Emmeline Mary Christy 1868-1945

• Subject: Miss Emeline Christy
• Date: before 1905
• Photographer: Kingham, Victoria Studio, Cauldwell St, Bedford
• Found: UK

This attractive young woman is possibly Emmeline Mary Christy born 1868 in Ashwell, Hertfordshire. I say ‘possibly’ because there is a marriage record for an Emmeline R Christy in 1910 although I cannot find a birth record for that Emmeline. There is one other birth record for an Emmeline Christie in 1856 but as that was in Tynemouth I think it’s too far away from Bedford to be her. As Emmeline Mary lived in Ashwell, which is just over the border from Bedford where the photo was taken, I’m presuming Emmeline Mary is the right one.

Emmeline was the daughter of Henry Abram Christy and Matilda Ann née Christy who were married by licence in St Pancras Middlesex in 1860:-

Births Sep 1868
CHRISTY  Emmeline Mary     Royston  3a 282

Here she is at home with her parents in 1891 in Ashwell, Hertfordshire:-

Source Citation: Class: RG12; Piece: 1101; Folio 25; Page 12; GSU roll: 6096211.

And with her widowed mother in 1901 in Ashwell:-

Source Citation: Class: RG13; Piece: 1292; Folio: 26; Page: 10.

I had no end of trouble finding Emmeline in the 1911 census but came up trumps when I searched for her leaving the birth year blank. She had taken 5 years off her age, obviously because she had married a man 16 years her junior!

Reference RG14PN17227 RG78PN1059 RD371 SD1 ED22 SN88

Marriages Sep 1905
Christy  Emmeline Mary    Pancras  1b 55   
TOTT  Arthur Christopher     Pancras  1b 55

After 5 years of marriage with no children Emmeline possibly died without issue but we’ll just have to wait for the 1921 census to find out! She died in 1945 and Arthur in 1953:-

Deaths Dec 1945
Tott  Emmeline M  77  Wigton  10b 620  

Deaths Jun 1953
Tott Arthur C 68 Wigton 1a 181

Emmeline’s parents both left wills when they died in 1897 & 1907:-

England & Wales National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administrations),1861-1941

Deaths Jun 1897
Christy  Henry Abram  61  Royston  3a 257

Deaths Dec 1907
CHRISTY  Matilda Ann  73  Royston  3a 338

References:
ancestry.com
FreeBMD
IGI

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If anyone knows anything about or is connected to Emmeline Mary Christy please do contact me, I would love to pass this photo onto a family member. Contact by email is preferable but if you are going to leave a comment please don’t forget to include your email address.

Dawn Scotting
pandora@kc.net.nz