Friday, May 31, 2013

Working on the Railroad

Previous posts looked at the families of Emily Strong, my great grandmother (Remembering Those Lost) and her father, Robert (Intelligence Gathering). In this post we turn to her mother, Amelia, and her family of origin.

We already met Amelia's father, Abraham Hemingway, in the England censuses for 1901 and 1911. His estimated year of birth from the census is 1828, and his place of birth is listed as Halton, Yorkshire. Retired by 1901, he had worked as a railway engineer. The first passenger railway (railroad for my American readers) opened in 1825. By 1840 Britain had nearly 2400 miles of track. By 1860 there was over 14000 miles, which had more than doubled again by the end of the century. Abraham Hemingway grew up as the railways expanded and became one of the skilled engineers who built and operated them.

Moving back in time, we have the 1891 England Census at Keer Villas, Carnforth, Lancashire.
     Abraham Hemingway Head     M         63   Locomotive Foreman   Yorkshire, Halton
     Mary Hemingway      Wife       M         64                                       Anglesey, Amlwch
     Mary E Cawood       Daughter Widow 39   Music Teacher             London, Surrey
     Albert E Cawood      Grandson            10                                       USA, Missouri
                                                                                                                 (British Subject)

Mary Hemingway must have died between this census in 1891, and the next census in which her husband is now recorded as a widower. The BMD Death Index has a Mary Hemmingway Dec1899 Lancaster 8e 568 Age:72. And the parish records at St Oswald's, Warton, Lancashire have the burial on 29 December 1899 of Mary Hemmigway, of Carnforth, Age 72. Warton is within walking distance of Carnforth. Various records have Hemingway or Hemmingway as variants of clearly the same family

Mary Elizabeth Hemingway was baptized at St George the Martyr, Southwark, 4 January 1852, born 21 August 1851, Daughter of Abraham Hemingway Engineer and mother, Mary (BMD Birth Index Sep1851 Camberwell 4 89). BMD Marriage Index has Mary Hemingway and Henry Cawood Sep1878 Barrow-in-Furness 8e 1096. About three years later, their son Albert was born in the USA, and by 1891 Mary was a widow.

According to Christ Church, Carnforth parish records she later remarried one Thomas Cook, a tin plate worker, on 24 November 1900. I do find this couple in Lancaster for the 1901 census and then no more. I presume that Thomas died shortly afterwards, and Mary subsequently went by her first married name, Cawood, since the National Probate Calendar records the death on 16 June 1937 of Mary Elizabeth Cawood awarding probate to Douglas Stuart [senior] shipbroker and Emily Stuart, who would have been her niece. This corresponds to BMD Death Index Mary E Cawood Jun1937 Romford 4a 450 Age:82.

Her son, Albert Edward Cawood, born in Moberly, Missouri, returned to the USA, and has left a fairly extensive documentary record. He died aged 80 in Los Angeles in 1960 after a career in cinematography. He would have been one of the early cameramen of Universal Studios with many silent movie credits as Al Cawood (left), including a screenplay co-credited with director Al Christie. He appears to have moved with Nestor Universal Pictures from New York to Los Angeles.

Back to the Hemingways. In 1881 at 28 Salthouse Road, Barrow-in-Furness
     Abraham Hemingway  Head  Mar 53  Foreman Engineer (Loco: Depart' Rly)
                                                                                        Yorkshire, Halton nr. Leeds
     Mary Hemingway        Wife   Mar  54                          Anglese [sic], Amlwch
     Jane Hemingway          Daur  Unm  24   School Mistress (Certificated) 
                                                                                         Flint, Saltney
     Amelia Hemingway      Daur  Unm 18                           Lancs., Manchester

Sometimes I think I might need to be certificated! Jane Hemingway's BMD Birth Index is difficult to find in ancestry.com, since it has not been indexed, but I was able to find the page after searching through the freebmd.org site. There are two Jane Hemingways for the March quarter 1857. One is in Stepney, London and the other in Great Boughton on the Cheshire/Flintshire border, consistent with our Jane's census returns. The reference should be Mar1857 Gt Boughton 8e 365. BMD Marriage Index has Jane Hemingway and William Stewart Sep1883 Barrow-in-Furness 8e 1165, and the 1891 England Census shows them living in Barrow at 72 Mount Pleasant. His occupation is given as Mercantile Clerk. Later censuses show them moving to Essex. She remains a School Mistress through to at least 1911. For the 1901 census, 18-year-old Mary [Janetta] Strong, niece is staying with them, which helps in filling out this branch of the Strong family.

