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My great-great grandfather Harcourt BARRETT (b. late 1838, Walworth Surrey) was married to Louisa Emma STEDMAN in 1862. They had 5 children together between 1864 and 1868.

Harcourt appeared to have had an affair with Ellen Rosina YEOMAN (b. 1859, St Pancras Middlesex) and deserted his family in January 1881. They came to South Australia and had a daughter, Caroline Yeoman BARRETT, born 29 Nov 1881 at Kent Town. They had Lina BARRETT (b. 1885 - d. 1886, age 15 mths) and Eugene (Edward) Harcourt BARRETT, b. 1887.

They moved to Western Australia around March 1904, and settled in Perth.
Harcourt died 22 Oct 1904, Subiaco WA (age 65). His death certificate states that he married Ellen when he was age 37 (making the year of marriage 1876) and that it took place in London. I can't find this marriage anywhere in English records. Now I'm thinking that the marriage may be illegitimate.

I also can't find the passenger list or name of the ship that they came on to Australia.

On 18 July 1908, his second-youngest child from his first marriage, Julia, puts out a search for her father in the Perth 'The Daily News' newspaper. It says her father left home in January 1881.
In the 1881 England census, Louisa has her status as "Married", but in 1891 is stated as "Widowed". She may have assumed he had died mysteriously, until hearing whispers of otherwise.

Just wondering if anyone out there can shed some light or information on the questionable marriage with Ellen, or why I cant find their names on any passenger list. Was it common for people to use fake names??

The whereabouts of Ellen Rosina after 1914 is unknown to me. In that year, she was listed as Edward Harcourt BARRETT's next of kin in his AIF enlistment. Ellen was living on St Georges Terrace, Perth WA. Edward was sent over to England during WW1, and married Ethel Mary BATEMAN.

I also would like to know what happened to Caroline Yeoman BARRETT. She moved from Australia to England some time before 1911. In the 1911 England census, she was working at a nursing home in West Kensington. She is recorded as single and age 29. I have no idea what became of her after this, or if she even married.

Since both surviving children were in England, Ellen may have had no reason to stay in Australia and may have headed back to her homeland.

So many holes to fill in! Any help would be kindly appreciated :)

Here is Carol*

Name:Caroline Barrett

Birth Date:abt 1882

Date of Registration:Sep 1943

Age at Death:61

Registration district:Durham Northern

Inferred County:Durham

Volume:10a

Page:450



Name:Carolyne Yeoman Barrett <<Spinster of: 10 The Elms West

Probate Date:7 Dec 1943

Death Date:10 Aug 1943 Relton House war emergency hospital

Death Place:Sunderland

Registry:Durham, England

To: Ellen Barrett, widow £328 18s 3d

And here is her mother


Name:Ellen R Barrett

Birth Date:abt 1859

Date of Registration:Mar 1944

Age at Death:85

Registration district:Sunderland

Inferred County:Northumberland

Volume:10a

Page:653



Name:Ellen Barrett widow

Probate Date:30 May 1944

Death Date:8 Mar 1944 The Municipal Hospital

Death Place:Sunderland

Registry:Durham, England

Probate to: Elizabeth Ethel Walker, widow £242 3s 3d

Hello Lauren, this death notice gives him a middle initial of "W" - do you have any idea what that stood for? Just thinking he may have used his middle name.

http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/164906987?searchTerm=%22harcourt%20barrett%22&searchLimits=

Name: Ellen Rosina Yeoman
Event Type: Birth Registration
Registration Quarter: Jan-Feb-Mar
Registration Year: 1859
Registration District: Pancras
County: London
Event Place: Pancras, London, England
Volume: 1B
Page: 140
Line Number: 33

Name: Harcourt Barrett
Event Type: Census
Event Date: 1841
Gender: Male
Age: 2
Birthplace: Surrey
Schedule Type: Household
Registration District: St Saviour Union
Sub-District: Christ Church
Parish: Christ Church
County: Surrey

Name: Harcourt Barrett
Gender: Male
Burial Date: 23 Oct 1904
Burial Place: Perth, Western Australia, Australia
Death Date: 22 Oct 1904
Death Place: Subiaco
Age: 65
Birth Date: 1839
Marital Status: Married
Spouse's Name: Ellen Barrett

Indexing Project (Batch) Number: B01298-6 , System Origin: Australia-EASy , GS Film number: 1669300 , Reference ID: Item 6/23

15/9/1888 daughter Florence Ada marries states dad Harcourt Barrett doesn't say deceased as it does for the grooms dad!!

Maryb.

Thanks so much for the quick replies everyone! I've been stumped on a lot of these brickwalls for years,

Gins, I never even thought to search "Carol*", I wouldn't have thought the unusual spelling of "Carolyne" could be the same person as my relative.
I have come across the Ellen Barrett probate of 1944 before, but without the hint of a middle name and the recipient of the probate had me put it on the backburner. I couldn't find if Elizabeth Ethel Walker was a relative, and had trouble finding her maiden name in order to trace this. I guess she was just a close friend. Or perhaps she's an illegitimate child of Caroline's, since she never married.

MarieCeleste, that is bizarre they have named Harcourt as "Harcourt W.".
On his death certificate and with all three children born and registered in South Australia he doesn't have a middle name. It's the same for his birth on freebmd, and his marriage to Louisa. His father's name was William, so perhaps he loosely adopted a middle name?

Good point Maryb! Perhaps it was some time after Florence's marriage it was assumed he was dead. Or maybe they knew all along. It's all so bizarre...

Now that just leaves the mystery of the marriage and the shipping list...
Since he wasn't legally divorced to Louisa, the marriage to Ellen probably never officially happened. Given she was 20 years younger than he was, would she have been naive enough to believe in a fake ceremony? Did this kind of thing happen back then?

