Caroline Caswell or Lankshear or Townsend
Who is she - For the census of 1881 1891 Thomas Sylvester Lankshear's wife was Caroline
Thomas married Caroline Townsend in 1870 and her name appears on census and also birth certificates from 1890 up to Edwin (my father) born in 1900. As she was born in 1850 in Colan St Columb Cornwall that means she was 50 and already had several children.
In 1901 census Thomas is married to Elizabeth - family information is that she was Elizabeth Sarah Skeggs. My mother left me notes that dad's mother was Elizabeth Sarah formerly Caroline - I did not understand what was meant - it sounds like she changed names. Dad always called her Mum and to me she was Gran.
Now Janette (my cousin - granddaughter of Dad's sister) has found a Caroline wife of Clement Caswell. But with children of the name of Lankshear. This Caroline is also from St Columb and of an age for birth in 1850.
1891 Caswell household
- this includes Patty who in 1881 was shown as child of Thomas- Flora was with Thomas in 1881 - she was 19 in 1891 is not in either house
- maybe working
(Another Interesting point: One of the four lodgers in 1891 census was Edwin Brown who could be Janette's Gt. Grandfather who was just married at the time but not with his new wife on the census)
1901 Caswell Household
- otherwise the other child are Ada (unknown previously) and George Henry
who was probably born 1882 - and we did know of him as he was included in gedcom
we received from a Lankshear researcher in 1970s. But he was not at the Thomas
house in 1891 he was at Caswell's. BUT a Caroline wife is shown in both places.
1881 Clement Caswell is not with Caroline but lives in Camberwell
1923 Caroline Caswill death Brentford 3a 200 March 1923
1923 Thomas Sylvester Lankshear marriage to Elizabeth Sarah Skeggs
Final Thoughts
Extremely difficult. Possible children of Thomas are Flora, Patty, George
as per gedcom from 1970s. Ada was not on gedcom but she does look
like a child of Caroline and Thomas but then Dorothy Caswell LANKSHEAR is either
Clement and
Caroline or could it be he was a big friend of family (hmmm) of course Caswell
is also the Lankshear farm from 18th century - but would Thomas know that. So I
guess Caroline left Thomas after 1886 BUT then who was the Caroline with
Thomas in 1891 - her age is shown as 30 should be 41 and birth at Rotherhithe
not Cornwall. In 1901 Elizabeth is 38 (born 1862) but shown as Southwark not
Canada although it is a ditto.....so could be enumerator mess up.
But 1891 is real confused.
Now all births show Caroline Townsend as mother whereas she was living with Clement. Could Thomas have married another Caroline Townsend or was the name being used by Elizabeth, They moved so many times in this time - I was thinking to a bigger place with expanding family. BUT maybe they were using Caroline name for some reason. I just don't understand. This sounds strange but I am trying to interpret the facts as far as I know them. I guess Thomas registered the births and as official used name of his formal wife.
Additionally if Cornish Caroline Townsend born 1850 was the mother that means she had five children from the age of 39 to 50 when I am told at that time fertility was low almost non existent for woman past 40. She had three (or four) from 23 to 39. Looking at a possible divorce PROCAT has a comment re from 1858 but that was not really applicable to all classes until 1920s.
And then Thomas married Elizabeth in 1923