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My brains starting to spin. Is Frances/Francis listed as Frances LITTLEJOHN??? If so could s/he be a Littlejohn relative? Trouble is Matthew's siblings are jolly difficult to pinpoint. The early ones are fairly straightforward from the 1861 census where his mother and father, John and Mary Ann (nee Fulford) are living at Gitcott Mill in Milton Damerel Devon with Mary, Elizabeth and William. 1871 they turn up in Glamorgan without Mary and Elizabeth but having acquired Matthew. But there are various others - Anne, Eva, Martha - where haven't managed to pinpoint the parents: there were John and Mary Littlejohns all over the place in Devon and Cornwall.

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I will PM you two of the images from Leslie's Service record - the letter sent with his effects and the form detailing his family. The second one isn't very clear in places - some of his siblings have been entered in the place where their addresses should have been.

Children of Matthew Littlejohn and Ellen Jane Brooks:

Nellie May b1884 Kensington
Edith b1885 Kensington
Lilly Mabel b1886 Fulham- married Alfred Greenham (see below)?
William Matthew b1887 Kensington
Cyril Ewart b1890 Chiswick, London
Leslie L b 1892 Kensington
Leonard Victor b 1894 London
Aline Allison b 1895 Kensington- no marriage or death found
Dorothy Victoria b 1897 Kensington
Gladys Geraldine b 1899 Kensingotn
Herbert Edward b 1900 Chelsea

The above Lillie Mabel Littlejohn, aged 31 married March 16th 1918, Weymouth, Dorset to Alfred William Greenham- she states her father as WILLIAM Littlejohns, G,W Railway Porter. Matthew was a railway porter- seems odd that she'd list him as William. Is this the marriage you have for Lillie/ Lilly?

I can't find any mention of a Matthew Littlejohn in the railway employment records on Ancestry

Hi Helen
Yes this is the marriage I Had for Lily. A W Greenham fought in the war. Can't explain the William - except that others of the family were citing their mother to be Frances, not Ellen. It doesn't look as though either Matthew or Ellen were hot on parenting. Perhaps providing alternative parents was more comfortable than acknowledging the real ones. It's possible Ellen reverted to Frances, as Potty suggested, as the name of both her mother and aunt. Or possibly the aunt had a daughter she named Frances too, and this one helped the family. Don't know. As for Matthew's employment, he is listed as a railway porter on the 1891 census. But also as a Blindmaker in 1901. Maybe he wasn't actually employed as a porter but just hung about outside railway stations.

Thank you Potty for the info on Dorothy in 1950. I had her marrying someone called Arthur Upton in 1915 and wondered, following RR's revelations, what she was doing flitting about the Atlantic with Edith. But it looks as though the Upton marriage is wrong: it seemed a bit dubious as it took place in Warwick. Hope you got my thanks for the copies of Leslie's records. My PC is playing up and I'm not sure it's obeying "submit".
And thank you RR for the extra on Nellie May. Can't find any marriage or death for her after 1927: assume she continued as a domestic help ....
No nearer fathoming Matthew's disappearance or Ellen's. Wonder if Gladys moved permanently to USA ...

Thank you Potty for the info on Dorothy in 1950. I had her marrying someone called Arthur Upton in 1915 and wondered, following RR's revelations, what she was doing flitting about the Atlantic with Edith. But it looks as though the Upton marriage is wrong: it seemed a bit dubious as it took place in Warwick. Hope you got my thanks for the copies of Leslie's records. My PC is playing up and I'm not sure it's obeying "submit".
And thank you RR for the extra on Nellie May. Can't find any marriage or death for her after 1927: assume she continued as a domestic help ....
No nearer fathoming Matthew's disappearance or Ellen's. Wonder if Gladys moved permanently to USA ...

Sorry to be jumping about with different people, but I have to get it down before I forget!

On Leslie's service records, on the statement of relatives, it gives his Mother as Frances Littlejohn - Potty wasn't sure of the address, but taking another look it appears to be 24 Crescent Street, Nottinghill.

I then found this tree http://www.micropraxis.com/elizabeth/tree/I598.html which gives Ellen Jane Littlejohn's (nee Brooks) death as 4 FEB 1927 24, Crescent Street, Kensington, London.

I think it would be worth getting the death certificate- it certainly looks as though Frances and Ellen were the same people.

Helen you are a genius (or you have brilliant specs). Kensington and Notting Hill are adjacent and quite possibly Crescent St spanned them. Doesn't seem to exist any more - maybe bombed in WW2. But I'm glad I can like Ellen Jane again. She came from a nice family and had a rough time after leaving home. Leonard Victor &Herbert Edward of the Littlejohn children both died v young. Probably Aline too, though rootgatherer's lead was interesting. If I can discover what happened to Gladys after her nursing adventures in NY and Nelly May, who's elusive after being the Cuffs' cook, the whole family is pretty well accounted for. EXCEPT the starting ? what Ellen/Nellie/Frances was doing between 1901 and 1927 If she was in Crescent St why isn't she on the 1911 census- OH: of course she might have been on it as Frances

I don't think this is already on here but sorry if it is, Edith M and Gladys both at this address. 144 New River Crescent Southgate N13

London, England, Electoral Registers, 1832-1965 about Gladys G Littlejohn
Name: Gladys G Littlejohn
Year: 1950
County or Borough: Southgate
Ward or Division/Constituency: Southgate Middle
Reference Number: MR/PER/C/0833

and Gladys, Dorothy and Edith all together in 1965 at

42 Selbourne road.

don, England, Electoral Registers, 1832-1965 about Gladys G Littlejohn
Name: Gladys G Littlejohn
Year: 1965
County or Borough: Wood Green
Ward or Division/Constituency: Noel Park
Reference Number: LCC/PER/B/3087

