For certain I know that my great grandfather, Charles Edwin Chesworth (1892-1971) was illegitimate. On his birth certificate no father is named, and also no father is named on his marriage certificate. I am guessing it would be now very unlikely to find out who his father was?
Anyway, my main mystery is where he was between 1892 and his marriage in 1915 - as he does not appear on the 1901 or 1911 census. His mother, Julia Chesworth, was only 16 or 17 when he was born (she was working as a live in domestic servant). I have found her in 1901 but he is not with her. He is also not with his Chesworth grandparents (his grandfather was a farm labourer) or uncles and aunts - most of who lived in the Norbury area in Cheshire.
I do have his obituary but this only states "A native of Wrenbury, he came to Crewe at a early age and worked for the railway company for 51 years." As to his names his mother's father was called Charles and her brother Edwin. On his 1915 marriage certificate it provided an address, but in 1911 another family was living at this address.
So I was just wondering if anybody had any ideas about why he is not on the 1901 or 1911 census?
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Thread: Charles Edwin Chesworth
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25-06-2009, 4:58 PM #1
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Charles Edwin Chesworth
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25-06-2009, 7:34 PM #2
On the 1901 census, there is an Edward Chesworth age 9, born Norbury, Cheshire, a nurse child with a family in Shrophire (Administrative County), Civil Parish - Whitchurch. Also there, is another nurse child William Chesworth age 5, also born Norbury. RG13; Piece 2556; Folio 28; Page 8
If I am looking at the correct entry for Julia Chesworth (Bradley Green Farm), the Administrative County on the original census form was Shrophshire which is crossed out and Cheshire then written.
I think Whitchurch spans the two Counties (Cheshire and Shropshire), so maybe Julia placed her son with a family not too far from where she was working - and maybe William is another child of hers? Just guessing, of course, especially as the eldest boy is down as Edward.
Jellylegs
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25-06-2009, 8:43 PM #3
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Have you found the marriage of Julia Chesworth to James Hayward in 1904?
at Marbury, St. Michael (from CheshireBMD). FreeBMD: Mar 1904, Whitchurch S. , 6a, 1027.
Perhaps Charles is with her in 1911, listed under her married name?
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25-06-2009, 8:54 PM #4
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Many many thanks, that does appear to fit in extremely well. Family legend always said that he came from Whitchurch so that bit ties in. I found the same family located in Crewe in 1911 - only difference being that the husband of the household had perhaps died and the wife had remarried. "Edward" Chesworth was working on the railways in 1911, so again that fits. Edward and William are listed as being "cousins" to the family by 1911 as well.
I am curious as to why he was renamed as Edward and then reverted back to his birth forenames when he got married. Is this usual? I am wondering because he also gave his son the middle name of Edwin. Would the adoptive family have renamed him? I am also guessing that William Chesworth is not an accurate name either? It was always assumed that my great grandfather had no relatives, certainly nobody knew about the rather large family that his mother came from, although the Alice who the daughter of the adoptive family sounds familiar to a living family relative.
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25-06-2009, 9:17 PM #5
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She does not appear to be on the 1911 census. One thing that I am sure of is that she was unknown to her grandchildren via Charles - they were born in 1917 and 1922. So I assume he never spoke about her, or that perhaps she had died by then or had nothing to do with him. As to his father, I think that might forever remain unknown. Indeed it was only recently that we actually discovered that he had been illegitimate, everybody had just assumed that his parents had died young or something like that.
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21-05-2020, 1:57 PM #6
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