Author: Tony McGarry

Bertram BAUM

Born: 1880 (Baptised 22 August 1880)
Died: 16 April 1895
Buried: 20 April 1895

Bernard Cyril BAUM

Born: 22 April 1882
Died: 29 April 1903

Foreword

This story is based around the short lives of two brothers, Bertram Wiliam Bernard Stokes Baum and Bernard Cyril Baum. Having both gone into the Sussex Asylum (St. Francis Hospital) at the age of 10 and both dying there very young their own stories are very short. However, their physical lives may have been deeply affected by the kinship of their paternal grandmother (Matilda Louisa Baum, nee Rouse) and maternal grandmother (Maria Louisa Stokes, nee Rouse). Their family lives may have been emotionally affected by the apparent absences of one or the other of their parents (Edmund John Frederick Baum and Maria Louisa Baum (nee Stokes), for periods of time and the fact that they spent periods of time in London and Sussex. Their paternal grandfather (John Frederick Baum (Snr.) and the apparent successes and failures in his business life must have had a detrimental effect on their paternal grandmother’s life which in turn may also have directly affected their father, Edmund John Frederick Baum and his brother Bernard.

The marriages of Bertram & Bernard’s grandmothers and the birth of their mother:

On the 5th December 1843, in the parish church of Islington, London, William Peter Stokes, Bachelor, Printer, of full age (21 or over), married Maria Louisa Rouse, Spinster, of full age. Both gave their address as St. John’s Street. William’s father was William Peter Stokes a Printer, Maria’s father was William Rouse a Painter.

In the September quarter of 1847, the birth of Maria Louisa Stokes was registered in the district of Greenwich, London. Her Mother’s Maiden name was Rouse.

In the September quarter of 1850, the marriage of John Baum Snr. and Matilda Louisa Rouse was registered in the district of St. Martins (in London). This area is in the west (richer) end of London and part of Theatreland.

The early married lives of Bertram & Bernard’s grandmothers in Chelsea and Camden Town:

In the 1851 Census at 4 Lansdowne Villas, Chelsea, London lived William Rouse, Head, Married, age 61, Stationer, Born Surrey, Southwark, Louisa Rouse, Wife, Married, age 62, Born London City, John Frederick Baum, Son in Law, age 21, Clerk, Born Hamburgh British Subject, Matilda Louisa Baum, Daughter, Married, Age 25, Born Surrey, Southwark St. George. (When William Stokes and Maria Louisa Rouse married in December 1843 in Islington was Maria Louisa’s father William’s profession misheard as “painter” when it was in fact “Printer”?) The old Guild of Stationers eventually incorporated the printing trade.

A point to note, courtesy of Google – “The printing trade in Victorian London was effectively a closed shop, meaning that unions controlled access to jobs, and new entrants typically needed to be recommended by a union member, often a relative or close friend. This system was in place for a significant part of the 19th century, particularly in the latter half.”

In the 1851 Census at 14 King’s Road, Camden Town, London lived William Stokes, Head, age 31, Printer Compositor, Born Middx. St. Lukes, Maria Stokes (nee Rouse), Wife, age 31, Born Surrey, Southwark, William Stokes, Son, age 5, Scholar at home, Born Surrey, Lambeth, Maria Stokes, Daughter, age 3, Scholar at home, Born Kent, Gravesend, Matilda Stokes, age 1, Born Middx. St. Pancras, James Stokes, Brother, age 22, Printer Compositor, Born Middx. Shoreditch, Walter Rouse, Nephew, age 2, Born Middx. St. Pancras.

The birth of Bertram & Bernard’s father, uncle and very short-lived aunt:

Betram and Bernard Baum’s father, Edmund John Frederick Baum was born on 14th December 1852 although his birth was not registered until the March Quarter of 1853 in the registration district of Chelsea in London, his mother’s maiden name was Rouse. (See his Baptism which is later in the story to maintain chronology – 11th August 1878.)

