Helen Elizabeth Wilson
Born ?? circa 1872 Died December 27th 1955 Woking, Surrey

My search for Helen Elizabeth Wilson

Her marriage certificate

Take a chocolate adventure

As of Wednesday, January 30, 2008 8:14 PM I have been unable to find any trace of her birth or whereabouts prior to her marriage to my Gt. Grandfather Thomas Barlow LONSDALE on February 19th 1899 in Kilburn, London.

Nobody in the family appears to know anything about Helen and if they do they're not telling. This implies that there is a skeleton in the cupboard. The big question is "What is the skeleton"

Helen Elizabeth WILSON according to the 1901 census was born in Suffolk, Yarmouth in 1872. Her marriage certificate on February 19th 1899 says that she was a spinster age 27 and the daughter of John WILSON a deceased fisherman.

One thing that has struck me is the lack of many possible John Wilson's in the Yarmouth area who could be the father and in fact there are only three and they are father, son and grandson.

So we have John [1] born 1796
His son John [2] born 1821
And his son John [3] born 1843

What follows is quite complex but there again isn't all family history research.

The 1841 census for Blundeston HO107/1029/4 page 4 West End shows a
John [1] (born 1796)
Mary (born 1801)
James 15 = 1826
Charlotte 14 = 1827
Elizabeth 12 = 1829
Jacob 9 = 1832
Charles 5 = 1836

not far away HO107/1029/4 page 10 Mill Street is a
John Wilson Jun'r [2] age shown as 15
Maria 20
Elizabeth 6 months

I am assuming that John [2] jun'r is the son of John [1] and Mary as there is no other Wilson's in the village and he has referred to himself as Jun'r implying that he is John son of John.

Now the 2 daughters Charlotte and Elizabeth were 14 and 12 respectively and it is possible that one of them may have been widowed in the 1860's and then had an illegitimate daughter and trying to find or prove this would be very difficult

There have been many leads that I have followed over the years but all have drawn a blank in that they have either died or married somebody else and have been found on the 1901 census with that person.

The 1851 census HO 107/1805 415 The Street, Blundeston shows the family as follows.

WILSON John [2] 30 Sfk Blundeston = 1821
WILSON Maria 33 Nfk Forncett St Mary = 1818
WILSON Elizabeth 10 Sfk Blundeston = 1841
WILSON John [3] 7 Sfk Blundeston = 1843
WILSON William 6 Sfk Blundeston = 1845
WILSON Frederick 3 Sfk Blundeston = 1848
WILSON James 1 Sfk Blundeston = 1850

In the1861 census RG9/1188 Folio 48 Page 12 High St Blundeston

John WILSON [2] Sfk Blundeston = 1821
Maria WILSON Nfk Forncett St Mary = 1818
John WILSON [3] aged 18 a fisherman Sfk Blundeston = 1843
Frederick 14. Sfk Blundeston =1847
James 11. Sfk Blundeston = 1850
Ann Maria 9. Sfk Blundeston = 1852
Charlotte 4. Sfk Blundeston = 1857
Clara 2. Sfk Blundeston = 1859

Eldest daughter Elizabeth is a servant in Yarmouth RG9/1191 folio 168 page 8

Seven years later on July 21st 1868 @ Blundeston John WILSON aged 25 married a widow named Susan WARD formerly BUCK aged 29. There appears to have been no children from this marriage, as none appear to be living with John or his parents in Blundeston.

Susan (BUCK) had married Samuel WARD March qtr 1862 registered @ Yarmouth 4B page 12. There is then the death of a Samuel WARD December qtr 1866 registered @ Mutford 4A page 473? Aged 25 The burial of Samuel is recorded as 22nd May 1866 at St mary, Blundeston

1871 census RG10/1781 Folio 8 Page 8
John WILSON [2] Sfk Blundeston = 1821
Maria WILSON Nfk Forncett St Mary = 1818
John 28 is a widower he was married less than 2 years 4 months
Frederick 24
James 21
George 8 shown as son but possible the son of Elizabeth

Clara died in 1861 GRO reference Dec 1861 Mutford 4a 418
Susan, Johns wife was buried November 19th 1870 St Mary, Blundeston aged 32.

