Annie Elizabeth Kelly

Based upon the antenupial contract it would appear Annie was never married until she wedded John James at the age of 50.

It is difficult to trace her in Britain. Based on findings, the likely explanation seems to be that she was orphaned. She was born the year after the 1871 census, and she does not seem to appear on the 1881 census. However there is a record of the death of a James Nott aged 37 in 1874, in King's Norton district - this is very likely her father.

Furthermore in 1881 what we do find on the census is that in Wolverhampton - a part of Birmingham - there is an Annie E Knott (a likely misspelling of her name), at the Wolverhampton Orphan Asylum, on Goldthorn Hill. This lists her as being born in Birmingham. Importantly however there is no currently indexed record of a Annie E Knott (or even simply Annie Knott) being born in the region around 1872. This makes it very likely that this is in fact Annie E Nott.

Interesting on this point, is that if this is the case, her younger brother and older sister were staying with their grandmother and uncle on the mothers side in 1881. Why is she the only one sent to the Orphanage then?

If this is true however, exactly how she travelled from Wolverhampton as an orphan to ending up with not inconsiderable wealth (around 2000 pounds) marrying John James in South Africa, at this point is anyone's guess. Especially considering that she is regarded as a Spinster on the antenuptial contract, which indicates she never married.