Barbara and Robert Wilson mystery

[kcapes]

Hello everyone
I would be grateful for opinions on this one.
Robert born 1856ish Stockton on Tees to Robert and Elizabeth, he was a Slater as was his father.
1871
Robert with parents in Swinton York.
He married Eliza Firkin Butcher 30th July 1876 Rotherham cert says he is 20
1881
Robert 24 Eliza 25 Horace 2 Charlie 6mths, living with Harriet Butcher mother Eastwood Lane Rotherham.
Now this is where the first bit of confusion comes in.
1891
William 28 ? Eliza 34 Horace 12 Charlie 10 Ethel 3 (my husbands Grandmother) Lily under a year who I think died, Harriet (mother) still there plus Phoebe Ward 11 visitor James Shaw 39 lodger. St Anns Road Rotherham.
Second bit of confusion
1901
Lizzie (Eliza) 45 Barbara 15 Ethel 13 Charles 3 g/son Harriet 80.
My questions are why is Robert now William and only aged 4 years in 10 Barbara has popped up, have found her in 1891 as an adopted child to John and Fanny Robinson. I must just add Robert had a brother William.
Any help would be great.
Kim

[Jan1954]

Hello Kim,

I am wondering if William was Robert's brother, living with the family to help out and misrecorded somehow. Have you followed William in the previous/later censuses?

By the way, I did find this death registration:

September quarter 1886
Rotherham District
Robert Wilson aged 30
volume 9c
page 370

[kcapes]

Hello Jan
Thanks for the death entry. He could be there helping but someone was Ethel and Lily father. I can't find William anywhere else in 91.

[Jan1954]

Have you a copy of Ethel's birth certificate?

December quarter 1887, volume 9c, page 618

[kcapes]

Hi Jan
I have got her birth cert and I've just dug it out not looked at it for years and guess what her fathers name is William!. Now I've always assumed he used both Robert and William it's not unheard of, so looked for a death 1891-1901 until I found Barbara and started digging again. I suppose I need to order one of the other children certs and Roberts death cert.
Kim

[Jan1954]

Aha!

A bit of a theory....

Maybe, Robert died (the certificate should tell you if it is the right one) and William stepped in to help look after his brother's widow. However, he looked after her rather better than he should have done, and Ethel and Lily appear.

Have you searched for a marriage of William and Eliza?

It may well be that, as Eliza had the same surname, they did not bother with such formalities. I wonder what Harriet thought of it all....

Mind you, this is only a theory and Robert/William could well be one and the same.

[kcapes]

Hi Jan
Well it may only be our theory but I think we may be onto something, I've just ordered Barbara's birth and Robert's death. it still does'nt account for why Barbara was adopted out then pops up again.
Kim

[Jan1954]

That Barbara is most odd.

Let us know how the certificates go. Good luck!

[kcapes]

Hello Jan
Have recieved certs and we were right, Robert was Barbara's father born 6th August 1885, he died 13th Sept 1886. Ethel born 24th Sept 1887 and William is named on her cert.
Eliza did'nt waste much time did she, you were right of course he was comforting his brothers widow a little to well, so Barbara poor child is adopted out because Robert dies then she has another baby (very sensible) not to mention she already had Horace 80 and Charlie 81 It just goes to show how easy it is to be mis-lead, all because I assumed Robert died later than he did and was using another name. I've been doing this for over twenty years so newbies be warned.
It's a good job they were brothers I've not got very far with Robert's family if I had it would be useless, now to find out what happened to William.
Thanks for your help with this
Kim