Hi ,
Hoping that someone can shed some light for me please . Sarah Hutton was my GGGrandmother , she was married to Thomas Hutton 1850-1923 . Sarah was Thomas’s second wife & it seems they must have divorced around 1891 ish ? Thomas went on to marry again but Sarah I have no trace of after 1891 ? I have a photo of her at my gr aunts wedding in June of 1942 . She had 5 children with Thomas , 2 died during the 1880’s . I have Sarah in an asylum for 2 years 1886-1888 , I am assuming that she was suffering from post natal depression , as this was 6 months after my Gr granddad was born . I then have the children with their grandparents, Thomas lodging with the family who’s ,after daughter he later went on to marry & Sarah as a servant for a widower. There was another son Harry who was Thomas’s to his 1st wife Mary . I can find all of them but I cannot find Sarah after 1891 ? I have tried to search to see if she remarried but i am totally stuck ! Does anyone have any ideas please ?


Thanks Nikki

According to GROIndex there was a birth registration of Edith Hutton mmn Littlewood in 1892 in Worksop. Edith died in 1892..there were 5 earlierHutton birth registrations mmn Littlewood in Chesterfield and Worksop.
Is this the correct family?
Dave

Hi Nikki,

Do you have Sarah Littlewood birth cert?

I am not finding her on FreeBMD as being born in the Sheffield area in 1858.

I am also not finding her on Ancestry with husband in any census.
The marriage took place March qtr Sheffield 9c 554 1875.

Divorce would have been out of question unless they were very wealthy. Many believed if they were separated/abandoned for 7yrs They could re marry.

Elaine in Florida

Hi Nikki,

On the entry for the South Yorkshire Asylum, Middlewood Hospital,the cause of insanity is given as 'Religious Mania'. When Sarah was discharged on the 4 February 1888, she was
said to be recovered, but I wonder if she entered some sort of ecclesiastical
community after leaving the hospital.

Moira.

Hi Moira ,

Yes that’s what it says religious mania . I wasn’t sure if she had a bit of post natal depression because my gr grandad was only 6 months old . When she came out , her father passed away and then her daughter died . I am assuming that she still suffered with depression and then her and Thomas separate?
Thomas went on to marry Harriet Robinson , he was lodging with this family in 1891 and I think I’ve found Sarah las a servant to Thomas Boden in 1891 . The children are with their grandparents, John & Mary Hutton .
Sarah was born at coal Aston , her father was named Ezra . She married Thomas 07/01/1875 at St. John the park she was 18yrs old .

I have a photo of her and with me not being able to trace her , I just wondered if she remarried?

Hi Dave ,
Sarah was born at coal Aston to Ezra littlewood and Ann key .
She had a sister Maria . I’ve not found her living anywhere other than coal Aston / beighton / intake road .
Thanks. Nikki

Hi Elaine ,
No I don’t have her birth certificate, all I have is a photo of her marriage certificate and the census up until 1891 . I’ve had so much trouble finding her , I don’t know if I will ever work it out ! They probably did separate and not divorce because Thomas remarried in 1901 to Harriet Robinson around 10 yrs later . I even looked to see if she married Thomas boden who I have her living with in 1891 but he stayed widowed .

I can’t understand why there’s nothing either ? Thank you for looking

Nikki

Nikki, what was your G grandfather name please?
Dave

Hi Dave ,
He was called John 11/11/1885- 1943 . He had 2 other brothers , Thomas Ezra and Fred and a half brother Harry . His sister died in 1888 and he had a brother Arthur that had passed away earlier . I found a newspaper clipping about Sarah’s son ,Thomas & his wife lily . She killed herself with a butchers knife in1923 ! I checked the census thinking that she may have lived with him after Lily’s death but nothing ! Can’t find her anywhere . I look at her picture and she has such a kind but very worn face and I just want to put the pieces together as much as I can . I checked the GRO and couldn’t find a thing that could relate to her . Cheers for looking Dave, I appreciate any help that’s given

Nikki,
your info on g grandfather John William Hutton and his brothers and sister, and half brother Harry, are all confirmed by GROIndex, the events taking place in Reg Districts Worksop and Chesterfield. In addition there is another birth, in Q4 1892 IN chesterfield, of Edith Hutton with mmn Littlewood. That must be the same family. Edith died Q3 1893.
I believe that her baptism may be available on line (FMP), but if not it may be worth getting that birth cert to confirm the mother was your Sarah and father Thomas. The death cert may also be informative.
Dave

Thank you Dave , I’ll look into getting her birth certificate and see if it reveals any more information .
It’s becoming less frustrating knowing no one else find anything on her after 1900 , I thought I was always looking in the wrong places ! I know she’s alive in 1942 but can’t find her on 1939 census?

