Zacharius Basilius GORTZACOFF published by Pat Hase on Thu, 08/09/2022 - 0:58
My 1st cousin 3 times removed, Emily Ann BURROWS, born in Bristol, married Prince Zacharius Basilius GORTZACOFF (a Russian Prince , or so she thought) at All Saints Church, Knightsbridge on 14th Oct 1872. In reality he turned out to be Sir Basil ZAHAROFF, a Turkish Arms Dealer of dubious morals. He is the subject of this article in the Smithsonian Magazine.
I would like to find the date of Emily's death. The Weekly Dispatch (London) ran a couple of interesting articles about her in December 1936 - they can be seen in the British Newspaper Archives.
It appears that Emily married (under the name of Burrows/Gortzacoff/Gortyacoff) a Henry Willoughby Martin (a draper's packer from the 1911 census) at St Pancras on 29 December 1884. She is noted as a widow (!) on the marriage register and a French cook on the 1891 census. From the newspaper reports, the niece suggests that Emily died around 1896, however, I have not yet pinned down a death date.
Update: The marriage to Gortzacoff was announced in various local newspapers such as page 4 of the 19 October 1872 edition of the Clevedon Mercury (they spell his name as "Gortzcoff"). It says in that announcement that Emily is the second daughter of John Burrows: One family tree I have seen suggests that the second daughter is Emily Ann and her birth date is 23 September 1845. This would fit well with this death record in Whitechapel, London, for an Emily Ann Martin, who died in Q2 1896, aged 51 (GRO Reference: 1896 J Quarter in WHITECHAPEL Volume 01C Page 213). I think she might be buried in Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park.
Many thanks for that! One report suggests that they were divorced although I can't find any reference to it but she certainly wasn't a widow in 1884. Sir Basil ZAHAROFF did not die until 1936 and by then he also had married again. That does look like her death and burial in 1896 - I will send for the certificate to see if she died of burns as reported in one newspaper. She was the 4th child and 2nd daughter of John & Ann BURROWS nee LONG. She was christened with 3 siblings at Ss Philip & Jacob in 1853 which also gives her birth as 23 Sept 1845. I'm really grateful for your help - Thank you.
No problem at all - It was fascinating reading about Sir Basil Zaharoff. I had never heard of him but I can now see that there are many biographies of his life. I would be very interested to know if Emily did die of burns i.e. this would imply that Emily Ann Martin was likely Gortzacoff/Zaharoff's first wife.
I have received the death certificate of Emily Ann MARTIN. She died on 11th June 1896 in London Hospital (so that was her burial), after an inquest
Her age was given as 51, which would have been correct but it was stated that she was unmarried and a needlewoman - which don't quite tie up - she had been living at 35 Dorset Street, which could have been the common lodging house where the accident which caused her death occurred. Bearing in mind what her niece said about her death I think that this is the same Emily Ann BURROWS who married Basil ZAHAROFF and then Henry Willoughby MARTIN. In 1911 Henry W MARTIN (right age and occupation) was in the City of London Union Workhouse and Infirmary as a widower. Such a sad end for Emily Ann! Thanks again for your help.
Thank you very much for posting the details of the death certificate: Fascinating but a terrible end for Emily. The coroner Wynne Edwin Baxter has a very good article on Wikipedia. He is notable as coroner for a number of "Jack the Ripper" victims - some of whom had connections with 35 Dorset Street.
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