Karen's Family Files: Martha Denny Langdale

My new year genealogy research got off to a great start. I had been looking for my English great grandmother, Martha Denny Langdale, in England's 1891 census for three years and I finally found her. I had found her easily years earlier in the 1901 census living with my great grandfather and five of her children at 3 Portsdown Place in the Maida Vail area of London.

I knew for three years where my great grandfather, Charles Langdale, was in the 1891 census . . . Wormwood Scrubs Prison in London, England. (That's a story for another day.) I was curious about what happened to his family. I searched for Martha Langdale by name, including a name variant, Langdell. Didn't find her. I looked for her parents, thinking she might have moved back in with them. Didn't find them. I looked for her living with other Langdale families. Didn't find her there either. I tried other searches. What I didn't try was using name variants other than Langdell. Thanks to checking the variant spelling box on findmypast.com, a genealogy website I subscribe to, on January 2, she showed up! She was listed on the census as Martha Lansdale.

Martha (24) was living with her three daughters, Margaret (7), Harriett (3), and Martha (1) at 109 Canterbury Road. It was a multi-family dwelling. No occupation was listed for her.

What stood out to me was her son, Charles, who would be 9 in that census, was not listed. Nor was a daughter, Ellen, who was probably born in 1885 and would've been 6 years old in 1891. I have baptism records for both. I did find a death index record for Charles, who died in 1883, less than a year old. I was very sad when I found that record. It also means my great grandmother was about 15 years old when she became a mother. I've not found a death record for Ellen yet. Martha and Charles went on the have five more children: Norah in 1893, Thomas Henry (my granddad) in 1895, Charles in1898, Dennis in 1900, and Frederick in 1901. Norah died in 1897.

Martha didn't make it to the 1911 census. She died in 1902. She was 36. Her death was registered in the October, November and December Death Index book. She left a lot of young children behind. Tragedy struck earlier in 1902 months before Martha died. Dennis died sometime between January and March . These were huge losses for this poor family.

In the 1911 census Charles was listed as a widower. A daughter, three sons (including my granddad), and a nephew lived with him.