The birth of Bernhard Baum, the brother of Edmund John Frederick Baum, was also registered in Chelsea, London in the June quarter of 1857, his mother’s maiden name was Rouse.

The birth of Louisa Matilda Baum, the sister of Edmund John and Bernhard Baum, was registered in the St. James, Westminster, London district in the June quarter of 1859, her mother’s maiden name was Rouse. Sadly, baby Louisa’s death was registered is in the St. James, Westminster district in the September quarter of 1859.

The apparent disappearance of the Baum family and the kinship question regarding Bertram & Bernard’s grandmothers:

John Baum Snr., his wife Matilda Louisa Baum and his two sons (Edmund) John Frederick and Bernard Baum seem to disappear from the records after 1859. Did they go overseas, perhaps to Germany where John Baum Snr. was born?

Were Maria Louisa Stokes (nee Rouse) the wife of William Peter Stokes and Matilda Louisa Baum (nee Rouse) the wife of John Baum Snr., who were both born in Southwark, Surrey, who both had a father named William Rouse and both had daughters with the name Matilda – sisters?

Bertram & Bernard’s maternal grandfather and grandmother’s family move from London to Brighton and their maternal grandfather changes profession.

In the 1861 Census at 46 East Street, Brighton, Sussex lived William Peter Stokes, Head, age 42, Glover, Born Middx. St. Lukes, Maria L. Stokes (nee Rouse), Wife, age 42, Born Surrey St. Georges, William R. Stokes, Son, age 15, Born Surrey, Lambeth, Maria L. Stokes, Daughter, age 13, Born Kent, Greenwich, Matilda E. Stokes, age 11, Born Middx. Marylebone, Katie A. J. Stokes, age 9, Born Middx. Marylebone, Fanny C. Stokes, Age 4, Born Middx. Marylebone. Why had William and Maria Louisa moved their family down to Brighton in Sussex from London and why had William changed his trade from “The Print” to becoming a Glover?

The Early 1870s

A period of much activity for John Baum Snr. and his wife and the marriage of Bertram & Bernard’s parents.

In May 1870, John Baum Snr., husband of Matilda Louisa Baum and father of (Edmund) John Frederick and Bernard Baum is back with a bang. He has placed adverts in the Illustrated London News regarding Cremorne Gardens (Chelsea):

In the 1871 Census John Baum Snr. (Bertram and Bernard Baum’s paternal grandfather) was living In Cremorne House (within Cremorne Gardens, Chelsea) with a staff of five consisting of a House Keeper, three servants and a Coachman, but without his wife Matilda. An online article about Cremorne Gardens by The London Parks and Gardens charity (champions of London’s historic parks, gardens, squares and green spaces) tells us in the chapter titled “Well Laid Out Grounds” that in 1870 John Baum (Snr.) leased Cremorne Gardens, Chelsea, apparently spending £10,000 on the Gardens and premises.

In the 1871 Census living at 83 Burton Road, Lambeth, London (about 3 miles from Cremone Gardens) were Matilda Baum, Head, 43, (in the Condition column the census taker has written “Mar?” seeming to indicate that there is uncertainty as to the marital status of Matilda with John Baum Snr., under the Rank, Profession or Occupation heading the census taker has written “Wife of a Glover”, but in fact that is the profession of William Stokes, husband of Maria Stokes (nee Rouse) who may be Matilda’s sister and will become the mother in law of her son, Edmund.) Matilda’s sons are listed as, (Edmund) John (Frederick), 18 (who would subsequently become the father of Bertram and Bernard Baum and Amy Maria Hermine Louisa Baum) and his brother Bernard, 13. Also, resident are Walter H, Marlow a visitor, age 31 and Mary Rankin, a General Servant, age 26 born in Ireland.

On 1/10/1872, Johann Friedrich Baum (John Frederick Baum Snr.), resident of Cremorne Gardens, Middx. described as married with two children residing with him (John Baum aged 18 and Bernard Baum aged 13), became a naturalised British Citizen.

