Barbara and Graham's Family Tree
Joseph Bissell
(Joseph Bissell (1843-1894)
Joseph was born to George and Sarah Bissell in Stepney in 1843. He married Martha Steer in 1861 and they had four daughters, Martha, Alice, Rosa and Ada. In the 1871 census they are living in Cheshunt, however his wife Martha does not appear on the census.
The next time there is any record of him is in 1875 when he is in Leeds and is marrying Annie Ford. The marriage certificate shows him as a widower. At first sight, this might suggest that his wife was not on the 1871 census because she had died. However, in 1883, she gets married again in Middlesex, stating she is a widow.
As they were both obviously alive, they had technically committed bigamy. However, because divorce was quite difficult then, there was a policy that people would not be found guilty of bigamy if it was over seven years since they had any contact with their spouse and they believed that they were dead.
The question is, was it seven years since Joseph had seen Martha when he married in 1875. Martha would have needed to have left him no later than 1868. The only clue we have is that their youngest daughter was born in 1868. So for it to have been seven years since they had any contact, Martha would have left Joseph very soon after the birth of Ada. She left him with all four daughters, so if she left him in 1868, it would mean she had deserted a young baby. I this likely? Alas we shall never know.
In the 1871 census, he was shown as an ironsmith and and on his
marriage certificate he was shown as a tool fitter. However by the time
of the 1891 census, he had a change of career and was now a beerhouse
keeper living at the Albion Inn public house on Armley Road. In fact the
Leeds trade directory shows he has two beer houses, with one on Ellerby
Road. directory
Unfortunately, he didn't survive to do this for long because he died in 1894. The probate record below shows he left his wife Annie £119 0s 8d.
Albion public house in 1963
This was where Joseph was the beerhouse keeper in the 1890's.