John Harvey STARES

[wimsey]

I can't work this out, but perhaps there's nothing to work out.

John Harvey STARES, born Droxford, Hampshire 1865, married 1899 in Malling, Kent - Rosa May PENTON, with whom he had three sons: John Penton Stares, born 1900, Harold Percy Stares born 1903 and William Frank Stares born 1905. Those three are all in the GRO Index, mother's maiden name PENTON. Unfortunately Rosa dies in Droxford 1906 - death index 2c/89

My problem is the 1911 census - district Droxford, district no. 104, "ED" 5, Household schedule 112, piece 6149:-

John H Stares 46 with sons Harold 7 and William 5 (son John is away at school on another census). Wife of John H Stares - Helena J Stares, 35 - to whom John has apparently been married for 12 years. If Rosa had still been alive she would have been his wife for 12 years, but who is Helena ?

[fullscott]

Q1 1907 Southampton - John Harvey STARES & Helena Juliet DARKINS
Source: freebmd

When someone asks you "How long have you been married?", you don't necessarily think "which wife does he mean?" ... perhaps John H just assumed he meant "How long have you been a married man?"
A bit like the old joke ...

Jane

[wimsey]

oh thanks very much, why didn't I find that marriage ? - maybe I never even thought to look. I obviously didn't put two and two together because I had already seen Helena on the 1939 register with members of the Darkins family. Silly me.

[wimsey]

looks like Helena died Winchester district 1948 as Juliet Helena Stares.

[wimsey]

Helena Juliet DARKINS is rather elusive before her marriage to John H Stares. The 1911 census says she was born about 1876 in Lowestoft. I can't find a birth registration for her. I guess she might have been a widow at the time of the 1907 marriage. On the 1939 register we have her exact date of birth in October 1874 and she is with Sarah E Darkins and James M Darkins. I believe these are Sarah Elizabeth (born 1857) and James Milligan (born 1868), children of John and Hepzibeth Darkins of Suffolk.

John and Hepzibeth also had a daughter Hepzibeth Julia Darkins born 4Q 1874, so I'm now wondering if Hepzibeth Julia and Helena Juliet might be the same person.

[christanel]

John and Hepzibeth also had a daughter Hepzibeth Julia Darkins born 4Q 1874, so I'm now wondering if Hepzibeth Julia and Helena Juliet might be the same person.

I hadn't read this part of your post when I found Hepzibeth's birth reg and came to the conclusion that she could quite possibly have changed her first names. Have you followed Hepzibeth through the censuses? I can only see her birth reg and baptism doing a quick search.

Christina

[wimsey]

I have her on the 1881 and 1891, on the latter I think her name is shortened (or misheard ?) as "Happy" J Darkins, a kitchenmaid at Thorpe St Andrew, Norfolk.

1891 - district Blofield, "ED" 1; piece 1538; folio 17

The Hepsibeth Darkins who died 1913 is her mother. Ancestry have a "Midwives Roll" with a Hepsibeth Juliana Darkins from Ashby, Lowestoft, enrolled 1904, date of record 1910 - which I don't really want if I think she is Helena Juliet marrying in 1907. I don't see her on a 1901 census.

On the 1911 census John Darkins says he had 12 children of which 3 had died. I can account for all 12 if I don't add Helena Juliet as a separate person to Hepsibeth Julia. I'm not sure at the moment which are the three that had died.

The family name is mistranscribed DORKINS on the 1881

district Mutford; ED 19; piece 1905; folio 113; page 14