Did John die before 1871? Sara did not remarry until 1882. That leads me to believe John may have deserted his wife and children.

John Aldous

Born: 1837 in Denham St John, Suffolk County, England

Father: Edward Aldous (1811 to 1901)
Mother: Mary Whatling (1815 to 1901)

Spouse: Sarah Jane Read (1837 to 1902)

Married: 1859 in Horham, Suffolk County, England

Children:

Edward Aldous (1859 to Unknown)
William Aldous (1861 to Unknown)
Emma Aldous (1863 to Unknown)
Hannah Aldous (1867 to 1949)

Died: Unknown

Timeline:

1841 Denham St John, Suffolk County, England
1841 Death of sister, Susannah
1851 Denham St John, Suffolk County, England
1859 Marriage to Sarah
1859 Birth of son, Edward
1861 Denham St John, Suffolk County, England
1861 Birth of son, William
1863 Birth of daughter, Emma
1867 Birth of daughter, Hannah

Occupation: agricultural laborer

Records:

1841 to 1861 England Census Records
England & Wales, FreeBMD Birth Index, 1837-1915
England & Wales, FreeBMD Marriage Index: 1837-1915

Variations of Surname: Aldis

Spouse:

Sarah Jane Read:

Sarah was born in 1837 in Horham, Suffolk County, England. She died in 1902 in Kenton, Suffolk County, England.

Sarah’s father was Thomas Read. He was born in 1807 in Horham, Suffolk County, England. Death Date Unknown.

Sarah’s mother was Sarah Silsby. She was born in 1810 in Dennington, Suffolk County, England. Death Date Unknown.

Sarah had three brothers and sisters, all born in Horham, Suffolk County, England:

Mary Ann Read (1833)
Hannah Read (1844)
Daniel Read (1846)

Daughters:

Emma Aldous:

Emma was born in 1863 in Horham, Suffolk County, England. She died in 1880 in Stradbroke, Suffolk County, England.

Hannah Aldous:

Hannah was born in 1867 in Stradbroke, Suffolk County, England. She died in 1949 in Hoxne, Suffolk County, England.

Hannah gave birth to one child out of wedlock:

Edward Aldous was born in 1888 in Charsfield, Suffolk County, England. Unknown Death Date.

Hannah married Robert Durrant in 1889 in Cretingham, Suffolk County, England. Seven known children were born to this marriage:

Alfred Eli Durrant (1890)
Beatrice Durrant (1892)
Mary Durrant (1896)
Robert Durrant (1899)
Elizabeth Durrant (1902)
Clara Durrant (1903)
Samuel Durrant (1905)

Robert Durrant was born in 1845 in Crettingham, Suffolk County, England. He died in 1917 in Cretingham, Suffolk County, England.

Robert had previously married Sarah Fisk Stockings in 1870 in Cretingham, Suffolk County, England. Two known children were born to this marriage:

John Durrant (1871)
Jessie Durrant (1873)

Sarah Fisk was born in 1844 in Brandeston, Suffolk County, England. She died in 1887 in Cretingham, Suffolk County, England.

Sarah had previously married James Stockings in 1863 in Cretingham, Suffolk County, England.

James Stockings was born in1841 in Brandeston, Suffolk County, England. He died in 1868 in Cretingham, Suffolk County, England.

James was the illegitimate child of Hannah Stockings.

Hannah Stockings was born in 1822 in Southolt, Suffolk County, England. She married Henry Clements (1816 to 1847) in 1844 in Cretingham, Suffolk County, England.

Henry may have adopted James and his sister, Mary Ann, and given them his surname.

An entry in the England & Wales, Criminal Registers, 1791-1892, dated 8 MAR 1867 shows that James went by both surnames, Stockings and Clements.

There were three children born to Sarah Fisk and James Stockings Clements:

Harry Clements (1864 Cretingham)
Emma Stockings (1866 Grundisburgh)
Sarah Ann Clements (1867 Cretingham)

The Family Search website offers this explanation of why people changed their surnames:

“When someone wished to escape from a previous background it was not unusual to adopt a new name. Factors would include escaping from creditors, from an upcoming unacceptable arranged marriage, or from an overbearing father. Spouses leaving their partners, deserters from the army or navy, and runaway apprentices have all changed their names. Others were blackballed from work because of involvement in protests or early union-type activities, or perhaps they were evading the authorities after committing a crime.”

