Florence Maud Steadman

1879 - 1966  (86 years)

• Name	Florence Maud Steadman
  Birth Registration	Between 1 Jul 1879 and 30 Sep 1879	Chorlton RD, Lancashire, England, UK
  	Vol. 8c, p. 773
  	Florence Maud Steadman was born.
  Born	19 Jul 1879	Manchester, Lancashire, England, UK
  Christened	15 Aug 1879	Manchester, Lancashire, England, UK
  	Ancestry.com. England, Select Births and Christenings, 1538-1975 Name:       Florence Maude Steadman Gender:       Female Birth Date:       19 Jul 1879 Baptism Date:       15 Aug 1879 Baptism Place:       Manchester, Lancashire, England Father:       Edward Steadman Mother:       Emily Steadman FHL Film Number:       438183 Reference ID:       yr 1878-1879 p 258 _______ Ancestry.com. Manchester, England, Births and Baptisms, 1813-1901 Name:       Florence Maude Steadman Birth Date:       19 Jul 1879 Baptism Date:       15 Aug 1879 Parish:       Manchester, St Mary, St Denys and St George Father's name:       Edward Steadman Mother's name:       Emily Steadman Archive Roll:       774
  Gender	Female
  1881 England Census	1881	Birmingham, Warwickshire, England, UK
  	District 15 - All Saints - Birmingham 85 Geo St West Thomas Steadman      Head  Mar   61   Galvanizer Iron    Warwicks.  Birmm. Charlotte      "               Wife  Mar   61                                Middlesex  London Emily             "               Dau  Unm  26   Steel pen               Warwicks.  Birmm. Alice             "               Dau  Unm  24   Paper bag              Lancs.   Manchester Florence M.    "             Dau             1                                 Warwicks.  Birmm. Stephen Jones            GSon          13   Scholar                        "                "
  1891 England Census	1891	Chorlton upon Medlock, Lancashire, England, UK
  	District 20 - Chorlton on Medlock, p. 26 207 Brunswick St George Hardy              Head  M  49   Oil & Color Traveller            Yorkshire  Hull Mary A C   "                   Wife  M  47                                               Middlesex Hendon Helen         "                 Sister  S  45   Boot & Show Forewoman   Yorkshire  Hull Florence M Steadman  Niece  S  11                                                Lancashire  Manchester ... 1 boarder & 1 servant
  1901 England Census	1901	Birmingham, Warwickshire, England, UK
  	District 02 - St George - Birmingham, p. 7 1 Back 45 Guest St. Emily Steadman    Head  Wid  45   Looker over pen Warehouse   Warwickshire  Birmingham Florence    "           Dau   S     21   Looker over Jeweller   "            Lancashire  Manchester
  1911 England Census	1911	Bournville, Worcestershire, England, UK
  	District 19 - Kings Norton 6 Beech Rd, Bournville, Worcestershire George Henry McGregor     Head  30   Married                   Carpenter              Surrey Reading Florence Maud     "                Wife  31   Married  4  2  2  --                                Lancs  Manchester Allan George        "                Son     2                                                                Kings Norton  Worcestershire Baby                     "                Dau     under 1 month                                           Bourneville           " Rosana Parsons                 Nurse   55   Married                   Monthly Nurse       Worcestershire  ?
  Died	13 Jul 1966	Ararat, ____, Victoria, Australia
  Notes	From: http://trees.ancestry.com/tree/13423132/person/26651119016/media/3?pgnum=1&pg=0&pgpl=pid|pgNum Emigration to Australia. George Henry, joiner aged 31departed alone from London on the 'Orsova' on 12 Apr 1912 bound for Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. Other passengers are destined for Sydney and Melbourne. It is believed he may have responded to an advertisement to work in Australia however no information exists as to why he emigrated, why he travelled alone and why he travelled to Melbourne. Subsequent events suggest the illness of Florence Maud may have been a factor behind the plan to emigrate. Several months later Florence Maud and children Allan George and Marjorie Florence departed from Liverpool on the 'Belgic' on 11 Oct 1912 arriving in Melbourne on 2 Dec 1912. Listed separately as a passenger is Mrs Emily Eaves who is Florence Maud's mother. Emigration to New Zealand. Records obtained from Porirua Hospital state the date of arrival in New Zealand as 2 May 1913. Upon arrival it Wellington it appears the McGregor family promptly settled in Jasmine Cottage at Weraroa Boys Training Farm  in Levin. This was a government institution for children first opened in 1905 catering for boys with behavioural problems. George Henry's position is described as an attendant which possibly involved a wide range of activities. Photos show George training boys in gymnastics which is consistent with his involvement in gymnastics in Bournville, England. Due to ongoing mental health issues, Florence Maud was committed as a patient at Porirua Mental Hospital on 23 Aug 1913 