21 Horace Street, South Kennington. This is clear evidence the pair were passing themselves off as being married by that time. Sadly the 1921 census, unlike that of 1911, does not show the length of the current marriage so we don’t know when they claim to have married.
As in 1911 the 1921 census return was completed by the householder but the enumerator has added a useful comment to the effect that Minnie Adams’s father was dead. Frederick clearly struggled with the return as several boxes are incorrectly completed. I was disappointed not to be able to find Frederick in the 1911 census as I’d hoped to see what his domestic status was.
Edwin’s name
The picture is not helped by Edwin William Adams sometimes calling himself just plain Edward Adams as in the 1911 Census, which he will have completed himself. Here every family member has only one Christian name. The marriage was prolific as eight children were alive and a further five had died.
I note from Ancestry that someone else has been researching the family, so I suggest you get in touch. Amongst other things they have a photo of Florence Louisa Bonehill/adams/rivett.
What about florence?
After having thirteen children with Edwin William (or Edward) Adams one wonders what caused Florence Louisa Adams to shift her affections to Frederick Rivett?
Given there is no sign of EW Adams from 1911 until the 1939 register he seems to have entirely dropped from sight but I have a hunch his family would have known where he was. Disappointingly I can’t find him in 1921 either as Edward or Edwin William. That may not be surprising as it’s not too difficult to duck being in the census if you were so minded.
Did edwin do a runner?
Losing five children and having to bring up a further eight on the meagre pay of an unskilled labourer must have been a nightmare. My guess is that EWA did a runner and abandoned his family. Perhaps he suffered from what we would now call PTSD and simply couldn’t cope.
It wasn’t difficult in those days to lose oneself in society. Identity did not matter in the way it does now. Abandoning the family and finding an unskilled job elsewhere would not have been a problem, especially once WW1 had started and there was an acute shortage of manpower. It’s possible EWA signed up but I think it unlikely in view of his age although there are cases of men in their 60s doing so.
Back to florence
If you were the unfortunate Florence Louisa what would you do? It’s hugely embarrassing to have to admit your husband has abandoned you, but, in the middle of one of the greatest acts of carnage of the 20th century, claiming that your husband had died or been killed is perfectly plausible.
The evidence of the electoral rolls is that Florence had moved in with Frederick Rivett by early 1918 and may have done so sooner. With the moral standards of the time you wouldn’t want to admit to living in sin so passing yourself off as married is entirely logical.
Maybe by 1928 the story had somehow come to light and that is why Frederick and Florence married then. Florence’s death certificate in 1943 describes her as ‘Adams otherwise Rivett’ suggesting the informant, a daughter, was fully aware of the true situation and knew that the 1928 marriage was bigamous. That may be why no family member is mentioned on the marriage certificate. DF