In 1875, (Edmund) John Frederick Baum (aged about 22, the son of John Frederick Baum Snr. and Matilda Baum – nee Rouse) married Maria Louisa Stokes (aged about 28, the daughter of William Stokes and Maria Stokes – nee Rouse). The marriage was registered in the December quarter in the Greenwich Registration District, London (Ref 1D 1348).

The 1871 article mentioned earlier in our story by The London Parks and Gardens charity (champions of London’s historic parks, gardens, squares and green spaces) further tells us in a subsequent chapter titled “Nursery of Vice” that “Towards the end of 1876 an anonymous pamphlet was circulated locally, criticising the (Cremorne Gardens) gardens in virulent terms as a nursery of every kind of vice. Its author was revealed to be a Chelsea tailor, Alfred Brandon. Mr. (John Frederick) Baum (Snr.) sued for libel but won only notional damages and by now was ill and in serious debt. In 1877 he withdrew his application for a renewed licence and the gardens closed.” (With thanks to the London Parks and Gardens charity.)

On 11th August 1878 Edmund John Frederick Baum was baptised, about 26 years after his birth on 14th December 1852. His baptism took place in St. Martin’s in the Fields Church, Trafalgar Square, London. (The church made famous in the children’s Nursery Rhyme “Oranges and Lemons” in the line “You owe me five farthings say the bells of St. Martin’s”.) The baptism record tells us that his parents were John, a Theatrical Manager and Matilda Baum who lived at 11 Great May’s Buildings which were just off Trafalgar Square and in the Theatreland area of London.

The Early 1880s

Bertram & Bernard were born and baptised. Their mother, Maria Louisa Baum was baptised age 33 in Brighton a week before her son was born. At census time less than a year later Bertram’s mother was back with her mother, sisters and new baby son in London. Bertram & Bernard’s paternal grandmother seems to have had moved to Brighton, died and was buried there in a Jewish Cemetery. Their father Edmun Baum was a Photographer in Brighton. Their sister Amy Maria Hermine Louisa was born and her birth registered in London. John Baum Snr. was in trouble with the law.

The birth of Bertram William B. S. Baum, child of (Edmund) John Frederick and Maria Louisa Baum, was registered in the June quarter of 1880 in the Camberwell Registration District, London (Ref 1d 890). It should be noted that Camberwell and Peckham (where Maria Louisa’s mother and siblings lived) are next to each other in south London. Today they are the same Parliamentary Constituency.

Maria Louisa Baum (nee Stokes) was baptised in St. Peter’s Church, Brighton on 16th August 1880 (aged about 33), less than one week before her first child, Bertram William Bernard Stokes Baum was baptised there. Her parents’ names were recorded in the baptism entry as William Peter Stokes (Deceased) and Maria Louisa Stokes. Why was she baptised just before her son was baptised? In the “Abode” column of the baptism entry in the church record two addresses are given: 52 Gardener Street (Brighton) and 148 Rye Lane, Peckham (London). Presumably, as William Peter Stokes was deceased, it means that at the time of this baptism Maria Louisa Baum was living at 52 Gardner Street, Brighton and her mother Maria Louisa Stokes was living at 148 Rye Lane, Peckham, London.

Bertram was baptised Bertram William Bernard Stokes Baum on 22 August
1880 at St. Peter’s Church, Brighton, Sussex. (The church is about 500 metres northeast of the what was the Baum family home at the time in Gardner Street which is in today’s North Laine area.) His parents were Edmund John Frederick Baum, a Photographer and Maria Louisa Baum. They are listed as living at 52 Gardener Street Brighton.

The 1881 Census was taken on 3 April, at 148 Rye Lane, Peckham, London. (Today Rye Lane is in a Conservation Area.) Present were:

Maria Stokes Head Widow 61 born London (Mother of Maria Louisa Baum, nee Stokes and her 3 sisters who were all listed as Photographic Colourists.)
Maria Louisa Baum married 33 born Greenwich
Matilda Eliza. single 31 born St. Pancras
Katie Ann single 29 born St. Pancras
Fanny Clara single 24 born St. Pancras
Bertram Wm. Baum grandson age 11 months born St. Pancras
Baum mis-transcribed as “Bann”.

