Bob moves to England
There is a big gap in the records at this stage. However, by 1882 Bob had got his desire, and moved to England. He is established, and working as a railway clerk in Derby. It is in this year that he marries Selina Alderson. Their marriage certificate (below) shows that they married in Scarborough. Selina was from Norfolk, and James was settled in Derby. There is no explanation why they got married in East Yorkshire!
Selina is the sister of Elizabeth Alderson. Elizabeth married Bob’s old friend Thomas G Nurse in 1871. Thomas was almost 20 years older than Elizabeth.
So James and his old friend from India, had married sisters Selina and Elizabeth - further cementing their closeness.
At the time of the 1891 census, Bob is back in Norfolk, visiting his old friend Thomas. Selina is not with them, even though it would have been an opportunity to see her sister Elizabeth.
Thomas and Elizabeth have 6 children, aged between 1 to 16 years. Selina lost two daughters in the same year (Eily age 6 and Nora age 1), so it is entirely possible she felt she could not travel, and needed to stay at home and look after her other children, Lionel (known as Pat), Daisy, Robert (known as Cyril) and Maurice (known as Claud) - ages 8, 6, 3 and 2.
Bob and Selina named their first child (a son) Lionel Nurse O’Neal. The middle name was clearly chosen as a mark of respect to his friend’s family. This is further confirmed when descendants of Thomas and Elizabeth Nurse (who by now have emigrated to the USA) changed their surname from Nurse to Nourse. Lionel matched this change by adopting this new spelling for his middle name also.
Bob and his eldest son Lionel worked on the railways as clerks, shown here in the 1901 English census. The family was living at 17 Provident St, Derby.
17 Provident St, Derby, as seen today.
Picture courtesy of Google maps
This was Bob and Selina’s home, along with their family - Lionel (Pat) Daisy, Cyril and Claud. A small house by today’s standards for a family of six.
The following family photo was taken in 1905, I presume in their back garden is missing Cyril, who by this time had emigrated to the USA; Claud was yet to go.
Left to right rear: Lionel (Pat), Daisy, Claud, George Samuel O’Neal. Left to right front: believed to be Annie Gertrude (George’s wife), Bob, Selina.
George Samuel (rear row, right side, with parasol) was younger brother to Bob, and lived all his life in India. He appears to have had a very successful life. By 1870 he had followed into his Father’s footsteps and become an assistant apothecary. By the time of his death in 1924, he left a sum of just under 12,000 Indian rupees (Approximately £1,000, at a time when the average annual working man’s income in England was £205).
By 1911, Bob, Selina and Daisy had moved house, now living at 22 Balfour Rd Normanton, Derby.
22 Balfour Rd Normanton, Derby as seen today.
Picture courtesy of Google maps
Only Daisy remained with Bob and Selina. Bob was retired, and this was to be his final home.
Bob died on 3 January 1919. His death certificate is difficult to read but attributes his demise to asthma with a secondary reason as heart failure. After all his writing and publications in various press across his life, especially within Derby local press it is interesting to note that another contributor wrote the following obituary to Bob:
Derby Daily Telegraph 7 January 1919