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b.1881-d.1918
William John Nelis aka John Anderson
We recently had a request for help from a relative of William John Nelis who they believe was buried in grave 902a in the Horton Estate cemetery. This is what the relative said:
“I know that William was born in Co. Donegal in Ireland on Nov 28, 1878. His parents were Robert and Minnie Nelis. They were living in the town of Lifford at the time.
Fast forward to 1901 and, according to the Census, the family has grown considerably and is now living at 16 George Street in Derry.
That’s where the trail re:William goes dead for me until he turns up in Long Grove.
His dad passed away in 1905 and most of his family relocated to Melbourne in Australia. His younger brother, Robert, a soldier, was killed in the Dardanelles in 1915.
If you can uncover any info re: William’s life between 1901 and 1918, that would be great.”
And so, the checking of these facts and fresh research started.
The Story Begins in Londonderry
William’s 22 year old father Robert had been a writing clerk of Londonderry, Co Londonderry, when he married 20 year old Minnie Walker of Lifford Town, Clonleigh Parish, Co Donegal, on 17th August 1874.
Robert was the son of Thomas Nelis, a blacksmith, and Minnie was the daughter of George Walker who worked as a ‘Turnkey’ [Prison Warder]. Later, when the couple started their family, Robert had made sure that all his seven known children were literate.
Their first child Ellen was born in Lifford on 5th February 1875, six months after her parent’s marriage. Her birth was followed by Laura Mary on 7th January 1877, William John on 28th November 1878, Molly/Mary Ann Fleming on 19th February 1881, Minnie Walker on 2nd July 1884, Robert on 27th March 1887, and Tillie Mapleton on 24th July 1893.
William’ sister Molly was only aged 17 when she died at home, 16 Georges Street, on 8th February 1899. Her body was buried two days later in Derry City Cemetery on 10th February.
The Family in 1901
The 1901 Irish Census was taken on the evening of 31st March, and 22-year-old William, an unemployed grocer’s shop porter, was living in Georges Street, No. 3 Urban, Londonderry, with his parents, Robert and Minnie, and his five siblings.
His 49-year-old father Robert was at the time, an unemployed Commercial Clerk and Book-keeper. William’s mother, Minnie, was aged 46 and was at home looking after her family.
His sisters Ellen, Laura, and Minnie all worked as seamstresses in a shirt factory (possibly Lloyd, Attree & Smith, a major factory in Great James Street near their home) and brother Robert was a barber’s apprentice. Tillie, aged 7, was at school and could read. The family’s religion was recorded as being Church of Ireland.
On 17th June 1903, William’s brother Robert was aged 16 when he enlisted into the 27th Foot (Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers) and was given the service number 2774. He was later killed in action, aged 28, on 14th August 1915 in Gallipoli, Turkey. He left all his possessions to his mother Minnie.
Robert Nelis senior was aged 53 when he died on 6th March 1905; his body was buried two days later, on 8th March, in the same cemetery as his daughter Molly.
The Family in 1911
The 1911 Irish census was taken on the evening of 2nd April, and Minnie, Laura, and Tillie were all recorded as still living in 16 Georges Street. Minnie declared herself to be a 52-year-old widow who had been married for 32 years, and had had seven children, but one of whom had died.
Laura, aged 28, was working as a forewoman in the collar factory while her sister Tillie, aged 17, was a ‘collar turner out’. Minnie and Tilly gave ‘Methodists’ as their religion while Laura gave ‘Plymouth Brethren’ as hers.
The whereabouts in 1911 of Ellen, Minnie, William, and Robert are unknown.
Emigration to Australia
On 11th January 1913, sisters Laura and Tillie set sail for Australia. By 1914, Laura was recorded as living at 34 Thomas Street, Fawkner, Victoria, Australia. Minnie followed her daughters to Australia that same year.
The following year, 1915, Laura was recorded as living with her mother Minnie at 448 High Street, Windsor, Balaclava. Tillie was still underage so was not listed at these addresses.
By 1916, Minnie and her daughters Laura and Tillie were recorded as living at 97 Wilson Street, Toorak in Balaclava, Victoria, Australia. They moved in 1917 to 34 Elm Grove, Balaclava, and in 1919 to 22 Canterbury Road, Balaclava, Victoria, Australia.
William’s mother Minnie died in 1931 in Essendon, City of Moonee Valley, Victoria, Australia.
Laura remained unmarried and died in 1950 in St Kilda East, City of Port Phillip, Victoria, Australia.
Tillie married Fredrick Henry Clark in 1921 and died in 1955 in Essendon, City of Moonee Valley, Victoria, Australia.
So that is the Nelis family history as known, but what about the William John Nelis who died in Long Grove Asylum, Epsom, Surrey?
Finding William
Working backwards in time, my first port-of-call was the GRO website where I ordered an online image of William’s death certificate. This stated that William John Nelis, a labourer from the Fulham Road Workhouse, was aged 39 when he died in Long Grove Asylum on 28th October 1918.
Following a post-mortem, Dr. David Oglivy stated that after 29 days, William had died from Miliary Tuberculosis [a form of tuberculosis, characterized by a wide dissemination into the human body, with small lesions looking like millet seeds].
My next search was to look through the Fulham Road Workhouse Admission and Discharge Registers. On 16th February 1916, the Admission Register recorded that a James Anderson, alias William John Nelis, was admitted by the police from “B Prison” [B Prisons were local prisons which tended to hold un-sentenced prisoners, prisoners on remand awaiting trial, etc.].
William, alias James, was recorded as being born in 1878, unmarried and a general labourer. He was discharged into the care of Long Grove Asylum on 7th March 1916.
“James Anderson”
Having already looked unsuccessfully for William in the online records, I started looking for a James Anderson instead. Searching for this James Anderson in the UK 1911 census was annoyingly unsuccessful too.
Searching again through the Fulham Road Workhouse records, I found an earlier record that showed that James Anderson (1) had been admitted on 25th November 1909 and discharged on 4th December 1909. In this entry, it stated that James had been admitted from the St Mary’s parish.
The next entry I found was on 28th March 1913 when James was admitted and discharged on the same day.
On 28th August the same year, James was admitted again to the Fulham Road Workhouse and moved to their infirmary. In this entry, it stated that James had been admitted from the St Paul’s parish.
My searches also threw up another James Anderson being in the Islington Workhouse ten miles away. James Anderson (2), born 1879, and a labourer, turned up as being admitted and discharged to the Islington Workhouse on the following dates:
- Admission not found – 13 November 1905
- 12th February 1906 – Discharge not found
- Admission not found – 24th June 1907
- 18th June 1910 – 5th July 1910
- 2nd July 1913 – [parish of St Mary’s Islington]
- 9th July 1913 – [parish of St Mary’s Islington]
- 1st August 1913 – 12th August 1913 [parish of St Mary’s Islington]
- 12th August 1913 – 21st August 1913 [parish of St Mary’s Islington]
- 21st August 1913 – 26th August 1913
- 26th August 1913 – 28th August 1913
The last date, 28th August 1913, was the same day that James Anderson (1) had been admitted to Fulham Road Workhouse – could these two James Anderson be the same man, and possibly ‘our’ William John Nelis?
Maybe one day we will be able to find out why he had the need to use an alias name, and where he was living after he left Northern Ireland to being in the Fulham Road Workhouse in Westminster, London, England.