where she remained until her discharge in 1921. Records obtained from this institution detail the process George went through to have her admitted. Medical opinion was obtained from two doctors with the general opinion being Florence Maud was insane. She had periods of excitement, delusion where she would talk to imaginary people, prone to violent behaviour and abusive language. This type of behaviour continued throughout her time at Porirua with doctors notes' clearly suggesting her condition was not treatable. George Henry made application for divorce in 1920 citing the mental illness of his wife. In his submission George Henry makes mention of the fact his children had been 'boarded out'. No information is available as to where, with whom or for what periods Marjorie and Allan were boarded out. The divorce was granted in Dec 1920. It is also not known when George and the children moved to Dunedin however on 19 May 1921 at Trinity Church, Stuart St, Dunedin, George Henry married Catherine Jamieson from Awapuni near Palmerston North. Catherine was born on 26 Sep 1893, the middle child of twelve children. Her parents John Jamieson b. 10 Aug 1854 and Mary Tait b. 22 Jul 1861 were both born in the Shetland Islands and whose families had moved to New Zealand in the 1880's. The Return to Australia Florence Maud was released 'unrecovered' from Porirua Hospital on 11 Feb 1921 and was taken by her mother Emily Eaves to Melbourne, Australia where Emily resided. They arrived in Melbourne on the 'Paloona' on 17 Feb 1921. Supporting these facts are two documents. The first is a notice from the hospital simply stating name, date of admission and date of discharge. The second document is a letter dated 17 Feb 1950 from a B D Hart of Porirua Hospital to a Mrs M Jamieson of 88 Musselburgh Rise, Dunedin. Written in response to an enquiry the letter states the known date of admission and discharge, and that she ('your mother' Florence M McGregor) 'suffered from a delusional state and the prospects of complete recovery were remote'. Significantly the letter also states 'Her mother Mrs E Eaves understood her case and took her to Australia. The last known address was Mrs E Eaves, Merton Hall, Anderson St, South Yarra, Australia'. The fact that a Mrs M Jamieson does not exist adds to the mystery of who wrote the letter of enquiry and why a fictitious name was used. It is by good fortune that the Porirua Hospital records note Emily Eaves as Florence Maud's mother residing in Melbourne, otherwise we would have had no way of knowing Florence's mother was named Emily. Once the name of Emily Steadman was entered in Ancestry.com it was again fortunate that her marriage in 1904 to a Walter Eaves appeared as did her emigration on the 'Belgic' in 1912 and her return to Melbourne from Wellington in 1921. Merton Hall is part of Melbourne Girls Grammar which indicates that Emily Eaves was possibly living and working there. Her husband Walter died in 1918. Australian electoral records show Emily Eaves living in Fraser St, St Kilda, Melbourne in 1914 and 1919 and at various Melbourne addresses in 1924 (Merton Hall), 1931 and 1936. Walter Eaves appears in the 1914 roll. He died in South Melbourne in 1918 aged 58. Interestingly the death index file states his parents as John Eaves and Mary Ann Tongue about whom there exists quite a lot of information on-line. Emily died in Prahran, Melbourne on 1 Jan 1939 of cystitis aged 82. Florence Maud McGregor appears in the electoral rolls in Melbourne only in 1924 (22 Waterloo St, St Kilda) and 1942 (12 Marlborough St, St Kilda). Her occupation is listed as 'home duties'. She is not living with her mother in 1924. Nothing is known of her life between 1942 and the date of her death in 1966. Florence Maud died at the Aradale Mental Hospital in Ararat, Victoria on 13 Jul 1966. The uncertified death entry obtained from Births Deaths Marriages, Victoria states Florence's age as 79 years however given that she was most likely to have been born in 1879, her correct age at time of death is about 87 years. Although her parents are not named on the death entry and quite apart from the fact she ended her days in a mental institution, two other disclosures support this entry as being 'our' Florence. Firstly she is stated as being a divorcee. Secondly she is shown as having 'two children, names, ages and sex unknown'. What a sad and lonely end to the life of this poor woman. Her illness was most certainly bi-polar disorder which was not treatable in those days. She was condemned and cursed from her earliest years and was later to lose her husband and children and live a confined unrewarding life. One must have full admiration for her mother Emily who was willing to yet again take on the responsibility of looking after Florence in Melbourne after she had gone to the trouble of travelling to New Zealand to fetch her.
  Person ID	I92729	Stedman Families of the United Kingdom
  Last Modified	20 Sep 2015