Possible death

England & Wales, Death Index, 1916-2007 about Gladys Littlejohn
Name: Gladys Littlejohn
Birth Date: 16 May 1899
Date of Registration: Mar 1985
Age at Death: 85
Registration district: Haringey
Inferred County: London
Volume: 12
Page: 2087

England & Wales, Death Index, 1916-2007 about Dorothy Victoria Littlejohn
Name: Dorothy Victoria Littlejohn
Birth Date: 4 May 1897
Date of Registration: Jun 1975
Age at Death: 78
Registration district: Haringey
Inferred County: Greater London
Volume: 12
Page: 2032

England & Wales, Death Index, 1916-2007 about Edith Mary Littlejohn
Name: Edith Mary Littlejohn
Birth Date: 21 Dec 1884
Date of Registration: Mar 1970
Age at Death: 85
Registration district: Haringey
Inferred County: Greater London
Volume: 5b
Page: 2507

I note all the deaths reg Haringey, so probable the sisters remained living together.

A lot of the houses in Crescent St seem to have been multi-occupied in 1911. No sign of Ellen Jane/Frances at No 24. Bangor St also was in multi-occupation; again, no sign of Ellen.

On Leslie's Service Record, his Next of Kin card originally had his brother William as NOK. That has been crossed out and Mother, Frances, 18 Bangor St Nottinghill , written below.

Below that is "From letter Gladys Littlejohn, 81 Church Road, Richmond, Surrey".

There is no date given but as Leslie died in 1917 it must be before that.

In 1911 18 Bangor Street was a lodging house for women:

Alfred Ives 50
Susan Ives 47
Bridget Keet 45
Mary Johnson 27
Kate Planville 50
Alice Laidlow 58
Ellen Holme 32
Lizzie A Adams 50
Mary Smith 30
Paul Flemming 58
Lucy Shilbucks 44
Ada Dutson 43
Mary Grounds 42
Alice Day 36
Margaret Lee 63
Annie Brown 30
Emily Stwarts 40
Florence Williams 43
Sarah Sandoth 46
Selina Jupe 50
Beatrice Llons 28
Jane Smith 51
Annie Corpes 27
Mary Costello 29
Annie Pearce 21
Mary Lee 24
Mary Frances 31

Googling Bangor and Crescent Street, Kensington brings up a lot of history of the area-

"Five streets known as the ‘Special Area’ were Bangor Street, Crescent Street, St Clement’s Road, St Katherine’s Road and William Street. This area differed very little from the Potteries in terms of health and well being. This ‘Special Area’ was largely overcrowded. In 1904, there was one quarter the amount of public houses to dwellings, which suggested heavy drinking. Lodging houses accommodated over 700 people, each paying about fourpence or sixpence a night. Houses for ‘ladies of the night’ were open from the evening till around mid morning, at a charge of roughly a shilling a night."
(http://www.worleyfamily.co.uk/NOTTINGDALE.htm)

"The social situation thus created was first brought to the public notice in January 1893 through the publication in the Daily News of an article entitled 'A West-End Avernus'. In this article the author denounced in the lurid language appropriate to the popular press the social conditions in St. Katherine's Road (now Wilsham Street), William (now Kenley) Street, Bangor and Crescent Streets (sites now occupied by Henry Dickens Court) and part of St. Clement's (now Sirdar) Road, and concluded that he had never seen 'anything in London more hopelessly degraded and abandoned than life in these wretched places'"
(http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=49883)

Blimey. Poor old Ellen. And she came from such an interesting family - the Tillotts of Norfolk, who go all the way back to Henry VIII's court and were nicely respectable innkeepers and farmers for much of the time.

Helen, Potty - am confused. Is it that Ellen was in Bangor St when Leslie went to war - but Crescent Street later when he died, do you suppose? (Or the other way round)
And Dorothy seems to have 2 addresses in 1950 Nasmyth (which is London W6) and New River Crescent which is N13.

As Leslie originally gave his brother William as his next of kin when he joined the Army in 1910 I would guess that he didn't know where his parents were or he would have given them.

In Leslie's Army record is the telegram sent to William advising of his death, so at that time, William was recorded as his NOK. I wonder if that is when Gladys wrote advising Ellen/Frances's address.

Leslie's effects were sent to Frances Littlejohn at 33 Bangor St on 14 Sept 1917; the form was signed by her and received back on 21 Sept. The form listing the family is dated May 1920, address 24 Crescent St.

William's Service Record might give some clues but it does not appear on Ancestry but I think I saw somewhere that Guards records were kept in a different place and so weren't among those destroyed.

ce it looks like the sisters moved several times, the different addresses are in 1950 and 1965 and the sisters appear to have spent most of their lives together till their deaths, getting one of the certs should show where they were at that time.

Potty and Helen: Thank you both enormously. Think I'm straight now. Sorting this means a lot to Littlejohn descendants.

The girls certainly moved around alot- just found this on Ellisisland.org for Edith arriving Nov 04, 1924- note her last residence!

Edith Mary Littlejohn
Age:38
Occ:Nurse
Last permenant residence: Mazing?rbe, FRANCE
Nearest Relative: Gladys Littlejohn, 19 Nasmyth Street, Hammersmith
Employer: E. Herbert
Born: London, England

From FMP: Attestation for the Malitia dated 8th March 1905

William Matthew Littlejohn
Born: Acton, Middlesex
Residing at: 19 Seagrave Road, Fulham
Age: 18 years 5 months
Served: 3rd Battalion East Surrey Regiment 8th March 1905
Released to: 1st Dragoon Guards 2nd Jan 1906

Name & Address of Next Of Kin:
Father: William Matthew Littlejohn- address Unknown
Younger Brother: Leslie, Kensington Schools, Banstead
Younger Brother: Cyril- Address Unknown