Samuel Livesey (1873 - 1936)

Born 14 Oct 1873 in Rhosmeirche, Flintshire, Wales

Husband of Mary Catherine (Edwards) Livesey — married about 1913 in Southwark, London, England, United Kingdom

Died 7 Nov 1936 at age 63 in London, England, United Kingdom

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Biography

Samuel was born about 1874. He is the son of Thomas Livesey and Mary Wright. ^[1]

He was a Welsh stage and film actor.

Biography ^[2]

The following information is from the Livesey Family Tree by Steve Crook. ^[3] and the original research by Lynn Copestake ^[4]

The Livesey family has a complicated structure. Brothers Joseph and Sam Livesey married the Edwards sisters. Sam married Margaret Ann in 1900 ^[5]and Joseph married Mary Catherine in 1905^[6]. Sam and Margaret Ann had two sons, Jack (1901) and Barrie Livesey (1905). Joseph and Mary Catherine had two children, Roger (1906) and Maggie (1911).

After Joseph died in 1911 and Margaret Ann died in 1913, Sam married Mary Catherine in 1913 ^[7]. They then brought up all of the children as one large family, having another child of their own, Stella in 1915.

The family tree was further complicated when Roger Livesey married Ursula Jeans whose brother Desmond Jeans was already married to Roger's sister Maggie.

Many of the family formed a touring company of actors, performing in regional theatres and from the back of an old waggon, one side of which could be dropped to form a stage. Because of their touring, they did not regard themselves as particularly Welsh, or English. They were just British because people happened to be born in the places where their mothers happened to be residing at the time.

Note: The marriage between Sam and Mary Catherine was legal (See The Deceased Wife's Sister's Marriage Act 1907) ^[8]but many people still considered it to be of dubious morality so they didn't advertise the fact. This added to the confusion and led to people thinking that Roger was Sam Livesey's son.

According to the Probate record in 1936 he was living at 56 Willifield Way, Hampstead in Middlesex. ^[9]

Sources

1. ↑ "England and Wales Census, 1881," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q27K-Z777
2. ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sam_Livesey
3. ↑ Livesey Family Tree - Steve Crook http://www.powell-pressburger.org/Reviews/Livesey/FamilyTree.html
4. ↑ Article - Looking for the Liveseys by Lynn Copestake http://www.powell-pressburger.org/Reviews/Livesey/TheTruth2.html
5. ↑ FreeBMD Marriage Index 1900 - District Holbeck Vol:9b Page:405
6. ↑ FreeBMD Marriage Index 1905 - District Southwark Vol:1d Page:334
7. ↑ FreeBMD Marriage Index 1913 - District Southwark Vol:1d Page:189
8. ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deceased_Wife%27s_Sister%27s_Marriage_Act_1907
9. ↑ https://probatesearch.service.gov.uk/Calendar?surname=livesey&yearOfDeath=1936&page=2#calendar