John Trewhella (1841) of Illogan

[Cornish Terrier]

As from my earlier post on the 'murdered William Trewhella' I have decided to create a new thread for this particular fella.

Another problem that has been annoying me for years and I found something tonight, quite accidentally, whilst checking information on the 'murder victim'.

The background:-

James TREWELLA m. Catherine PIDWELL at Illogan 8th February 1831.

James died in Cornwall in 1856 and Catherine was buried at Illogan 22nd February 1874.

James and Catherine had 14 children for whom I am missing only the death/burial details of two. (Don't have complete details on them all as yet.)

It seems that most of the children emigrated to New Zealand with a couple coming to Australia (and also a combination of both).

First son James was buried at Illogan in 1850 aged 19.
Third son Thomas was baptised at Illogan in 1835 but I have not found a burial for him.
Then there was daughter Nanny bp. 1836 - nothing more known.
Daughter Jane was baptised and buried at Illogan in 1846.
Another daughter Jane was born in 1851 and then buried at Illogan in 1863.

Now to try and fill in some gaps.

Son William (bp. 1833 at Illogan) died at Hill End, NSW, Australia in 1904 at the age of 71 - apparently unmarried.

Son Thomas (bp. 1835) arrived in Victoria in 1866 aboard the 'Western Ocean' and appears to have died soon afterwards.
The Death Certificate was of not much help as the informant was not able to supply details of his parents - however I believe it is the same person.)

Daughter Elizabeth married Josiah George in Auckland NZ in 1877 and died at Thames, NZ in 1893.

But she had a son named James Trewhella who was born in 1862 at the Redruth Union Workhouse.

There are no known children to Elizabeth and Josiah.

Elizabeth died at Thames, NZ in 1893 and her age was given as 50 but I have found nothing to suggest any other connection but to the family of James and Catherine which means she was actually 55 when she died.

This from memory (need to check the Certificates) was the Elizabeth whose son James was named in one Certificate as son of James Trewhella and 'Elizabeth Pidwell' - but I have since prived that to be incorrect.

JOHN PIDWELL TREWHELLA - see later

Joseph (1842) married Minnie Williams in 1871 and went to NZ where he had five children but he and his family returned to the UK where Joseph died in 1899 at Plymouth, Devon. (See references on the Joseph Trewhella Thread.)

Catherine married James FLEMING at Lyttleton, NZ and died in NZ in 1924.

Matthew was born at Illogan in 1848 and died at Thames, NZ in 1915

Emmaline Marion was born in 1855 and baptised in 1868 at Illogan.
She married Stephen Catran at Thames in 1876 and died there within weeks of the marriage.

Edward James was born at Illogan in 1857 and baptised there in 1868.
He married Sarah Ann Imison at Thames in 1884 and died in Auckland in 1921.

AND NOW to John Pidwell Trewhella.

I have a copy of his Marriage Certificate or 1863.

John married Eliza TRUSCOTT at the Ulverstone Register Office 30th May 1863 when he was then an 'iron miner, of Dalton, deputy overseer'.

Eliza stated her age as 25 and her father's name as Edward TRUSCOTT, iron miner, of Dalton.

It seems there were no children to that marriage.

Then I have a marriage certificate for this same fellow dated 8th January 1877 in Auckland, NZ where he married Matilda BARCHARD by whom it seems he had two children.

John died at Clifton, NSW, Australia in 1882 and was buried at the Bulli Cemetery. (Have Certificates)

NOW BY ACCIDENT tonight I found an interesting entry in the 1871 Census for Dalton, Lancashire.

Edward Truscott, head, marr, 68, mine agent, St Stephen, Cornwall
Polly do., wife, marr, 69, St Agnes, Cornwall
Eliza TREWHELLA, daur, marr, 30, miner's wife, St , Cornwall
Thomas Truscott, son, unm, 28, iron miner, St Austle, Cornwall

Anyone wish to buy into this little problem. ;D

[calswimmer]

It looks to me like he went to Auckland, married, but not with his wife on the trip and so his wife, left behind, was of course still married in 1871. Later he marrried someone in Auckland. Would that be right?

