Quote:
Originally Posted by kiterunner
Wow, I wonder whether William ever found out her real age!
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We.e.e.e.l.l.l.
In 1901, William was living with a colleague in Paddington, while Eliza and the younger two children were in Swindon. Nothing unreasonable about that. The census is only a snapshot. William worked for GWR, and Swindon is on the main Paddington-Bristol-Exeter line.
BUT
In 1911, William was a boarder at 85 Marine St, Queens Park, Harrow, while Eliza was in Swindon, as listed above, with her middle child - their son, Charles, aged 21.
Her youngest, their daughter, Violet (b 1892), was married 21 Jun 1916 in Swindon Parish Church: father given as "
William Charles LANCASTER (dec'd), Station Master".
William didn't die until sixteen months
after that date: 11 Oct 1917, age 54, at Middx Hosp (perf duodenal ulcer)
address: 85 Marine St, Paddington;
occupation: asst cashier, tube railway (He'd been dismissed by GWR, but the entry was undated - but after Oct 1897).
The death was registered 12 Oct 1917 by his sister.
I haven't found the grave, but my mother said her mother was buried at "Swindon" (my uncle has a photo of the grave at Ashton Keynes - not that far from Swindon), and her father at "Maidenhead" (which is the area where his sister was living, and where he grew up).
This suggests that the family was split up by at least 1911, if not before.
There are all sorts of possible reasons, but one suspects that the previously disguised age-gap may have contributed.
Eliza may also have been a difficult woman: there was a split between her and Violet, later on, and a family story says she returned her grandchildren's Christmas presents unopened, my uncle tells me. Hard to imagine how anyone would do that.
Christine