Robert Shelton Mackenzie - what shall I do?

[MythicalMarian]

When I sent for the newly discovered divorce papers for my Harriett Georgina Mackenzie (nee Dickenson) from TNA two days ago, I admit I was intrigued to find out whether or not her errant husband Robert Shelton Mackenzie was the same Irish man of that name who went on to become a respected man of letters in America from the 1850s until his death in 1880. It seemed too much of a coincidence that Harriett married this man in 1851 and he totally disappears from the censuses, when the literary man turns up in America after 1852. (For those who are interested, a simple google of his name will bring up several results and one or two potted biographies - I myself vaguely remembered the name as being a Victorian biographer of Walter Scott). When one of these biographies also placed Robert in Manchester in 1851 (which is where my marriage to Harriett took place) I began to smell a very big rat indeed.

Therefore, I was delighted that the divorce papers proved that this was indeed the same Robert Shelton Mackenzie (son of Captain Kenneth) who had held several journalistic posts in England before going off to America to make a name for himself there too. Well, these papers tell a very sordid tale indeed, ending with the bigamous marriage of Robert in 1858 to one Adelaide Zwissler[?], which is what prompted Harriett to petition for divorce. I also learned from Harriett's affidavit that Robert had gone off to America in 1852 without telling her, leaving her with baby Violet, but then he did actually send for her in 1854, begging forgiveness etc. Harriett trundled off to the States with Violet thinking everything would be OK, but found that Robert (already a journalist) wanted her to pass herself off as a famous actress from England, and to apply for theatrical work in New York, hoping that this would supplement his income! Naturally, Harriett would agree to no such thing and promptly sailed home. After her divorce she married Josiah Newman Merrick in 1862.

Well, there isn't a mention of Robert's naughtiness in his bios - in fact, in one of them it even says that he went to America 'after the early death of his first wife!' - damned cheek! He seems to have gone down in literary history in America as a well-respected and decent man, and seems to have kept his secret.

Grrrh - I feel I owe it to my Harriett to blow the whistle on him! Would anyone know how I could submit this new info - fully backed as it is by certificates and divorce documents - to those in charge of publishing his official 'life'? It's a blow for family history if nothing else. If I hadn't been researching my own family lines I never would have discovered this dark secret. It just goes to show - we can discover all sorts of things in pursuit of this wonderful hobby of ours.

[v.wells]

Hah - told you it would be juicy!! :D

The only way I can think of Marion is to place all this info on a web board ie., ancesspit, facebook if you have that genie thing, comments section under his name on ancesspit.

And while I don't condone what he did, as they say, there are 2 sides to every story. Perhaps she was too unbending, I don't know, although he does sound like a selfish narcistic sod!

How about commenting on an author's blog? (And you have already posted it here for all the world to see :D)

[Geoffers]

Would anyone know how I could submit this new info - fully backed as it is by certificates and divorce documents - to those in charge of publishing his official 'life'?

It depends on when the 'official' history was published. Many histories and biographies were written to accomodate the wishes of those about whom the books were written.

If the biographies are modern, then you might try contacting the publisher.

If push comes to shove, I'm sure that many would welcome reading a well-researched biography on Wikipedia.

[Wirral]

I've just been having a quick look at biographies of this "Great Man". One gives a possible reason for him going to America in 1852:

"official assignee in commissioner Skirrow's bankruptcy court, Manchester, dismissed from office 25 Oct. 1852"

Looks like he was also a 5 star hypocrite:

"The journalist and editor Robert Shelton Mackenzie said in his "Noctes Ambrosianæ" of 1854 that Sterne was "so infamous [in] his private character, that when he entered the pulpit to preach in York Minster, of which he was a prebend, many of the congregation rose from their seats and left the cathedral." "

[MythicalMarian]

I've just been having a quick look at biographies of this "Great Man". One gives a possible reason for him going to America in 1852:

"official assignee in commissioner Skirrow's bankruptcy court, Manchester, dismissed from office 25 Oct. 1852"

Yep - that was another thing that helped to identify him, as that is his occupation on his marriage certificate to Harriett.



Looks like he was also a 5 star hypocrite:

"The journalist and editor Robert Shelton Mackenzie said in his "Noctes Ambrosianæ" of 1854 that Sterne was "so infamous [in] his private character, that when he entered the pulpit to preach in York Minster, of which he was a prebend, many of the congregation rose from their seats and left the cathedral." "

I know - doesn't it make you want to spit! I've been reading a few of his little comments on others. Glass houses and stones abound.

