On December 8, 1900, Charles was admitted to the Norfolk County Asylum. The 1911 England census record described him as a “lunatic”. This label was given to people with mental health issues.

Charles Aldous

Born: 1853 in Bedingfield, Suffolk County, England

Father: Charles Aldous (1821 to 1903)
Mother: Ann Sparrow (1825 to 1906)

Spouse: Eliza Todd (1854 to 1928)

Married: 1871 in Bedingfield, Suffolk County, England

Children:

Annie Aldous (1872 to Unknown)
Eliza Aldous (1873 to 10 FEB 1953)
Charles William Aldous (13 MAY 1875 to 22 MAR 1961)
William Aldous (9 APR 1878 to 1955)
Robert Aldous (10 SEP 1883 to 28 SEP 1962)
Jane Harriet Aldous (31 DEC 1892 to 1951)

Died: 16 JAN 1904 in Thorpe Next Norwich, Norfolk County, England

Timeline:

1861 Bedingfield, Suffolk County, England
1871 Bedingfield, Suffolk County, England
1871 Marriage to Eliza
1872 Birth of daughter, Annie
1873 Birth of daughter, Eliza
1875 Birth of son, Charles
1878 Birth of son, William
1881 Thwaite St Mary, Norfolk County, England
1883 Birth of son, Robert
1891 Thwaite St Mary, Norfolk County, England
1892 Birth of daughter, Jane
1900 Death of sister, Harriet
1901 Thorpe Next Norwich, Norfolk County, England
1903 Death of father, Charles
1904 Death and Burial

Occupation: agricultural laborer

Records:

1861 to 1901 England Census Records
England, Select Births and Christenings, 1538-1975
England & Wales Christening Records, 1530-1906
England & Wales, FreeBMD Marriage Index: 1837-1915
The UK, Lunacy Patients Admission Registers, 1846-1912
England & Wales, FreeBMD Death Index: 1837-1915

Variations of Surname: none

Spouse:

Eliza Todd:

Eliza was born in 1853 in Rishangles, Suffolk County, England. She died in 1928 in Burgh, Norfolk County, England.

Eliza’s father was John Todd. He was born in 1809 in Eye, Suffolk County, England. Death Date Unknown.

Eliza’s mother was Eliza. She was born in 1815 in Hadleigh, Suffolk County, England. Death Date Unknown.

After Charles’ death, Eliza married Charles Fiske on 8 AUG 1912 in Ditchingham, Norfolk County, England.

Charles Fiske was born in 1850 in Barsham, Suffolk County, England. He died on 4 MAY 1921 in Ditchingham, Norfolk County, England.

Charles had previously married Sarah Maria Wells in 1872 in Beccles, Suffolk County, England. On the 1911 England census, Sarah noted that she had born 15 children to this marriage with 13 children still living by the time the census was enumerated. I could only find 11 children on the census records, all born in Beccles, Suffolk County, England:

Alice E Fiske (1874)
Edith Fiske (1877)
Henry Edward Fiske (1879)
Charles Fiske (1880)
Frederick Fiske (1881)
Harriet Fiske (1883)
William Fiske (1886)
Ellen May Fiske (1888)
Eliza S Fiske (1891)
Frank Fiske (1893)
Harold Fiske (1896)

Sarah Maria Wells was born in 1851 in Beccles, Suffolk County, England. She died in 1911 in Ditchingham, Norfolk County, England.

Daughters:

Annie Aldous:

Annie was born in 1872 in Bedingfield, Suffolk County, England. I do not know if Annie married. Death Date Unknown.

Eliza Aldous:

Eliza was born in 1873 in Bedingfield, Suffolk County, England. She died on 10 FEB 1953 in Bedfield, Suffolk County, England.

Eliza married Edgar Sparrow in 1896 in Thwaite, Suffolk County, England. Seven known children were born to this marriage. The four oldest children were born in Debenham, Suffolk County, England. The three youngest children were born in Bedfield, Suffolk County, England.

Edgar Harold Sparrow (1898)
Annie Gladys Sparrow (1899)
Ivy Nora Sparrow (1900)
Margery Ida Sparrow (1903)
Charles Leslie Sparrow (1905)
Caroline Hilda Sparrow (1909)
Edwin Sparrow (1911)

Edgar Sparrow was born in 1870 in Debenham, Suffolk County, England. He died on 25 SEP 1916 in Bedfield, Suffolk County, England.

Edgar’s father was Edwin Sparrow. He was born in 1846 in Mickfield, Suffolk County, England. He died on 24 FEB 1931 in Debenham, Suffolk County, England.

Edgar’s mother was Caroline Perry. She was born in 1847 in Debenham, Suffolk County, England. She died on 24 SEP 1914 in Debenham, Suffolk County, England.

Jane Harriet Aldous:

Jane was born on 31 DEC 1892 in Ditchingham, Norfolk County, England. She died in 1951 in Burgh, Norfolk County, England.

Jane married Charles Albert Sutton on 3 SEP 1911 in Burgh, Norfolk County, England. No known children were born to this marriage.

Charles Albert Sutton was born on 22 MAY 1887 in Burgh, Norfolk County, England. He died in 1963 in Burgh, Norfolk County, England.

Charles’ father was John Amis Sutton. He was born in 1857 in Marsham, Norfolk County, England. Death Date Unknown.

Charles’ mother was Emma Daniels. She was born in 1857 in Erpingham, Norfolk County, England. She died in 1901 in Burgh, Norfolk County, England.

Emma had previously been married to Robert Faulkes. He was born in 1850 in Burgh, Norfolk County, England. He died in 1886 in Aylsham, Norfolk County, England.

Norfolk County Asylum:

On 30 DEC 1900, when Charles was 47 years old, he was admitted to the Norfolk County Asylum in Thorpe-Next-Norwich, Norfolk County, England. He remained there until his death on 16 JAN 1904.

In England, census takers would record inmates of asylums by their initials. On the 1901 England census record, Charles is listed as “C.A.”, married, age 49, laborer, worker, lunatic.

Charles may have had a disorder called “general paralysis of the insane” or GPI. This mental disease is caused by the chronic meningoencephalitis that leads to cerebral atrophy in late-stage syphilis. Scientific research has found that the symptoms of GPI first appear 10 to 30 years after infection.

The Medical News Today website describes cerebral atrophy symptoms as memory loss, slowed thinking, language problems, problems with movement and coordination, poor judgment, mood disturbances, loss of empathy, hallucinations, and difficulty carrying out daily activities.

The Wikipedia article explains:

“Meningoencephalitis (or herpes meningoencephalitis) is a medical condition that simultaneously resembles both meningitis, which is an infection or inflammation of the meninges, and encephalitis, which is an infection or inflammation of the brain.”

A more specific term for what Charles may have had is called neurosyphilis. The website, Very Well Health describes the symptoms of neurosyphilis as:

  • Partial paralysis or weakness, affecting one or more areas of the body
  • Emotional lability, a difficulty controlling emotions. Emotions may change quickly or fail to match the situation
  • Difficulty with memory
  • Psychosis, where someone hears, sees, or believes things that aren’t real
  • Personality changes
  • Changes in sensation in the limbs
  • Loss of, or changes in, coordination
  • Progressive dementia

As there was no treatment for syphilis at that time, Charles most likely succumbed to the disease. It was not until 1906 that a German physician and bacteriologist August von Wassermann developed a test for the syphilis bacterium antibody.

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!