KoncherClan

1: RUTH JANE WINTER

#: WILLIAM (JAMES?) LESTER

No record of marriage found

Born:

Place:

Died:

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Bapt:

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Died:

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Sept 5th, 1830

St James, Bristol, UK

Mar 30th, 1913

Cheltenham,Glos,UK

Plot:

2: James William Henry 1831 3: Emma Jane 1838 4: Mary Maria 1840 5: Lavinia 1843

In 1851 William Lester is living St Pancras as a servant In 1856 William Lester marries Jane McNeil in St Pancras I think Jane (McNeil) Lester died JFM 1861 in St Pancras

WILLIAM LESTER In the interests of helping other researchers, we can give some information about the curved ball that we followed regarding this guy. We have a maternal great-grandmother who lived as RUTH JANE LESTER. She was born as RUTH JANE WINTER, probably in Bedminster in 1830. She always claimed to be the wife of a tailor called WILLIAM LESTER although no record of any marriage can be found and her social history might suggest that she never did actually marry. Anyway, she most definitely had a son who she registered as WILLIAM JAMES LESTER at the PEWSEY registry in 1859. A second child RUTH JANE LESTER was baptised at St Judes, Bristol in August 1863 on the same day as her brother (WILLIAM JAMES LESTER). In 1868 a second daughter was baptised EMMA MARY LAVINIA at St Pauls, Bristol. This family group is certainly corroborated as all the names are those of Ruth Jane’s siblings. The locations in Bristol are also corroborated by the extant family claims that Ruth ran a tailloring/dressmaking business in Clifton, Bristol. Because of the PEWSEY link, the birth registration of a WILLIAM LESTER at PEWSEY in 1837 was seized on as the probable father (as recorded on all baptism entries). This birth registration recorded the parents as GEORGE LESTER and JOYCE OSLAND.who were married at Wilsford in 1832— Wilsford being a parish in the Pewsey registration district. However, the children of this couple can be readily traced— Eliza — born 1835 in Pewsey district. She emigrated to Australia aged 18, married, divorced and remarried and finally died there. William — born 1837 in Pewsey district. Martha — born 1840 in Devizes district. George — born 1841 in Devizes district. Joyce — born 1843 in Neath district. Abraham George— born 1845 in Neath district (as an adult he always called himself George.) In 1842, the infant deaths of both Martha and George were registered in Devizes. George and Joyce then moved to Neath, Glamorgan where the last two children were born. George and Joyce both died in Neath in 1847 and the two young children were returned to live with their grandparents in Hilcott. This just leaves WILLIAM to be accounted for— hopefully to be linked with Ruth Jane Winter! But alas, WILLIAM LESTER, son of George and Joyce Lester was buried on 5 June 1846 at Llantwit-Juxta-Neath, Glamorgan. So that certainly rules him out as our WILLIAM LESTER, partner of Ruth Jane. The PEWSEY link proved to be false

Family-lore says that William and Ruth (some documentation calls her Jane Ruth ran a tailoring business (in Clifton?). Certainly, Ruth (or Jane as she preferred to be called) is frequently described as a seamstress. The story is also that William abandoned his family leaving them destitute. There is a baptism record for Ruth in Bristol and her family is clearly identified on census living in Bristol in 1841. William does not appear on any census with his "family" and is even claimed as deceased three years before Ada was born! There is also no clear death record for William. External researchers have been used in an attempt to discover something about William, but they also failed and agree that in such situations, the only other explanation is likely to be that which is derived from the following theory — There was a William Lester registered at Pewsey in 1837 and this looked significant as the first son of William and Ruth was certainly also registered at Pewsey. But this turned out to be a false lead – see note under William Lester. In 1851 census there is a sixteen year old William Lester from Wiltshire who is a servant in the employ of Robert Peaple from Wiltshire at 12 Cumberland Place, St Pancras. At No 10 Cumberland Place is a shirtmaking/dressmaking business with apprentices. Maybe this is how William became involved in tailoring. The 1856 marriage registration for William Lester at St Pancras is not our William (Glasgow). We can only surmise that maybe William and Jane Winter became acquainted in his early years and she gave birth to their illegitimate child. At sometime Ruth Jane moves to Cheltenham but they never marry. (It is worth noting that the marriages of Jane's three sisters can be found). William is something of a philanderer and Ruth Jane is happy to have the attention of a younger man. William probably spent much of his time away from the family (journeyman tailor) and maybe it was Ruth Jane who held together whatever business they may have had. She even describes herself as a widow in the census of 1871— three years before he is cited on the birth certificate of Ada Florence. William eventually abandons his responsibilities and may even have emigrated. No record has yet been found of an emigration, but that would certainly explain why no death registration can be found either. One final note may be that William did indeed die before 1871, which would mean that Ada's paternal line is also thrown into doubt!! She is staying with Maria Hart in Bloomsbury St in 1891. One final note, William was very successful in keeping his name from censuses— wherever he was..