Anna Maria and Charlotte are not at home.

Ann Maria Wilson was born in 1851and appears with her parents in the 1861 census,
In the 1871 she is an unmarried servant in Gorleston, Yarmouth RG10/1789 folio 132 page 10.
In the 1881 she is still unmarried and a servant in Gorleston RG11/1908 folio 52 page 24.
In 1891 Ann has married Charles TURNER a bricklayer and is living in Lowestoft RG12/1492 folio 15 page 18 they have a daughter Maud aged 1
In 1901 Ann is still living in Lowestoft with Charles. RG13/1803 folio 14 page 19 and have another daughter Ethel born in 1894
There appears to have been no illegitimate children but she could have had a child.

Charlotte Wilson was born in 1856 registered at Mutford Dec qtr 1856 Vol 4a page 626 appears with her parents in the 1861 census.
She doesn't seem to appear in either the 1871 or 1881 census.
In the 1891 census there is a Charlotte WILSON aged 29 (puts birth 1862) born Blundeston as House Keeper in home of Charles BOYCE a widowed fisherman aged 39 in Blundeston RG12/1495 folio 51 page 14.
I can find no other Charlotte Wilson born in the Blundeston area around 1862
Also there as a visitor is an Alice WILSON aged 9 born in Blundeston. Is she Charlotte's daughter?
Neither Charlotte or Alice appear in the 1901 census at least I can't find them.
St Mary, Blundeston shows the burial of Alice age 17 on September 28th 1899

When we get to the 1881 census RG11/1905 Folio 60 Page 16 John has remarried with a daughter Lily May who is aged 2 and son Sidney aged 7 months. he still lives in the High St Blundeston.

So John was on his own from November 1870 until February 1877 when he remarried, so did he have a fling or two and possibly have an illegitimate daughter?
If so what was her name?.

There was an Elizabeth Wilson living not far away in the same street but she was the daughter of Frederick Wilson and Matilda Pye formerly Butterfunt. Frederick was the brother of John.

Frederick and Matilda had another daughter named Florence who appears in the 1891 census in the James and Ellen Marjoram household in Lowestoft. Florence is shown as "Sister in Law" Ellen Marjoram used to be Eleanor Elizabeth BUTTERFUNT and she died in 1898, so she wasn't an Ellen Wilson who left James to marry my Gt. Grandfather.

In the 1881 census there was a 7 year-old granddaughter named Ada BENSLEY living with John's parents in the Street Blundeston

Ada Bensley some extra details.

Further to Elizabeth Mumford
I have found that on the 1841 census Elizabeth Wilson was the 6 months old daughter of John and Maria Wilson of Blundeston,
In 1851 she was at home aged 10.
In 1861 she was a servant in the home of Mary Brikett in Marine Passage, Yarmouth. RG9/1191 folio 168 page 8
In 1871 census Elizabeth MUMFORD appears to be the right age and is apparently listed as the eldest child. I can find no reference to Elizabeth Mumford /Wilson after the 1871 census.
There was the marriage of an Elizabeth MUNFORD in the Blofield registration district in Sep 1878 but haven't checked it out Vol 4b page 337

Could it be possible that Elizabeth had an illegitimate daughter?

There is a Helen registered birth in the Dec qtr of 1859 at Mitford which is the East Dereham area, I must admit that I haven't followed this up as she would have been 41 when her 1st child was born.

There was one other John who was 13 in the 1871 census and lived in Carlton Colville but I feel that he is too young to have been the father but it is possible

This then leaves a couple of possibilities

Another theory is that Helen was perhaps the result of an affair between a fisherman and a Scottish fisher girl who worked the herring fleets along the east coast at that time.

I've been unable to find any other John WILSON in the area but the whole roll could be reversed in that John was the fisherman from Scotland and the mother from Norfolk/Suffolk. Bearing in mind that dad told Sarah that we came from Peebles and that I recall being taken there back in the mid 1950's could imply that there is a Scottish connection.
I have been there many times but have been unable to find anything that remotely links to the family.
I've spoken to the Local Studies Unit for the Peebles area and they are not awar of any men from the area having been herring fishermen as Peebles is a long way from the East coast .