Liverpool & South West Lancashire FHS - Forum

I came acros this episode whilst I was looking for something completely different.
I have Sophia Agnes Hazlehurst, born 1858, married to John Joynson in 1876. They have two children, John William and Arthur John. After that I thought they had disappeared but that's not quite the case. By 1881 Sophia is living with Charles Yates and is recorded as Sophia Yates. This couple eventually have seven children, all known as Yates. However there is no record of a marriage for Sophia and Charles until 1927!
I can't find a record of John Joynson's death although he is described as 'deceased' on his son, Arthur's marriage certificate.
Two things come to mind - what happened to John and why did Sophia and Charles wait until they were nearly seventy to get married? Was it for the sake of the children - or indeed the grandchildren!
Barbara

Hi Barbara,
Some random thoughts.... I think it is likely that Sophia was deserted between becoming pregnant with Arthur's brother John [bn Dec qtr 1878] and sometime before or when she became pregnant with Harriet Yates [July - September 1880]. Did John do a runner when Sophia became pregnant with the child of a house painter?

Funnily enough, it happened in my line about 1878 when the man I thought was my g.g.father left the family home [a wife and 2 children] and joined the Army when his wife became pregnant to a roof slater and plasterer!

Do you have a YoB for John Joynson or the marriage cert with Sophia? Is the marriage in the Ancestry Parish record collection?

Why did Charles and Sophia marry so late? I suspect the usual reason that they had only then found out that John Joynson was in fact dead. You say Arthur's marriage cert has his father as deceased. Sophia and Charles may have told him that because he would not remember his father and to say his dad had run off might have been very upsetting to explain. Simple enough to say he had died while Arthur and John were infants.

DS

here's the marriage

As you can see on the marriage record posted by Simone John's age is given as 20 and his occupation is Bootmaker. He also appears on the 1861 Census in ("Lower or Back") Grafton Street Toxteth Park aged 3 years old with parents John and Hannah. His father is an Iron Moulder.

There's a John Joynson who died in 1880 have you checked this one out:-

Name: John Joynson
District: West Derby
Year:1880
Quarter: Jan/Feb/Mar
Age: 22
Volume: 8b
Page: 177


Blue

The 1880 death is definitely your John Joynson. He was buried in Toxteth Cemetery on 4th January 1880. Occupation is given as Shoe Maker and age is 22. The address given is 25 Upper Hill Street.

Blue

Nice one Colin

Thank you Blue. I went cross-eyed looking for a death for John!
Blimey, Sophia didn't wate much time, did she? The oldest Yates child was born 1881. Perhaps she was too busy having babies to get married.
Nice to know that she wasn't deserted though.
Cheers
Barbara