Nikki

Nikki, are you absolutely certain of your photo ID?
We are certain that Thomas Hutton remarried in1901, and if Sarah was still alive then that was bigamy and punishable by imprisonment..
It is much more likely that she had died by then.
If Sarah had another child Edith in 1892 and that child died in 1893, it could have easily caused her to revert to her problem and perhaps be institutionalised again. There is a death of 42 yr old Sarah Hutton in 1900 in Mansfield. Exactly the right age. There was a new female wing opened in Mansfield asylum in 1900 and it was rapidly filled, and Mansfield is not very far from where they lived. That death cert should be worth buying as a PDF..
Dave
Ps it looks like Sarah Littlewoods birth reg happened in 1857 in Coal Aston. However, for some reason she was simply registered as Hutton with no first name. On GRO index that shows as Hutton - mmn Key. On Free BMD it shows as Female Hutton 1857..
In 1881 census she is recorded as born Coal Aston in 1849. That is a big discrepancy

Hi

Following on from Dave:

We know that on the 1891 census Sarah was living with the Boden family, as a domestic servant, at Sheffield Road Killamarsh - status - Married.

Edith Hutton is born in 1892 (cant see a baptism on either Ancestry or FMP) - So while Sarah is living with the Bodens (?). Edith died in 1893 aged 9 months and was buried on 22 Aug 1893. The burial record shows the address as Sheffield Road Killamarsh. So its safe to assume Edith is definitley Sarahs child and she was still living with the Bodens at the time.

So that then raises the question of who the father of Edith might be, given that Sarah must have become pregnant while living with the Bodens??

Also Nikki, do you have the marriage cert for Thomas and Harriet Robinson? When they married he married as 'Tom' rather than 'Thomas' (as he did in his marriage to Sarah). So I'm just wondering what he gave his status as?

Denise

Hi Denise , no I don’t have thomas & Harriet marriage certificate. I can’t find it , Ive gone by the 1901 & 1911 census and Thomas’s will in 1923 . On the 1911 census it says they’ve been married 10 years . Thank you all for finding Edith , I had come across her but it never occurred to me that Sarah could have been her mother because they were separated, I’m a bit shocked to think it 😱& I don’t know why because quite a few in my tree have had shotgun weddings ! Oooh the image I had of Sarah has changed haha I’ve looked at her picture and thought awww she’s had a hard life , now it seems she had quite a bit of fun !

Nikki

Denise, was Edith buried in the same place as her (half) sister Mary Ann who was buried age 8 in 1888 in Rotherham?
Dave

Dave , dont you think it’s strange how there’s no records of Sarah in the 1900’s ? I think she’s either remarried or just gone by a totally different name . I look at her picture and say come on lass , give me a bit more , she’s not made it easy !

Nikiki, have you seen my question above?
How can you be certain that the photo you have is of Sarah?
There was a death in Mansfield of a Sarah Hutton age 42 in 1900. Perfect age, and perfect timing to allow Thomas to marry in 1901. If he was going to commit bigamy, why wait for 10 years? Much more likely that Sarah died, freeing him to marry,
You should take a look at that death cert.
Do you know what happened to Harriet Hutton nee Robinson?. Sh was step mother to your g grandfather.from age 14.
Dave

Hi Dave , I have a couple of half cousins that knew her ,I’ve kept asking myself the same . My aunt lil who only passed away 9 yrs ago gave us the picture . It was her wedding photo and she wrote all the names on . I checked with her son & daughter that it’s definitely Sarah , her grandma ( johns mum ) . My half cousins can remember grandma Sarah and my aunt was always telling us about the family , only none of us took a lot in then ! It’s definitely johns mum .

Nikki

Dave , I did keep coming across the same information that you have . I’ve been researching her for the last 2 years . I was looking to put the picture I have of her on here but I don’t know how to ? She’s been a mystery to me ,

Thank you for taking time to look for me Dave , I’ll get the pdf and see what it says . I can’t think Thomas would have broken the law like that , not with that punishment hanging over your head ! The dates I read could be out by 5yrs because they would round up to the nearest 5 ie 17yrs could become 20yrs . I’ve no idea how true it is though or if it makes any difference?

Nikki

Dave , I think Harriet passed away before Thomas , I’ll check . I wondered whether it was Harriet in the picture , I’ve just had another look and she’s definitely got 20 odd years on John , who she’s stood next to . I’ll get the marriage certificate for Thomas & Harriet , it’s took a while but the penny’s dropped , with you saying “ see what Thomas is registered as “ !! Sorry , I’m such a drip sometimes!

