1900s queries

[Waitabit]

Two questions re 1900s please: no, I don't think any of you were there then, but you may have read of such:

Would a divorced person use the term 'widowed' as status on 2nd marriage?

A florist selling flowers on the streets, where would she get her flowers? Bulk from a market or by working for an established florist?

If that person didn't expire between 1911 & 1913 (Herts) how would I go about finding her?
She used a different name than that of her Husband or maiden name in 1911.

[Jan1954]

Would a divorced person use the term 'widowed' as status on 2nd marriage?

Might do - it depends upon what she decided to let people know about. There was a fair bit of stigma to being labelled as a divorcée and she may therefore have felt more comfortable being referred to as a widow. A thought: Had her former husband died by the time she married again? If so, she may have considered herself to be a widow, even though it was after the divorce.

A florist selling flowers on the streets, where would she get her flowers? Bulk from a market or by working for an established florist?

Either. If she was self-employed, a local flower market or nursery could be her supplier. However, if she was working for an established florist, I would not have thought that she would have been sent out on the streets to sell the flowers as the shop would be the mainstay.

She used a different name than that of her Husband or maiden name in 1911.

That was very thoughtless of her! Have you checked directories, voters lists etc?

[Mutley]

London fruit and veg markets that also sold flowers were Covent Garden, Borough Road and Spitalfields.
I think there was a proper wholesale flower market, cannot remember it's name, near the Hackney Road.

[Waitabit]

Thanks Jan, the lady was living in 1911 with her son who used his Fathers name. She was a Florist.(pencilled in on image 'street hawking- own account')
In 1901 she lived with her Husband (boys Father)

Haven't found a marriage for her using the name on census(White) or positive death . Her Husband was with another 'wife' & family in 1911. said to have been married 8 yrs, 6 children. He married in the following year, possibly after a divorce came through. witnesses were the Nephew & his wife of my lady.

Where would I find voters lists for St.Albans Herts? or directories please?

She may not even have stayed there, I rather think her son married in Croydon a few yrs later.
I do wonder if she took a wrong step somehow & didn't want to be seen/known?

Thank you also Mutley.

[Waitabit]

I see, hertfordshire is just across the road from London isn't it. I keep thinking that because thereis a big black line( on my map) between places, they must be quite distant from each other. I should know better considering where I live.! so one could pop over to the borough markets for a bit of shoppiing or stock replacement?

Oh that's it. Off to brekky. Seem to say that a lot here, site must make me hungry. yoiks it's 8.36!

[Jan1954]

Where would I find voters lists for St.Albans Herts? or directories please?

Plan a) I will have a look in my village library tomorrow when they open after the holiday to see what they have. Usually, not a lot because it is just a village!

Plan b) is to pop into St Albans. I will leave this until Thursday as Wednesday is Market Day and trying to find a parking space is like trying to knit fog!

Meanwhile, if you would like to let me have all names that this female scarlet pimpernel used, I will take them with me.

[Waitabit]

DONE

[Jan1954]

DONE

Where?

[Waitabit]

Sorry Jan, THE VOICE loomed large wanting dinner. I had answered without consulting times ..as ya do.
hope you have it now. Am reluctant to spread names too far in case of offending later rellies. One neve rknows who did the deed or was the innocent party. Oh heck, who started this genealogical thingy anyway?

Also why does my left finger insist on adding 'a' willy nilly when I type??????????????????????????

and how come there is this glass of red on the table which has been ignored?????????????may as welldrink cordial. gruuump.


I have had the most magic day, beginning here, continuing onto where I went & back here again. hoping you all had as good times.

[Jan1954]

Thanks, Wendy. All information received. Just a couple of points of interest for others who may be following this thread:

You mentioned Catherine Street in St Albans. The houses are still there and have hardly changed. If you go to Google Maps Street View, and put in Catherine Street St Albans, they are on the same side of the road as the pub.

If you follow this road through to the roundabout (opposite direction from the pub) and then turn right, that will take you into St Peter Street. In the service road to the right-hand side is where the market is held and has been for hundreds of years. It is probably where "the scarlet pimpernel" plied her trade. This leads me to another thought - St Albans District Council may well have details of hawkers' licences. If not, Hertfordshire Archives could have them. **

Borough Market, where Mutley mentioned that "the scarlet pimpernel" may have obtained the flowers, is in Southwark. I was there just the week before last!

** Plan c) If I get to the Library in St Albans on Thursday and have no joy, I can pop across to HALS in Hertford - but that will not be for another couple of weeks.