Morris/Hayward/ Goodacre - not quite as bad as the Bodycotes
 

I found my notes this afternoon and am looking again at one of my twigs.

In the DQ of 1933, my paternal grandfather John Rowbotham married Mary Ann Goodacre in Leicester. They both died within a month of each other at the end of 1949. Her death entry suggests Mary Ann was born about 1881.

The marriage split the family. My Dad and his brother didn't like this substitute for their mother, who had died as recently as 1930. My uncle got married and my Dad left home and went to live in digs as soon as he could. They are both now dead.

Mary Ann was a widow and had no children of her own, but brought her niece into the family to become my much loved 'Auntie'. I'm not giving her name because I am not sure whether she might still be alive, although she would be coming up for 95.

I've been playing with this for a while on and off and I'm stuck.

I can see that Auntie's parents would have been George A Morris and Mabel A Hayward, who married in Leicester in MQ 1914. I was always told that they had both died, which is why she lived with her Aunt. There is a death entry for Mabel A Morris in 1919, but I can't see one for George, so I'm now wondering if he just cleared off after the death of his wife and handed the baby over to either his sister or his sister in law.

That's another thing, I cannot work out whether Mary Ann was originally a Morris or a Hayward and I'm starting to go round in circles.

If anybody's really bored this weekend and fancies having a look at this to see if there is anything obvious that I have missed, I would appreciate it.

AN

Just an observation - in 1919 it would have been extremely unusual, not to say unheard of, for a widower to bring up a child on his own and I am sure that social pressure would have been brought to bear from all sides, for him to hand the baby/child over to a female relative.

OC

Another avenue to explore - is it possible George was killed in WW1 given the date range?

George may have been known as A but married as George as that was his real name.

Marriages Jun 1902
Burton Sarah Emma Leicester 7a 456
Cooper Samuel Martin Leicester 7a 456 <<<<<<<<<<<<<<
Hayward Mary Ann Leicester 7a 456 <<<<<<<<<<<<<<
Tunnicliffe Scott Leicester 7a 456



Marriages Sep 1918
Chapman Arthur H Stanton Leicester 7a 565
Cooper Mary A Goodacre Leicester 7a 565 <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
Davis Ernest Robinson Leicester 7a 565
Goodacre John Cooper Leicester 7a 565 <<<<<<<<<<<<<<
Robinson Lily M Davis Leicester 7a 565

Do you have Ancestry?

Charles and Mary Ann Hayward with their dau Mary Ann Cooper in 1911:

http://search.ancestry.co.uk/iexec?h...=&pid=23760858

and the same couple in 1901 with their dau Mabel A Hayward:

http://search.ancestry.co.uk/iexec?h...=&pid=17168033

I was just getting to the same conclusion as Merry. It looks as though Samuel Martin Cooper died in Blaby in 1914

Births Dec 1879
Cooper Samuel Martin Meriden 6d 454

Deaths Mar 1914
Cooper Samuel M 34 Blaby 7a 58

Births Jun 1882
Hayward Mary Ann Sheppey 2a 888

Births Dec 1890
Hayward Mabel Alice Sheppey 2a 825

The registrations for Charles Cooper above are guesses, but I'm pretty certain the above two are correct for Mary Ann and Mabel.

Best fit:

Name: John Goodacre
Birth Date: abt 1868
Date of Registration: Jan-Feb-Mar 1930
Age at Death: 62
Registration district: Leicester
Inferred County: Leicestershire
Volume: 7a
Page: 244