They may have never married - as you know the 1911 UK census asks how many years they were married. It wasn't unknown for them to declare X number of years, just so that they appear respectable, and their children legitimate.

Earlier census will list couples as husband and wife even though, as researchers, we discover a marriage long after they started to co-habit.

Even searched WA & SA marriages thinking they may have married in Australia but no luck. I don't think they married at all and it was just as common back then as now.

Not sure if you have these records from the Australian Archives
http://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/ViewImage.aspx?B=3052436

and a case of mistaken identity
http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/106502454?searchTerm=edward%20harcourt%20barrett&searchLimits=

Still searching shipping info.

COPY PRINT SOURCE BOX SHARE
Louisa Stedman
England and Wales, Marriage Registration Index
Name: Louisa Stedman
Event Type: Marriage
Registration Quarter: Jul-Aug-Sep
Registration Year: 1862
Registration District: Strand
County: London
Event Place: Strand, London, England
Volume: 1B
Page: 729
Line Number: 15

Louisa Stedman probably married one of the following people
Name: Harcourt Barrett

Louisa E Barrett
England and Wales Census, 1871
Name: Louisa E Barrett
Event Type: Census
Event Date: 1871
Gender: Female
Age: 32
Relationship to Head of Household: Wife
Birthplace: Crippleyale, Middlesex
Schedule Type: Household
Registration District: Islington
Sub-District: Islington, West
Parish: Islington
County: London, Middlesex
Household Role Gender Age Birthplace
Harcourt Barrett Self M 32 Walworth, Surrey
Louisa E Barrett Wife F 32 Crippleyale, Middlesex
Florence A Barrett Daughter F 7 Bloomsbury, Middlesex
Vernon E Barrett Son M 6 Bloomsbury, Middlesex
Charles A Barrett Son M 5 Islington, Middlesex
Julie E Barrett Daughter F 3 Islington, Middlesex
Marie L Barrett Daughter F 2 Islington, Middlesex
Harriet Preston Servant F 13 Northampton, Bonefield

this is the family in 1881 no father


Marie Barrett
England and Wales Census, 1881
Name: Marie Barrett
Age (Original): 12
Gender: Female
Birth Year: 1869
Birthplace: St Mary Islington, Middlesex, England
Relationship to Head of Household: Daughter
Marital Status: Single
Address: 3 Percy Circus
Event Place: Clerkenwell, Middlesex, England
Record Type: Household
Affiliate Publication Number: RG11
Piece/Folio: 349 / 41
Page Number: 26
Household Role Gender Age Birthplace
Louisa Barrett Head F 42 St Giles Cripplegate, Middlesex, England
Florence Barrett Daughter F 17 Clerkenwell, Middlesex, England
Vernon Barrett Son M 16 Clerkenwell, Middlesex, England
Charles Barrett Son M 15 St Mary Islington, Middlesex, England
Julia Barrett Daughter F 13 St Mary Islington, Middlesex, England
Marie Barrett Daughter F 12 St Mary Islington, Middlesex, England
Louisa Lawrence Boarder F 21 Portsea, Hampshire, England

this must be ellen in i871 census


Ellen Yeoman
England and Wales Census, 1871
Name: Ellen Yeoman
Event Type: Census
Event Date: 1871
Gender: Female
Age: 12
Relationship to Head of Household: Servant
Birthplace: St Pancras, Middlesex
Schedule Type: Household
Registration District: Islington
Sub-District: Islington, East
Parish: Islington
County: London, Middlesex
Household Role Gender Age Birthplace
James H Jackson Self M 25 Hoxton, Middlesex
Elizabeth E Jackson Wife F 27 Westminster, Middlesex
William A Jackson Son M 2 Islington, Middlesex
Edith E Jackson Daughter F 1 Islington, Middlesex
Ellen Yeoman Servant F 12 St Pancras, Middlesex

Hey guys, I've got all birth, marriage, death, census, occupation, AIF enlistment, most newspaper articles and addresses already. I appreciate all the help. After years of hitting brick walls, I was especially interested in finding where Ellen Rosina and Caroline Yeoman ended up, when they died, and finding any marriage or shipping info for Harcourt and Ellen.
I think what +++DetEcTive+++ has said about unmarried couples saying they are married to appear respectable is the likely scenario for Harcourt and Ellen.

Many thanks!

???????????????



she's on the manifest as "widow"



UK, Incoming Passenger Lists, 1878-1960


Name: Mrs E Barrett
Port of Departure: Sydney, Australia
Arrival Date: 4 Jul 1909
Port of Arrival: London, England
Ports of Voyage: Sydney
Ship Name: Suevic
Search Ship Database: Search for the Suevic in the 'Passenger Ships and Images' database
Shipping line: Peninsula and Orient Steam Navigation Company Ltd
Official Number: 93192

there are several Ellen Rosina Barrett's on the London Electoral Rolls from ca 1918 .......... on ancestry



?????possibly yours??

If you buy Caroline's death certificate, you should find out who reported her death ........... hopefully, it might be her mother and there might be an address for her mother.

Thanks SylvialnCanada, I'll have a look on ancestry in the not too distant future. I only pay for a month subscription once or twice a year to save money :)

I think buying both Caroline's and Ellen's death certificates would be a really good idea, thanks for the suggestion.

The passenger list for 1909 that you mentioned has me a bit confused. Ellen was stated as living in Perth on her sons AIF enlistment in 1914. Her husband Harcourt died in 1904, so she would've considered herself to be widowed (even though I think it's now obvious that they weren't married).