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Remaining Questions about Caroline Charlotte

 This is where I hope that the power of collaboration across the internet might be able to help me answer some of the remaining questions I have about Caroline.  Also, I'm really hoping that some of her publications survive somewhere, and that we will have the opportunity to read more of her work.  Here are the questions in no particular order. Where was she actually born?  What/where was her baptism and who were her parents? If her father was British, why was he in Canada/America at the time of her birth?  Who was the brother who also died, that she referred to? Who was the mystery cousin in Leicester who was supposed to come into property? The one who was coming from the West Indies and was connected to the name of 'Saunders' Was that a ruse, an excuse or a delusion?  Where was she buried, and did anyone ever come forward to acknowledge a relationship to her? What were the circumstances of the chancery case that I can't make sense of?  Did she have a son as she said,

Rough timeline of Caroline Charlotte Vesey Dawson's life

  1807 - Born and baptised in Quebec? (Still not confirmed) Travels to Ireland 1827 - Marries John Aldbourgh Wrightson Gildea  1838 - 15th July: John Aldbourgh Wrightson Gildea dies 1839 - 29th May: marries second husband, Robert Hurd Wetherell  1840 - Chancery case 1843 - 11th March: Possible residence in 61 Lower Dorset-street 11th April: Advert in the newspaper for books supposedly written by Robert Hurd Wetherell. 1844 - 1st April: Advert for books by Caroline and her husband 1846 - 25th February: Admitted to Castle Street Workhouse in London, England 28th February: Transferred from Workhouse to Camberwell Road Lunatic Asylum, London 1849 - 8th May: Admitted to Hoxton House Lunatic Asylum, Middlesex 1851 - 30th October (approx): Appears in Leicester, and takes lodgings at 11 Hill Street, parish of St Margaret 18th November: Writes letter to Lady Peel.  21st November: Commits suicide and dies at 11 Hill Street. 

The Curious Case of Caroline Charlotte Veasey Dawson - (Part Two)

With the information that I had got from the article, I decided to make a rudimentary family tree for Caroline, using my Ancestry.com account. I'm creating a simplified, easy to refer to timeline of these events on another page, which I will link to.  At first, this wasn't easy, because I wasn't sure what Caroline's birth name was. Just a clue that it was Dawson, as she had claimed her father was Major Dawson. I also knew that she had at least two husbands, and at some point, a son. I also knew that if she was in her 40s, she had to have been born around 1810, and that she said she was born in America, and possibly had some connections to Ireland.  Thusfar, I have been able to determine the following from various records. Unfortunately it still leaves me with many questions.  Caroline's maiden name seems to have been Caroline Charlotte Veasey Dawson.  Early Life in America/Canada She may have been baptised in Quebec, on the 8 June 1807. I have not been able to confi

The Curious Case of Caroline Charlotte Veasey Dawson - (Part One)

Recently, while looking for something else entirely, I came across an account of the unfortunate suicide of a women, who seemed to have a mysterious past. As I read the account, I found myself completely wrapped up in this fascinating story. As you will see, from the account which I will share with you below, Caroline Charlotte was a fascinating woman, an author and artist, who wrote extremely movingly about her struggles in life.  I was desperate to find out more about her. I googled her, but could find almost no mention of her online. I'm hoping that by sharing this here, I'll be able to connect with people who know more, or who can find out more. If nothing else, I hope that it leads to Caroline's poem being read by a wider audience, because I think it's beautiful.  Fortunately the sad account of her death has many details which have allowed me to explore further, which I will share soon. But first, here is the account of Caroline Charlotte's death.  WARNING: Thi

Welcome and the purpose of this blog.

 Hi,  I began delving into historic newspapers to support my personal genealogical work. I found so many interesting snippets that began to change my perception of what the Victorian world was actually like, and I wanted to share them.  I began the 'Old Victorian News' Twitter account (@victorian_old) to share some of those snippets.  However, recently I've begun to find things that are just too long for Twitter, things I find really interesting, and I wanted another way to share them, so I've begun this blog.  Thanks for reading! Old Reporter.