As to the suggestions for 'getting this out there', I have just sent a contact message to the only member of Ancestry who has him in a tree (and who erroneously has Violet as a daughter of Robert's second wife, with no mention of Harriett, of course), asking if he/she is interested in finding out more. I haven't worked out how the person may be related to him, though, so it may not be of interest to him/her.

Wikipedia is a good idea too. I'll get the old brain churning...

[MythicalMarian]

Ooh, just to add - I've found a postcard with a photo of him from 1879 on someone's private blogspot - better not post any links, but Harriett was well shut of him! :D

I'll see if I can contact the owner, but I think he was just collecting postcards from the era.

[Wirral]

I wonder if someone like Ian Hislop would be interested?

[AnnB]

I see this scoundrel has an entry in the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. It isn't terribly informative - but the publishers do amend entries when new facts come to light. From their web site:-

Updating existing Oxford DNB content

Biographies already in the Oxford DNB are updated as new information comes to light.


Amendments and additions are made as part of every release, which means the dictionary remains in step with new work and resources. Between September 2004 and October 2009, the Oxford DNB's editors have:

added more than 600 new items of core biographical information (place or date of birth, marriage, death etc.) to articles
made 6000 additions and corrections across the Oxford DNB's 57,045 articles and estimated 10 million factual statements
Why not give it a shot ;)

Best wishes
Ann

[MythicalMarian]

I may try that Ann. I may well send a tentative e-mail enquiry to start with.

Ian Hislop is also another avenue, Wirral - thank you.

I have also heard back today from the lady on A* who has him in her tree, and she had heard nothing about this bigamous marriage and was fully of the belief that Violet May was his child with Adelaide. He's not a blood relation to her (she is doing a one-name study of Powell, which apparently was the name of his grandmother - I haven't yet checked this out) but she is anxious to learn more to add a bit of juice. I may well share info with her, as the more people who get to know about his misdeeds and duplicate them all over the place, the better it will be. :)

I shall kepp you all informed.

[pipsqueak]

That's a very interesting story - it just goes to show how little we know. Anyway, thanks to you and your divorce story, I 'searched' a name which has been causing me some puzzlement and lo and behold, a divorce paper came up for him too - I hope it will help to clear up some of my unanswered questions too. I just wish it would hurry up and get here!

[MythicalMarian]

Well, the plot is thickening a bit here. I have been tracing Harriett and Robert's daughter Violet May Mackenzie and there is no doubt that she was left behind with her father in the States. I have traced her down through the US censuses now to 1910! She never married. But in 1925 I find her and her step-sister Marion Mackenzie sailing into England for a very short stay on the Dreadnought, and then going back out to New York again a couple of weeks later on the Ohio (I think it was, off the top of my head - haven't got the scan in front of me just at this mo)

I need to get to the bottom of just why Harriett would leave her daughter in the clutches of Robert if he was such a devil! After Robert's death, I find Violet still living with widowed Adelaide and she states quite clearly that Violet is her step-daughter. It's not as if Harriett was short of money herself - her family were very comfortable and her father was providing for her, so I'm sure she wouldn't have found little Violet a burden.

Why is it, folks, that whenever we uncover a new doc, it opens up a whole new can of worms and makes even more work for us? :) Ah...don't we just love it!

[Wirral]

I've just found a mother & son who both divorced. In the mother's case, her brother-in-law was the co-respondent. They didn't marry until nearly 20 years later - the same quarter as the husband/brother died!

Harriett may have had no choice in leaving Violet with her husband. In the 19thC a child would have been the "property" of the father, not the mother.

[MythicalMarian]

I've just found a mother & son who both divorced. In the mother's case, her brother-in-law was the co-respondent. They didn't marry until nearly 20 years later - the same quarter as the husband/brother died!

Harriett may have had no choice in leaving Violet with her husband. In the 19thC a child would have been the "property" of the father, not the mother.

Fair comment, Wirral - I wasn't thinking of that. Custody of Violet wasn't mentioned in the divorce, but then - as you say - in those days it perhaps wasn't the issue it is today. Harriett also stayed only five weeks in the States when she went out there, so perhaps she thought the journey too much for little Violet to go home again - who knows. I've found them both going out there, but so far can't find the passenger list for Harriett's return. I'll keep digging.

[Wirral]

I've found them both going out there, but so far can't find the passenger list for Harriett's return.
The UK incoming passenger list doesn't start until 1878.

[MythicalMarian]

The UK incoming passenger list doesn't start until 1878.

Ah - thanks for that, Wirrall - saves me beating my brains out...

[sue2white]

Wow! This is really interesting!
I shall keep an eye on what you find out!!
I can't wait to find a black sheep like this in my family!!!

Sue |nutkick|