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I'm looking for any information at all on a Mary Jesson, b. 1849 in Nottingham.

She was, during the 1880's, a dresser at the Theatre Royal, Nottingham. She supposedly had an affair with a "French actor", and had a son: Frederick Thomas Major Horace Jesson (1872).

She's in the 1881 census as Polly Jesson (although her age is mis-transcribed). However, she cannot be found in either the 1891 or 1901 census.

Later in her life (roughly around 1905-1915) she lived in Jessamine Cottages, Nottingham, but I can't confirm the exact place or date until the 1911 census is released. We don't know the exact year of death, and as far as we're aware she never married.

The last info I have on her is on theatre playbills from 1888. This leaves an unexplained gap of at least 15 years where either she changed her name, of left the country (she was not rich).

I'm aware of a voyage from Liverpool to Philadelphia of a Mary Jesson in Aug-Sep 1892 but cannot confirm whether it's her.

Have you searched under JEFSON - just wondering if the enumerator did an old fashioned "fs" in the middle of her name ...

Have you found Frederick in 1891? Any idea what happened to him? Was he born in Nottingham?

Did you get the boys birth cert to see the info on that?

Hi Anthony.
Birth of Frederick 1872. Oct/Dec Qtr. reg in Nottingham. vol 7b 281.
Do you have a copy of the certificate.
I can find Frederick on the 1881 8years old. Visitor with a William Meredith and family.
1891 he was in the Army. Infantry. aged 18.
1901 he was married to Rebecca and had dau Hilda.

I can find Mary on the 1851 and 1861 census with Father. James and Mother Keziah
and on the 1871 as a Lodger. Lace Clipper.
1881, as you say appears to be the one listed as Polly, although this is usually allied to Margaret, nor Mary.

Have tried several variations of spelling but cannot find her after 1881.
I will have a look to see if there is anything on American census records, but not too hopeful. Ethel.

I have the birth cert for Mary's son Frederick, plus a lot of other details for him and his children, since I'm a direct descendant. On the birth cert, it doesn't give a father's name, although on his marriage cert it says his father was an "actor (deceased)" without giving a name either.

I was hoping to find some older playbills for the theatre from around 26/8/1872 (his birth) minus 9 months and look for a French name. However, there aren't that many preserved. I haven't checked the old newspaper archives yet though.

Polly is also a diminutive form of Mary (I didn't know that myself until someone told me recently). I'm positive this was her because she was staying with her sister Ann, and Ann's husband Thomas Humber.

I've checked for just about every combination of names but have come up empty handed. There is a death for a Mary Jesson in 1926 but the age doesn't match exactly - I've ordered a copy of the cert to try and determine whether it's her or not.

I can just about imagine how someone might miss a single census, but not two consecutive ones.