Warren F Hastings (1938-2005)

[dpth...@gmail.com]

This obituary for a Warren F Hastings appeared in the Dallas Morning News in 2005.

https://obits.dallasnews.com/obituaries/dallasmorningnews/obituary.aspx?page=lifestory&pid=16200668

According to a posting on the Nobiliana Forum, this was mentioned here on Peerage News at the time, but I cannot find it. Perhaps the archive doed not go that far back?

At any rate, he was apparently identified at the time as the Warren Francis Hastings who was next heir but one to the Earl of Huntingdon. The obituary does show that the deceased was born in Melbourne on 30 April 1938, which matches Warren Francis Hastings' date of birth.

There are some anomalies: the deceased is called a descendant of the colonialist Warren Hastings, who is not known to be connected to the Huntingdons. The only survivors mentioned are a wife, Margaret, and a daughter, Kathryn, along with a sister, Leonie Thompson.

Warren Francis Hastings did have a sister named Leonie, but the most recent Debrett's I have is the 2011 edition, where he is shown as living, with no 4th wife named Margaret and no daughter Kathryn. His known children by his third marriage, who are in Debrett's, are not mentioned inthe obituary.

Does anyone know for sure whether the deceased is the Warren Francis Hastings of the earls of Huntingdon? Do more recent Debrett's editions shed any more light on this?

[dpth...@gmail.com]

A correspondent has located one thread which discusses this at https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/peerage-news/R1ZaBHyMilc

though the original 2005 posting here seems to be lost. It would still be interesting to know whether the most recent Debrett's has further information about Warren Francis Hastings.. whether his death is noted, whether a 4th marriage is mentioned, whether his sister Leonie's name change to "Thompson" is noted, etc.

[Henry W]

You beat me to identifying my own thread!

For unknown reasons I gave an incorrect first name for Warren in my initial posting.  We identified many of the issues you have in your initial posting.

I have not been aware of a 2005 posting at any point, though I don't rule it out.

[dpth...@gmail.com]

You're right. When I first looked at the Nobiliana posting I thought it referred to a 2005 Peerage News posting, but I see now that the Nobiliana posting is dated 18 March 2018, so undoubtedly refers to the 2018 Peerage News posting. 

I need to look more closely before posting :)

[Baronetcy Lady]

I've done some digging and find that there's an entry in The Times, 4 September 1990 for the marriage of Warren F Hastings to Margaret Elizabeth Mence.  The Texas Marriage Index backs that up.

I've also found that Edyth Leonie/Leonie Margaret Ekins apparently died 2015 (on public trees on Ancestry - no primary confirmation) and her husband Ross Butt Ekins died 2019 (his obit is brief and unhelpful).  Can find no mention of her remarrying a man named Thompson. Warren's gravestone (find a grave) gives dates of born 30 April 1938 died 30 December 2005 but does not mention any other relatives. What is puzzling is that there is no mention of his son or daughter by his third wife in the obit.

Will keep digging.

[Baronetcy Lady]

Further info: Leonie Margaret and Ross Ekins div between 1968 and 1973 (elec reg - Australia) and she had remarried to Kevin Malcolm Thompson by 1980 (elec reg - NSW, Australia) she seems to have gone by the name Leonie Margaret rather than Edyth Leonie, which is worrying/confusing.  There are several member trees on Ancestry that use both names and are backed up with family photos; they all record the same details as to her marriage to Ross Ekins and connection to Warren F Hastings and his death in 2005. I would ideally like some primary sources to definitely confirm the connection, but it does appear that Warren Hastings div his third wife, moved to the USA, remarried at age 52 and had another daughter. His wife, Margaret, was apparently aged 44 when they married so she would have been an 'elderly' mother to Kathryn.

Debrett's 2019 does not show this info which suggests they had lost contact. Not surprising if he moved to the USA!

On Sunday, 7 June 2020 12:56:41 UTC+1, dpth...@gmail.com wrote:

[dpth...@gmail.com]

nice detective work!

I found a Kathryn Hastings in Dallas, whose father seems to be dead, and who married recently, but since I cannot be sure it is the same Kathryn I will not post details here.

I cannot find any trace online of Warren's third wife and their children. Possibly they have changed their surname?