By 1865 the relationship must have broken down. On 20 August 1865 Frederick underwent a marriage ceremony with a widow, Kate Isabella Lyon (nee Stewart) at All Souls Church Marylebone, declaring himself to be a bachelor. His younger brother Edwin was a witness at this marriage. The couple's son Richard Frederick Victor was born in Hammersmith in 1867 and their daughter Kate in 1871.

Meanwhile, the 1871 census reveals his first partner Charlotte living under the name Charlotte Bond, a widow. In the same household were her son Henry Rowland Southwell and daughter Amy Southwell together with two younger children listed under the name Bond. Charlotte Robinson died on 27 November 1874, aged 40. The informant of her death was H R Southwell (her son Henry Rowland), who had reported her as being the widow of Henry Robinson, commercial traveller; it appears this must refer to her partner Henry Bond, who had died in 1868 (the informant of the death being Charlotte) and that no formal marriage ever took place for this union either.

In 1873 bankruptcy proceedings were initiated against Frederick Southwell, both personally and relating to his business partnership with his surviving brother Edwin. In 1877 a second bankruptcy was filed against Frederick, now of 27 North End, Croydon and 23 Oakfield Road, Penge. The terms of his father's will in 1880 suggest that William Southwell had helped to clear his debts on these occasions and in consequence he was left only a token amount of £5, with a further note that his father forgave him any debts owing at the time of his death. Frederick himself died three short years later, on 5 February 1883 of carcinoma of the neck, aged only 50, thus bringing to a sad end what had been the dynamically successful Southwell photography business.

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