I is for Ida Emilie Robertshaw

Ida Emilie was a very uncommon name in the 1850s to 1880s. This was very useful for me as I was trying to track down a particular family.
My GG Grandfather William Frank Laws had 3 sisters. I was able to follow Selina Laws and her marriage to Henry Sedgwick in 1842 and then the family through the various census returns. I could also follow Hannah Maria Laws and her marriage to Charles Johnson and their family through the census returns.
So with Amelia Laws marrying Thomas Cook Richardson in parish church of Bow on 23 August 1845 began a mystery tour. By 1851 in the census returns we have them  living at 7 Norfolk Place Mile End Old Town
Thomas Richardson, aged 27 saddler and harness maker  born in St Neots Huntingdonshire
Amelia Richardson,  wife, aged 26, waistcoat maker born in Limehouse Middlesex
Amelia Richardson daughter aged 4 born in Finsbury
Anne Richardson daughter aged 3 born in Mile End
Ida Richardson daughter aged 1 born in Mile End.

So far so good.

Now I purchased the birth certificates of the daughters.
Amelia Rosene Richardson born 24th July 1846 at 23 New North St Shoreditch  Middlesex,
father Thomas Cook Richardson saddler and mother Amelia Richardson formerly Laws
Amie Hannah Richardson born  27th February 1848 at 7 Norfolk St Stepney Middlesex, father Thomas Cooke Richardson saddler  and mother Amelia Richardson formerly Laws
Ida Emilie  Richardson born 30th October 1849 at 7 Norfolk St Stepney Middlesex, father Thomas Cooke Richardson  saddler and mother Amelia Richardson formerly Laws

Still looking pretty good.

1861 Census
Rose Richardson is listed at 8 Clarence Sq Alverstoke Hampshire as a niece of William Laws shipwright foreman.  Also OK.
Where were the others? I couldn't find a Thomas Richardson family anywhere.
So I left them a while. A cousin wanted to see the marriage certificate of Hannah Laws and Charles Johnson.
It had 15 October 1860 in the parish church of Alverstoke Hampshire
Charles Johnson of full age mercantile clerk of Hackney, father Henry Johnson bookseller
Hannah Maria Laws of full age spinster of Gosport, father John Laws Butcher
Witnesses: William Laws ( brother) and Amelia Richardson Cooke.
Could this be Amelia Cook Richardson?
Back to the 1861 census and yes.
Amelia Richardson Cooke wife aged 30  born London Middlesex gentlewoman was living at 10 Mountrath Street,Walsall, Staffordshire with
Amy Richardson Cooke daughter aged 12 born London Middlesex scholar
Ida Emilie Richardson Cooke daughter aged 11 born London Middlesex scholar
No Thomas Richardson Cooke and I'm yet to find him. Perhaps they moved to Walsall as it was the area known for the best saddles and Thomas was a saddler. Amelia does not say she's a widow.
So to the 1871 census and there are no Richardson Cookes. You can imagine I'm getting frustrated by this time but I will not be beaten.
Perhaps the girls are married. Yes Ida Emilie has married Francis Lee Robertshaw 16 July 1870 in the Walthamstow Parish Church Essex.
Now I go to the 1881 census for the Robertshaws-again no luck. Really tired of these vanishing people but thought they may have emigrated. I do not have a worldwide subscription to Ancestry.com to check the travel records. I did not want to wait to go to the Genealogical Society of Queensland so I tried my trusty friend Google. There was a family tree of Ida Emile Robertshaw and her husband Frances Lee Robertshaw on Rootsweb. The Robertshaws had emigrated to USA. Finally a breakthrough. Ida Emilie really made it easy to search as there were no others in the time that I needed to find her.
Sadly I found Amelia Richardson Cooke died of TB on the Isle of Wight in 1868 and that is why she wasn't on the 1871 census.
Now I had to find out what happened to the other 2 girls. I eventually found that they had emigrated too to the US but that is another story.

Photo of Ida Emilie published with permission.