Thanks guys , hopefully I’ll soon put an end to mystery
Nikki

Hearsay in families can be notoriously erroneous. I grew up thinking that I had a grandmother. She was actually my mother's stepmother, her father's third wife. . When I started my family research an elderly cousin of my mother gave me a picture of his father's wedding in 1917, and he identified a woman on it as my my grandfathers first wife, called Sarah Ann. Fortunately I knew that his first wife died in 1912, five years before the photo. I eventually identified the lady on the photo, and her name really was Sarah.
Having a spouse in asylum became grounds for divorce in the 1930s.
I find it extremely difficult to believe that Thomas committed bigamy. Generally a man doing that would disappear and start a new life somewhere. That way he may get away with bigamy, a criminal offence. No way would a man remain in the same vicinity and commit bigamy. He would be discovered and gaoled.. It is most likely that Sarah died before he married Harriet Robinson..
Dave

Nikiki, I am not sure what good it would do to post the photo, but if you send it to me, email below, I can make it visible here if I think it could be useful.
Dave

Blimey Dave , I bet that was confusing! Yeah family hearsay , on my fathers line they all believed that my gg granddad had dumped my g granddad at a farmers house and gone to New York . They did but it turns out it was New York village in Lincolnshire! My granddad actually grew up 5 miles from his birth family and never knew . I was given a newspaper clipping of an obituary where my granddad attended and his parents that had left him behind . I kept thinking , I wonder if they ever realised who each other was ? My aunt would always say how her dad was an orphan because his parents left to go to New York and they never knew his family . They were 10 miles apart in the end !

Nikki

Hi both

No Dave - Edith was buried in Killamarsh.

Nikki - I also cant see Thomas being a bigamist. When they are living separately in 1891 they both give their status correctly as 'married', when that would have been a good opportunity to declare themselves as single/widowed.

And at that point Thomas is lodging with Harriet and her family so presumably she knows hes married (or did she?).

I'm just wondering why Thomas becomes 'Tom' when he marries Harriet (when hes always been Thomas on everything else). Obviously its not as if hes changed his name completely (to hide something) - so knowing what he gave as his status at his marriage may help (but obviously people were also often economical with the truth on their marriage certs as well)!


Denise

Hi both

So, i've followed the Thomas Boden trail.

In 1901 Thomas has moved to Pleasley Vale nr Mansfield. Still a widower and still living with some of his children but with a new servant called Ruth.

Dave found the death of a Sarah Hutton aged 42 in Mansfield in 1900.

I've found a 2nd entry - but this time under Derbyshire Registration - same details Sarah Hutton aged 42, died 1900 - but place is given as Pleasley!! (right up against the Derbyshire/Nottingahmshire border) - (cant find any burial record yet)

So I think this is Sarah - who stayed living with Thomas Boden (was Thomas the father of Edith then??) until her death.

Thomas Hutton would then have been free to marry Harriet Robinson in 1901!!

Which now only leaves the mystery of whos in the photo??

Denise

Denise, brilliant. All coming together.
Was Harriet Robinson born in 1861?. There is a death in Sheffield for Harriet Hutton in 1953 age 92.
Dave

Hi Dave

Thanks! Looking at the census her birth is abt 1868 - so that could be her?

Denise

I saw that too Denise , Thomas changing to Tom ? I am leaning more to it being Harriet now .

Nikki

Wow , brilliant thanks guys . It’s an ending I’ve been trying find for years & it was always because of the photo , that I dismissed that Sarah . The lady on the pic is stood next to the brides father , I don’t suppose I’ll ever properly find out who she is now or where to put her on the tree ! I reckon it’s most likely Harriet now .
You guys are amazing, Thankyou

Nikki

Hi

I am not sure if you already know this.

Between 1858 and 1927 almost all divorce files survive. Between 1928 and 1937, the 80% of suits that were filed in the Central Registry are in J 77. The 20% of suits that were filed in the new district registries were destroyed (they are not indexed by J 78). After 1938, very few survive
The index is available online.
Many files contain marriage certificates. Later files (after 1938) may contain photographs.

I have accessed these files at Kew and the information was all there from the court case.

This should confirm that no divorce took place.

https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C9685

Angela

Nikiki,
The Harriet Hutton who died Shefield aged 92 in 1954 is definitely not the one you are looking for. Her burial is on this site over to the left and she was a spinster.
There is a good match for the correct Harriet as follows
Harriet Hutton married James C Mallender in Worksop 1925 That is 2 years after the death of Thomas Hurron.
James C Mallender died 1937 Rotherham age 67 and Harriet Mallender died 1943 Rother Valley age 75. Ie born 1868
Dave
Ps, thank you Angela for that very useful link. It has been filed for future reference.

Hi Dave ,

I’ll have a look at that , I’ve ordered Thomas & Harriet marriage certificate and Sarah’s death . I was wondering how Harriet survived on her own for 30 yrs now it seems she may have remarried. I didn’t think that she’d lived into the 50’s because my uncles can’t remember her being around when they were growing up .

Nikki

Hi Angela ,
Thanks for that . I had already had a look for a divorce but not being able to find one , I began to doubt that I’d even got the right people . Understanding & knowing a bit more now thanks to all you lovely people .

Nikki

Hi Dave , Elaine , Denise , Moira ,

It seems Daves intuition was right ! The lady I have a photo of is Harriet ( nee Robinson , nee Hutton ) she did marry James Cooper mallender. Thanks to you all putting it together for me , I now have a picture of James & I have been chatting with his gg granddaughter a family !
Thanks guys you are all fab !