  
  

  Father	Edward [--?--],   d. Unknown
  Mother	Emily Steadman,   b. Abt 1855, Birmingham, Warwickshire, England, UK ,   d. 1 Jan 1939, Melbourne, ____, Victoria, Australia  (Age ~ 84 years)
  Marriage Registration	Between 1 Apr 1873 and 30 Jun 1873	Birmingham RD, Warwickshire, England, UK
  	Vol. 6d, p. 98
  	Edward Steadman and Emily Lacey were married.
  Married	Bef 1879
  Married?	N
  Marriage Status	Unmarried
  Family ID	F258632352	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family	George Henry McGregor,   b. 22 Nov 1880, Reading, Berkshire, England, UK ,   d. 1 Oct 1961, Dunedin, Dunedin City District, Otago Region, South Island, New Zealand  (Age 80 years)
  Marriage Registration	Between 1 Oct 1906 and 31 Dec 1906	Kings Norton RD, Worcestershire, England, UK
  	Vol. 6c, p. 830
  	Florence Maude Steadman and George Henry McGregor were married.
  Married	1 Dec 1906	Kings Norton, Worcestershire, England, UK
  	George Henry and Florence Maud marry on 1 Dec 1906 at the Parish Church, Kings Norton, Worcestershire, England. George Henry is aged 26, is a bachelor and carpenter and whose father is Francis Henry McGregor, an engineer. Florence Maud is aged 27, a spinster and whose father is Thomas Steadman, a watchmaker whom we are certain is in fact her grandfather. ___________ Ancestry.com. Birmingham, England, Marriages and Banns, 1754-1937 Name:       Florence Maud Steadman, Spinster Gender:       Female Birth Year:       abt 1879 Marriage Date:       1 Dec 1906 Marriage Age:       27 Marriage Place:       Kings Norton, St Nicolas, England Spouse:       George Henry Mc Gregor, Bachelor, Carpenter Spouse Gender:       Male Spouse Marriage Age:       26 Father:       Thomas Steadman, Watch Maker Spouse's Father:       Francis Henry Mc Gregor, Engineer Reference Number:       EP4/2/3/6 Archive Roll:       M382/M383
  Divorced	Yes, date unknown
  Divorced	Dec 1920	Wellington, Wellington City District, Wellington Region, North Island, New Zealand
  Children	1. Allan George McGregor,   b. 5 Apr 1908, Kings Norton, Worcestershire, England, UK ,   d. 20 Oct 1981, Dunedin, Dunedin City District, Otago Region, South Island, New Zealand  (Age 73 years)   2. Marjorie Florence McGregor,   b. 14 Mar 1911, Bournville, Worcestershire, England, UK ,   d. 13 Jun 1995, Invercargill, Invercargill City District, Southland Region, South Island, New Zealand  (Age 84 years)
  Last Modified	20 Sep 2015
  Family ID	F258632364	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

• Event Map

  Birth Registration - Vol. 8c, p. 773 - Between 1 Jul 1879 and 30 Sep 1879 - Chorlton RD, Lancashire, England, UK Born - 19 Jul 1879 - Manchester, Lancashire, England, UK Christened - 15 Aug 1879 - Manchester, Lancashire, England, UK 1881 England Census - 1881 - Birmingham, Warwickshire, England, UK 1891 England Census - 1891 - Chorlton upon Medlock, Lancashire, England, UK 1901 England Census - 1901 - Birmingham, Warwickshire, England, UK Marriage Registration - Vol. 6c, p. 830 - Between 1 Oct 1906 and 31 Dec 1906 - Kings Norton RD, Worcestershire, England, UK Married - 1 Dec 1906 - Kings Norton, Worcestershire, England, UK 1911 England Census - 1911 - Bournville, Worcestershire, England, UK Divorced - Dec 1920 - Wellington, Wellington City District, Wellington Region, North Island, New Zealand Died - 13 Jul 1966 - Ararat, ____, Victoria, Australia  = Link to Google Earth