Maria Louisa Baum and her son Bertram William Baum were presumably visiting Maria’s mother and sisters because in August 1880 her address was implied to be with her husband Edmund Baum at 52 Gardener Street in Brighton for Bertram’s baptism. Interesting to note that Bertram was listed as being born in St. Pancras (London) north of the River Thames, yet his birth was registered in Camberwell which is in London south of the River Thames and near to where his maternal grandmother and his aunts lived. Perhaps the Census form filler was a bit too lax with his “dittos” in the Where Born column.

In the 1881 Census at 9A Nile Street, Brighton present were :

Bernhard Baum, Head / Lodger, Single, 23, Florist’s Assistant, born Fulham – (This is Edmund John Frederick Baum’s younger brother.)
Matilda Baum, Mother, Married, 54, born Southwark – (Mother of Edmund John Frederick Baum and Bernhard Baum and paternal Grandmother of Bertram William Baum.)
Edmund Baum, Lodger, Married, 27, Photographer, born Fulham – (Father of Bertram William Baum who at this time was at 148 Rye Lane, Peckham, London with his Mother, maternal Grandmother and three Aunts.)
Adolphus Randall, Lodger, Single, 52, Debt Collector, born Hunston (near Chichester, West Sussex).
It seems that Matilda Baum, paternal grandmother of Bertram and Bernard Baum, is now living with her sons and perhaps separated from her husband John Baum Snr.

On 22 April 1882, Bertram’s younger brother Bernard Cyril Baum was born. The birth was registered in the June quarter of 1882 in the Pancras Registration District (Ref 1B 163), London.

Bernard Cyril Baum was Baptised on 21 May 1882 at St. Paul’s Church, St. Pancras, London. His parents were Edward (not Edmund) John Frederick Baum, Artist, and Maria Louisa Baum of 19 Clifton Villas. (This is about half a mile north west of Paddington Station in London. But confusingly there was also a Clifton area in Brighton.) A little over a year after the 1881 Census Edward (Edmund) is describing himself as an Artist rather than a Photographer.

Bertram and Bernard’s sister Amy was born in 1884. Her birth was registered as Amy Maria Hermine Louisa Baum, in the September quarter in the Pancras Registration District (Ref 1B 154),

A short article from the Dundee Courier & Argus 8th January 1885 indicating that John Baum Snr. was in trouble at Bow Street (London) for nonpayment of fines with a warrant issued for his imprisonment for 6 weeks.

In the March Quarter of 1885 the death of Matilda Louisa Baum, the wife of John Baum Snr., the mother of Edmund John Frederick Baum and paternal grandmother of Bertram, Bernard Cyril and Amy Maria Hermine Louisa Baum, was registered in the Brighton registration district. Here is a photograph of Matilda Louisa Baum’s headstone in Florence Place Jewish Cemetery, Brighton. Was Matilda Louisa born into a Jewish family or did she convert to Judaism? Was her husband John Baum Snr. Jewish?

The Early 1890s

Bertram was admitted to the Sussex Asylum (St. Francis Hospital) age 10. His father was at a new address in Brighton with his son Bernard, his daughter Amy and his brother Bernard, still a Florist’s Assistant as he was in the 1881 census. Bertram & Bernards’s mother was back with her mother and sisters and away from her children at census time. Bertram’s brother Bernard spent less than a month at a school in London and soon after was, like his brother, admitted to the Sussex Asylum (St. Francis Hospital) age 10. Bertram died in the Sussex Asylum age almost 15 and was buried unnamed in the Asylum cemetery.

Sadly, on 9 October 1890 Bertram Baum, aged about 10, was admitted to The Sussex Asylum, Haywards Heath, eventually called St. Francis Hospital. We have had no indication up to this point that he had any problems.