This leads me back to what happened to John Aldous?

The 1871 England census record shows that Sarah and the children were living at the Stradbroke Union Workhouse. The document also notes that Sarah was widowed.

But, it was another entry on this record that caught my attention. Their youngest daughter, Hannah, was born in 1867 in Stradbroke, Suffolk County, England.

That would mean that John would have died sometime between 1866 (when Sarah became pregnant) and 1871 (when the census was enumerated).

Yet, my search for a death record has been futile. John and Sarah lived in the parish of Horham, Suffolk, England. This would place them in the Hoxne Registration District.

I then searched the England & Wales, Civil Registration Death Index, 1837-1915. Below are three listings that show the results for a man named John Aldous who died between 1866 and 1871.

The first shows those who died in the Hoxne Registration District.

The second shows those who died in Suffolk County, England and adjacent counties.

The third shows those who died in all counties in England.

As you can see there are no entries for a man named John Aldous born in 1837 (+/- 2 years).

That leads me to speculate on two different scenarios:

Did John die before Hannah was born in 1867? The death record indexes for the years prior to 1867 do not list a person’s age. The next search result page shows several individuals who died in and around Suffolk County, England.

The third entry on this page was for a man who died in 1863 in Hoxne Registration District. I had to rule this individual out because the record was for a John Aldous who was born in 1782.

The other five entries (that do not list a birth year) could be for John Aldous. Yet, that would mean he died outside of Hoxne RD. Could he have been working away from home? That seems unlikely as he was an agricultural laborer working for a local farmer.

And, if John did not die before 1871?

That leads me to suspect that he may have deserted Sarah and his children. John may have left Suffolk County, England. He could have immigrated to Australia, Canada, or any other British territory. Or, as shown in the Family Search article, he may have changed his name completely to avoid paying support for his wife and children.

The only people who may hold the answer to what happened to John Aldous are his descendants. My next endeavor will be to continue to build Hannah Aldous and Robert Durrant’s family tree. I am in hopes of finding a living relative that holds the answer to this question.

I will update this post when I find out more.

Notes:

Here are some links to websites that helped with my Aldous family research:

Aldous.net (Aldous family history and family tree)
Ancestors of Tim Farr, Descendants of Stephen Farr (family tree)
Reid-Schroeder Genealogies (family tree)
The Tree of Us (family tree)
Family Search (family tree website)
The Internet Surname Database (surname meaning and origins)
House of Names (coat of arms)

Creating Your Family Tree

Interested in building a great family tree? Remember these important steps:

Look in your photo albums. You may have old pictures that your parents or grandparents gave you. Or, ask them for copies of photos that they have in their possession. Many people will write names and dates on the backs of photographs. Letters, diaries, and family bibles are also an excellent source for vital records.

Talk to your older relatives to find out about your ancestry. They may relate stories about an ancestor that you can add to your family tree. Family history is usually not found in newspapers. It is more of a verbal memory passed down from generation to generation.

Find the right family tree builder that suits your needs. You can choose one that has a paid subscription like Ancestry.com. There are also free sites like FamilySearch.org.

When you start building your family tree, add documentation to your ancestor’s profile. Records should include birth, marriage, death, census, military, city, and county directory listings. Any information that you can find will help create a life story about your ancestor.

If you have a unique surname, you may find databases on the internet that are useful in your search. I use SurnameDB.com for my English surnames. There are other websites on the internet for countries like Italy and Germany.

Genealogy is the study of a person’s “line of descent.” As you create your family tree, you would start with one individual and go “back into time.” You would add their parents, grandparents, and so on. There are also family trees that go “forward into time.” Many of these family trees start with a famous person, such as a president or royalty. They would then move forward into the present time. The purpose of this type of pedigree is to establish a person’s bloodline to that famous person.

There is no limit on how big your family tree can grow. The blank canvas is there for you to use. Cherish your family history, and it will be there for generations to come!