Who Do You Think You Are - Samantha Womack 15th Aug

[Shona]

Scratch that bit about Beatrice - the error of a nove.

Using Ancestry:

Robert Janes born to Robert William Brough James and xxxxxxx Cunningham-Ryan JFM 1949.

Doris Cunningham-Ryan married Douglas Heatherington OND 1949.

[kiterunner]

Yes, the reason that Noel's mother's maiden name is shown as Janes or Cunningham-Ryan on the birth index would be that Doris was calling herself Janes but was not married to Robert Janes, so her name will be shown on the birth certificate as Doris Janes otherwise Cunningham-Ryan, whereas if she was married to Robert it would say Doris Janes formerly Cunningham-Ryan and her maiden name on the index would just be Cunningham-Ryan.

[Shona]

In earlier postings, people wondering about Jessie Ryder's mother, Fanny Ryder. Hope this helps:

1891 census 42 Clifon Place, Plymouth

Albert J Cook, 26, post office clerk
Fanny E A Cook, 26,
Cyril Cook, under 1
Fanny Ryder, mother-in-law, married, 48, vocalist (music), born Devonport

When Fanny marries Albert in London, Alfred Ryder, acountant and Thaddeus Ryder are witnesses. Thaddeus Albert's brother.

Perhaps from this we can assume that Fanny was the one who pushed three of her daughters on to the stage.

Can't find Fanny in the 1901 census.

1911 census - 45 Upper Bedford Place, Russell Square

Fanny Ryder, 70, widow, boarder
Patty Auld, 28, daughter, married, boarder, manicurist [? unclear]

Patty married James Morrison Auld in 1902.

Also found these trans Atlantic crossings:

Sept 1925 Southampton to New York
Harry Finkler, director, Jessie Finkler,
Address in UK: Victoria Hotel, London

Feb 1929 Southampton to New York
Harry Finckley, theatrical, Jessie Finckley, Harry Finckley, actor,
Address in UK: 82 Guildford Street, London

[Lorraine Karen]

Dear Genealogists Forum - Who Do You Think You Are, Samantha Womack episode (Jessie Almer/Ryder/Finkle/Garraud)

I have found Jessie Almer sailing to America in 1897, however, you would need to look up Ruth Jezard (Jessie Almer is found just above Ruth on the UK outward bound passenger list travelling with a group of theatricals to America).

UK Outward Bound Passenger List
Name: Miss Ruth Jezard
Birth Date: abt 1876
Departure Date: 7 Aug 1897
Port of Departure: Southampton, England
Destination Port: New York, USA
Ship Name: Paris

This makes sense as Jessie left her daughter Beatrice at Nazareth House on 29 July 1897.

"Samantha visited Nazareth House and was shown the Children's Admission Register which showed that Beatrice's parents were Peter Garraud and Jessie Ryder and that she was received on the 29th July 1897 and taken away by her grandparents in May 1902".

This also makes sense as Jessie is reported in the New York Times on 15 August 1897 (do we know what Jessie (and Ruth)

http://www.jclibrary.org/picture-gal...-think-you-are

"Cynthia Harris, manager of the New Jersey Room, had done research on Samantha’s great-grandmother prior to the video shoot. In an August 15, 1897 article in the Theater section of The New York Times, reference was made to her great-grandmother, by maiden name, “Miss Jessie Almer has been over to America before, as the clown in Barnum’s Circus, and by right of larger experience, she was much respected by the other members of the group. They met at the pier, however, by a representative of the Academy of Music, who took care that none of them should stray away. Once he lost his count.”

Barnum's circus came to England in 1897 - Ruth's family lived in this part of London at this time.

http://circusnews.com/?p=1115

"Most outstanding of the foreign tours was the five-year stay of the Barnum & Bailey Circus in European countries from the fall of 1897 through the 1902 season.

Several fine route books were inspired by this tour. Most notable is “Four Years in Europe with Barnum & Bailey,” by Harvey L. Watkins, a member of the staff. This book recorded the principal events of the four seasons, with maps showing the routes, photographs of staff members and performers, and the complete personnel for the tour. It is to be regretted that the 1902 season was omitted.

