Sarah Ann Robertson - the other Mrs Maybrick

[rjpalmer]

This thread was abandoned 13 years ago, but since Sarah Ann Robertson's name has recently come up, I'd like to post an update of sorts, with a couple of things I've discovered.

In Chris Scott's first post, he has Sarah Robertson in the 1851 Census living with her 'aunt' in the Tower Hamlets. This is the woman who has been identified as Maybrick's first wife or mistress.

1851:
1 Pastern Row, Tower Hamlets
Head: Charles James Case aged 36 born Strand, London - Tobacconist
Wife: Christiana [Robertson] Case aged 31 born Sunderland
Niece: Sarah Ann Robertson aged 15 born Sunderland [about 1836]

For future reference, the marriage cert. shows that Charles James Case married a Christiana Lindsay Robertson.

Based on this 1851 entry, Paul Feldman and Keith Skinner speculated that Sarah wasn't really Christiana [Robertson] Case's niece, but her daughter, theorizing that the 'niece' designation was to hide the fact that the child had been born out-of-wedlock.

Feldman also writes that they couldn't find any earlier trace of Sarah Ann Robertson, nor any registration of her birth.

I think I can explain why.

As we can see, Christiana's middle name was Lindsay, which is one reason we know this is the same woman who was later in London and Deptford, married first to Charles Case, then to Thomas Conconi, and who was supposedly Sarah Ann Robertson's aunt. (Her name is listed as Christian Lindsay Conconi, for instance, in her 1895 death cert).




As can be seen, her father was Alexander Hay Robertson. He was born Edinburgh, Scotland.


In the 1841 Census, he can be found living on Flag Lane, Sunderland.


Three pages earlier in the same census, also on Flag Lane, is a woman whose name is given as Christiana 'Robinson' who has a daughter named Sarah.



I think this is why Feldman's team couldn't trace her. I suspect that this is actually Christiana Robertson and not Robinson, and her four-year-old daughter (with the correct birth year) is Sarah Robertson [Maybrick].

Besides the grandfather Alex. Hay Robertson living on the same street, and the name coincidences, there are three other reasons for believing this.

1. There are no birth registrations for a Sarah Robinson in Sunderland that fits this family, nor for the brother George Robinson, born 1840.

2. Nor is any such family listed in the 1851 Census for Sunderland.

3. There is, however a birth registration for a George Robertson, born in Sunderland in 1840, that would fit the above entry.




George Frederick Taylor Robertson. I suspect that 'Taylor' is the name of the birth father, and the child was born out of wedlock.

All of this tells me that the family in the 1841 Census is actually supposed to be Robertson, and that this is Sarah Robertson, born 1836, who was later Maybrick's first wife/mistress.

This shows, I think, that Feldman and Skinner were correct, and Christiana Roberston Case/Conconi was Sarah's mother and not her aunt.

[Sam Flynn]

Thanks for finding that out, RW

1911

125 douglas st depford

Hannah E.HARNETT head wid 39 greengrocer DEPTFORD
Sarah A.MAYBRICK aunt wid 59 Sanker?DUMFRIESHIRE

"Sanker" = Sanquhar

...just for reference.

[rwhites1]

1901/11 census sarah maybrick

I think the Sarah A. maybrick who died in 1927 is not the sarah ann robertson


1911

125 douglas st depford

Hannah E.HARNETT head wid 39 greengrocer DEPTFORD
Sarah A.MAYBRICK aunt wid 59 Sanker?DUMFRIESHIRE
Nellie HARNETT dau unm 19 dressmaker New Cross LONDON
Elsie HARNETT dau 9 Deptford

1901
9 the market,Greenwich

William HARNETT head m 43 decorator & painter DEPTFORD
Hannah HARNETT wife m 30 DEPTFORD
Nellie HARTNETT dau 8 DEPTFORD
William HARTNETT son 3 DEPTFORD
Sarah MAYBRICK step mother wid 50 SCOTLAND

[Jenni Shelden]

Hiya,

i dont wish to be picky, but i didnt really feel Feldman conclusively proved - that Maybrick married Sarah Robertson, lived with Sarah Robertson -or knew her.

Im not picking on Chris Scott - who as always has come up with some interesting stuff. But what I am questioning is the evidence - that backs up Feldman's research - I seem to remember a lot of talk of paper parents and other such - frankly - seeming nonsense

Jenni

[Mrs. Fiddymont]

SIX!!! Okay, yes, she definitely had children, lol!

(Forsooth, Sooth, art thou following me??? ;-) )

[Soothsayer]

Interesting, has anyone followed up on this?

Also I wonder--how common was it for a married woman, after being widowed or divorced, to revert to her maiden name in Victorian times??

Any children from this supposed marriage?

About six, remarkably, Mrs. Fiddymont, if memory serves ...

Much of Sarah Ann's census history and other interesting stuff (including her photograph) are also to be found in Feldman, and in Harrison's 'The American Connection'.

[Mrs. Fiddymont]

Interesting, has anyone followed up on this?

Also I wonder--how common was it for a married woman, after being widowed or divorced, to revert to her maiden name in Victorian times??

Any children from this supposed marriage?