[Cornish Terrier]

That appears to be the case however there are quite a few questions involved here.

All evidence I have indicates I have the correct John Trewhella (for a start) and there appears to be no other candidate possible.

Looking through some notes I placed alongside John many years ago:-

"He was married in 1863 in the North of England stating his age as 22 and that he was the son of James Trewheela (dec.), copper miner.
No children have been found for this marriage and no information about him has been found for the following few years.
In 1889 an Eliza Trewheela was married at a place not far from where the 1863 marriage occurred and, as no other possible Eliza has yet been found, it appears she must have been the girl who had earlier married John.

It seems probable that the husband in the 1889 marriage was either a James Richards or a William White but I have been unable, so far, to be able to confirm this.

In October 1869 John Trewheela, age 28, arrived in Victoria aboard the 'Great Victoria'.
Sometime after this he went to New Zealand where, in 1887, he married Matilda Barchard before returning to Australia."

A bit of a quandary remains.

[Zenobia]

Not really.

He was just a bigamist - that's all. Some countries did recognize that if a wife refused to follow her husband overseas after a reasonable period of time, that they were sort of divorced (I cannot recall the exact term).

A friend of mine had a similar situation with Joel Roger Carter from Devon, who left a wife and two sons in Devon and went to America. In Ohio he married and had two more children. Then he went west and had another wife and another child. I don't think he officially divorced any of them.

[Cornish Terrier]

All well and good m'dear - BUT I can find no record of a deat or re-marriage for said first wife.

But it may be possible she re-married, or died, under her maiden name.

Things to think about.

[Cornish Terrier]

While thinking about the next stage of my American research I had a browse through some older notes in the Trewhella threads to see if there was any information I had forgotten.

In so doing I happened across one or two other items of interest and hence:-

ANOTHER MYSTERY SOLVED! ;D

I am still unable to find the 'deserted' Eliza TREWHELLA (nee TRUSCOTT) in the 1871 Census however I have finally solved the mystery.

I managed to trace Eliza back through the Census records and found that she was born at St Neot about 1838 and in fact her birth is registered in the Liskeard R.D. in 1838.

The place of birth gave me something more to work with in an effort to find out what happened to her after her appearance in the 1871 Census.

Now there was an Eliza TREWHEELA married in 1889 in the Barrow In Furness R.D. in Lancashire not far from where she was living with her parents in 1871. (IF it were the same Eliza?

Possible husbands for this Eliza were William WHITE or James RICHARDS.

Moving forward to the 1891 Census I proceeded to search for an Eliza who had been born at St Neot about 1838 and was living somewhere in England.

There was one possibility who just happened to be the wife of a James RICHARDS but the problem was that her age was recorded as 48 indicating a birth of about 1842/3.

Another problem was the amount of children in the household with the eldest then being 18 and born around 1872.

So I went back to the 1881 Census and attempted the same search but there was absolutely no Eliza who could be the girl I was looking for.

But a search for James RICHARDS proved extremely interesting.

I found the same James RICHARDS still living at North Row in Barrow.

His age was an equivalent match to that recorded in 1891 and his birth place was the same - ST ERTH!

He had three of the same children with him - Alice, Albert and Edith who had very nicely all aged by exactly 10 years between the two Census.

But back in 1881 his wife was - LOUISA ;D

So wherever Eliza was in 1881 she has returned and married the widowed James RICHARDS at Barrow in 1889.

The remaining question is whether she and John TREWHELLA were divorced (and if there is a record) or if it was a case of the 'deserted wife' being granted freedom to marry again.

And, of course, I now need to identify James RICHARDS given he was a St Erth boy!

I'll give Eliza points for persistence - in 1901 people are still believing she is around four years younger than she actually was. ;D

But it appears she may have been brought undone when she died!

There is an Eliza RICHARDS died Ulverstone R.D. in 1926 at the age of 88 and I think this will be her.

