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Lily Wild? You've lost me!

Oh, I get it! Lilly Merrill. I wasn't even looking at Lilly Merrill, to be honest. Went right over my head. Can you believe it???

But the right age, with a Phillis alongside, to be sure.

I don't think she became Lily Wild -- I think she was Lily Wild all along, and being called Lilly Merrill in that census for some sort of propriety, or out of some sort of negligence on someone's part -- if that is her.

No Lil* Merrill birth in Derbyshire 1888 to 1892.

Is John Merrill the father of Llily Wild, then? And he kept her, and Phillis was the devoted housekeeper/nanny?

Was Phillis "with" him, and only married after his death?

What of that Scaife household in 1901 then?

Time for me to go eat dinner!

The Philis Robinson/John Merrill household looks interesting.

John Merrill, b. Belper c. 1865, died, aged 44, in 1909. (9c p 213)
Reg. at Ecclesall Brierlow.
Possibly the same John Merrill whose birth is registered in the same place in December 1864. (9c p. 233)

I don't see how Lilybecomes Lily Wild, though.

Joy.

I just realized Ursula's post is dated last February.

AAAARGH. She probably knows every bit of this by now ...

Births Dec 1862
LANCASHIRE Phillis Belper 7b 414


Perhaps you're related to Sarah / Raquel. ;)

Danged if I can find Phillis in 1871. Or 1881. Lordy, maybe that wasn't her first marriage!


No, no, here we are; this time it does say Lancaster, coincidentally:


Name: Phillis Lancaster
Age: 19
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1862
Relation: Boarder
Gender: Female
Where born: Belper, Derbyshire, England

Civil Parish: Belper
County/Island: Derbyshire
Country: England

Street address: 2 Halfway Houses Derby Road
Occupation: Chevoner

Registration district: Belper
Sub-registration district: Belper
ED, institution, or vessel: 15

Elizabeth Alton 14
Emanuel Alton 59
Jabez Alton 6
Mary A. Alton 57
Phillis Lancaster 19


But still nothing to indicate her parents.

That Philis Robinson in 1901 looks a lot like this one in 1891:


Name: Phillis Lancaster -- it says Lancashire, not Lancaster
Age: 27
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1864
Relation: Servant
Gender: Female
Where born: Belper, Derbyshire, England

Civil Parish: Belper
Ecclesiastical parish: St Peter
Town: Belper
County/Island: Derbyshire
Country: England

Occupation: housekeeper
Condition as to marriage: single

Registration district: Belper
Sub-registration district: Belper
ED, institution, or vessel: 14

Phillis Lancaster 27
John Morrill 31


Same employer. Except this time he's shown as married.


And ta da. Here we are:


Marriages Sep 1883
ALLCOCK John Belper 7b 870
** LANCASHIRE Phillis Belper 7b 870
PRESTIDGE Charles Alfred Nottingham 7b 870 Scan available - click to view
** ROBINSON Joseph Belper 7b 870
Smith Mary Elizabeth Belper 7b 870


Yes sirreee bob.


Joseph Robinson could have died anytime from 1883 to 1910, so I'll leave that to you!

There's a couple of bumps in that tale.

Phyllis Booth and Alfred Booth raised Lily Wild, born 1891.

Clara married Albert Scaife in 1891.

Er, Clara?

I see from the index that Albert Scaife married Clara Wild, but you haven't introduced Clara. Was she Lily's mother?


One reason people married late in life was pre-existing marriages and the impossibility / impracticability of divorce. One set of my grx2 grparents married at the age of 45, 7 years after their last child was born. I know there's a pre-existing marriage there somewhere, I just can't find it!


Is this Clara's birth?

Births Mar 1874
WILD Clara Belper 7b 550


So, per the 1881 census, her parents were William and Ann?


No, that must be the wrong one. This seems to be her in 1901 -- I wish people would give the info they have!!!!!!!!!


Name: Clara Scaife
Age: 32
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1869
Relation: Wife
Spouse's Name: Albert
Gender: Female
Where born: Derby, Derbyshire, England

Civil Parish: Alvaston and Boulton
Ecclesiastical parish: Boulton St Mary the Virgin
Town: Crewton
County/Island: Derbyshire
Country: England

Registration district: Shardlow
Sub-registration district: Shardlow
ED, institution, or vessel: 9
Household schedule number: 290

Albert Scaife 34
Albert Scaife 8
Alfred Scaife 3
Arthur Scaife 1
Clara Scaife 32
Rose Scaife 13
Sidney Scaife 4
Violet Scaife 5


So this one?

Births Jun 1869
Wild Clara Derby 7b 377


But there's a Rose there:

Name: Rose Scaife
Age: 13
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1888
Relation: Daughter
Father's Name: Albert
Mother's Name: Clara
Gender: Female
Where born: Osmaston, Derbyshire, England


But no matching Rose Scaife in the birth index. So ... aren't those your people?


A possible Phyllis:


Name: Philis Robinson
Age: 36
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1865
Relation: Servant
Gender: Female
Where born: Belper, Derbyshire, England

Civil Parish: Belper
Ecclesiastical parish: St Peter
Town: Belper
County/Island: Derbyshire
Country: England

Occupation: housekeeper
Condition as to marriage: single

Registration district: Belper
Sub-registration district: Belper
ED, institution, or vessel: 11
Household schedule number: 104

John Merrill 36
Lilly Merrill 10
Philis Robinson 36

It might be worth checking whether Robinson was Phyllis's maiden name, or a married name. She could have been a widow, remarrying at 47, though late first marriages were not uncommon, especially if she had looked after elderly relatives, for example.

It may be a long trawl through the BMD index, but pick a likely year for a first marriage, when she would have been 23, say, and look for any male Robinsons in each quarter. Look at the other names on the same page, and see if you can find a Phyllis. Repeat as necessary for different years.

Joy

Please can anyone help me, for over 20 years I have been desperately trying to find info on PHYLLIS BOOTH (married surname,maiden name unknown) born c1863. She and her husband ALFRED BOOTH (a railway labourer) raised my gr grandmother LILY WILD (born June 1891 in Shardlow workhouse). Unfortunately there are so many skeletons hiding that I cannot unearth them all. I can tell you where they were living in 1909--Belper, Derbyshire, but can I locate them----any of them on a census return--no. My gr grandmother just does not appear anywhere. It would appear that Alfred was posibly from Belper originally, although I have yet to prove it. He was a railway worker. I know that Clara got married to Albert Scaife in Dec 1891.I can also trace the Wild side of my family tree back to Norwich, but I just cannot find Phyllis Booth ANYWHERE. I have her death certificate (1931), she is buried in our family grave in New Mills, Derbyshire. My gr grandmother left Belper sometime after 1912--1916. Her partner was Richard Beresford (formerly married in 1893 to Emily Barns,they lost sons in the 1st ww). Phyllis obviously loved my gr grandmother very much because she would commute regularly from Belper to New Mills to be with her and evenyually stayed in New Mills with her. The only promising lead I have had is that a Phyllis Robinson married a Alfred Booth in june quater of 1910, I will be honest, I have not followed this up, hyllis would have been approx 47 yrs old. Did people marry so late in life in those days, I always thought they married young.Please can somebody help, any suggestions as to where to look next gratefully received.