The 1891 Census was taken on 5 April, at 31 Upper Russell Street Brighton, present were:

Edmund Baum, Head, Married, 38, Refreshment Caterer, born Fulham (On the Census form the census taker has written “Coff.” Next to Refreshment Caterer. Perhaps Coffee?)
(Bernard) Cyril Baum, Son, 8, Scholar, born Camden Town
Amy Baum, Daughter, 6, Scholar, born Camden Town
Bernard, Brother, Single, 33, Florist’s Assistant, born Fulham.

Things do not seem to be going well for Edmund Baum. His father, John Baum Snr. is in financial trouble and they may not be in touch with each other, his mother has died, his eldest child Bertram has been admitted to the Sussex Asylum, his wife Maria Louisa is yet again not with him during a census. He is now a Refreshment Caterer, perhaps. How is he managing to care for his son Bernard and his daughter Amy while he and his brother Bernard are working?

At the 1891 Census at 2 Nunhead Lane, Peckham, London were:

Maria Louisa Stokes Head Widow 73 Living on own means born Southwark
and her 3 daughters
Maria Baum married 41 Artist (Sculp.)
Katie Stokes single 37 Artist (Sculp.) born Camden
Frances Stokes single 32 Artist (Sculp.) born Camden

13 May 1891 (5 weeks after the 1891 Census had been taken when he was listed as living with his father and sister Amy in Upper Russell Street, Brighton) Cyril Bernard Baum age 9, born 22 April 1882, was admitted to St. Martin in the Fields’ School, Charing Cross Road, London. His parent was given as Mrs. Baum of 37 Chandos Street, London W1. Was (Louisa) Maria Baum using the Chandos Street address as a “convenience” address to comply with catchment area stipulations for the school? The school was founded by the parish of St. Martin in the Fields in 1699 as a charity and it may well have had an associated catchment area which was probably still based on this parish. Cyril (Bernard) was only in the school for just over a month, leaving on 26th June 1891.

According to Brett Payne, a “Photo Sleuth” who has a blog here https://photo-sleuth.blogspot.com/2008/09/ , a Frederick Pipere had a photography business at 37 Chandos Street W1 until his death in 1873. His wife Sarah Ann took over the business until 1885 under the name The Charing Cross School of Photography. Did (Louisa) Maria Baum know Sarah Ann Pipere and perhaps work with her? This business was very close to St. Martin’s in the Field’s School on Charing Cross Road, London.

On 17 June 1892 Bernard Cyril Baum aged about 10 (the same age as his brother on admission) was admitted to The Sussex Asylum.

On 16 April 1895 after about 4.5 years in residence, Bertram Baum died age nearly 15 in the Sussex Asylum. The cause of death was Epilepsy. As with all unclaimed dead he was buried in an unnamed grave in the burial ground of the Sussex Asylum. He was buried on 20 April 1895. His Sussex Asylum Burial Record entry tells us that his place of abode prior to admission to the Asylum was 51 Meeting House Lane, Brighton. Why was his body not claimed for local burial by his family? Here is an image of his burial record from the St. Francis Hospital (the Sussex Asylum) records:

Bertram’s death was registered in the June quarter of 1895 in the Lewes Registration District (Ref 2b 108 ). His name was mis transcribed as “Bann”.

The 1900s

More address changes, new professions, deaths, a marriage, births, age changes, a second marriage, babies at late ages, a discharge from the British Army, death of a patriarch in an unexpected place, unusual living arrangements…

In the 1901 Census, at 12 Marlboro Place Brighton (yet again living at a new address) were:

Edmund Baum Head married 48 Club Steward born Fulham
Maria wife 50 born Greenwich
Amy daughter 16 born Camden
Alice Reed servant 22 born Nutley, Sussex

Yet again Edmund, Bertram & Bernard’s father, is in a new job, perhaps the new home came with the job?

