Friday, February 06, 2009

Who The Flip Is Alice?

BIGAMY - the offense of marrying someone while you have a living spouse from whom no valid divorce has occurred!

OMG I think Andrew's 2 x great grandmother was a bigamist!!! How flippin cool is that :O) This is her in the 1891 census ...

23 Turner Street, Ashton Under Lyne
John Worthington - 37 - Head - Carter - Ince, Lancashire
Alice Worthington - 39 - Ashton Under Lyne, Lancashire
Amelia Worthington - 6 - Daughter - Skelmersdale, Lancashire
Annie Shaw - 13 - (Ditto mark under term Daughter) - Stockport, Cheshire
Jane Birk - 27 - Boarder – Widow - Ashton Under Lyne, Lancashire
Alice A Birk - 5 - Boarder - Ashton Under Lyne, Lancashire

The reason I'm 99.9% sure it's the right family, is that Andrew's great grandmother, Annie Shaw is there, with her half sister Amelia Withington (Worthington on the above census) and Amelia appears as a witness on Annie's marriage certificate ...

April 14th 1900.
St. Peter's Church, Ashton-under-Lyne
James Hopwood ~ 25 ~ Bachelor ~ Minder ~ Mansfield Street ~ William Hopwood ~ Cop Carrier
Annie Shaw ~ 24 ~ Spinster ~ 32 Chester Square ~ Thomas Shaw ~ Lamp Cleaner
After Banns, both signed, witnesses were ~ Thomas Hopwood & Amelia Withington.

I found out when I tried to find some information about the adults she was living with, John & Alice Withington. I've sent off for their marriage certificate after seeing this ... September qtr 1883, Altrincham R/D, John Withington & Alice Bolshaw. Bol(shaw)! 10 years previously, sneaky Alice was getting married to Annie's father Thomas Shaw. 1873 St Michaels Ashton-U-Lyne, Thomas Shaw & Alice Ann Taylor. Thomas hadn't died, even though naughty Alice got married again, he was living with her brother Mazeppa!

('Who the f*** is Alice?' If you don't know what I'm on about, try typing that & 'Smokie' into youtube lol).

This is Annie, shame I haven't got any photos of her mother.

1 comment:

All of my Todays said...

Family history is soo interesting especially when you find a good mystery or scandal. It makes all the hard work worthwhile! Lol