Peter Saunders (pds31 @t hotmail.co.uk) writes from Bedford has sent an interesting news cutting from the Herts Advertiser of  14th September, 1901. This relates to a dispute between between his great grandfather Henry and his wife. He reports that he has had difficulty in tracing the family between the 1841 and 1891 censuses. The easiest way for me to look at this problem is to start with the information he provides (in italics) and expand it and then explore what I can find about Henry Saunders, his brother Alfred William Saunders, and the Eugenie Gardiner of the press cutting

My Great Grandfather Henry Saunders was born St. Pauls Walden 1829/1830 and had an older brother Alfred William. Their parents were Thomas and Sophia Saunders.

Baptism 25 Dec 1830     Henry Saunders, Son of Thomas & Sophia Saunders, St Pauls Walden

Baptism 5 October 1828     Thomas Alfred, Son of Thomas & Sophia Saunders, St Pauls Walden

In 1836 Alf and Henry are admitted into the Hitchin workhouse.

The 1841 census gives the brothers and many other Saunders in the nearby hamlet of Langley.

At the time of the 1891 census my Grandad was a nipper in St. Ippollits. He lived in Gosmore and the family may have had a timber yard. He ran away from home to join up in 1908 in the Bedford regiment, he never spoke to my dad about his early life and so we have little to go on. His brother Ernest gets killed first day of the Gallippoli landings.

1891 Census - Pond Cottage, Gosmore, Ippollitts

1901 Census - Gosmore Mill Lane, Ippollitts, Hitchin

SAUNDERS, Alfred William	Head	Widower	M	76	1825	Wood Carter	St Pauls Walden, Hertfordshire
DAY, Martha	Daughter	Widow	F	42	1859		St Ippollitts, Hertfordshire
DAY, Ada	Grand Daughter	Single	F	16	1885		Kimpton, Hertfordshire
SAUNDERS, Henry	Brother	Married	M	74	1827	Living On Own Means	St Pauls Walden, Hertfordshire
SAUNDERS, Bertie	Grand Son		M	12	1889		London
SAUNDERS, Ernest	Grand Son		M	10	1891		Hitchin, Hertfordshire
HAWKINS, Henrietta	Visitor		F	3	1898		Hitchin, Hertfordshire

Henry Saunders died in Hitchin Workhouse in 1905

Henry Saunders/Sanders is a very common name and census searches have failed to find him in 1851, 1861, 1871 and 1881, despite the fact that there is no significant uncertainty about his name, date of birth and place of birth. While it is quite common for census entries to be missing (either not recorded, recorded erroneously, or mis-indexed) four missing in a row is exceptional. In addition when he reappears he is described as "Living on Own Means" which indicates that he has somehow acquired a private income. In addition the 1901 court case was undoubtedly brought because Eugenie knew that Henry had sufficient money to be worth bringing the court case, as there is no point in suing a pauper. However it is clear that Henry's funds must have been pretty limited as he died a pauper four years later

So did Henry go abroad - perhaps to Australia or New Zealand - and earn just enough money to allow him to retire back in England? He could have missed out of the census by being in the army, and posted overseas, but in that case he should have been described as a pensioner (or even a Chelsea Pensioner). There could be a very interesting story here but Hertfordshire records are unlikely to help. I haven't checked if he left a will, but if he did (and most people did not) this could be particularly interesting.

Sorry - but this part of the story remains shrouded in mystery.

What was Henry doings in the missing years?

Jeanetta Eugene Gardner (circa 186?-19??)

Jeanetta Eugene Gardiner married Henry Saunders in London early in 1890 (Ref:  March 1890 Hackney 1b 481) and if you simply look at the indexes there are two possibilities. [I initially missed the fact that details of this wedding are now available on Ancestry - Jeanetta Eugene Gardiner was only 24 and her her father John Freeman Gardiner was a photographer. Henry Saunders son of Thomas Saunders deceased was 60. He is described as a widower and a farmer. Thanks Anthony for the correction.]

In 1865 the birth of  "Jeanetta Jane Gardner" was registered in the Strand area of London - and in 1871 the family was living at Maiden Lane, St Paul, Covent Garden, Strand, London, where she was recorded as Eugenie.

As already mentioned Jeanetta Eugene Gardiner married Henry Saunders in London early in 1890 (Ref:  March 1890 Hackney 1b 481). Ernest Freeman Saunders was born in Hertfordshire later the same year (Ref: Dec 1890 Hitchin 3a 473) and the birth certificate should give further information about the parents.

The press report says "Soon after this she met with Saunders, and by him she had a child. She took out a summons, and got an order for 5s a week against Saunders. Six months after this Saunders married her." This suggests that Bertie was the first child and he must have been born six months or more before the marriage, the census returns suggesting London. A simple search will not find his birth registration - but a Bertie Charles "Gordon" was registered early in 1889 (Ref: Mar 1889 St Saviour 1d 172)  and if handwriting on the original was bad "Gardner" and "Gordon" could be confused - but this turns out not to be the case - so the correct reference is still to be found.

The press report refers to three other children who died in infancy - and as Bertie was the oldest followed quickly by Ernest the others must have been born after 1890, most probably in the Hitchin area. Ten infant deaths were registered under the name Saunders in Hitchin between 1890 and 1899 and two have names that strongly suggest that they refer to this family. One was Janetta Saunders (Birth Ref: Hitchin Jun 1894 3a 536; Death Ref: Hitchin Jun 1894 3a 355). The other was Violet Eugenie Saunders (Birth Ref: Hitchin Jun 1895 3a 511; Death (of Violet) Ref: Hitchin Jun 1897 3a 305). If you then assume at least a year between births the most likely other child is Reginald Saunders (Birth Ref: Hitchin Dec 1891 3a 503; Death Ref: Hitchin Dec 1892 3a 276) but this is only a guess.