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Many thanks to you all for the various snippets, my earlier comment that the entries for George Oldham in the US didn't stack up, unless the child born in 1861 wasn't his, turned out to be more significant that I thought! George is not the first case in my family of a male going to the US and marrying, when he had a "wife" back in England. It makes me wonder what the full story was in these cases, did the husband simply not bother to send for his wifein England, or did she not want to go? I still have the unresolved question of what happened to her after 1871, she certainly seems to have been a "bit of a lass", so she might have been co-habiting with someone and calling herself his "wife". Feels like finding her might be a bit of a needle in a haystack, why couldn't she have had an unusual forename or names?

Missouri, Marriage Records, 1805-2002

Name: Mr George Oldham
Marriage Date: 23 Aug 1874
Marriage Place: Bates, Missouri, USA
Spouse: Sarah M Haggard

Name: Mrs Sarah M Haggard
Marriage Date: 23 Aug 1874
Marriage Place: Bates, Missouri, USA
Spouse: George Oldham

George from the death notice. He emigrated in 1859.

Us Census 1880

New Home, Bates, Missouri, United States

George Oldham Self Married Male 47 1833 England
Sarah Oldham Wife Married Female 58 1822 Kentucky



Us Census 1900
Walnut Township Foster & Worland villages, Bates, Missouri, United States


First name(s) Last name Relationship Marital status Gender Age Birth year Birth place
George Oldhem Self Widowed Male 68 1832 England



Us Census 1910

Walnut, Bates, Missouri, United States

First name(s) Last name Relationship Marital status Gender Age Birth year
Geo Oldham Self Widowed Male 78 1832



Us Census 1920

Bates, Missouri, United States

George Oldham - Widowed Male 86 1834 England

OLDHAM, CHARLES EDWARD -
GRO Reference: 1861 S Quarter in GRANTHAM Volume 07A Page 416


OLDHAM, MARY ELIZABETH -
GRO Reference: 1857 D Quarter in GRANTHAM Volume 07A Page 402

What a job finding them in 1861! The surname has been written as Holdingham not Bingham or Oldham.

1861 England, Wales & Scotland Census

37, Ancaster, Grantham, Lincolnshire, England

Joseph Binnington Head Married Male 58 1803 Agricultural Labourer Ashby, Lincolnshire, England
Mary Ann Binnington Wife Married Female 55 1806 Agricultural Labourers Wife Swarby, Lincolnshire, England
Mary ... Bingham Daughter Married Female 24 1837 - Sudbrook, Lincolnshire, England
Mary Elizabeth Bingham Granddaughter - Female 3 1858 - Sudbrook, Lincolnshire, England

These newspaper clippings make for interesting reading.

—An attempt was made by Mary Ann Oldham, of Sudbrook, a married woman. whose husband is said to be in America, to prove that Robert Bell was the father of her illegitimate son born on the 20th of June. Case dismissed.
16 November 1861 - Grantham Journal - Grantham, Lincolnshire, England



Mary Ann Oldham, of Sudbrook, a married woman, whose husband is said to be in America, impudently and with great amount of assurance attempted to saddle Robert Bell with the paternity of her child born on the 20th of last June. Case dismissed.
22 November 1861 - Stamford Mercury - Stamford, Lincolnshire, England


???

I Hereby give Notice, that I, GEORGE OLDHAM, will not be answerable for any Debts my Wife, Mary Ann Oldham, may contract after this notice. Witness, Thomas OLDHAM. GEORGE OLDHAM. Beckingham, Oct. 4,1856.
10 October 1856 - Stamford Mercury - Stamford, Lincolnshire, England


Possibly not related if they only married in May 1856.

I've had a look for the George Oldham from the find a grave entry found by ArgyllGran. It doesn't appear to be related as 2 census details show he arrived in the US in 1859, unless George Edward born 1861 wasn't his son of course.

ArgyllGran, perhaps, but I have an similar case on another branch of my family where the husband disappeared to the US, leaving a wife and family behind. Whether the intent was for them to join him and that never happened is an unknown. His wife eventually married again.

Very long shot:

George Oldham
in the U.S., Find A Grave Index, 1600s-Current
Name: George Oldham
Birth Date: 1832
Birth Place: England
Death Date: 27 Nov 1922
Death Place: Butler, Bates County, Missouri, United States of America
Cemetery: Oak Hill Cemetery
Burial or Cremation Place: Butler, Bates County, Missouri, United States of America

Informant (Frank Oldham, of Butler, Missouri) stated that George's father's name was William, but Frank didn't know George's mother's name.

That is indeed the 1841 census I'm refering to.

and 1841 - just for helpers' reference - at least I assume this is the one:

George Oldham
in the 1841 England Census
Name: George Oldham
Age: 9
Estimated birth year: abt 1832
Gender: Male
Where born: Lincolnshire, England
Civil Parish: Stapleford
Hundred: Boothby Graffo (Lower Division)
County/Island: Lincolnshire
Country: England
Street address:
Occupation:
View image
Registration district: Newark
Sub-registration district: Bassingham
Neighbors:
Piece: 622
Book: 18
Folio: 6
Page Number: 7
Household Members:
Name Age
William Oldham 50
Esther Oldham 45
Hannah Oldham 13
David Oldham 14
Elizabeth Oldham 11
George Oldham 9
William Oldham 7
Sarah Oldham 4
Esther Oldham 2
Curtis Oldham 2 Mo

ArgyllGran, I saw that as well but Flora doesn't fit, she looks like a probable sister for that Ann. I have Elvina on the next census as a house servant, she eventually ended up in Devon.

Just for our reference - the 1851 Julie mentions:

George Oldham
in the 1851 England Census
Name: George Oldham
Age: 18
Estimated birth year: abt 1833
Relation: Servant
Gender: Male
Where born: Stapleford, Nottinghamshire, England
Civil Parish: Maplebeck
Phillimore Ecclesiastical Parish Maps:
View related Ecclesiastical Parish
County/Island: Nottinghamshire
Country: England
Street address:
Occupation:
Condition as to marriage:
Disability:
View image
Registration district: Southwell
Sub-registration district: Kneesal
ED, institution, or vessel: 25
Neighbors:
Household schedule number: 4
Piece: 2135
Folio: 361
Page Number: 2

I wondered if this might be Elvina Ann in 1881 - but there's also a Flora Oldham1868 with her.
Will post just in case:

Ann Oldham
in the 1881 England Census
Name: Ann Oldham
Age: 11
Estimated birth year: abt 1870
Relationship to Head: Inmate
Gender: Female
Where born: Grantham, Lincoln, England
Civil Parish: Spittlegate
County/Island: Lincolnshire
Country: England
Street address: "Grantham Union Workhouse" Harlaxton Road
Education:
Employment status:
View image
Occupation: Scholar
Registration district: Grantham
ED, institution, or vessel: 18
Neighbors:
Piece: 3233
Folio: 113
Page Number: 40

ErikaH - no he was in Stapleford in 1841 with his parents and in Maplebeck in 1851 as servant to James C Wood. I'd post details if I knew how to do that.

Why does this seem familiar?


Is this the record you found for George?


William Oldham Head Widower Male 58 1793 Farmer Of 230 Acres Employ 4 Lab Balderton, Nottinghamshire, England
Esther Oldham Daughter Unmarried Female 25 1826 House Keeper Balderton, Nottinghamshire, England
Elizabeth Oldham Daughter Unmarried Female 24 1827 Assistant Balderton, Nottinghamshire, England
George Oldham Son Unmarried Male 22 1829 Farmer Son Employd At Home Balderton, Nottinghamshire, England
Martha Andrews Oldham Daughter Unmarried Female 20 1831 Farmer Daughter Employd At Home Balderton, Nottinghamshire, England
Will Bell Oldham Son Unmarried Male 19 1832 Chemist Balderton, Nottinghamshire, England
Ada Anne Oldham Daughter Unmarried Female 16 1835 At Home Balderton, Nottinghamshire, England
Emily Mary Oldham Daughter Unmarried Female 14 1837 At Home Balderton, Nottinghamshire, England
John Andrews Oldham Son - Male 12 1839 Scholar Balderton, Nottinghamshire, England
Albert Walter Oldham Son - Male 10 1841 Scholar Balderton, Nottinghamshire, England
Herbert Albert Oldham Son - Male 5 1846 Scholar Balderton, Nottinghamshire, England
Mary Ann Ridge Servant Unmarried Female 23 1828 House Serv Newark, Nottinghamshire, England
Will Gale Servant Unmarried Male 19 1832 Farm Serv Caythorpe, Lincolnshire, England
William Weaver Servant Unmarried Male 20 1831 Farm Serv Coddington, Nottinghamshire, England

Just for INFO

OLDHAM, ELVINA ANN RIMMINGTON
GRO Reference: 1869 S Quarter in GRANTHAM Volume 07A Page 443

Can anyone help with tracking down Mary Ann after the 1871 census? She was born at Sudbrooke nr Ancaster Lincolnshire. She married George Oldham in Ancaster in 1856. However, in 1861 she is on the census at her parents in Sudbrooke with young daughter Mary Elizabeth, and as son Charles Edward was born on 26 Jun 1861 she was pregnant at the time. George is not listed in the household. Her parents both died during the 1860's. on the 1871 census she is in the local workhouse at Spittlegate with both children, plus a 3rd child only 1 year old Elvina Ann, as her birthplace is the same location as the workhouse she may have been born there. George is again notable by his absence. The marriage reg scan shows George as 24 and resident in Stapleford at the time, his father being William. I have found him with his parents and siblings at Stapleford, Notts in 1841 and as a farm servant at Maplebeck, Notts in 1851, but nothing after that. I have managed to track down both Charles Edward and Elvina Ann as adults, but not as children in 1881.