Tragically, on 29 April 1903 after almost eleven years in residence Bernard Cyril Baum, the younger brother of Bertram Baum, died in The Sussex Asylum too, he was 7 days short of his 21st birthday. His death was registered in the June quarter 1903 in the Lewes Registration District (Ref B 101). His Death Certificate tells us that his cause of death was “Epilepsy of some years”. The Death Certificate also states under the heading of Rank or Profession “Of no occupation of Brighton Workhouse”. For unknown reasons his body was not claimed by his parents who were living in Brighton at the time of his death with his sister Amy. As a result of his body not being claimed, just like his brother Bertram, he was buried in an unnamed and unmarked grave in the burial ground of Sussex Asylum on 2/5/1903. His burial record tells us that his Last Place of Abode before admission to the Asylum was Brighton Workhouse.

Was epilepsy and the potential difficulties of having two epileptic children the cause of the intermittent separations of Edmund and his wife Louisa Maria Baum?

Mdme. (Louisa) Marie Baum was recorded as a photographer at 45 Grand Parade Brighton for the period1905 -1909. (This is information was found on the web site https://www.photohistory-sussex.co.uk/WomenPhotgrsContents.htm but the 1909 date is an error as Marie – (Louisa) Maria – died in 1908. Grand Parade in Brighton is opposite 12 Marlborough Place from which the front windows look out onto Grand Parade.

Edmund J. Baum was recorded as a photographer at 45 Grand Parade Brighton for the period 1907-1910+.

1908 Edmund’s wife Maria Louisa died aged about 60, the mother of Bertram and Bernard Baum. Her death was registered in the March quarter in the Brighton Registration District (Ref 2B 156 ).

In 1908 Amy Maria Hermine Louisa Baum, the one remaining child of Edmund and Maria Louisa Baum, married Charles Richard Sutherland. The marriage, which we learn from Charles’ British Army papers was on 17/12/1908 in Brighton Registry Office, was registered in the December quarter in the Brighton Registration District (Ref 2B 478). We also learn from Charles’ British Army papers that at the time of his Attestation on 8/5/1915 Amy and Charles’ home address was 80 Hythe Road, Brighton, Sussex and that Charles was 38 years old when they married, and Amy was about 24.

In the 1909 edition of Kelly’s Directory Edmund Baum is shown as a photographer of Grand Parade Brighton.

The 1911 Census was taken on 2 April. At 45 Grand Parade Brighton present were;

Edmund Baum, Head, 58, Widower, Boarding House Keeper, born Fulham (London)
Elizabeth Handcock, Boarder, 82, Single, Retired School Mistress, born Shadwell (London)

In the 1911 edition of Kelly’s Directory Edmund Baum is shown as a photographer at 45 Grand Parade Brighton.

The 1911 Census at 25 Princes Crescent, Brighton, Charles R. Sutherland Head, 43, a Draper’s Manager, born Brighton, Sussex, Amy H. L. M. Sutherland Wife, 26, Born Camden Town, London, (Married 2 years, Children Born Alive 2, Children Still Living 2), Ada M. Sutherland, Daughter, 8, Born Australia N.S.W., Maria Sutherland, Daughter, 7, Born Australia N.S.W., Ena K. L. Sutherland, Daughter, 2, Born Sussex, Brighton, Winifred E. Sutherland, Daughter, 5 months, Born Sussex, Brighton. This was the first UK Census where the Census Return for a particular household or institution written directly by the “Head of Household” was used as the primary census return, so we must assume that Charles Sutherland completed this return. In so doing he seems to tell us that Amy Baum was not the mother of the two eldest children listed on the return Ada M. aged 8 and Maria aged 7.

On 4 March 1912 in the church of St. Martin & St. Wilfrid, Lewes Road, Brighton, the daughter of Amy (nee Baum) and her husband Charles Sutherland was baptised and named Phyllis Ida. The Sutherlands gave their address as 31 Ditchling Road, Brighton and Charles’ trade as Outfitter.

