Pickerings this time!
 

I could do with another pair of eyes on this one.

My Uncle John (John Jabez Thomas Pickering) was born in Leicester on 30 May 1896. His family came from the Walsall area and he told me that his father walked to Leicester in search of work, before sending for the rest of the family.

He joined our family when he married my great aunt, Evelyn Goadby in the June Quarter of 1945, and died in Leicester in September 1978 at the age of 82.

I had always known that John had been married before and that both his wife and his daughter had died. I had a look today and found a marriage to May Cope in the March Quarter of 1923.

I then found two births, which was a bit of a surprise; Reginald J in DQ 1928 and Dorothy M in SQ 1930. There are deaths recorded for Reginald in December 1928 and Dorothy M in September 1930. It looks as if they actually had two children and both died within the first three months, in less than two years.

I had always understood that Uncle John had been a widower for a long time before he met and married my aunt, but the next surprise was that May actually died on 24 November 1942, less than three years before the second wedding. It’s definitely her on the Probate Calendar. So, far from being a lonely widower, he had actually been pretty quick off the mark!

While I was digesting that, I had a look for May. John had told me that her father and brothers were quarrymen from Bardon in Leicestershire (It was driving past Bardon yesterday that brought this to mind), but I can’t find her or anyone who looks like her on the 1901 or 1911 censuses.

Would anyone else like to have a try?

So May Pickering was age 45 when she died, meaning she was born around 1897. There are quite a few May Cope births around then but not in Leicestershire, so I wonder if her family moved to Bardon after her birth, and perhaps after the 1911 census.

The 1911 census has a Frederick Cope, single, 31, Quarry Man, born Keisby Lincolnshire, living at Stanton under Bardon, Leicestershire, with a family called Upton.

I think Frederick Cope is the son of Samuel Cope, and Samuel is an ag lab living in Keisby, Lincolnshire, in 1911 with his wife Mary. They say they have 7 children, all living, five are with them (Edwin 16, Harriet Eleanor 11, George 7, Walter 4 and Ernest 6 months.) In 1901 they also have Arthur 17, Albert 8 and Alice M 7. So Mary is Samuel's second wife. On the 1891 census Samuel is a widower and Mary Birkett his housekeeper, with Samuel having sons William 14 (born Lenton), Frederick 12 (born Aslockby), Henry 10 (born Keisby) and Arthur 8 (born Keisby).

Anyway, so May can't be Samuel's daughter but I wonder if she could be his granddaughter? Or maybe Frederick is a red herring!

I wondered if she might be a Mary known as May, but that didn't help me either, but yes, Stanton under Bardon is the right place.

In 1901 William Cope is single, a coal hewer, in Selston, Nottinghamshire, but I haven't found Henry yet. He would be a bit young to be May's father though. In 1881 Samuel and his wife Annie only have one child with them, Frederic.

It looks as if I might have to lash out and get the marriage certificate, see if that sheds any more light on it - although knowing my luck the father column will be blank!

I was at a funeral a couple of weeks ago and somebody said to me "Oh, Tom's got the family back to 1400 and something". Wonderful - here's me 27 years on and still having trouble with the twentieth century and people I actually knew!

Unfortunately May Cope is a terrible name to google for or to search for in the newspaper archives.

I will order the marriage certificate and see if that takes me any further.

I will also order the death certificates of the children now I have been told, by someone with access to the Welford Road Cemetery details, that Reginald was one day old when he died and Dorothy three weeks.

I'm finding this all very moving - more so I think because (a) we don't have a lot of child death in our family, possibly because there aren't many children and (b) this happened to someone I knew, and knew well.

Three certificates ordered. Just don't tell Mr Nomad - they've gone up a bit since the last time!