Where could they have gone ?

[norfolkmc]

Have posted here before and had some good help but still looking for elusive ancestors so hope someone might have some thoughts.....

I have ancestors, Michael and wife Mary Callaghan who appear to vanish...where could they have gone

>Michael was a corn porter born c1845 , Mary no occupation born 1849
>catholic marriage in Bermondsey 1869
>had a few addresses in St.Olaves, Bermondsey in 1870s
>had a child Daniel died in St Olave workhouse 1877
>other 2 living children went into homes via Bermondsey BG (in 1877 also)

but they (Michael & Mary) dont appear on the 1881 or later census and there is no record of a death for either

any suggestions....

[Sandyhall]

Hi
You have a child that died in the workhouse, have you looked to see why he was in the workhouse in the first place, do you have a death cert. to tell you what he died of.

Sometimes the workhouse was the local hospital as well.

Sandy

[sueannbowen]

Hi
Can you give a census reference to start from?

Do you have his birthplace? There is a possible contender on FreeBMD

June 1843 St Olave volume 4 page 448.

Sue

[sueannbowen]

There is also a 2 year old Michael Callaghan death in March 1871 on FeeBMD

St Olave 1d 166

Sue

[Raffaele]

1881 census
Michael CALLAGHAN,Head,33,Southwark, Surrey,Gen Lab
Mary CALLAGHAN,Wife,33,Bermondsey, Surrey
Ellen DOODY,Mo In Law,66,Ireland,Lab Oil Works

4 Finchs Ct, London, Middlesex, England
RG11 0488 / 149 / 63

Looks like Sandyhall was right, the workhouse was also the infirmary

[Sandyhall]

1881 census
Michael CALLAGHAN,Head,33,Southwark, Surrey,Gen Lab
Mary CALLAGHAN,Wife,33,Bermondsey, Surrey
Ellen DOODY,Mo In Law,66,Ireland,Lab Oil Works

4 Finchs Ct, London, Middlesex, England
RG11 0488 / 149 / 63

Looks like Sandyhall was right, the workhouse was also the infirmary

Can you let us know if this ties in with Mary's Surname on the Marriage Cert.

Sandy

[sueannbowen]

[QUOTE=Raffaele;297403]1881 census
Michael CALLAGHAN,Head,33,Southwark, Surrey,Gen Lab
Mary CALLAGHAN,Wife,33,Bermondsey, Surrey
Ellen DOODY,Mo In Law,66,Ireland,Lab Oil Works

4 Finchs Ct, London, Middlesex, England
RG11 0488 / 149 / 63

Hi Raffaele - when I type that 1881 census ref into Alchemy with no name it comes up with no matches found. How weird it has never done that to me before.

[sueannbowen]

Got it now - leaving the zero off. What is interesting is that someone on
Alchemy has already posted Doody as an alternative surname for Mary. So Sandy - you are right that would be conclusive if the marriage cert. agrees.

Sue

[sueannbowen]

Hmmm assuming (rather a lot I know) that the 1881 family Raffaele found is right and that your Mary's maiden name was Doody I searched 1891 for Ellen Doody (Mary's potential mother). Found Ellen living as the mother in law of John Schofield and Mary Schofield. Leaving us with the possibility that Michael died between 1881 and 1891 and Mary remarried. The ages match and once again Alchemy has a name change already inserted. Schofield to Doody.

1891 census ref is RG12 piece 332 folio 117 page 35.

If this is the right family and only that precious marriage cert. can tell us that, then something curious is afoot and someone is ahead of you NorfolkMC!

We do love a good mystery don't we Sandy?

[norfolkmc]

Hi
thanks for such an immediate response....unfortunately the maiden name is Sullivan not Doody (I had seen this entry before...)
I'll try and summarise the events that I have evidence for and see if it helps at all.....

Guess it goes without saying that the spelling of Callaghan goes through quite a few variants:-

Oct 1869 Michael Callahan (23) marries Mary Ann Elizabeth Sullivan (20) in Bermondsey
June 1870 First child Charles Calahan born in Smiths Place, St Olave
1872 next child Jeremiah Calahan born (no birth registration found)
Aug 1874 next child Catherine Calhan born at 10 Harolds Place, St Olave
Nov 1875 Jeremiah dies aged 3 years at 1 Harolds Place, St Olave
July 1876 next child Daniel born (no birth registration found)
3rd May 1877 Daniel dies aged 9 months of Diarrhea in St Olaves Union Workhouse
22nd May 1877 Charles into care of Bermondsey BG
Sept 1877 Catherine into care of Bermondsey BG

As you can see everything 'seems ok' until 1877 then there is no further record of the parents Michael and Mary ...either on a census or a death registration. There is also no evidence of further children being born to them

The 2 surviving children that went into care went on to Catholic homes in other parts of London and then Charles (who is my great grandfather) went into the army at 14.
Catherine (Kate) appears to have emigrated to Canada in 1889.

Michael is also elusive before his marriage ..not on 1861 or 1851 census... his marriage record gives his father as Charles Callaghan (or Calnan)...I assume he is originally from Ireland and perhaps may not have been in England by 1861 but this is just a guess.

For a long time I thought that the couple had also somehow evaded the 1871 census but then someone on here found them for me mis-transcribed as Michael and Mary Read with baby Charles at Rope (Rose) Court in bermondsey

Does this classify as a "brickwall" ? Any help is much appreciated.

Michael.