Amelia Hemingway is my 2xgreat grandmother. In addition to what I have recorded in previous posts, her BMD Birth Index entry is Jun1862 Chorlton 8c 62. Her baptismal record is 27 July 1862 St John the Baptist in Hulme, Manchester.
 
In 1871 Abraham, senior, is not home, and I have not yet found his census return. But his family are counted at 26 Lyme Street, Chorlton-upon-Medlock,
     Mary Hemingway    Wife  Mar   44   Wife of Mr. Hemingway   Anglesea
     Mary E                    Daur Unm  19   Dressmaker                      Surrey, London
     Jane                        Daur Unm  14   Pupil Teacher                    Wales, Saltney
     Abraham                 Son            12   Scholar                             Lancs., Manchester
     Amelia                     Daur           8    Scholar                             Lancs., Manchester
     William                    Son             7   Scholar                              Lancs., Manchester

For Abraham Hemingway, the son, I have the following:
     BMD Birth Index Jun1859 Chorlton 8c 98
     Baptism 16 June 1861 at St John the Baptist, Hulme, Manchester
     BMD Death Index Mar1925 Fulham 1a 448 Age:65
     National Probate Calendar: probate date 12 May 1925; died 21 February 1925
     BMD Marriage Index Mar1888 Fulham 1a 321
     Marriage to Annie Peerman 1 February 1888 at St John, Walham Green
     BMD Marriage Index Jun1919 Wandsworth 1d 1198
     Marriage to Ada Kedge 11 June 1919 at St Barnabas, Clapham Common

In the 1881 England Census Abraham is an Architectural Student, boarding with a Goodwin family in Battersea, Surrey. The Entry has "Hemmingway". By 1891 his occupation is Builder (Hemmingway); by 1901 he is "Living on own means" (Hemingway); and in 1911 a Landlord, presumably living off rents (Hemingway).

William Hemingway leaves the following documentary record:
     BMD Birth Index Sep1863 Chorlton 8c 539
     Baptism 10 July 1864 at St John the Baptist, Hulme, Manchester
     BMD Marriage Index Sep1889 Fulham 1a 585 to Caroline Johanna M Staetter
     BMD Death Index Dec1943 Fulham 1a 341 Age:80

In the 1881 England Census William is an Engineering Student at Owens College, Manchester, boarding with a Robinson family. In 1891, William and Caroline live at 9 Cawood Terrace (interesting coincidence of a name there!). He is a "Civil Engineer (Speciality Gas)". According to the census, she is from "Wurtenburgh, Germany" which must be Wuerttemberg, since the 1901 census has Schmiden, which is part of Fellbach in Baden-Wuerttemberg.

In 1901 he is living in Fulham, working from home as a "Civil Engineer, Cycle Making", as an employer. I am thinking bicycle manufacture which I seem to remember from Open University history was a growth area in British industry around this time. Their children are Rose Pauline, Daisy Gladys and William Evans Hemingway, the middle name of the latter being William's mother's maiden name. Staying with them is a 32-year-old Jane Strong Garnett, born in Barrow-in-Furness. She turns out to be the daughter of George Garnett and Sarah nee Strong.

In 1861 at 11 Walter Street, Chorlton-upon-Medlock
     Abraham Hemmingway  Head  Mar 33  Mechanic Engine erector (?)
                                                                                                Yorks., Dalton [sic]
     Mary                             Wife   Mar 34                                Anglesea, Amloch
     Mary E                          Daur           9   Scholar                   Surrey
     Jane                               Daur          4                                  Flintshire, Saltney
     Abraham                        Son           2                                  Lancashire, Openshaw

From the census addresses to the various birthplaces of their children, we can see how much the family moved, especially early on. He started near Leeds, Yorkshire, and then we see Surrey, Flintshire, and later in Lancashire: Manchester, Barrow-in-Furness and Carnforth, and eventually to Forest Gate in Essex. During his career, I imagine he followed work opportunities as the railways expanded, and his skills developed.