Should I identify James RICHARDS I will post another note for those who may have connections with his family from St Erth.

I love it when a plan works!

CT

[Cornish Terrier]

For those with an interest in the RICHARDS of St Erth here is some information about the James of my previous posting.

James RICHARDS married Rebekah TREGENZOE 4th July 1807 at St Erth

James s/o James and Rebecca RICHARDS bp. 29th May 1808 at St Erth

James RICHARDS of St Erth married Eliza PEARCE 13th February 1835 at St Keverne

James s/o James and Eliza RICHARDS bp. 28th June 1840 at St Erth (born 27th March)

James RICHARDS married Louisa COLE 1865 Liskeard R.D.

James RICHARDS, widr. married Eliza TREWHEELA 1889 Barrow F R.D., Lancashire

I have tracked all of this through the Census records.

I am not sure of the identity of the James RICHARDS at the head of this note (m. Rebekah TREGENZOE) so would like to hear if anyone has any knowledge of this family.

That is a simple run-down of the connections so should anyone like to have further information then feel free to contact me.

CT

[genie]

Cornish Terrier:There is an Eliza RICHARDS died Ulverstone R.D. in 1926 at the age of 88 and I think this will be her unquote.

I put Eliza Richards born St Neot in the 1911 census and the only one to appear is
Eliza Richards F birth year 1839 age 72 district Ulverston County Lancashire.
Any help?

[Cornish Terrier]

Hi Genie - welcome back.

I presumed you meant the 1911 Census so I tried the same thing with the same result.

That is her - definitely!

So thank you as it gives me just that little more to confirm my results.

I don't actually subscribe to the 1911 Census so don't have credits and, therefore, cannot see who else is still living there but I can always try to search for James Richards I suppose.

Beautiful - that also worked and James was at the same place, born St Erth and age 71. A perfect match.

Now to see if I can find a death record for him.

Believe I have got him - died 1922 March Qtr Ulverstone R.D. age 81.

I think I can lay this one to rest now until more complete information from PRs or other sources becomes available.

Another brick wall down!

[genie]

Hello Cornish Terrier.

I have corrected my post.

[Cornish Terrier]

Thanks Genie - you have done well!

[gandolf]

CT,

1911 Cenus details for Eliza Richards:

RICHARDS ELIZA (RG14PN25638 RG78PN1470 RD481 SD4 ED13 SN169)
Address 20 CAVENDISH ST DALTON IN FURNESS County Lancashire
District Ulverston Subdistrict Dalton
Enumeration District 13 Parish Dalton in Furness


Name: Relationship to head: Marital Status: Years married: Sex: Age in 1911: Occupation: Where born:
RICHARDS, JAMES; HEAD; MARRIED; ; M; 71; RETIRED; IRON ORE MINES STATIONARY ENGINE; ST ERTH CORNWALL
RICHARDS, ELIZA; WIFE; MARRIED; 22; F; 72; ST NEOT CORNWALL

Interesting occupation - although I presume that James was an Engine driver rather than an Engine!

[Cornish Terrier]

Maybe they were driving him too hard!

Thanks Gandolf - most useful information and is further confirmation of my conclusions.

Nice to be able to get it right and now I have to do battle with the various William TREWHELLAs to work out:-

a. which one was murdered in San Francisco in 1901 (born Decembr 1843)

b. which one died in Indiana in 1893 (born about 1843)

c. who was William H TREWHELLA m. Margaret E BROTHERS in Illinois in 1881

I'll probably find a couple more while I am sleeping!!

Work on that lot tonight.

CT

[genie]

I put Richards born Cornwall and living in Ulverston and there are

Caroline 1850 age 61, Elizabeth 1848 age 63 and John 1840 age 47 but they weren't born in St Erth or St Neot.

As well as the two I found yesterday that gandolf has added extra information.

[Cornish Terrier]

Thanks Genie I will try and follow up on that and see where they might belong.

But at least I have one less headache now that the problem of Eliza has been solved!

And now I am trying to find ways to solve a few of those other little problems that have been nagging me for years.