Genealogy Chat

Here's an interesting but sad tale I found today whilst browsing the British Library online archived newspapers...(I've paraphrased it to save having to type it all out word for word)

A Mrs SUSAN COX had lived for some time in Elliot's Row, St George's Southwark with her husband and family. A week previous to the incident the family had moved to a new address off the Walworth Road, Southwark - but as Mrs Cox had only recently given birth (baby was 6 weeks old) her husband sent her off to stay with a friend in Bayswater for the week whilst he organised the new home etc. He then went off to Brighton on the Tuesday night in search of work as he was unemployed and had given his wife instructions to return back to the new home on the Wednesday. She set off from Bayswater with her babe in arms and reaching Elephant and Castle couldn't remember where the new home was! She walked for hours, hoping to recognise the street - all the time with baby in arms. When it reached 11pm at night she gave up the search and took lodging at the Queen's Head hotel at Newington Butts. As she sat down and unwrapped the shawl from her baby boy, she discovered he was dead!! Police were called and the dead child taken to the Newington Mortuary. In the end they took her, completely exhausted, to St Saviour's Union Workhouse and continued the search on Thursday but still they could not find the woman's home. Rather than returning to the workhouse she stayed with a friend at Blackfriars. The police were hoping that by printing the story in the Brighton papers her husband would hear about it and return to find her! ------ Wow - what a story! Just goes to show how some people ended up in the workhouse under very strange circumstances, though, doesn't it?

did it say if he ever came back for her? Bless

No - the article ended with the police saying they hoped that her husband would hear of the story and return for her (let's hope he could read!). That poor woman, to lose a child, a home and a husband all at once like that. Talk about stressful situations, eh? Perhaps in a later edition there may have been further news on the outcome. Will have to have a look when I get the time.

How did you find this information, My grandmother Louisa Gates lived in Walworth, she was found murdered in 1918 she left home on August 18th and her body was found five weeks later in Berkshire, I would like to know how to perhaps look this up! Thanks Carol

That's awful. x

Carol - have PM'd you with the details to the article found on your Louisa Gates (News of the World 1918). Regards

How would i be able to look thius up to see if it appeared inthe local newpaper or national newspaper. My great grandfather Joseph Edmund Rice did throw himself infront of a train at Victoria train station and was pronunced dead at st thomas's hospital on 31/03/1941. any help gratefully recieved regards lizz