In 1851, a 23-year-old Abraham Hemingway, Engineer is a visitor in the Graham household at 6 Shivall Street, Poplar. The adult men are all Engineers from Yorkshire. Mary Hemingway is staying with her in-laws (presumably) in Halton.
     Michel Hemingway   Head   Mar  61   Labourer   Yorks., Hanley
     Elizabeth                  Wife    Mar   61                   Yorks., Halton
     Thomas                    Son     U      19   Mechanic  Yorks., Halton
     James Newton         Lodger U     22   Mechanic   Yorks., Woodhouse
     Mary Hemimgway   Visitor  Mar  24                    Wales, Anglesea

The Parish church at Holbeck has the marriage record of Abraham Hemingway, 22, Bachelor, Engineer and Mary Evans, 22, Spinster on 20 December 1849. His father is given here as Michael Hemingway, Labourer and her father as Evan Evans, Mill Wright. This corresponds to BMD Marriage Index Dec1849 Hunslet 23 369.

The 1841 England Census has this family in Halton, all born in the county:
     Michl Hemingway  50  Lab[ourer]
     Elizabeth                50
     Ely                         15
     Abraham                14
     Thomas                  10
     Michael                  15

I'm not entirely sure of the significance of Michael (the younger) being placed out of order in age. Maybe a stepson, or maybe he was not expected home, but showed up later than the others. Regardless, Michael and Abraham were baptized 29 July 1827 at St Mary's Whitkirk, sons of Michael Hemingway, Labourer and Elizabeth.

BMD Death Index has Abraham Hemingway Jun1915 W Ham 4a 219 Age: 87, corresponding to the National Probate Calendar:
HEMINGWAY Abraham of 241 Shrewsbury-road Forest Gate Essex died 7 April 1915 Probate London 15 April to Amelia Strong (wife of Robert Strong). Effects L138 15s

Appropriately enough, he must have been transported in his coffin by rail to be buried at St Oswald's, Warton 10 April 1919, presumably next to his wife Mary. When she died in 1899 they had been married 50 years.

Sunday, May 19, 2013

Border Crossings

SS New York
Being an emigrant from Britain, I feel a certain connection with those in the family who have done likewise. I know of Peterkens who went to the United States, Australia and New Zealand in the nineteenth or around the turn of the twentieth centuries. This post takes a look at the families of 2xgreat uncles and aunts. A brother and a sister of my great grandmother, Mary Ann Peterken, both left Britain with their families, and this is part of their story. William Henry Peterken and his family ended up in the United States of America, while Maud Hunt (nee Peterken) and her family went to Canada and then settled in Australia.

We met William Henry Peterken previously (The Sound of Bow Bells), along with his siblings. In my early days of genealogy, before I had even begun to think of following him, I knew from my Nan Green that he had emigrated to the United States where he went into the hotel business. He returned to visit England quite a few times, and, on one of those occaisions, tried to persuade my great grandparentsTom and Madge Blacketer to emigrate to the United States. At the time the US economy was in much better shape than the British post-Great War economy. However, the Blacketers decided to stay put, and after the stock market crash of 1927, Tom was glad they had.

As previously reported, William Henry was born to Octavius and Amelia Peterken on 26 November 1876, and married Florence Elizabeth Groves in 1897. Following his records forward from here, I find the 1901 England Census for 249 Capworth Street, Leyton, Essex. His occupation is Commercial Clerk, and his household consists of himself (Age 24), Florence E (23, wife), William E D (3, son), Florence L (1, daughter) and Gustavus (27, brother, Commercial Clerk).

By 1910, we find his family living on 1025-27 Dakin Street, Chicago. His occupation is given as "Accountant, Hotel", and the family have the addition of a daughter, Winifred O, born in England about 1902. The family give their emigration year as 1907, which should be 1906, and, in fact, he traveled ahead of the others, as we will see later.

The census of 1920 finds them still in Chicago, now at 2071 Hunt Avenue, with the addition of Albert Edward born in Illinois about 1911. William ED (22) is working as a Clerk and Florence L (19) as a Stenographer. William Henry is still working as "Accountant-Hotel Line". In fact I have some evidence that he had moved around between the two censuses. First, a 1917 Draft Registration Card places him, his wife and his eldest son at the Hotel Hinton in Cleveland, Ohio. His stated occupation there is Hotel Auditor. The card includes the details that he is of medium build, medium height, gray eyes and brown hair. Second, US naturalization records have his declaration of intent to become a US citizen filed in 1915 in Ohio.

