Sunday, August 7, 2022

Source of a schism

This week I have been finalising the first draft of the chapter on Robert Geary Henderson and his first wife Hannah (nee Wallbridge). It is the most complicated story in this family history, partially because Robert married three times, but also because of the division that existed between the children of his different partners.

  • Robert's first family was with Hannah Wallbridge. They had three children, two of whom survived to adulthood, namely Madeline Geary Henderson and Robert Francis Geary Henderson. Robert deserted Hannah and her children a little over two years after their third child (Robert Francis) was born.
  • The second family was with Elizabeth Delaney. They had six children, four of whom apparently survived to adulthood being Robert Frederick Henderson, Patrick Bin Henderson, Herbert Geary Henderson and Charles Arthur Henderson. I say apparently because we know almost nothing about Herbert and Charles.
  • The third family was with Gertrude Stretton. They also had six children, four surviving to adulthood being Florence Catherine Henderson (known as Kathleen), Kenneth Geary Henderson, Nellie Gertrude Henderson and Archie Geary Henderson.
The first source of family tension was Robert's desertion of his first family and the fact that he started his second family while still married to Hannah. Hannah subsequently died of tuberculosis and Madeline and Robert Francis spent the rest of their childhood in boarding schools.

The second source of tension came from the legacy of Robert's father, Robert Henderson snr. The elder Robert was a wealthy businessman with a diverse property estate. It seems that Robert snr may have been displeased with the character of his two sons and left a complicated will that divided his property into four parts. He left one part each in trust for the two children of his son's first marriage (Madeline and Robert Francis). The other two parts he left in trust for his sons, Robert jnr and Thomas. The Trusts gave the two men a life interest in the property, but they could not sell or otherwise dispose of it. After the son's died, the property was then to be divided among Robert snr's grandchildren (this is a simplified view and it was not quite as simple as that).

The will meant that Madeline and Robert Francis were left quite well off, receiving perhaps 25% of their grandfather's estate. They would also receive a residual share of Robert jnr's 25% after he died (that is another 4% of their grandfather's initial estate). In contrast, Robert Frederick Henderson would receive the equivalent of about 4% of his grandfather's estate and that only after his father died.

The third source of tension was the unfair treatment of the children born out of wedlock. Robert Francis, Patrick, Kathleen, Kenneth and Archie were all born before their parents were married, but Robert Francis and Patrick were legitimised by their grandfather's will, which named them as specific beneficiaries. Herbert, Charles  and Archie were born after Robert snr died, but were entitled to a share of their grandfather's estate because their respective parents were married before they were born. But Florence, Kenneth and Nellie were born out of wedlock, after Robert snr's death, so they were not named in his will. Under the laws of the time, they were not entitled to a share of their grandfather's estate.

There were several court cases fought over the will and the various trusts that resulted from it. Reading between the lines of the accounts available to me, I suspect that few if any of the children in the second and third family received any inheritance at all. Some had sold or mortgaged their rights to third parties. There is certainly nothing in their lives that suggested that they had any money.

I have struggled to write a summary of Robert Geary Henderson's legacy. The only contemporary account I have to work on comes second or third hand from his eldest daughter, Madeline Geary Henderson, my great-grandmother. She reportedly thought her father and brother (Robert Francis Geary Henderson) were 'wastrels' and she disapproved of their drinking and promiscuity.

I find it hard to judge harshly at this distance in time. Robert Geary Henderson was the long-awaited first child after 15 years of marriage. His father was an energetic and ambitious businessman, busy in multiple enterprises. So was the son spoiled by an indulgent mother, but starved of fatherly guidance? Was his character to blame? Or did he just have no time for the restrictive social normality of his times? It strikes me that the schisms in his family probably had a lot to do with his father's will and the different treatment handed out to the grandchildren.

So for now I have loaded the draft chapter and the resources I have used onto the website and I will have another go it it when I get to the second draft stage in the coming months. 

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