[list-cumbria] Bogus marriage: George GREATHEAD & Ada ELLWOOD

[Petra Mitchinson]

Hi Steve,

I must agree, this is very odd.

I could find nothing in the newspapers about the marriage.

When I looked at passenger lists, I found two possible Ada ELLWOODs. One (by far the more likely one for the Ada born in Sawrey) in
1895 from Liverpool to New York for Ada ELWOOD aged 19, last residence Haverthwaite. The other was in 1900 - Ada ELLWOOD, spinster,
no age given, travelling from Liverpool to Philadelphia. Very little detail given in that passenger list.

What if your Ada travelled out to America in 1895, came back at some point, married George GREATHEAD in 1898, realised it was a big
mistake, decided to leave him and go back to America, and reverted back to her maiden name, pretending the marriage to George had
never happened?

There were no GREATHEAD/EL(L)WOOD births between 1898 and 1917 in England and Wales.

GREATHEAD appears to be a predominantly north east England name, with most of them in Yorkshire and County Durham.

I could not find another Ada ELLWOOD with a father called Thomas. 

There was a George GREATHEAD born around the right time in Birmingham with a father John, but he was a brass dresser, and his father
John was a Carriage Lamp Maker. I could not find this George in the 1901 and 1911 census.

Another possibility is that George GREATHEAD usually went under a different surname, for example because he was illegitimate. That
would make it very difficult to find him in any censuses and in general.

I wish you luck with sorting out this mystery!

Petra

-----Original Message-----
From: list-cumbria [mailto:list-cumbria-bounces at list.cumbriafhs.com] On Behalf Of Steve Hayes via list-cumbria
Sent: 09 January 2024 16:02
To: list-cumbria at list.cumbriafhs.com
Cc: Steve Hayes <hayesstw at telkomsa.net>
Subject: [list-cumbria] Bogus marriage: George GREATHEAD & Ada ELLWOOD

We have been greatly puzzles by what appears to be a bogus marriage. 

On the surface all appears to be in order. 

George GREATHEAD married Ada ELLWOOD on 24 Sep 1898 at St Matthew's Church in 
Habergam Eaves, Lancashire. Banns were called at St Martholmew's, Colne. 

The bride appears to be Ada ELLWOOD, who was born about August 1876 in Sawrey 
(now in Cumbria). Her father is given as Thomas ELLWOOD, postman in the 
marriage register, and this fits Ada ELLWOOD of Sawrey.

The main problem is that Ada ELLWOOD of Sawrey was in the USA at the time, 
and on 27 Mar 1900 she Married John Barrney C RUSSELL at Knox, Illinois under 
her maiden name, and correctly gave her mother's maiden name as Agnes 
GARNETT, so she was without doubt the real Agnes ELLWOOD of Sawrey, whose 
father Thomas was a part-time postman. 

She appears as single in the 1881 and 1891 Censuses in England, and from 1900 
to 1940 in Whiteside County, Illinois. 

The couple who got married at Habergham Eaves, on the other hand, appear on 
no censuses before or after the marriage, and their antecedents seem pretty 
murky. From their ages given at marriage, George GREATHEAD would have been 
born 1871-1873, and Ada ELLWOOD about 1874-1876. 

Perhaps someone else can think of a source that might show that they actually 
existed under those names, and that will show who they really are. 


-- 
Keep well, 

Steve & Val Hayes
Blog: 	http://hayesgreene.wordpress.com
Web:	http://www.khanya.org.za/famhist1.htm	
E-mail:	shayes at dunelm.org.uk or if you use Gmail, hayesstw at telkomsa.net
Phone:	073-759-0353 (cell) 012-333-6727 (landline)