Help finding family - Surname may be JACOBS (1860-1890)

[Aussiegirl]

I am trying to locate the family of my gg grandfather - it is a little complicated, but the general details I have been able to ascertain are:

We think his surname was orginally "Jacobs" and was from a wealthy London family who owned property in Covent Garden. He fell in love with a dancer Violet Lee and changed his name to marry her - William Beverley.

A few relatives believe he took the name "Beverley" because it was his sister's or her married name.

They had a daughter Violet Eleanor Beverley (in 1889), however in the 1901 census he is listed as "living in Tasmania". - we believe his family had the marriage annulled and he was sent as a "remittance man" to Australia - where he met up with his daughter in 1923.

The only other very small piece of advice we know is that he was the cousin of Sir Isaac Isaacs, whose father was Alfred Isaacs and mother Rebecca Abrahams. Any advice anyone could provide to this huge brickwall would be appreciated!!!

Katrina

[Geoffers]

Hello and welcome to the British Genealogy forums.

I see that for the 1891 census, he was shown as being in Tasmania then.

RG12/391 f26 p10 sch 87
75, Hercules Road, Lambeth
Violet BEVERLEY, hd, mar, 20, husband is in Tasmania, bn St.George's East
Violet E. Beverley, dau, 2, bn Lambeth

Do you have the birth certificate for Violet in 1889?

Have you found a marriage certificate for Violet LEE and William BEVERLEY?

Do you have any other information on William - his approx year and place of birth? or if his sister wasolder/younger than him?

[Aussiegirl]

Hi, thanks for your prompt reply.

Yes, we have a copy of the birth certificate (which is with my uncle). Violet was born on 14 February 1889 in Waterloo, London. Her parents are listed as Violet Beverley (nee Lee) and William Beverley. This is also on the dau marriage certificate in 1915 - she was married in Tooting.

No marriage certificate for Violet and William - can't find any record of it, even though I've looked and looked. I've also been told that Violet remarried to a man named "Witcher" who was a Bobby who stopped her jumping in the Thames. But that information hasn't really been useful for this purpose either!

Don't really know anything about the sister... unfortunately this is the "family secret" that was never discussed and now anyone who knows anything substantial has died or only knows these sketchy details. I've searched a lot of the Australian immigration records but while I don't know his name, it makes it difficult to be sure whether he is the correct person.

This probably isn't much help, but any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Katrina

[Geoffers]

No marriage certificate for Violet and William - can't find any record of it, even though I've looked and looked.

Which either suggest that they didn't marry, or one/both of them married under another name. You mentioned earlier:


The only other very small piece of advice we know is that he was the cousin of Sir Isaac Isaacs

Family tales often get twisted in the telling - could it have been Violet who was supposed to have been related to this chap - could she be recorded under ISAACS or ISAACSON? For example - Sep 1888 marriage of Violet Marie L ISAACSON?

Another very remote possible entry might be for Dec 1889 which shows Violet Lewis Holdsworth (you say she was a dancer, did she change this to Violet LEE as a stage name?) under the same reference is an entry for Cyril Berkley BURNAND (though they may not have married each other - this is just trying to think of possibilities)


I've also been told that Violet remarried to a man named "Witcher" who was a Bobby who stopped her jumping in the Thames. But that information hasn't really been useful for this purpose either!

It might be useful in that her marriage certificate to Mr WITCHER would record her marital condition - is she shown as spinster, widowed, divorced?

[Aussiegirl]

I have had some more advice from the granddaughter of Violet Lee - apparently her name have been Eleanor, with a possible birth certificate for Sep 1872. The other pieces of information are that William Beverley was named John Beverley on the birth certificate and his occupation is "fruit seller". My great aunt believes his name was 'Jacob' and that Beverley was the name of his sister (although there is not one female I can find from this period with this as a first name)

I also know that he remarried after he came from Australia, but still not clue of who he was in England. Any advice or assistance would be appreciated!!