On 24 June 1912 Edmund John Frederick Baum widower, aged 50 (who had given his age in the 1911 Census as 58 and had been born in 1852, so was about 60) married Sarah Coyle, spinster (29) at St. Peter’s Church Brighton. (So Edmund was twice Sarah’s age.) The groom was a Boarding House Proprietor. His father was John, a Theatrical Manager. The Bride’s father was Robert Coyle (deceased) a Boot Manufacturer. Both gave their address as 45 Grand Parade Brighton, (Ref June quarter Brighton 2B 495).

In the 1913 City and County Directories Edmund Baum was a photographer at 45 Grand Parade Brighton.

In the March quarter 1914 Bernhard F. Baum was born, Mother’s maiden name Coyle. His father Edmund Baum was about 62 and now had a son again with his earlier sons Bertram and Bernard Cyril laying buried unnamed and unmarked in St. Francis Hospital (Sussex Asylum) cemetery in Haywards Heath, Sussex.

In 1916 Charles Sutherland, Amy’s (nee Baum) husband, was discharged from the British Army on medical grounds aged 38. (Yet on the 1911 Census he gave his age as 43 meaning he would have been about 48 when he was discharged in 1916. The maximum age for voluntary enlistment in 1915 – when he enlisted as a volunteer – was 41, so did Charles lie about his age to enable him to enlist as a volunteer?)

We learn from his British Army WW1 Pension Records that he suffered from: Abdominal adhesions, Urethral stricture, Chronic tonsilitis and Malaria. We also learn that he and Amy had seven children when he was discharged (three of whom were born before Amy and Charles married, Ada Muriel, Mona and Grace Rebecca, so we can assume that Charles had perhaps been married before. See Charles and Amy’s 1911 Census entry earlier.) The seven children listed in his Army Pension Records were:

Ada Muriel born 14/7/1902 in India
Mona born 6/1/1904 in India
Grace Rebecca born 14/2/1906 in India (Grace’s birth was registered in Steyning, Sussex in the March Q of 1906, Mother’s Maiden Name was Sheen)
Ena Kathleen Louisa born 22/1/1909 in Brighton (Ena’s birth was registered in Brighton, Mother’s Maiden name was Baum)
Winifred Ena born 22/10/1910 in Brighton (Winifred’s birth was registered in Brighton, Mother’s Maiden name was Baum)
Phyllis Ida born 17/1/12 in Brighton (Phyllis’s birth was registered in Brighton, Mother’s Maiden name was Baum)
Christopher Charles born 17/9/15 (Christopher’s birth was registered in Steyning, Mother’s Maiden name was Baum)
Dorothy Jessie (Dorothy’s birth was registered in Lewes in DEC Q 1917 (after Charles had been discharged from the Army), Mother’s Maiden name Baum. The date of Dorothy’s birth on her birth certificate is 10th Sept. 1917 and the address of birthplace on Dorothy’s birth certificate is The Willows, Lewes Road, Ditchling.

On 2/7/1917 aged 86, John Frederick Baum Snr. died in the Holborn Union Infirmary (The Workhouse), Shepherdess Walk, London. His effects and £50 were left to his granddaughter and sister of Bertram and Bernard Cyril, Amy Hermina Louisa Maria Sutherland, wife of Charles Richard Sutherland.

John Baum Snr. had fallen a long way. There are many adverts in London Newspapers from John Baum Snr. between the 1870s and the early 1880s illustrating his association with theatres and entertainment in London. Examples are the Alhambra Theatre Royal, Leicester Square in the early 1870s, Cremorne Gardens, Chelsea in the mid 1870s, the Alcazar Theatre (probably Holborn Theatre which had many names in its life) in the early 1880s and the Canterbury Theatre of Varieties (near Waterloo Station) in the early 1880s. John Baum Snr. also appeared in newspaper articles with court recordings regarding debts and fines, usually around theatre businesses. He may have spent time in prison at some point towards the end of his life.

