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Joanne:
On your date question. LDC writes the dates on his poems to my grandmother in the 'English' way as opposed to the 'American/Canadian' way.
I.e., if he writes 9/6/17 he means the 9th June 1917. This is borne out when he later writes 17/9/17 which of course could only be 17th September 1917!!
Hope this helps with your detective work as to his whereabouts in the UK on certain dates.
Just a thought: did he have any photographs of a possible sister with a name on the back ...............??
You are bright eyed and busy tailed as we are all going to bed over here. But I/we will all be back to this tomorrow to see how you are doing.
:-D

To Joanne:
My grandmother [the unrequited love!] was in Hove in March 1924 giving birth to my mother. She was married to my grandfather who was in the 8th & 10th Gurkha Rifles in India and she came 'home' to have the baby. They returned to India in September later that year. Unforch, the marriage broke down and my mother came to the UK at aged 2+ never to return to India. My grandmother remarried to a very dashing chap.

And if it is difficult for you to buy the Birth Cert for ALDC in sterling, just let me know and I'll happily do it for you.

Nx
:-D

I think you've cracked the C Marsh connection there, Austin Q (they're together on the 1911 census). Although not a blood relative I did wonder about the "sister" being one of the Sawyers given they seemed to have a lasting bond (viz service records).

Joanne, far be it for me to suggest how you spend money (£9.25) but I'd be very tempted to buy the birth certificate for Ada LD Cox - that initial "D" teased me too.

Joanne- the reference address of 6 Felmingham Road was for C. Marsh (not C Wright as you've written above).

And I think this explains that address:

Marriages Sep 1901 (>99%)
Marsh Charles Edgar Bromley 2a 1031<<<<<<<<<<<<
Pocock Eleanor Bromley 2a 1031
Sawyer Alice Maud Bromley 2a 1031<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
WADDINGTON Henry Bromley 2a 1031

So not a relative at the Felmingham address.

I also wondered if he maintained contact with the others listed as boarders on the 1911 in the Sawyer household- they were of similar age and may have been as close as sisters to him.

MarieCeleste and AustinQ: I noticed that reference to a C Wright as well. The name is not familiar to me, I don't recall hearing it though I don't think that means much. But then, I also noticed that when Leo went back to London, he often seemed to travel alone. I had thought that he might be visiting his sister. It could be a war buddy.

But if Bromley is part of "SE20" - then it must be near Orpington. The 1921 census lists Orpington as a subdistrict of the Bromley Registration District (42). I found a 6 Felmingham Road on google maps: some 20 minutes away from 2 Weller Place (the Sawyers) by car, but probably quite a bit longer in 1924.

And I'd love to know where Nicola's grandmother was living in 1924? Marguerite didn't come to Canada until 1925.

Re the sister's name: I don't recall it - and I'm not sure I ever knew. I did not learn of his sister until i was in my 20s or 30s - after Leo died - and then, of second hand knowledge from my mother. I don't believe my father met her, though I could be wrong. And Marguerite certainly did (still does) have relatives in Europe - in France and in Belgium - and she kept ongoing correspondence with them until her death and visited periodically.

It's possible that he referred to Alice as a sister. In the 1901 census, Alice is listed as the daughter of Thomas and Hannah Sawyer. A 26 year old dressmaker. She is no longer living at her parents home at the time of the 1911 census, but I haven't a chance to go looking for her yet.

And May/Mary Winnifred, now! So much to chase down, but I must go to bed!

Thank you all, very much, for your time, and for all these wonderful clues!

I spent hours looking through the workhouse records last night, trying to figure out which Ada Cox was and was not our Ada Cox - or I guess I should say my great grandmother!

Tracking the admissions/discharges of Ada Lily and Ada Louise between Leo's birth and Lily's death, it seems as though Ada (Mom) kept changing her birth year. Advancing the birth year to stay young? But the age of the mom that was with Winnifred in 1916 - 31 was recorded - seems consistent with the birth years she was using when Lily was in and out. So I really do think it's possible Winnifred is Leo and Lily's sister.

I noticed, too, that in one of the last 1914 visits with Lily, November 1914, Lily was discharged not to her mother, but to the infirmary. And then she died the following March. I wonder if that was why Lily was in and out of the workhouse - as a way to manage Lily's health care needs. While Winnifred, older, was healthier?

I'm just making up their stories now! That's speculative.

HeyJudeB4Beatles, I think there's something to this name. Ada Lily's death record - if I've got the correct child - refers to Ada L. D. Cox. It's the first time the "D" is there, but it got me thinking...

My first thought was that Ada was in service but was "ruined" (good heavens that's harsh!) and got pregnant. Many a young woman was kicked out of a placement without a reference for being pregnant. In those days, there weren't many alternatives after that.

So then, that gave me the idea to search for a Delamoque that lived in the same area. I came across a Walter Alvin Lamarque who was residing in Orpington and producing children of a similar age. Orpington was mentioned in Leo's service records; he had his pay sent to the woman with whom he'd boarded from ages 3 to 13 - Mrs Sawyer - and the Sawyers lived near Orpington.

