I am returning to the search for the death and burial of Eliza or Elizabeth DEAN, which I believe was a discussion on the old forum several years ago.
Basically Eliza was born on 03 Dec 1843 in Whitchurch, Hampshire. Her father was John Cleverly and her mother Letitia Cleverly (formerly Archer, née Golding). In 1861, Eliza (aged 17) was working as a house servant in Whitchurch. A few years later on 26 May 1866, calling herself Elizabeth Cleverly, she married George Dean at St James, Croydon. She was a spinster aged 22, though the marriage certificate states 26. He was considerably older, a widower aged 41 with children from his first marriage.
The couple resided in Lind Road, Sutton. Children followed: George Henry DEAN b 16 Jun 1868, Mary Jane DEAN, b 02 Jul 1871, Ada Elizabeth DEAN, b 25 Sep 1877 and Louisa DEAN, b 06 Apr 1879. The registration of Louisa's birth on15 May 1879 is the last record I can find for Eliabeth.
In the 1881 census, her husband George is living at Lind Road with children from both marriages, his status being listed as married. By the 1891 census, he is still living with children from both marriages at Lind Road, but this time his status is listed as widower. This seems to suggest that Eliza or Elizabeth died sometime between 1881 and 1891, though I cannot find an appropriate death or burial.
So what happened to her?
We welcome any query on Who When Where. If you have previously posted it on another forum (including the old WDYTYA forum), please state this in your opening post - this will save people redoing the research which has been done before: they can look at it and possibly go further with it.
Elizabeth or Eliza DEAN
Re: Elizabeth or Eliza DEAN
Have you considered the possibility that Elizabeth hadn't died but left him and the children? If it happened just prior to 1881 George may have thought/hoped that she would return to the family so he listed himself as married. By 1891 he'd given up that hope so listed himself as widowed.
If she'd given birth in 1879 maybe she suffered post-natal depression and disappeared as a result. I have a relative who listed himself as a widow when he married his second wife when in fact his first wife was still alive and living elsewhere. The death of their third child as a baby is what I suspect ended their relationship.
Nothing concrete to go on with but another theory to consider.
If she'd given birth in 1879 maybe she suffered post-natal depression and disappeared as a result. I have a relative who listed himself as a widow when he married his second wife when in fact his first wife was still alive and living elsewhere. The death of their third child as a baby is what I suspect ended their relationship.
Nothing concrete to go on with but another theory to consider.
Re: Elizabeth or Eliza DEAN
Indeed, if she had post-natal depression she may have been an inmate in a nearby institution.
Re: Elizabeth or Eliza DEAN
I had thought of the post-natal depression before and wondered if she had entered an institution, Trouble is I have not been able to locate her, the search being made more difficult by the use of initials in census returns. Any ideas? Suggestions?
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Norfolk Nan
- Posts: 506
- Joined: 16 Jun 2020, 11:54
- Location: A Londoner lost in Norfolk
Re: Elizabeth or Eliza DEAN
Do you know anything about the birth in 1879? Do you have the birth certificate and/or a baptism? If there's an infirmary listed for the birth that might give you a clue as to where to look for mum in later years. If you can find the baptism and everything looks normal that will at least help narrow the timing of Eliza's disappearance. Of course both might just record the facts and add nothing but then again... Did the child survive? It's not so much about the child itself but the circumstances and the addresses linked to the child that might point you towards Eliza and narrow down the time-line.
Following up the idea she ended up in an institution, perhaps it would help to locate the address of the local institutions, both infirmary and the mental asylum. Often the latter are some distance so not obvious. They usually show inmates as initials in census but if you could find their records you might strike lucky with just a bit of useful information to add to your knowledge - then perhaps you can link a burial or a death certificate in the appropriate area. It's all a bit hit and miss but with some piecing together of small details you'll get there in the end. A word of warning, these inpatient records are rarely online and you might not be able to see them if there are any records in the volume that could relate to a still-living person, even though your relative was there in the 1880s. It's a matter of confidentiality. I've banged my head against that brickwall. The only option then is to pay the archivist to do a search on your behalf which is costly, I think, particularly if it's a fishing trip as in my case.
One last side-ways idea - have you looked for her children in later census when perhaps they have homes and families of their own - could she be alive and visiting, perhaps using a different name? Worth considering.
Following up the idea she ended up in an institution, perhaps it would help to locate the address of the local institutions, both infirmary and the mental asylum. Often the latter are some distance so not obvious. They usually show inmates as initials in census but if you could find their records you might strike lucky with just a bit of useful information to add to your knowledge - then perhaps you can link a burial or a death certificate in the appropriate area. It's all a bit hit and miss but with some piecing together of small details you'll get there in the end. A word of warning, these inpatient records are rarely online and you might not be able to see them if there are any records in the volume that could relate to a still-living person, even though your relative was there in the 1880s. It's a matter of confidentiality. I've banged my head against that brickwall. The only option then is to pay the archivist to do a search on your behalf which is costly, I think, particularly if it's a fishing trip as in my case.
One last side-ways idea - have you looked for her children in later census when perhaps they have homes and families of their own - could she be alive and visiting, perhaps using a different name? Worth considering.
Re: Elizabeth or Eliza DEAN
Going back to my point about her leaving the family after the birth of her last child, I don't think you should just consider that she was incarcerated somewhere.
In the case of my relative who separated from his first wife after the death of their daughter they both left Gloucester and she turned up in Birmingham and he in Surrey.
Have you considered looking to see if she has family anywhere else that she could be with? A big challenge but I'd look at individuals in other parts of the country who fit her profile.
In the case of my relative who separated from his first wife after the death of their daughter they both left Gloucester and she turned up in Birmingham and he in Surrey.
Have you considered looking to see if she has family anywhere else that she could be with? A big challenge but I'd look at individuals in other parts of the country who fit her profile.
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KayFarndon
- Posts: 34
- Joined: 14 Jun 2020, 13:19
Re: Elizabeth or Eliza DEAN
I would like to say that the reasons posted regarding Elizabeth Dean are precisely the same as I had when I originally posted about Eliza Wilson. Often when researching our forebears we are able to build up a good portrait of individuals and I did this with Eliza and although the reasons suggested are valid, I felt quite sure that she would never have left her family.
This is a woman who, when married for the first time signed her name on the register, yet when married for the second time made her mark as a X. Her second husband could not write and made his mark and I think that she did not want to undermine or humiliate him, so did the same. She gave birth at home and I have never found her in a workhouse or hospital.
This is a woman who, when married for the first time signed her name on the register, yet when married for the second time made her mark as a X. Her second husband could not write and made his mark and I think that she did not want to undermine or humiliate him, so did the same. She gave birth at home and I have never found her in a workhouse or hospital.