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From: "Kia" <>
Subject: [ABERDEEN] DEVOS - NICOL
Date: Sun, 25 Jan 2009 12:43:25 -0000
References: <65106F3E272B4F73A6CA6B8F00CC113B@CarolPC>


In response to the Roll Call suggestion:-

My Aberdeen branch has been particularly difficult.
Hilaire Alexandre Dominique DEVOS moved to Aberdeen from France (Dunkerque/Petite-Synthe) while divorcing his first wife - their
divorce was 9 Jan 1901.
He took a housekeeper by the name of Helen NICOL (well, she is his housekeeper on the 1901 census, at least - although by the time
of the census he was now divorced).
They had a daughter, Margaret, 8 Aug 1900 (Aberdeen, before Hilaire's divorce); a son, Alexander, (my great grandfather) 22 Feb 1904
(Aberdeen); then they married 20 Nov 1906 (Maryculter, Kincardineshire), and then had another son, Romain Louis (named after
Hilaire's father) 22 Mar 1910 (Peterculter, Aberdeen), he was premature and only survived 2 days.

Helen NICOL was born 17 Nov 1870 (Fintray, Aberdeen) and her birth entry is marked "illegitimate". Her mother is noted as Elizabeth
NICOL.
On her marriage to Hilaire she gives her parents as James NICOL (deceased) and Elizabeth NICOL (ms FRASER). It would appear that
these are her grandparents as James and Elizabeth married 6 Apr 1839 (Marykirk, Kincardineshire) and they had a daughter, Elizabeth,
born c1848; their children were all born between c1840 and c1855, all Marykirk, Kincardineshire.
A bit of further digging (and help from a wonderful SP staff) revealed there is an amendment to Helen's birth entry (but no red RCE
button). In 1874 it was ruled that her father was a William MITCHELL.

I've not found Helen on the 1871 census. I do have her in 1891 as a servant to the FROST family, and in 1901 as Hilaire's
housekeeper.
I've not been able to find her father either, or at least not find a William MITCHELL that I can confirm is the right one.

Alexander, went on and had an illegitimate child by an Edith DUTHIE, before marrying a Thomasina MILNE (also of Aberdeen, although
they married in London). He had 2 children with Thomasina before leaving her for my great-grandmother - their first child was born
less than 9 months after his second child with Thomasina.
I don't think Alexander ever really married my great-grandmother because on his death entry she notes he is "married to Thomasina
MILNE" - now why would she do that?
That said all 3 of their children's birth certificates state she is --- DEVOS (ms JEFFREY), and she does sign her name as DEVOS on
Alexander's death entry - confusing!

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