[Chris Scott]

Hi Chris
Many thanks for the message

The article in my first post refers to Sarah's death in 1927. This gives her age at death as 72 which would indicate a year of birth of circa 1855 but she is already listed in the 1851 census as aged 15. The entry is below.

[ChrisGeorge]

Excellent information, Chris. Many thanks for posting these census details.

Chris

[Chris Scott]

Sarah Ann Robertson
The other Mrs Maybrick

In the Casebook entry on James Maybrick, there is the following section:
"While the marriage of James Maybrick to Florence is well known and documented, Scottish lawyer William MacDougal alleged in 1891 the existence of a previous spouse. Although no marriage certificate has ever been found, the 1891 census records, released in 1992 after one hundred years, appear to confirm this allegation. Sarah Ann Robertson, listed as single and aged 44, was residing in London at the time. Other legal documents, however this same person as Sarah Ann Maybrick. In 1868, her step father's will, for example, shows her as "Sarah Ann Maybrick, wife of James Maybrick." Upon her death on January 17, 1927, she is listed in the records as "Sarah Ann Maybrick, otherwise Robertson." She lived for a while on Bromley Street, near Whitechapel, and on Mark Lane, across the road from Whitechapel."

With one exception, the census listings for Sarah Robertson show her living with her aunt, Christiana Lindsay Robertson. Christiana was married twice, the first occasion being in 1847 when she married Charles James Case in the City of London. By the time of the next census, in 1851, Sarah is already listed living with her and her husband.
1851:
1 Pastern Row, Tower Hamlets
Head: Charles James Case aged 36 born Strand, London - Tobacconist
Wife: Christiana Case aged 31 born Sunderland
Niece: Sarah Ann Robertson aged 15 born Sunderland
By the time of the 1861 census, Charles Case had changed his trade and Sarah was no longer living with her aunt.
1861:
36 Jamaica Street, Stepney
Head: Charles J Case aged 40 born St Catherine - Watch jobber
Wife: Christiana Case aged 42 born Sunderland
Sarah herself is listed as an assistant as follows:
172 Fenchurch Street, London
Head: Ellen Dewdney (Widow) aged 27 born Stepney - Hair jeweller
Assistant: Sarah Robertson aged 25 born Sunderland

Christiana's first husband died in 1863, the death being registered as follows:
Death:
Name: Charles James Case
Year of Registration: 1863
Quarter of Registration: Jan-Feb-Mar
District: Mile End Old Town
County: London, Middlesex
Christiana's second husband was Thomas Conconi, a naval paymaster. He is listed in 1861, before their marriage as follows:
1861:
Vessel: Ganges
Thomas D Conconi (Unmarried)aged 32 born Margate - Paymaster 4th Class
The couple married in Mile End in 1866, and by the time of the 1871 census Sarah was again living wither her aunt and new husband. This 1871 census entry is the only occasion on which she is listed as married under the name of Sarah Maybrick:
1871:
55 Bromley Street, Stepney
Head: Thomas Conconi aged 42 born Margate, Kent - Paymaster (Ret.)
Wife: Christianna Conconi aged 48 born Sunderland
Niece: Sarah Maybrick (Married) aged 33 (sic) born Sunderland - Merchants clerk wife

In the 1881 census Sarah has reverted to the surname of Robertson, and her aunt Christiana is again widowed:
1881:
237 Queen's Road, Deptford
Head: Christiana Conconi (Widow) aged 59 born Sunderland, Durham - No occupation
Niece: Sarah A Robertson aged 35 born Sunderland - No occupation
Daughter: Gertrude B Conconi aged 8 born Portsmouth
Nephew: George Smith aged 14 born Sunderland
I have been unable to find a birth record for Gertrude, supposedly the daughter of Christiana. However, as Christiana is listed as 59 years of age in 1881 and Gertrude is only 8, this does throw some doubt on her parentage.
In 1891 the three women were living at a different house in the same road:
1891:
265 Queen's Road, Deptford
Head: Christiana Conconi (Widow) aged 69 born Sunderland - Living on own means
Daughter: Gertrude aged 18 born Portsmouth
Niece: Sarah Robertson aged 44 born Sunderland

Sarah's aunt died in 1895, as follows:
Death:
Name: Christiana Lindsay Conconi
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1820
Year of Registration: 1895
Quarter of Registration: Jan-Feb-Mar
Age at Death: 75
District: Greenwich
County: Greater London, Kent, London
Her cousin, if that was indeed what she was, married in the same year:
Marriage:
Name: Gertrude Emily Conconi
Year of Registration: 1895
Quarter of Registration: Oct-Nov-Dec
District: Greenwich
County: Greater London, Kent, London
Her husband was George Bridge
Gertrude is listed in 1901 with her husband:
1901:
25 Tyrwhitt Road, Lewisham
Head: George Bridge aged 39 born Kensington - Artist and worker in mosaic
Wife: Gertrude E Bridge aged 28 born Fratton, Portsmouth

There remains the problem of Sarah's age. In successive census years her age is listed as follows:
1851: 15
1861: 25
1871: 33
1881: 35
1891: 44
I have certainly seen other examples where there is an equal disparity of ages over successive censuses, but it makes tracing her birth and parentage problematic. Any further info I will post here.
As there is only one listing (that for 1871) which lists her name as Maybrick, I am posting this for reference.