Ralph Marshall and Our English Marshall’s revisited!

Originally posted Friday, October 12, 2007 on Blogger!

I have been kicking around and ultimately dreading revisiting what I’ve found in regards to Ralph (see previous post titled “Our English Marshall’s”) and his four siblings that had seemingly come from an incestuous relationship between my Great-Great-Grandpa Richard Marshall and his sister Jane.

I’ve said before in this space how I’ve been somewhat obsessed with GGG Richard. He was ultimately who I take my name from. My dad named me Richard because he always liked the name and I’m thinking my Great-Uncle Dick Fitzpatrick had something to do with that. Uncle Dick was presumably named for his Grandpa and my GGG Richard Marshall of Cornwall.

Now family stories (and I can’t remember who said it, sorry) state Richard committed suicide at an early age and census records said he was a painter. I immediately conjured up the image of a tortured artist who ended his misunderstood life. I mean his father was “Keeper” at the Bodmin Asylum when Richard was born and eventually Richard joined his father as an attendant at the Asylum. It was there that he met his wife, Jane Lane, who also was an attendant. So see tortured soul isn’t too far a stretch really, is it?

And when you put his job descriptions together (assistant keeper, house decorator, painter) you can see why I jumped to the conclusion of a possible tortured artist who couldn’t take it anymore. The problem however with most of my assumptions is the facts don’t seem to back them up. House decorator was something of a “butler” I’m told or “gentlemen’s attendant,” which is in line with the work he did at the Asylum in Cornwall. The painter probably arose from that, not actually an artist but a “house” painter (?). When I received Richard’s death certificate recently it gave me a whole new perspective. The underlying factor in his death at age 48 (not by suicide btw) was lead poisoning (obviously from the painting). Something he had been dealing with for 15 years apparently.

15 years of languishing from the effects of lead poisoning led to many other anomalies (Hemophilia, Asthenia, strokes, cystic fibrosis among others). And while I’m sure the incest had something to do with the birth defects of the surviving children (and the deaths of the other two), the effects from the lead poisoning had to have also. Who knows what the years of working in the Asylum would’ve done to his psyche in those harsh times of the late 1800’s. Couple in the death of his wife and partner, effects from lead poisoning and his subservient sister’s arrival to take care of my young Great Grandfather Albert, tortured soul might not be too far off the track.

Which all leads us back to Poor Uncle Ralphie in an off beat, ‘cart before the horse’ sort of way. My suspicions had been that Ralph’s (and Florrie, Leonard, Charles and Ethel) mother was not Jane Lane as their brother’s (my Great-Grandpa Albert E. the 1^st) was, but Jane Marshall, their biological Aunt. Although I have yet to find Jane Marshall nee Lane’s death documented anywhere, family history tells us it was around 1887. And yes, I know, this is the same family history that said Richard committed suicide, but bear with me on this one.

Both Ralph and Leonard’s (I haven’t got Florrie, Charles or Ethel’s yet) birth certificates state the father as Richard and the mother as Jane Marshall nee Talling. Now that is one of two people, neither of which bodes well to dispel the incest allegation. It is either Richard’s 70+ year old Mother Jane Marshall nee Talling or his sister who was still a Marshall and had no maiden name so used her Mother’s. The 1891 UK census shows Jane as “sister” with the correct birth date information. The presumably same Jane is listed as “spouse” in the 1901 UK census. When Richard died at home of complications brought on by the 15 years of lead poisoning, it was Jane Marshall “sister” who reported it and signed the death certificate.

I still need to find and confirm Jane Marshall nee Lane passed away in or around 1887 and without DNA evidence it will always be just speculation or circumstantial evidence, but unfortunately for me anyway, I’m pretty sure GGG Richard went off the reservation and slept with his sister at least FIVE times.

It isn’t over either, I mean it could’ve been a cousin named Jane Talling and first cousin or not that would be better than his sister right? I’ll keep digging but I wonder, if it were incest, how did my ancestors feel about this whole lurid affair. I mean in the 1901 UK census Mother Jane Marshall nee Talling is living with GGG Richard and his “spouse” Jane. Florrie, Ralphie and Leonard had already been born at this time, Charles and Ethel had both passed. What did Mother Jane think, did she condone it, did she recommend it, did it anguish her?

What about my Great-Grandpa Bertie? He would’ve been about 10 when his Mom passed and 13 or 14 when all this stuff was happening. He was definitely old enough to know the difference between his Mother and his Auntie. Did he have a relationship at all with Step-Mom/Auntie Jane? Did he have a relationship with Florrie or Ralphie or Leonard? It almost feels like the Songi’s “adopted” my Great-grandpa Bert as he was entirely immersed in their culture by 1901 when he was marrying my Great-grandma Amy Marshall-Fitzpatrick nee Songi. Maybe he was embarrassed or mortified by the connection. Why else was he found as witness to his older sisters marriages but none of his half-siblings are anywhere in his dealings.

And what about my Grandpa Albert C. Marshall? He was 16 when he left for America with his family and new Step-Dad John Fitzpatrick. Obviously old enough to know about his poor Uncle Ralphie living right down the street. What did he think of this whole mess, did he know, or were they kept from this side of the family? When the family sailed for America it was William John Songi who came to see them off and the same Songi family that corresponded with “Tiny Grandma” (Amy Fitzpatrick) once they were stateside.

No other mentions of the Marshall’s left behind, in fact, I’m not sure if my Dad or his sisters even knew there were other Marshall’s still in England when their Daddy brought our name to California. If I am the first in our line to find them and bring them back to life, well I’m pretty proud of that. The possible story about them? Not so proud. But, really, when I try to picture my Great-Uncle Ralphie being diagnosed as “slow”, a man who “with great effort” can manage to spell his name only, whose only work was a “little tidying up for Mother” whose chest was not fully developed and suffered from partial blindness. I don’t get disgusted by the fact he may be a product of incest, I get sad at the treatment he must’ve bared for his mental retardation and the cruel lack of knowledge people had towards that in those days. I feel for how his life ended, in the barracks cleaning up, not in the arms of his Mother who was just blocks away and had cared for him his entire life.

I don’t know what it is about this mental picture I’ve created of Ralphie, but I can’t get him out of my head and I’m not done with his story. I’ll press on and good or bad I’ll bring back the facts, all with my arm around that big lug, my Great-Uncle Ralph!