Charles Leonard Reuby – happy birthday!

July 25th is my late father-in-law’s birthday. He was born in Bermondsey, London in 1905, and married Lilian May Golesworthy in 1935.

He died at only 69, so I never met him, but I wish I had. His photos all show him smiling. He served in the Royal navy from 1923 to 1929, and then again in WW2 on the Arctic Convoys.

In the late 1950’s he and Lilian moved to California where Charles worked as a civil engineering estimator on the highways. Later he returned to the UK, and died in Ringwood, Hampshire in 1974.

Happy birthday, Charles!

Mystery Monday – Two Census Entries?

My husband’s grandfather is driving me mad. I thought I’d found him, and his wife Ellen, on the 1901 census.

Robert and Ellen Reuby - 1901

Aged 28, born Southwark, wife Nellie – which is how she appears on many census entries. But by 1901 they already had their first daughter, Ellen. So where is she?

Some searching found another entry on the 1901 census, for a Robert Ruby (a common mis-spelling), wife Ellen, daughter of 4 months, also Ellen. This is for the Staines area of Middlesex.

Robert, Ellen and Ellen Reuby - 1901

This would seem to be the most likely – and I have come across another Robert Reuby who is apparently unrelated. So more for my to-do list.

Adding Some Dates

Other researches I’ve done this week have mainly been on adding dates and locations to various families.

In my brother-in-law’s tree, I’ve found the wonderfully named Liberty Pitt, born in Devon in 1822. He died in Poplar, London in 1904. I’ve found some of his children, including another Liberty, a Robert, a Thomas, and a Henry John, from whom my brother-in-law’s father is descended.

In my husband’s tree, I’ve traced his great-great-grandmother, Ellen Morris – I think her maiden name was Kelly, though I still have some checking to do there. His great-grandmother was also Ellen Morris which is why it’s taken a while to check her details.

Hoping to get that checked next week, although we’re losing yet another day to a Bank Holiday!

Mystery Monday – Kate Mack

Kate Mack was the first wife of Robert Reuby. They were married on 7 August 1893, at St Stephens Church, Walworth, London. Their marriage certificate shows her age as 22, so she would have been born around 1871. She is listed as a spinster, with no profession. Robert is shown as a bachelor. Her father is shown as David Mack, deceased.

On 17 December 1905 Robert re-marries, his second wife being Ellen Tonkins, a widow. He lists himself again as a bachelor.

I can find no trace of Kate, either as Mack or Reuby, in the death index. In the days when only the rich could afford a divorce, it was probably fairly common for couples to separate and possibly marry again, committing bigamy. If Kate married again, I probably will never be able to trace her. But I can’t help wondering what happened to her.

Black Sheep Sunday – uttering counterfeit coin

On May 18, 1885 Philip Reuby appeared at the Old Bailey accused of issuing counterfeit coin. He was only 17 at the time, and was recommended to mercy by the jury who felt he may have been duped himself. His sentence was twelve months hard labour. This page and the transcript both show the mis-spelling Renby.

The shop assistant certainly seemed pretty sure of herself – but perhaps in those counterfeit coins were more common.

The following image of the returns of all prisoners in court that day shows that sentences were varied – Henry Wakeley both forged and uttered counterfeit coins, but only got four months. Poor old Philip got the same sentence as George Catten, a child abuser.

I can’t help feeling sorry for him – although his responses to the constable make me think that he wasn’t as innocent as he made out.