This is one of the more complicated branches of my family tree, with a separation and possibly not a divorce prior to remarriage, a tragic death, and another remarriage (to someone who was already a widower) and four children, all with intermixed relations - two each shared a mother and two of those (but not the same two) had the same father.
When
Alfred James Webb Dyke was born on January 17, 1880, in Crewe, Cheshire, England, his father,
Edwin Henry Dyke (1845-1923), was 34 and his mother,
Selina Charlotte (nee Webb) (1848-1937), was 31. He had
five brothers and four sisters.
Alfred married
Ellen Atkins on March 1, 1900 at Christ Church in Cheshire. At the time of the marriage, Aflred is living at 22 Oak Street and Ellen is living at number 30. Alfred's brother
William Webb Dyke is a witness to the wedding.
When
Ellen Atkins was born in 1879 in Crewe, Cheshire, England, her father,
George Atkins (1851-1915), was 28, and her mother,
Mary Ann (nee Booth) (1852-?), was 27.
They had two children together:
- Harold Henry Dyke (1900-1976)
- Florence May Dyke (1907-?)
Their first child is born on September 7, 1900, barely seven months after their marriage.
Harold Henry Dyke is baptized at Christ Church, the same church where his parents were married,
on September 29, 1900. The record suggests that they are living at
30 Oak Street (there aren't homes in this area any more). Alfred's occupation is listed as a Boilermaker. Given his family's history in rail, it's likely that he also works in the industry.
Although they were married in 1900,
Alfred is not in the same household as Ellen at the time of the 1901 census.
Ellen and
Harold Henry are still living at
30 Oak Street. It appears that the home is owned by Ellen's sister
Elizabeth Huddleston.
Alfred is shown on the same census
living with his parents on Ludford Street.
On March 29, 1907, the couple has a second child,
Florence May Dyke. She's baptized at Christ Church on
May 5th. The family is living at
153 Market Street. Alfred is a
Plater - a railway employee whose job is to inspect and maintain the permanent way of a railway installation.
Again in 1911, we find
Alfred and
Ellen living apart.
Ellen and
Florence are living at
160 Gresty Road in Crewe, boarding in the home of Charles William Hotchkiss with her father, George.
I haven't been able to definitively prove it, but there is a
Harold Dykes in the home of Caroline Harrop at 13 Broughton Road in Crewe on the same census. He's listed as adopted and the age (10) is correct. And given Alfred and Ellen were living apart so quickly after his birth, I have to wonder if perhaps Alfred was not Harold's father. Either way - it does appear that Harold Henry followed Alfred's family and was eventually employed in the railway (railway records show him working at the young age of 14).
I haven't located Alfred on the 1911 Census and don't know his location until he registers with the
Canadian Expeditionary Force in July 1915. His next of kin is listed as "Mrs. E. Dyke" living in Fort William, Ontario. We learn through
his military records that this does not refer to Ellen, but instead to the (mysterious)
Euphemia (Effie) Stewart McCubbin.
Euphemia Stewart McCubbin was born in 1887 in Glasgow, Lanarkshire, Scotland, her father,
William McCubbin (1859-?), was 28, and her mother,
Mary (nee Stewart) (1862-?), was 25.
The records suggest that Effie and Alfred were "married" in 1913 and had one son together.
- William Webb Dyke (1913-1990)
Alfred was 5'5" tall with dark brown hair, brown eyes and a dark complexion. His medical records found him to be fit for service and suggest that he was active in the local militia in Fort William (which may explain why I couldn't find him in England on the 1911 Census, but doesn't explain why I didn't find him in Canada). A will signed October 6, 1915 leaves all of his property and effects to Effie, who by this point is living in Scotland with her father. The records suggest that a marriage certificate was produced, but I haven't been able to locate one either in England or in Canada. Alfred rose to the rank of Sergeant.
Sergeant Dyke was demobilized and discharged on October 30, 1919. There are
border crossing records that suggest that
Effie,
Alfred and
William crossed the border into Detroit, Michigan, USA on December 6, 1919. The family appears on the 1920 census renting a home at
242 Annin Street in Detroit.
It appears that things came to a head after
Alfred died on March 18, 1921, in Chicago, Illinois, at the age of 41 due to lung issues likely because he was a victim of a gas attack in 1918. At this point it appears that it was revealed that
Effie and
Alfred weren't legally married,
because Ellen and Alfred weren't divorced.
The records show
Effie living at
150 Dundurn Street in Hamilton, and then at
1041 Canon Street East in Hamilton, and show his eldest son
Harold Henry Dykes on
Rainow Road in Macclesfield, Cheshire. This record clarifies what happened. It appears that
Ellen was shown to be of "dissolute character" and that she and
Alfred separated prior to
Florence's birth in 1906. It further suggests that there was only "one son by legal marriage" - suggesting clearly that
Florence was born of another man. The record suggests that his marriage to
Effie was illegal but that his will was eventually executed in her favour anyway, and she received a pension after his death. His eldest son (by
Ellen) was given his father's war medals.
Alfred was given a full military burial in
Hamilton Cemetery.
That was a lot right? But I'M NOT DONE YET.
After
Alfred's death,
Effie is found living in the home of his cousin,
William Richard Webb at 85 Wellington Street. The military records suggest that the family may have been living there around the time of
Alfred's enlistment, and given the burial was in Hamilton, it makes sense that she would return there. (You'll recall that the 1921 census record is
how I broke through my brick wall with William Richard.)
At the time of this census, there's a boarder also living with William Richard named
Frederick Potts.
Frederick was born in Lancashire, England on November 28, 1884. when his father,
Laurence Potts (1853-?), was 31 and his mother,
Martha (nee Lightfoot), was 31. He emigrated to Canada arriving in Quebec on the Virginian on June 30, 1911. Frederick married a woman named
Elizabeth Rae Love (who, like Effie, was from Scotland) on August 21, 1913. It doesn't appear that the couple had any children.
Frederick had been living with William Richard since at least June 4, 1919, when Elizabeth died (he's listed at that
address on her death certificate).
 |
| Death Certificate, Elizabeth Rae Potts (image via Ancestry.com) |
I don't know where Effie's son William Webb Dyke is in 1921, but it becomes clear that a romance blossoms at the Webb house. On January 23, 1922 (less than a year after Alfred's death), Effie marries Frederick Potts. Hiss occupation at the time of the marriage is Millwright, and hers a housekeeper.
They had one daughter together (who is completely unrelated to me, but for completeness, I've included her anyway).
- Beatrice May Potts (1923-1991)
I haven't been able to trace
Ellen beyond the military records after Alfred's death. It's possible she remarried, or that she also emigrated. Harold Henry appears to have continued living in Cheshire, and Florence May is also untraceable so far. No marriage record has been found, and neither mother nor daughter appear on the 1939 Register.
Frederick Potts died on February 26, 1935.
Voters lists show Effie at
41 Ashley Street in 1940,
62 Victoria Avenue North in 1945, and
749 Gage Avenue South in 1958. At the time of her death, she's living at
53 Carrick Avenue. Effie survived Fred by 22 years, and passed on September 14, 1967, in Hamilton, at the age of 80. She and Fred are interred in Woodland Cemetery.
So...to sum up. Wow. I've made a chart so you can keep track.
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