Perhaps a displaced boy decided he was "de" or "of" the Lamarque family. Perhaps he admired one of the sons. Or, perhaps Ada Louise gave him that name as a reference to whence he came. Phonetically (depending on the flavour of the accent), lamoque is very similar to lamarque.

Total speculation! And while his grave marker uses Delamoque (yes, he is buried in Mount Royal and he did die in the spring of 1978), he definitely used Delano through his professional life. That's how I knew him. Maybe he renamed himself after Franklin Delano Roosevelt became President of the US in 1933.

Anyway - that part's all just fun and games; no way to know. I do hope Walter Alvin Lamarque will not rise from the grave and sue me for libelous suggestions!

MC, Jude, I think you're right, I can't see the link to Ada senior either. Just hope Joanne can help with a possible name for a sister.

Just wanted to checkout this record- original says Cox, It may not be 'our' Ada, but just in case:

Name: Ada Cose
Discharge Date: 12 Feb 1918
Discharge Age: 33
Record Type: Discharge
Borough: Southwark
Parish or Poor Law Union: Southwark
Title: Newington Workhouse, Westmoreland Road Register, 1918

With son, Alfred Cox age 4

I know where you're coming from with that Jude.

I would have thought that with Ada senior's track record with the workhouse that those other Coxs on the 1939 register would also have popped up on the workhouse admissions, I've checked those names and nothing obvious.

I looked at the Wheatley marriage but was deterred by the number of coxes who would be, as yet, undiscovered siblings.

Jude

On the form below in 1924 he states-

Canada, Ocean Arrivals (Form 30A), 1919-1924 for Leo D Cox

Nearest Relative- None.
Reference Address- C. Marsh, 6 Felmingham Road, SE 20
-----------------------------------------------------------

Same address on this shipping list:
Name: Leo Cox
Gender: Male
Age: 26
Birth Date: abt 1898
Departure Date: 1 Aug 1924
Port of Departure: Southampton, England
Destination Port: Montreal, Canada
Ship Name: Andania

Googling:
" SE20 area covering the areas of Anerley, Crystal Palace, Penge, Beckenham, Bromley"

The 1939 register has Felmingham Road under Beckenham, Kent.

Name: Leo Cox
Gender: Male
Departure Date: 17 Oct 1956
Port of Departure: Southampton, England
Destination Port: Quebec, Canada
Ship Name: Homeric
Shipping line: Home Lines
Address in UK: Grosvenor House, London
Occ: Advertising Executive
DOB: 22/ 03/1898

Just been looking at the numerous passenger lists for Leo back and forth across the Atlantic.

On nearly all of them he gives his contact address as the office of the shipping line (on one occasion it was the Dorchester Hotel).

However, when he came to England in 1923 he gave an address of 6 Felmington Road, Anerley, London, SE20.

Anyone able to find out who lived there then?

ADDED: Can't find that street but there is a FelmingHAM Road in Anerley in 1911.

Interestingly, when he and Marguerite returned to Canada after a trip in 1928 they claimed to have "no relatives in Europe".

If Joanne returns to this thread, I wonder if she knows the name of the sister that Leo corresponded with?

Dea, thought that was a later marriage for Andresa,

1939 Electoral register
105 Wandsworth Road

Andresa Cox
Frederick Thomas Cox
Georgina Mary Nairn
Charles Arthur Prentice
Eliza Amelia Prentice
James Charles Prentice
--------------------------------------------------------

1948 Electoral register

105 Wandsworth Road
Andresa Crummack
Dennis A Crummack
Joseph Ferrie
Pauline L Ferrie
Eliza A Prentice
George H Prentice
James C Prentice

Although not sure if/ how these connect with Ada?

I had this as Andresa's marriage :

Marriages Dec 1946 (>99%)
Cox Andresa Crummack Lambeth 5c 2890
Crummack Dennis A Cox Lambeth 5c 2890

Dea x

This is Andresa's Marriage:

Marriages Mar 1938 (>99%)
Cox Frederick T Echarry Westminster 1a 843
Echarry Andresa O Cox Westminster 1a 843

Wheatley Household (7 People) River Way , Epsom and Ewell M.B., Surrey, England
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First name(s) Last name(s) DOB Occupation
May W Wheatley 30 Apr 1908 Solicitors Clerk
Emily Michelin 17 Dec 1876 Paper Bag Maker
George A Cox 15 Jan 1912 -
Grace A Cox 22 Aug 1910 Unpaid Domestic Duties
Sorry, this record is officially closed. Check if you can open a closed record.
Andresa Crummack (Cox) 30 Nov 1906 Unpaid Domestic Duties
Sorry, this record is officially closed. Check if you can open a closed record.

Dea x

Although there is a George A Cox (b1912) in the same household (I think) in 1939 (possibly a brother?). I don't see a George A Cox birth with mm Cox

EDIT: Unless it's this one?

Births Sep 1913 (>99%)
Cox George A Cox Hackney 1b 947

(Edit- Unlikely to be this George (Birthday listed as January below on 1939)

Looks like we were thinking along similar lines Potty!