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Mysterious Visitor: an update of Waking the Dead.

by Val Atkinson

Article ID: 37, First Published: February 2007

MYSTERIOUS VISITOR: AN UPDATE ON WAKING THE DEAD

One of my favourite TV programmes is a detective series called ‘Waking the Dead’.
It deals with old cases that are revisited and solved via new forensic techniques such as DNA analysis.
This programme highlights the value of:

Going over old ground to pick up anything missed the first time round
Pondering on previous discoveries and building on them
Sifting through old paperwork
Discussing with others and sharing ideas
Using new technology to fill previously ‘unfillable’ gaps

A couple of years ago I wrote about a little girl aged 5 who suddenly appeared on the 1881 census as a visitor with the family of my second great grandfather

Joanna CLARK boarder aged 5 born St. John’s Northumberland England

She ‘visited’ there until her death in 1901.
My grandmother knew Joanna and talked of her as wearing velvet dresses, having the best of everything, and her own private income.
We even have a photograph of her, very richly dressed, but showing some physical disability.
She was very small, a bit wizened in appearance, with short arms and legs, but a twinkle in her eyes.
She died aged 25 and left a will naming her brother Henry, and two children of her deceased brother James (Violet and Frederick).

I was in my teens when my mother first began the quest to ‘Discover Joanna’. (Mother is now 84 and has never given up. She rests occasionally, but always bounces back.).

In pre-internet days, we had collected:

Birth of Joanna’s father David CLARK and his listing on UK 1851 census
Marriage of David CLARK and Alice Ann TAYLOR (He was a seagoing engineer)
Birth of Joanna and her details on 3 UK censuses
Death of Joanna

We continued to ponder on:

Was Joanna related to us?
Why did she never live with her own family?
Where were her brothers? How old were they? Why were they not with her in 1881?
Where were her parents? Dead?

When 1891 census became available we eventually located James and Henry CLARK Joanna’s brothers.

1891 CENSUS BISHOPWEARMOUTH SUNDERLAND 4 Park View House and Shop
James Clark, abt 1868 South Shields, Durham, England Head Athletic Outfitter Tobacconist
Frederica Clark abt 1868 South Shields, Durham, England Wife
Violet A Clark abt 1891 South Shields, Durham, England Daughter (Mentioned in Joanna’s will)
Henry Clark abt 1874 Jarrow, Durham, England Brother Bank Clerk

PROBLEM: The births of James and Henry were not recorded at South Shields or Jarrow (RATS!)

Here the leads dried up again, but a couple of weeks ago my mother was back on the case. She might not be computer literate but she’s learned the value of the miracle of .com!
Though I am now over 50, my mother frequently orders me about, so this was not a task to be shirked, shelved or trivialised. Mother would expect an answer within the week.

New task for Val: Locate one of the CLARK family on another census. ANY CENSUS! DO IT!

I tried each of the known CLARK people one by one in the 1881 census, without success. I talked to myself about it and said: ‘Have this whole family except Joanna been missed off the 1881 census?’
A ‘YES’ answer meant there was no point in looking further.
A ‘NO’ answer meant, try again.
There was no trace of David/Alice/Henry, but finally I found a James CLARK of the right age born in Sunderland County Durham, six miles from South Shields.

James CLARK aged 13 born Sunderland. Listed as a scholar at Archbishop Holgates School, Lord Mayors Walk, York St Giles In Suburbs, Yorkshire, England

I tested this in UK 1871 census and found this delightful entry, James, his mother Alice A CLARK and her mother Mary TAYLOR!

1871 CENSUS SKIRBECK LINCOLNSHIRE Church Road

Mary Taylor born about 1814 Sunderland, Durham, England Head Widow Laundress
Alice A Clark born about 1842 Boston, Lincolnshire, England Daughter Mariner’s Wife
James Clark born about 1868 Sunderland, Durham, England Grandson

There was no stopping me after that!

1861 CENSUS BISHOPWEARMOUTH (an Area in Sunderland)

Alice Taylor abt 1842 Boston, Lincolnshire, England Niece

1851 CENSUS SKIRBECK LINCOLNSHIRE Church Road

Alice Taylor abt 1842 Boston, Lincolnshire, England Daughter

We authenticated this information by certificate, and still have the following questions unanswered:

Was Joanna related to us?
Where was her brother Henry in 1881 when he was 7 years old?

WATCH THIS SPACE.