Earlier in the search I found index records of a divorce between an Oliver and Ellen Ridgway in 1914 in NSW. At the time I wasn’t convinced that it was my Oliver and Ellen (as I had found another couple by the same names), as the only evidence I had of either being in NSW was Ellen and Evelyn’s arrival in Sydney in 1914 aboard the Berrimah. I was waiting to discover just one more piece of evidence to place them both in Sydney in 1914 before I opened the divorce file (which was costly).
However, I should have gone with my gut feeling that it was my gggrandparents – as it was. A wonderful roots chatter by the name of Jennifer (tropicalJ) got sick of waiting for me to realise it was and hired a transcription agent to open the file (at her own expense) and all the details matched.
Here’s what was in the file: just two documents.
- Oliver Ridgway’s petition to the Court to dissolve his marriage to Ellen
- Ridgway vs Ridgway affidavit of Oliver Ridgway verifying Petition
The transcription agent noted that it was the smallest divorce file he’d ever seen and that it usually had lots more interesting items in it. I rang him to ask him about that, and we both decided that the divorce proceedings were started but were never completed…for whatever reason (yet another mystery). So there was no divorce in NSW in 1914…but something definitely happened.
The petition by Oliver states that he believes that Ellen committed adultery with William JJ Reader in Fort Street Sydney between May and December of 1914 and that he wishes to dissolve the marriage, be granted permanent custody of his children (Evelyn 4, Olive 5) and get compensation from the respondents. This is consistent with divorce proceedings of the time, as essentially one spouse needed to sue the other for it to be legal. The father usually got custody of the children and a payout, unless the mother married the man she committed adultery with.
However, there was no divorce at this time. There are no other documents signed by Ellen or decrees by the court. Oliver was still married to Ellen by the end of 1914. That’s not to say that there wasn’t a divorce later.
Here’s what I think (and it’s all pure speculation):
- Oliver and Ellen never got a divorce. It was ‘too hard’ at the time. Therefore, Oliver either had a defacto relationship with his second ‘wife’ Louise or was a bigamist. I haven’t been able to find a record of their marriage so I’m guessing defacto.
- Oliver and Ellen knew their marriage was on the way out before Ellen came to Australia. Ellen arrived with Evelyn and not Olive, therefore it’s possible that they already had a pre-existing arrangement that Oliver would have custody of Evelyn and Ellen would have custody of Olive when the divorce went through. Even though the divorce wasn’t completed, Evelyn stayed in Australia with Oliver, whilst Ellen went back to England to Olive.
- Ellen came to Australia to complete the divorce, even though it didn’t happen. Oliver had travelled to Australia separately, perhaps to evade debts (more on that later) and perhaps because his marriage wasn’t working. Maybe Oliver had even already met his second ‘wife’ Louise and that was a factor.
- Ellen did not marry William JJ Reader, the co-respondent and person she was supposed to have committed adultery with. I have spent a fair bit of time looking at census, indexes and war records and have decided that there’s been some amazing coincidences. William JJ Reader did marry an Ellen – but not my gggrandmother. He married Ellen Lambert, daughter of Jesse, who did actually exist and wasn’t just an alias of Ellen Ridgway (unless she assumed her entire identity – but now that really is over the top). Maybe the fact that William JJ Reader was with an ‘Ellen’ was important when the divorce petition was filed by Oliver…but it was proved to be erroneous and that’s what put a stop to the divorce. I just don’t know about that one.
- There is some suggestion that Ellen ended up in a mental institution. I had thought that perhaps there was some early-onset dementia involved. However, a family member has suggested to me that institutionalising your wife was a great way to end a marriage back in the early 1900’s. I’m still undecided on this one, and I suppose I won’t know until I can find out whatever happened to Ellen.
Whatever did happen to Ellen? I think I’ve exhausted all the standard family history records I have at my disposal and I won’t be able to find her using the methods I used to find my cousins in West Monkton and my great-aunts in NZ. I know it’s time to try and contact the living descendants of George and Flora Parsons, my ggggrandparents who ran the Post Office Stores in West Monkton. Perhaps somebody will know whatever happened to Ellen, but it will have to wait until I have a little more time.