In the 1921 Census – at 263 Elm Grove, Brighton – The semidetached house was shared by two families: The Hammond family consisted of three adults and four children, they occupied four rooms in the house.
Amy H.L.M. Sutherland Head, age 36, her daughters Ena 12, Winifred 10, Phyllis 9, Christopher 5 and Dorothea 3 occupied ONE room in the house.
A couple of hundred metres away in 2 Sandown Road, a four roomed house, lived Amy’s husband Charles Sutherland, 54, his two daughters from another mother, Ada Sutherland, 18, Mona Sutherland, 17, and Charlotte Iorbill, (Boarder) 39.

Why were Amy H.L.M. Sutherland and her five children aged between 12 and 3, living in one room of a separate house (by 200 metres) from her husband Charles Sutherland who was with two of his daughters from another mother, and a lodger, in a four roomed house all to themselves?

AUTHOR’S THOUGHTS

This story of mysteries leaves quite a few unanswered questions and uncertainties.
Betram Baum and his brother Bernard died in the Sussex County Asylum (St. Francis Hospital) in 1895 and 1903 respectively and were buried unnamed and unmarked in the hospital cemetery. Why did their family, especially their father Edmund John Frederick Baum, not claim their bodies from the hospital and bury them privately?

Did anybody from their family ever visit Bertram or Bernard in in the Sussex County Asylum? (Our researchers may be able to answer this if the visiting records still exist in the Archives.)

Why did Edmund John Frederick Baum and his wife Maria Louisa Baum (nee Rouse) seem to spend so much time apart, with Maria Louisa often seeming to be back in London with her mother and sisters? And why did she eventually come back to Brighton and her husband?

Bertram, Bernard and Amy’s paternal grandfather, John Frederick Baum Snr., despite at some stage in his life apparently having great wealth, died in a Workhouse in Holborn, London in 1917. We do not know currently where he is buried, but as with his granddaughter Amy, we hope that his family, especially his son, Edmund John Frederick Baum, would not have allowed him to be buried in a pauper grave unmarked.

Did John Frederick Baum Snr. keep in touch with his wife, children and grandchildren over the years or was he completely estranged from them? Were they aware of his fall from grace? Did he know about the death and burial of his grandsons, Bertram and Bernard Cyril in the Sussex Asylum? Did he learn that his son Edmund Baum had married again and that Edmund’s new wife had produced another grandson for him?

Matilda Louisa Baum (nee Rouse) was the wife of John Frederick Baum Snr. and the mother of Edmund John Frederick Baum who married Maria Louisa Stokes. Therefore, Matilda Louisa Baum (nee Rouse) was the paternal grandmother of Betram, Bernard and Amy Baum.

Maria Louisa Stokes (nee Rouse) was the wife of William Peter Stokes and the mother of Maria Louisa Stokes who married Edmund John Frederick Baum. Therefore, Maria Louisa Stokes (nee Rouse) was the maternal grandmother of Betram, Bernard Baum and Amy Baum.

Matilda Louisa Rouse and Maria Louisa Rouse might well have been sisters. They both had a father named William, both gave their place of birth on the Census as Southwark. Bizarrely Matilda Louisa Baum (nee Rouse) described herself in 1871 Census as “The Wife of a Glover” when in fact her sister Maria Louisa Stokes (nee Rouse), according to the 1861 Census, was married to William Peter Stokes, a Glover. Why did Matilda Louisa Baum say her husband was a Glover?

If Matilda Louisa Rouse and Maria Louisa Rouse were indeed sisters was this relationship the indirect cause of Bertram and Bernhard Baum spending their years after the age of 10 in St. Francis Hospital (Sussex Asylum) with Epilepsy? A Google search came up with the following answer:
“Having a paternal grandmother and a maternal grandmother who are sisters does not inherently pose a danger for hereditary reasons. While it increases the likelihood of shared genetic material, it doesn’t automatically lead to genetic problems. However, it’s advisable to consider family history and potential genetic risks, especially if there’s a history of genetic disorders within the family.”