The Family of Robert George Osborne Foster

Although they are listed as married in the various Census returns, Robert George Osborne Foster's parent's don't appear to have actually been married. When Robert married Elizabeth Ascroft the space for his father's name was left blank in the marriage register - which is normally an indication that he was illegitimate and I could not find the birth records for Robert or any of his siblings. Finally - grasping at straws - I did a search for a child born c. 1867 with the first names Robert George Osborne and found the following:

	Robert George O. NEWBOLD Born: 1st Quarter 1867 Registration District: Clifton Volume: 6a, Page: 161

This was too much to be a coincidence so I searched for the births of his siblings under the surname Newbold and found his brother William Arthur Herbert Newbold in 1864, his sister Ada Alithea Newbold in 1865, and his brother Bertie Francis Newbold in 1871. When Bertie's birth was registered in Preston his mother's maiden name was recorded as Brown. So it would appear that Alithea Jane was married to someone called Newbold and never actually married to Edward Foster. If her first husband was still alive she may not have been able to marry Edward Foster without committing bigamy. Obviously, the Census records do not tell the whole story:

1871 CENSUS OF FULWOOD, PRESTON, LANCASHIRE:
NAME:	RELATION:	CONDITION:	SEX:	AGE:	OCCUPATION:	BIRTHPLACE:
Edward Foster	-	Married	M	38	Sergeant	Basford, Nottinghamshire
Alethea J Foster	Wife	-	F	38	-	Trimley, Suffolk
Wm A Herbert Foster	Son	-	M	6	Scholar	Chatham, Kent
Ada Alethea Foster	Daughter	-	F	5	Scholar	Chatham, Kent
Robert George Foster	Son	-	M	4	Scholar	Bristol, Somerset

NOTES:
1:	Living at Fulwood Barracks, Fulwood, Preston. (RG10-4218, folio 113, page 28)
2:	Edward Foster and his family were living in Army quarters.
3:	The correct spelling of Alethea is uncertain.
4:	The above information is taken from scanned images at www.ancestry.co.uk.

1881 CENSUS OF PRESTON, LANCASHIRE:
NAME:	RELATION:	CONDITION:	SEX:	AGE:	OCCUPATION:	BIRTHPLACE:
Edward Foster	-	Married	M	48	Letter Carrier	Basford, Nottingham
Elithea Jane Foster	Wife	Married	F	48	Dressmaker	Trimley, Suffolk
Wm A H Foster	Son	Unmarried	M	16	Commercial Clerk	Chatham, Kent
Ada Elithea Foster	Daughter	Unmarried	F	15	Milliner	Chatham, Kent
Robert Geo Foster	Son	Unmarried	M	14	Commercial Clerk	Bristol, Gloucester
Bertie Francis Foster	Son	Unmarried	M	9	Scholar	Preston, Lancashire
Octavia Maria Foster	Daughter	Unmarried	F	7	Scholar	Athlone, Ireland

NOTES:
1:	Living at 9 Miller Terrace, Miller Road, Preston. (RG11-4225, folio 114, page 35)
2:	Edward Foster was originally described as a "Letter Carrier and Chelsea Pensioner" but the latter part was crossed out. He was retired from the Army and may have been a Chelsea Pensioner after all.
3:	The family were probably in Ireland due to Edward's Army commitments when Octavia was born.
4:	The above information is taken from scanned images at www.ancestry.co.uk.

1891 CENSUS OF CROSTON, LANCASHIRE:
NAME:	RELATION:	CONDITION:	SEX:	AGE:	OCCUPATION:	BIRTHPLACE:
Alithea J Foster	Head	Widow	F	58	-	Trimley, Suffolk
Robert G O Foster	Son	Unmarried	M	24	Cashier	Bristol, Gloucestershire
Ann Grim	Lodger	Widow	F	61	-	Ireland
Joseph R Robinson	Boarder	Unmarried	M	33	Medical Student	Bolton, Lancashire

NOTES:
1:	Living at Station Road, Croston. (RG12-3427, folio 82, page 16)
2:	Strangely, Robert G O Foster was also listed as living as a boarder at 51 Fishwick Parade, in Preston. (RG12-3429, folio 4, page 1) He may have been living there and visiting at his mother's home on the night of the Census.
3:	The above information is taken from the census returns on microfiche at the Lancashire Archives.

By 1901 Alithea J Foster was living with Robert and Elizabeth in Preston (see their Census page) but cannot be found in the 1911 Census. I have searched the death indexes for her using various spellings of her first name and all of the surnames I know she used, including Foster, Newbold and Brown, but without success.