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"I have some confusion over Mary’s twin. She seems to be called Martha or Katherine or Catherine."
Go to the GRO and check out the year 1838. Registration district 19.
MMN Cooper.
1841 census..... check out Family Search for Glossop
1851 census Glossop.
1856 March qtr John Dunkerley & Mary Bray married Reg Aston 8d 510.
1861 census Herbert Domcaly (Dunkerley) aged 4 a Boarder born Hyde Cheshire.
Birth registered Stockport 8a 12 March qtr 1857.
1871 census
46 Hunsley St (Grimesthorpe) Sheffield.
Charles Hall h.m. 34 Machinist born Glossop Dbys.
Mary wife aged 33 shop keeper born Glossop
Herbert son aged 14 App born Hyde Cheshire.
(The reason I had thought Charles had been married prior to his marriage to Mary).
Wilfred son aged 8 born Glossop.
/
Thomas Bray 36 Boarder Lab in Iron Works born Glossop. (Mary's brother).
The 1881 marriage took place at Sheffield Parish Church.
Elaine.
Thankyou for your hard work however I do have the information you found. I also have John and Mary’s marriage certificate which states that he is of age and his father is Daniel Dunkerley. John does seem to disappear though and cannot be found after his marriage in 1856. I believe I have found their son Herbert in 1861 under Herbert Domcaly , boarder.
I hadn’t considered that the marriage might be illegal on Mary’s part but wondered if it has ever been known for thd Vicar or registrar to have unknowingly been performing marriages?
Louise
Louise
On the 1856 marriage of John Dunkerley to Mary Bray, what is john's occupation please?
Dave
He is a millwright
Louise, thanks for the occupation. Sorry I should also have asked for his address at the time of the marriage in 1856 please.
Are you aware of the following two newspaper articles in 1862
Huddersfield Chronicle August 16th
Glossop Record Nov 1st
In the first a John Dunkerley of Quickwood near Mossley was found guilty of assaulting his wife
and sentenced to 14 days at Wakefield house of correction.
In the second, quite a long article, a young woman called Ann Davies is found guilty of stealing clothing (including a baby jacket) from the house of John Dunkerley, Glossop. On reading the full article it is clear that although it was the house of John Dunkerley, he was not there. His wife MARY Dunkerley was the person showing kindness to Ann Davies and providing her with a bed for the night, and it was she (Mary Dunkerley)who chased the accused (about 6am) and brought her to court.
Food for thought
Dave
The address given is just Ashton. They are married at Ashton Under Lyne.
Thd newspaper articles are interesting. Mary was born in Glossop and her son Herbert is a boarder there in 1861. Thankyou for that. I don't have access to newspaper reports or censuses at this point. I'm getting nearly all of my information from Sheffield Indexers.
Dave, just discovered that Mossley is in Ashton Under Lyne. The plot thickens
Louise
Oops
Major rethink needed.
If you follow John Dunkerley's family in the censuses you find his parents (Daniel and Mary, both born 1814) and his brother William (b 1842 Stockport) in 1861.
It looks like mother Mary died 1865 (Ashton) and Father Daniel 1867 (stockport).
Brother William married in Ashton Q2 1865 (father name Daniel) but his wife Mary Ann (nee Barber) (21) died in Stockport Q1 1866. William (widower) re married in Stockport Q4 1866 (father Daniel)to Mary Ann Sale. A witness at that wedding (on FMP) was JOHN DUNKERLEY. That would seem to indicate that John Dunkerley did not abscond, at least not before Q4 1866.!!!!!
Dave
Louise, getting back to your original question, I now believe that there is a perfectly logical explanation for the double marriage, 12 years apart, of Charles Hall(bachelor) to Mary Dunkerley (widow).
It is clear that at the second marriage the couple are behaving as if they at least believe, and probably know, that their first marriage was null and void.
We now have strong indications (newspaper items) that in 1862 Mary was not with her first husband John Dunkerley and possibly he served time for assaulting her. We know that a John Dunkerley was witness at brother William’s 1866 marriage so presumably he was alive and known to his (estranged) wife then. Therefore, under the 1861 Act of Offences against the Person, the marriage of 1869 must have been bigamous on Mary’s part.
It was a new, complex law, and these were not very literate people. It was an easy mistake to make,. We do not know how, when and by whom she was made aware of the problem. Perhaps she served a penalty for the felony, perhaps the courts were lenient and let her off because it was an understandable, unwitting error. Regardless of that the marriage would, in law, be null and void, and she would be unable to re-marry until she became John Dunkerley’s widow.
I can find no registered death (Free BMD) in England and Wales between 1866 and 1881 of a person under the name of John Dunk*y and of the right age ie born 1836
It is unfortunate that Mary, John and Charles are not to be found on the 1861 census, and there is no further positive sighting alive of John thereafter.
There is hope that some light could be shed on this with the 1861 birth cert of Wilfred Dunkerley.
I have to say that when Herbert Hall Dunkerley married in 1876 I would have expected him to name his father as John Dunkerley (he was birth registered in 1857 as John’s son) but strangely he named his father as Charles Hall Dunkerley
I hope this all makes sense.
Dave
Hi Dave T,
If you or anyone has full access to UK Census On Line, there is a record for 1861 for a JOHN DUNKERLEY aged 25 (1836) Occ: Winder in a cotton factory in Lancashire.