There is a second 1920 US Census record for William Henry Peterken. He is listed as a Lodger in the household of Louise Kelson at 145 West 143rd Street, Manhattan, and working as "hotel auditor". I would guess that this is most likely his true location on census night, and Florence had included him, though absent, on her Chicago census form.

The 1925 New York State Census and 1930 US Census place them at 121 West 179th Street. In 1930, William H (53) is now "Manager-Hotel", Florence E (52) is his wife, gives no occupation, but keeping their house is of course a full time job. The census records the value of the home at $40,000, which they owned by 1930. There is a website www.measuringworth.com on which one can calculate their home's value in present-day dollars. Depending on whether we are interested in standard of living, prestige or power, this value comes in at between $522,000 and $6,370,000. Also on the 1930 US Census, William ED (32) is an architect, Florence L (30), secretary at a brokerage firm, and Albert Ed (19), hotel clerk.

In 1940, they are residents/guests at the Hotel Empire in Manhattan. William Henry has been out of work for several weeks, and is looking for work as a hotel manager. This was in April. He found work that same year, as reported by the Iroquois Hotel's present day website:

"...the property was leased to the Iroquois Hotel Corporation, headed by William H Peterken, a distinguished man in the hotel industry who was known for his "splendid record in New York hoteldom".

The "splendid record" quotation coming from the Hotel Gazette for 27 July 1940. Thanks to Paul Peterken for drawing my attention to the above, and for a link to the match book below, showing W H Peterken as managing director of the Hotel Abbey 31st at 7th Avenue, New York City. The things we leave behind!



The picture above, from Greg Hunt in Australia, had been identified by my grandmother as William Henry Peterken. Aside from his arrival as immigrant in 1906, there are also passenger records showing that William Henry traveled to England with his son William Ernest in 1925, and with his wife, Florence, in 1929 and 1932. I have no further record of the parents. The records for the children are:

William Ernest D Peterken BMD Birth Index Mar1898 Camberwell 1d 861
His 1917 Draft Registration, also filed from the Hinton Hotel, Cleveland, Ohio, has date of birth 8 January 1898, and occupation of Architectural Draftsman. He naturalized as a US citizen 3 December 1925 in New York. The next record I have for him is his death in Miami, Florida 1951.

Florence Lilian Peterken BMD Birth Index Mar1900 W Ham 4a 386
She naturalized as a US citizen 3 June 1946 in New York, her name still Peterken, so presumably unmarried and still alive at that time.

Winifred Olive Peterken BMD Birth Index Mar1902 W Ham 4a 423
Westchester County, NY records show she married Paul M Sohl. She died in Brookhaven, NY, on 5 January 2004, just short of her 102nd birthday which would have been on 14 February. Her husband had died in 1982, aged 80. US records show that they had a son, Paul Sohl, 1939-2011.

Albert Edward Peterken Birth Certificate Cook County, Illinois 17 June 1910
He died 5 August 1970 in Westport, CT according to the Connecticut Death Index. Milford, CT City Directory has him as a Consultant Engineer in the 1950s. He and his wife Ramona had twins, a boy and a girl, still living. The daughter served as Lieutenant Governor of New York State in the 1990s, and you can find out more about her from wikipedia.

William Henry's family had traveled to the United States in two parts. Their arrival in the US links William Henry's family with that of his younger sister Maud, who became Maud Hunt shortly afterwards. Outward passengers from Britain has Ellis Island records have one William "K" Peterken, recorded as arriving on SS New York in 17 June 1906. The K appears to be a mistranscription for H. Originally written in the column of "whether joining friend or relative" is:
      "No", which has been replaced in scrawled handwriting with:
      "Friend H Melville 39 Pearl Street"

Did William H have a friend with such a name, or was he having a risky joke at the expense of an immigration official!

In September, immigration documents show Florence arriving with the children, and her sister-in-law, Maud, aboard SS St Paul. The purpose of their visit was to visit William H Peterken at Wabash Avenue, Chicago, Ill. as Husband, father or brother respectively.

The New York and the St Paul were both immigration ships owned by the American Line, making many Atlantic crossings. The SS New York (originally City of New York) is famous for being dragged from her moorings by the Titanic as the latter sailed from Southampton on her maiden voyage in 1912.

