[Anstey Nomad]

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?