Walter Albert Donno
ID # 2139, (1848-)
| Birth | Walter Albert Donno was born on 12 March 1848 at Islington, Middlesex, England. |
| Baptism | He was baptized on 15 October 1848 at Islington, St. Mary, Middlesex, England. |
| Marriage | He married Elizabeth Emily Sheppard on 11 January 1869 at Yorktown Church, Frimley, Surrey. Civil Marriage Registration per General Register Office: 1869 Marriage solemnized at Yorktown Church in the Parish of Frimley in the County of Surrey Nbr. 68 On Jany 11th, 1869, Walter Albert Donno, 22 widower, engineer, residing Yorktown, father William Donno, Undertaker. Elizabeth Emily Cook, 24, widow, residing Yorktown, father Richard Sheppard, Pensioner. Married in the Church of Yorktown...after banns. Witnesses Thos. W. Sheppard and Charlotte Sheppard. Registration district of Farnham. Also, from Ancestry, an image of the church record with essentially the same information. Surrey, England, Church of England Marriages, 1754-1937 Camberley, St. Michael 1869, Marriage solemnized at Yorktown Church in the Parish of Frimley in the County of Surrey January 11th, 1869, Walter Albert Donno, 22, Widower, engineer. Father William Donno. Elizabeth Emily Cook, 24, widow, father Richard Sheppard, pensioner. Walter and Elizabeth were residing Yorktown at the time of their marriage Married in the church of Yorktown after banns, by me F. M. Middleton. The witnesses were Thos. W. Sheppard and Charlotte Sheppard. The form is signed, apparently by the contracting couple, but there are similarities in the handwriting with the rest of the form and was likely a copy signed by the clergyman. |
| Note | Walter's marriage record would imply that he was born in 1847. Ancestry, however, provides us with a baptism record at Islington St. Mary for Walter Donno which shows his date of birth as 12 March, 1848, and his baptism date as 15 October, 1848. It shows his parents as William and Elizabeth Donno and it shows his father as an undertaker, which agrees with Walter's marriage record. It gives their address as Chapel Place. Walter Donno was first married to Louisa Wilsdon on March 31, 1867. Louisa died in the last quarter of 1868 in Islington district. The Donno marriage record shows them marrying in St. Peter's Church, Bethnal Green. Walter's father is shown as William Donno, undertaker, as he is shown in Walter's marriage to Elizabeth Emily. (Louisa Wilsdon Donno is probably the Louisa Donno buried on 27 October 1868 at Islington Cemetery.) There is a baptism dated 26 November, 1868, for a Louisa Alice Donno, the daughter of Walter and Louisa Donno of 15 Macclesfield St North. The baptism was in the parish of St. Matthew's, City Road, and the child is likely that of Walter Donno and Louisa Wilsdon. The child is not with Walter and Elizabeth at the time of the 1871 census. We do know that Louisa Alice Donno survived, for on December 7, 1885, in St. Thomas Church in the parish of Bethnal Green, Louisa Alice Donna, age 18, spinster, machinist, address 5 White Street, daughter of Walter Donno, soldier, married Thomas Henry Folkes, 26, bachelor, milkman, address 10 White Street, son of William Folkes (deceased), milkman. One of the witnesses was a William Wilsdon. A registration of death for Walter has not been found. He and Elizabeth appear together in the 1871 census at Islington. Walter is shown as being born in Islington and Elizabeth is shown as being born in South Africa, Cape of Good Hope. Elizabeth's son Alfred Richard Cook is not present. He is shown residing with his maternal grandparents Richard and Emily Sheppard in Wokingham. It should be noted, as shown above, that per daughter Louisa's marriage registration Walter was a soldier, though this was not the case by the time of the 1871 census. FindMyPast Uk does, however, provide us with information that Walter was in the army. Four pages that cover his discharge tell us that Walter Donno, no. 8906, by trade a plumber and painter, was born in the Parish of Islington and attested for the Royal Engineers at Westminster, Middlesex County, on 21st July, 1866, at age 19. He was discharged on the 9th of November, 1869, and his intended residence was to be Wokingham, Berks. His rank is shown as that of Sapper. The medical report for Walter is poor, showing that he suffered from phthisis (tuberculosis) as well as 'valvular disease of heart' likely caused by rheumatic fever before enlisting. The medical report states that his heart disease predated his enlistment. A medical board at first turned him down, but 'for some reason' the commander-in-chief intervened and he was accepted for service. The medical report concludes to the effect that he can likely contribute to his support, but is unable to labor.Considering his diagnosis, it's remarkable that he was still living at the time of the 1871 census. His discharge papers show his conduct to have been good and that he was in possession of a good conduct badge. His name did not appear in the defaulters' book. The board which examined his discharge met on 26 July, 1869, which is his discharge date. Interestingly, the board examination was held on the Island of St. Helena in the South Atlantic. It states that Walter had been on St. Helena for 53 days and at sea for 31 days. A note at the bottom of the form, evidently entered in another hand at a later date, states that he suffered an injury to his back on his way home from St. Helena, the cause of which was a chain falling on him. It is evident from the dates involved that his marriage to his first wife, the birth of his daughter, and his marriage to his second wife were all prior to his discharge from the army. It does appear that his daughter was with her maternal grandparents. How long he might have spent with Elizabeth Emily Sheppard, we do not know, for a death or burial record for Walter has not been found. Since he suffered from phthisis, such life as he had left was likely of brief duration. It was Elizabeth Emily Sheppard's misfortune to lose her first two husbands to phthisis. A comment here: Early Ontario civil death registrations that relate to death by tuberculosis typically use the term 'consumption'. This term appears in U.S. records as well. Phthisis does appear, but uncommonly. Few British records have been examined, but, where they have, phthisis appears to be the term in common use. The use of the word 'tuberculosis' may be found in death registrations at Hamilton, Ontario, in the mid 1890s. |
| Last Edited | 13 Nov 2019 |