The circus was transported to England at the close of the tenting season in America in 1897 and played an indoor winter engagement at the Olympia in London. The show took to the road on 67 specially built railroad cars in the spring of 1898 and spent two years on tour in Great Britain. This tour inspired another route book entitled “Tour of United Kingdom” by J. Austin, for the 1897-98 season, and J. W. Potts issued a route book for 1899, also entitled “Tour of the United Kingdom.”

Ruth/Ruby Thrasher/Jezard married Albert Edward Court in 1900 who was Chief Of Staff of the London Coliseum in 1905. Ruth's sister Louisa Thrasher married Percy Atkins in 1905 who was a theatrical business manager at the Lyceum Theatre in 1905.

Ruth eventually emigrated to America in 1905/1912 according to her inconsistent US census records and 'married' Edward Warren Congdon in 1910 - a booking manager for the Alcazar Theatre in San Fransisco and who worked for Bert Levey a vaudeville agent in 1917/1918 - Ruth died in 1968 California, Edward died in 1919 after signing up to be a WWI soldier in 1917/1918.

Ruth performed with Dan Leno and Herbert Campbell in the lavish Drury Lane Theatre pantomimes in 1898 and 1899 and is remembered in Herbert Campbell's memoirs.
Charlie Chaplin would watch these pantomimes honing his comic skills from Dan Leno - as Ruth later emigrated to America we wondered if she knew Charlie Chaplin and also became involved with silent movies.

Ruth's first husband Albert Edward Court is still alive in England in 1916 according to his WWI soldiers records working at Brook Green Skating Rink - Albert had been working as a rink manager in the 1911 UK census - we believe Albert died in 1923.

Ruth is found living with her sister-in-laws Ethel Congdon and Fanny Congdon in the US 1940 census and had been living with them since at least 1935 and known as Edward Warren Congdon's widow in the 1941 US Los Angeles California city directory.

[Lorraine Karen]

Jessie (and Ruth) have been brought to New York with The Coryphees to perform in 'Nature'

http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive...6E9C94669ED7CF

[kiterunner]

Hi and welcome to the forum, Lorraine.
Very interesting post. Thanks. I have had to reread this thread from the beginning as the episode was shown about 3 years ago. A real blast from the past!
The only mention of the name "Almer" that I can see previously in this thread is where Jessie's middle name was given as Alma on her daughter Gertrude's death registration. Jessie's maiden name was Ryder.
On that passenger list from 1897 (link below), Jessie Almer's age is given as 21 (Jessie Ryder would have been quite a bit older than that, but she doesn't seem to have been very truthful about her age) and she is in the "single" column, but since it is the single men column instead of the single women column, same for all the "Misses" in the group, something is definitely wrong! Looks promising. I assume the researchers in that article you posted must have had some information that Jessie Ryder was Jessie Almer.
http://interactive.ancestry.co.uk/29.../?pid=37308995

[Lorraine Karen]

Hi and thank you for your welcome!

Our ancestor Ruth Jezard was also not truthful about her age - she was actually born in 1879 Westminster, London but says she is older when she travelled in 1897 - but when she emigrated to America in 1905/1912 (inconsistencies on the US censuses) she became much younger - actresses!

These posts are about Ruth and her theatrical family - my husband's grandfather Horace Courtenay (Ruth's nephew) was illegitimate and rumoured to be the son of an Earl - we had no idea that the family were theatrical and we had no idea that Horace's mother Alice Thrasher had three sisters (Ruth, Louisa and Eliza).

However, Horace's son later remembered as a young five-year old boy meeting an Uncle Percy who was married to Ruth's sister Louisa (Percy Frederick Atkins detailed in these posts) who was in his 80's by then - and also remembered the family talking of a Cousin Leslie who was Horace's cousin (Edward Leslie Court son of Ruth Jezard detailed in these posts).

https://www.british-genealogy.com/th...447#post612447

http://www.forum.familyhistory.uk.co...ad.php?t=23000

http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index...;topicseen#new