Where was Fleming in 1891?

[Chris Scott]

I was wondering if any of you good folk had tracked down one item of info I am having no luck in finding
We know the whereabouts of Fleming from census returns from the time he was born in 1859 up to and including the 1881 census. We know (if you accept the identification of the Kelly related Fleming with the patient James Evans) that he was admitted to Stone Hospital in July of 1892.
However, where was he at the time of the 1891 census? And what name was he using - Fleming or Evans? I have searched under both in various permutations and have had no success in finding him in 1891.
Has anyone found Fleming at this period - any help VERY gratefully receied!
Thanks
Chris

[Scott Nelson]

Your best bet Chris, would be to re-check the census for the Victoria Home at 41 Commercial Street. This address was given to the Union Infirmary, Bow Road prior to his incarceration in the lunatic asylum in June 1892 and at that time he seems to have changed his identity.

[Scott Nelson]

FYI _

I had some spare time and went through both Victoria Homes (nos. 1 and 2) on Commercial St. in the 1891 census. No Fleming or James Evans listed among the male lodgers. He may have been absent or living under another name at the time. Occuption would have been a dock labourer (his listed occuption in 1889 and in 1892). Nearest possible match: James Murphy, aged 31, dock labourer, single, b. London St. Georges (Piece 281, folio 92, p. 18).

Of course, I could have missed something.

Sources: RG12/281/f.90-99. I did not search "Commercial Road".

[Sam Flynn]

Hi Chris,

As Fleming was born circa 1859 in Bethnal Green, I looked for all "Joseph <blanks>" meeting those criteria, and found two entries in Ancestry.com (both almost certainly mistranscribed) that might relate to him.

The first is a boot-finisher, listed as "Joseph HENNING", born 1859, lodging at a boarding-house in some indecipherable street in Bethnal Green:



The other is a general labourer, filed as "Joseph KENNING", born c. 1858. He's listed as an inmate at the St Matthew, Bethnal Green, Workhouse:



Despite the mis-transcriptions, these two appear to have been called "Joseph Fleming". The latter (labourer) seems to me to be the more promising match of the two.


Edit: I should add that the above are taken from the 1891 Census, with irrelevant entries "blurred out".

[Sam Flynn]

The second Fleming ("Kenning") was an inmate at the Waterloo Road Workhouse, on which you'll find more information here. Sadly, it seems the admissions records pre-1915 don't exist (unless I've understood wrongly).

[Ben]

Thanks for the info, Scott and Gareth.

"Kenning" seems a strong candidate. The boot finisher crops up elsewhere. He's also a Fleming, but apparently the wrong one.

Best wishes,
Ben

[Sam Flynn]

Thanks for the info, Scott and Gareth.

Cheers, Ben. Note that the "Imbecile/Lunatic" column is blank in both cases - although you'll note from the link I posted that one wing of the Waterloo Road Workhouse was once set aside for "lunatics".

[m_w_r]

Sam,

With regard to "Henning", the lodging house is in Victoria Park Square. Also, although you've blurred it out, the chap listed two lines above "Henning" is an interesting confusable. I'm not on my home computer - perhaps you could "blur it back in": obviously, it's not Joseph Flem(m)ing, but it is interesting as a curiosity if nothing else. Sometimes schools, for instance, would organise their students for enumeration with siblings adjacent to one another in the list - no reason to suppose a lodging house would do this, and the surnames seem clearly different to me, but as an interesting aside ...

Regards,

Mark

[Chris Scott]

Hi guys
Thanks so much for all the feedback - lots to work on there!
Gareth,
The name of the road in the first one you posted is Victoria Park Square

And Happy Christmas to all of you!
regards
Chris

[Sam Flynn]

Cheers, Chris - and a very happy Christmas to you too