Caroline Horner

  General Notes:

Notes from Janet Kendall
Barry, what Wayne and I have discovered is that our great grandfather William Kendall in the census record above, broke with his wife "Kate A. Kendall" sometime between 1901 and 1911.

Some years ago, we discovered William Kendall in the 1911 census, on the strength of his birthplace, the birthdates of our respective grandfathers, Joseph and Fred, as well as the fact that we knew the family to be in Rotherham at that point in time.

What we found was that William Kendall had moved in with a new woman, Caroline, nee Horner. She herself had been married twice before (first to Alfred Ellis, then to Peter Hurdus) and two of her children, Ethel and Sydney Hurdus, are found on the 1911 census along with those of William Kendall.

Since making this discovery, Wayne and I have found that Caroline was in the habit of lying on official records. Her first marriage never ended formally, but she did "remarry", and named herself a spinster on that record.

Also, on the 1911 census record with William Kendall, Caroline reported that she had been married 18 years, JUST NOT TO WILLIAM. In fact, she had been married (and never formally divorced) to her FIRST husband Alfred Ellis, some 18 years before. Similarly, she claims all four children in the household as her own, which was not the case.

To say it has been a merry dance is an understatement.

So the timeline;

-William Kendall marries Catherine A. Hernon in West New York, USA in 1889
They move back to the UK by 1891 and have four children; Mary Bertha, William James, Joseph and Fred.

- William Kendall, Kate A., Anthony, Mary Bertha, William James, Joseph and Fred are all together in 1901, Leeds

- a separation between William Kendall and Kate A. happens sometime between 1901-1911

-by 1911, William Kendall and his two youngest children are part of a blended family, living with Caroline Hurdus (formerly Ellis, nee Horner) and her two youngest, Ethel and Sydney Hurdus, in Rotherham. Only now, the whole gang is going by the name of Kendall!

At this point, Wayne and I were trying to track down Kate A. Kendall, and her two oldest children, Mary Bertha and William James. We eventually found William James Kendall in Halifax area, 1911, in the household of Emily Leeming, at #26 Rose Street, Hopwood Lane.

The nature of the 1911 census is that every family is one a separate sheet. Had we seen them recorded on a long form, as in the previous censuses, we may have seen who lived next door! It took a few years and a lot of messing around with search engines to find the entry for Agnes Kendall.

I hope this clarifies things. It is a very convoluted story! Believe me, Wayne and I have gone over and over this, thinking we must have gone wrong somewhere along the way. The latter years of William and Caroline's lives in Canada support all of the facts. The truth is, that for whatever reason, Caroline and William had a very relaxed approach to the truth. It didn't stop after they left England either!

Caroline married Alfred Ellis Jun Q 1892 in Rotherham. (Alfred Ellis was born Jan Q 1870 in Barnsley, Yorkshire and was christened on 24 Dec 1871 in Rothwell, Holy Trinity, Yorkshire, England.)

Caroline next married Peter George Hurdus on 20 Oct 1895 in Wombwell, Yorkshire. (Peter George Hurdus was born in 1867 in Mexborough, Yorks and died Dec Q 1907 in Mexborough, Yorks.)

Caroline had a relationship with William Kendall, son of Francis Kendall and Jane Rickard, between 1901 and 1911. (William Kendall was born on 24 Mar 1855 in St Columb, Cornwall, christened on 20 Jan 1887 in St Mary RC, Oldham, Lancashire, England and died on 9 Jun 1934 in Trois Rivieres, Canada.)