The mystery of the missing Nurse

[radstockjeff]

Lucy Grieves(father John Grieves a Mariner) b c 1850 Brancaster Norfolk married Anthony Nurse 1869 in South Shields. They had two daughters Pleasance and Georgina. By 1875 she had disappeared off the radar and no trace of her under the name of Lucy Nurse or Lucy Grieves has been found. Rumour has it that she left Anthony for another "partner".: one suggestion was that it was a butcher from Jarrow, but who knows? certainly no one in the family has any idea.

Is there any possible way of finding what happened to her?
Any thoughts out there?

Incidentally her sister Agnes Isabella married Anthony's brother Thomas in 1871 in South Shields

radstockjeff

[loobylou]

Hi, in 1881 Antony C Nurse is a widower, was this just to save face?

[v.wells]

Do you have Lucy's birth cert to ascertain her full name?

[gasser]

In 1881 Anthony and the 2 girls are found living with Thomas and Agnes and their family at 25, Alexander St, Westoe, Durham. Anthony is said to be a widower. Perhaps to save face as suggested earlier.
No deaths found for Lucy with either name.
Searched births for both Agnes and Lucy......can only find Agnes Isabella Greeves reg Mar 1853 at Docking about 4.5 miles from Brancaster. Also a Lucy M*ala (?) Greeves reg Jun 1850 at Docking.
A marriage for a Lucy Matilda Nurse in 1879 reg Jun at Bristol to a George Britton is found. Also a Lucy Nurse, with middle initial 'M', is found in Jun 1918 to a John E Sharpe reg Grimsby. There are a couple of others with just the name Lucy at Leicester in 1891 and St Saviour 1893
May or may not be relevant.

[Mutley]

In 1891 Anthony is living with the two daughters and Agnes and Thomas. He states he is a widow as he does in 1881.
The girls do stay with Anthony so maybe Lucy did die and her surname is mistranscribed or Lucy is not her birth first name.

[radstockjeff]

A couple of interesting outcomes from further exploration of this lady's background have once again made me halt to reassess the situation.
Firstly the spelling of the surname. Is it Grieves as on her marriage certificate to Anthony Nurse, Greeves as in the 1851 and 1861 Census or Greaves as recorded in freeBMD for her father's marriage to Theodora Ward

Until I obtain her birth certificate and that of her suister agnes Isabella I cannot be certain that even now I am on the right track.

It has always been my understanding that her mother was Theodora Ward who married John Greaves (1840 Wisbech)

Secondly a further confusion yesterday from the 1851 Census where I discovered in the same village (Brancaster) another Theodora Greeves same approximate age but married to James Greeves. I can find no trace of this Theodoras's marriage and as the eldest child , H Greeves is shown as being 15 the marriage is likely to have been before 1837. How can this Theodora's maiden name be traced? Any thoughts. Might there be a family link i.e two brothers married women with the same first name.
Both these families living in the same village in 1851, but by 1861 my Theodora is a widow and a pauper and Lucy is living with grandparents John and Lucy Ward also in Brancaster as far as I can see.

By 1863 this Theodora has moved to South Shields and remarried.

The plot thickens!

radstockjeff

[Mutley]

You are right, it is very confusing.

As regards the variations in the spelling of the name, it is quite normal. Most our ancestors could not read and write so did not know how to spell their name. As yours all sound the same it could be any, depending upon the registrar or enumerator that wrote it down.

At the moment I cannot find either Theodora before they both appear with different children in 1851. The husbands could be brothers, James born 1823 in Bircham and John 1817 in Bircham, might be worth finding them in 1841.

All I can suggest at the moment is buying the marriage certificate of Theodora Grieves to Henry Mitchell registered in Sept 1863 at South Shields. At least you would get all her previous names and her father's name.

[gasser]

Until I obtain her birth certificate and that of her suister agnes Isabella I cannot be certain that even now I am on the right track.


You are quite correct .....obtaining Lucy's birth certificate is the best way forward here. It should provide you with enough information in order for you to progress and so determine which Theodora to claim [if any].
Igi pilot search gives 5 children born between 1840 and 1857 born to John and Theodora , none of which are Lucy or Agnes, [although this does not prove anything]
Until you have the certificate, we're all clutching at straws here ..........:smile5:

[radstockjeff]

In 1881 Anthony and the 2 girls are found living with Thomas and Agnes and their family at 25, Alexander St, Westoe, Durham. Anthony is said to be a widower. Perhaps to save face as suggested earlier.
No deaths found for Lucy with either name.
Searched births for both Agnes and Lucy......can only find Agnes Isabella Greeves reg Mar 1853 at Docking about 4.5 miles from Brancaster. Also a Lucy M*ala (?) Greeves reg Jun 1850 at Docking.
A marriage for a Lucy Matilda Nurse in 1879 reg Jun at Bristol to a George Britton is found. Also a Lucy Nurse, with middle initial 'M', is found in Jun 1918 to a John E Sharpe reg Grimsby. There are a couple of others with just the name Lucy at Leicester in 1891 and St Saviour 1893
May or may not be relevant.

Thanks for that lead. The Bristol one is not relevant as Lucy Matilda was a Bristol girl and not the right age. Still looking!

radstockjeff