Again, through Nan Green, I had heard that Maud had married Fred Hunt in Canada. The records tell something of how this came about. When we were researching over ten years ago, Nan and I had the impression that her husband was Canadian, but this is not so. Here is the 1901 England Census (that is, before the marriage) at 68 Chobham Road, Stratford:
     Fannie Hunt Head Widow 48                                             Swindon, Wilts
     Nellie           Daur    S       25 Dressmaker                          Swindon, Wilts
     John             Son     S       23 Railway Coach Builder          Swindon, Wilts
     Frederick     Son     S       18 Railway Carriage Blacksmith  Swindon, Wilts
     Gilbert          Son     S      11                                              Stratford, Essex
     John P Davies Boarder     22 Railway Coach Builder          Swindon, Wilts

The most likely BMD Birth Index for Frederick is Frederick George Hunt Sep1882 Highwood 5a 28. There are several Frederick George Hunts born in Wiltshire 1882 to 1884, but only one in the Highwood registration district, which includes Swindon. Swindon is a railway town, and by this census they have moved to Stratford, where the men work for the Great Eastern Railway.

I have no direct record of Fred Hunt's journey to Canada, but his border crossing into the US, processed at Niagara Falls 14 September 1906 says he arrived Halifax, Nova Scotia 25 May 1906. The ship named is the SS Norseman, presumably for the transatlantic leg of his journey. His purpose in visiting the US is given as:
     "Going to friend W H Peterken 49 Wabash Avenue Chicago, Ill"

To summarize their comings and goings: In May, Fred Hunt arrives in Canada. In June, William Henry Peterken arrives in New York. In September, his wife Florence and their children, along with Maud Peterken, arrive in New York and proceed to Chicago. The same month Fred Hunt joins them in Chicago. Presumably Maud and Fred travelled back to Canada, where, according to Ontario, Canada, Marriages 1801-1928, they were married in Hamilton, Ontario on 6 October 1906:
     Fred'k Geo Hunt, Blacksmith, son of George Hunt and Fannie Bingham and
     Maud Peterken, daughter of Octavius Peterken and Amelia Babbidge

The 1911 Census of Canada at 295 Mary Street, Hamilton, Ontario has:
     Fred Hunt       Head       July 1892   28       Blacksmith
     Maud Hunt     Wife        Sep 1891   29
     Winifred Hunt Daughter Aug 1907     3                    
     Fred Hunt       Son         Oct 1910    7 mos
This Canadian census asks for month of birthday as well as age, a boon to genealogists! Curiously, their date of arrival is given as 1908, whereas they were definitely married in Canada in 1906.

Birth records for their children in Canada are:
     Winnifred Maud Hunt      Ontario Birth Records  3 August 1907
     Frederick Peterken Hunt  Ontario Birth Records 17 October 1910

According to records in the Hunt family, they returned to England. Maud and the children first. Then along with his brother's family, they emigrated to Australia, leaving Liverpool for Fremantle 21st May 1913 on board the SS Belgic of the White Star Line. This page from the passenger manifest has the entries for John and Mrs. M (Mabel) Hunt, and for Fredk and Maud Hunt and their three oldest children, Winifred, Fredk and 2-month-old Baby - presumably Olive. This puts a constraint on Maud's departure from Canada, since they must have conceived there around June the previous year. John's occupation is given as Coach Builder and Fred's as Blacksmith, matching their 1901 census return.


The BMD Birth Index has this record for the baby is:
     Olive E N Hunt Dec1912 W Ham 4a 66
Which is interesting because at two months old in May, I would have expected the birth registration to be in the June quarter, not December.
In Australia they had another son, Harold, born 1917, although ancestry.com doesn't have the birth record.
The year 1942 was especially tragic for the family, as both Fred and his son Frederick Peterken died. The Australia Death Index shows his death in the abstract:
     Frederick G Hunt Perth, Western Australia 1942 #1051

But a newspaper clipping of the coroner's inquest shows the human side of this tragedy. The Western Australian 19 July 1942 reported the case in some detail. On 8 May 1942, as a pedestrian, Fred had been struck by a car, carelessly driven by a US sailor, and died of multiple injuries.

Later the same year Frederick Peterken Hunt died in North Africa serving with the Royal Australian Artillery. The Commonwealth War Graves Commission records the following for Alexandria (Hadra) War Memorial Cemetery:
HUNT Gnr. FREDERICK PETERKEN, WX4618 A.I.F. 2/7 Field Regt., