Hello, I'm new to this site looking for help.
I have an ancestor who I know quite a lot about from what my grandmother tells me about her aunt and from the documents I've uncovered. But there's one aspect of her life that is a mystery that is unknown to us.
My ancestor's name is Maria nee Hopwood b.1870 in Preston, Lancashire.
In 1902 she married John James Hunt (b.1876) at Blackburn, Lancashire.
They had two daughters together Edna born in 1902 and Eva in 1903 both in Blackburn (both would die young of pneumonia in 1919 and 1911).
The mysterious event of their life is in November 1907 when John James Hunt sails to Boston, USA from Liverpool taking one daughter Edna aged just 5 years old. The other daughter Eva remained with her mother Maria in England. John James Hunt never returns to England it looks like and he is shown on all the US censuses as living in Pawtucket, Rhode Island until he dies in 1965. He even lists himself as married in 1910, but widowed from the 1920 censuses and later saying single despite Maria still being alive in England. She dies in 1953 in England with relationship status as widowed (he was still living). It's clear they became estranged from one another. Daughter Edna is shown on the 1910 and 1915 US censuses as living with her aunt Bessie not her father whilst he boarded locally elsewhere in a large household of mixed nationalities initially before living with his sister in later years after he lost his daughter. He found work in the mills over there. Neither John or Maria remarry. Interestingly Maria did visit the USA twice in the 1920's/30's from the ship records but her destination listed on both occasions is her brother John Hopwood also living in Massachusetts; not her husband but we can't prove she didn't also travel to see him. No letters/correspondence survives.
As with other families, things like this were never spoken about and certainly not to my grandmother about her aunt Maria who she knew in her later years of life. This was all news to her when I uncovered it. I would appreciate any suggestions to help me to make sense of what's likely gone on here. With divorce not really the 'done thing' at that time (expensive and taboo), was this in fact a separation from one another and the agreement was for each to have one daughter? Was she going to follow once the younger daughter was older but changed her mind/illness struck?
Could she claim money if her status was widowed? I accept we can never know for sure but I welcome theories/ideas and if anyone has any similar stories in their family.
Thanks, Neil
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