The Search For Edith May Hilton

There is an adoption in our direct line, which created some mystery about the real parents. Ernest William Earls was born as Aubrey Norman Lovell-Hilton, and his mother was Edith May Hilton. She was born 121 years ago today, on 16 February 1891, in Weymouth, Massachusetts.

Very little is known about her, but at least I was able to find her name on the adoption record. With that I started to look for her in the census records and found her first in 1900 in Weymouth, MA, the daughter of Frank E Hilton.


She had her son when she was 15, in 1906. The story goes that she was with the gardener of her school, and was either raped, or maybe consensual (I've heard both). Either way it was gross because the story also says that he was about 60 years old. She gave him up for adoption and then she can be found in the 1910 census, again in Weymouth, and still living with her father.


On Christmas Eve, 1914, Edith was married to Seth Reed Bates in Abington. I found their marriage in the Massachusetts Marriages, 1841-1915 on Familysearch.org. One thing that I find interesting is that it says that their residence at the time of marriage is the same. Does that mean they were living together before they were married?


She can be found then in the 1920 census with her new husband in Abington, living in the house of his parents.


By the 1930 census though she is not listed with her husband. According to the column, she is still married and living in Abington, but they are obviously separated.


He is found living at his parents house again, also in Abington.


So now I'm looking forward to the 1940 census to see where she has ended up. I haven't been able to find any other records on her. I am limited to searching online, and unfortunately not all records in the world are available online.