Three children were born to Frederick and Evelyn before his divorce was finalized in 1934. Yet, the Legitimacy Act of 1926 made it possible for illegitimate children to be named after their father.

Frederick Arthur Aldous

Born: 17 JUN 1903 in Walton, Suffolk County, England

Father: John Aldous (1865 to 1915)
Mother: Ellen Pretty (1875 to 1950)

First Spouse: Violet Rose Burgess (1900 to 1965)

Married: 1924 in Ipswich, Suffolk County, England

Children: None

Second Spouse: Evelyn Ethel Codd (1906 to 1980)

Married: 1939 in Felixstowe, Suffolk County, England

Children:

Peter Frederick Aldous (10 JUL 1929 to 2002)
Daphne M Aldous (1931 to Unknown/Still Living)
John W Aldous (1933 to Unknown/Still Living)

Died: 1979 in Gipping, Suffolk County, England (*)

(*) Gipping is the Registration District in which Frederick died. I do not know which Civil Parish he was in at the time of his death. The Gipping RD lies next to Ipswich on the north side. Frederick may have been visiting one of his children at the time of his death.

Timeline:

1911 Walton, Suffolk County, England
1915 Death of father, John
1924 Marriage to Violet
1929 Birth of son, Peter, by Evelyn Ethel Codd
1931 Birth of daughter, Daphne, by Evelyn Ethel Codd
1933 Birth of son, John, by Evelyn Ethel Codd
1934 Divorce from Violet
1939 Felixstowe, Suffolk County, England
1939 Marriage to Evelyn
1950 Death of mother, Ellen
1965 Death of ex-wife, Violet
1972 Death of brother, Albert
1979 Death and Burial

Occupation: motor lorry driver (1939)

Records:

1911 England Census Record
1939 England and Wales Register
England & Wales, FreeBMD Birth Index, 1837-1915
England & Wales, Marriage Index: 1916-2005
England & Wales, Death Index: 1916-2005
Web: Global, Gravestone Photograph Index, 1265-2014

Variations of Surname: None

First Spouse:

Violet Rose Burgess:

Violet was born on 14 OCT 1900 in Ipswich, Suffolk County, England. She died in 1965 in Martlesham, Suffolk County, England.

Violet’s father was Frederick John Burgess. He was born in 1873 in Ipswich, Suffolk County, England. He died on 7 FEB 1925 in Ipswich, Suffolk County, England.

Violet’s mother was Louisa Jane Pugh. She was born in 1870 in Whitton, Suffolk County, England. She died in 1960 in Ipswich, Suffolk County, England.

Violet had six brothers and sisters, all born in Ipswich:

Beatrice L Burgess (1892)
Frederick Charles Burgess (1895)
Stanley Henry Burgess (1897)
Alfred William Burgess (1899)
Gladys Louisa Burgess (1903)
Bertie Ernest Burgess (1908)

Violet and Frederick divorced.

Violet then married Jack Stanley Skipper in 1934 in Ipswich, Suffolk County, England. No known children were born to this marriage.

Jack Stanley Skipper was born on 15 JUL 1905 in Ipswich, Suffolk County, England. He died on 3 OCT 1989 in Martlesham, Suffolk County, England.

Second Spouse:

Evelyn Ethel Codd:

Evelyn was born on 27 APR 1906 in Foxhall, Suffolk County, England. She died in 1980 in Felixstowe, Suffolk County, England.

Evelyn’s father was Amos William Codd. He was born in 1877 in Woolpit, Suffolk County, England. He died in 1953 in Foxhall, Suffolk County, England.

Evelyn’s mother was Florence Edwards. She was born in 1877 in Onehouse, Suffolk County, England. She died in 1934 in Ipswich, Suffolk County, England.

Evelyn had four brothers and sisters, all born in Foxhall:

Rose Codd (1901)
George Codd (1903)
Lily Codd (1909)
Mary Codd (1910)

A Little Explanation:

As I was building these profiles on Ancestry.com, I discovered that Evelyn, not Violet, gave birth to Frederick’s three children. This is verified on the birth record indexes for each child. Here is a copy of Peter’s:

Peter’s death record index lists his full birth date as 10 JUL 1929. That would mean Evelyn became pregnant around November 1928.

In English history, when an unmarried woman gave birth to a child, the infant would retain the mother’s maiden name. Yet, the Legitimacy Act of 1926 made it possible for illegitimate children to be named after their father.

The UK Parliament website explains:

“This enabled children to be legitimated by the subsequent marriage of their parents, provided that neither parent had been married to someone else at the time of conception.”

Divorce was not taken lightly by the courts of England. It took ten years for Frederick and Violet’s divorce to be finalized in 1934. This was the same year that Violet married Jack.

Frederick and Evelyn were still unmarried when the 1939 England and Wales census was enumerated in September of that year. They married shortly afterward.

But, why did they wait almost five years after the divorce was finalized? I do not know.

I am sure Evelyn pushed the issue of marriage. She may have worried about what would happen to herself and the children if Frederick were to suddenly die.

Had they remained unmarried, Evelyn would not have been eligible for widow’s benefits or any property owned by Frederick.

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.

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