HAPPY HUNTING :sleuth_or_spy:" target="_blank"> hope it works.
HAPPY HUNTING :sleuth_or_spy:" target="_blank">www.ukcensusonline.com hope it works.
HAPPY HUNTING :sleuth_or_spy:
OOPS. that did not work.
Thankyou everyone for your help on this. It is certainly a mystery. I dont have access to any censuses, only info that I can find free online. I wonder if Herbert was brought up as a Hall but wanted to be true to his actual surname so called himself Herbert Hall Dunkerley. As he was the last of the Dunkerleys born in that family it has meant that the family name carried on and multiplied.
I originally wondered if he might have gone abroad as many did at that time. Perhaps they lost contact with him and he was presumed dead.
Wendy, Thanks. Found it (in Oldham). He was married with a wife Elizabeth (nee Taylor) and 2yr old son James. He was also born in the wrong place (Saddleworth).
Dave
There is a very convenient death in Kings Ward, Brooklyn, New York in Sept 1879.
He died of Consumtpion. He was an Engineer, 42 (ie b abt 1837), married. His birth place (and those of his parents) given as England. He had lived there for 10 years.
So he arrived in Kings Ward Brooklyn about 1869 and he died in late 1879.
If he is correct that death would release Mary Dunkerley to marry Charles Hall in 1881.
Can anyone find him in USA please? Maybe 1870 census?
Dave
No edit function
Sorry should have said that death was a John Dunkerley
Dave
Possible find in USA in 1870 (on FMP) John Dunkeley aged 29 an Engineer born in England with a wife and 8 month old son.
Dave do you think it is our man?
I also have z John Dunkerley in the 69th Foot. Died in 1869 . Chelsea Hospital admissions
The John Dunkerley who died Chelsea in 1869 was 72 yrs old.
Dave
I will try to find it again and email it you
Dave, email sent. John
John, brilliant thank you. That closes the loop.
It's in Brooklyn, NYC and the 8 month old child is DAN born in NYC. Note that the John we are looking for was born 1836 in Stockport and his Father was DANIEL, who had recently died.(Q1 1867 Stockport)
So we can now place John Dunkerley at his brothers marriage on December 24 1866 in Prestwich. BY January 1870 he is in Brooklyn NYC because son Dan is born there to English born *wife*, Mary. Presumably they did not marry in England (that would be bigamy). Maybe they married In NYC , maybe they did not marry.
He dies in Brooklyn in Sept 1879 having lived there since 1869, allowing His widow, Mary nee Bray to finally and legally marry Charles Hall in England, which they did in 1881.
It has been a fascinating problem and it all fits together perfectly
End of story.
Dave
Wilfred’s birth certificate is ordered so we’ll see what that shows us. Meanwhile I have found a burial for a Daniel P Dunkerley, born 1869 Brooklyn , New York. Died 1928 and buried New Rochelle , New York. He was a Spanish American war soldier Sgt , 2nd marine corps. Enlisted Apr 1898
Louise, thanks. Great find. I assume you have followed the links to the various censuses for Daniel, 1875 and 1880 in particular. There is confusion over his mothers name and age and his 2 younger sisters are in 1875 but missing in 1880.
You have a whole new world to explore
looking forward to seeing what you find about Wilfred's birth.
Dave
Hi All,
There is a possible marriage in Stepney, Middlesex/London/England on BMD
JOHN DUNKERLEY M:1869 SEPT.QTR
TO
MARION PEERS
OR
ELIZABETH WISHART
Some Trees on Family Search Have son Daniel as DANIEL PEERCE (+variations)DUNKERLEY
Happy Hunting:sleuth_or_spy:
Great find Wendy. I guessed wrong again: John DID commit bigamy in England. But he did it a long way from home in Stepney in Q3 1869, as they were about to leave for USA (because on 20 May 1870 just 8 to 11 months later Daniel P Dunkerley was born in Brooklyn. Clearly John was not going to be caught for his felony.
Daniel was baptised Daniel PEERS Dunkerley at Trinity Church Brooklyn 20th June 1870.
In the 1875 NY State Census at 94 10th Street Brooklyn John (36??) and MARION (22??) have children Daniel 5, Harriet 4 and Mary 2, all 3 born NYC.
In the 1880 Federal Census there is a strange entry (John died the year before)
Mary (29) and Daniel (10) are living with 3 Irish born Kelly siblings (ages 35 to 40) on 4th Street and Mary (Marion) is said to be their sister and Daniel their brother. No sign of Harriet or young Mary, who would have been 9 and 7.
US censuses can be just as confusing as ours!!
Dave
Wilfred’s birth certificate hasn’t revealed anything new. He was born in Hayfield Glossop on 20 th July 1861. Mothers name Mary Dunkerly . Fathers name left blank.
Presume it was Mary that registered the birth.
Louise,
What was Mary's address Please?
I think it clearly says that John Dunkerley was not the father.
Dave
Yes Mary registered the birth. It just says Mary Dunkerley mother . Glossop. No maiden name or actual address. I’m guessing he is the son of Charles Hall !
Louise, that is a shame. There is usually an address on birth cert. Does it not give an address for place of birth?
Dave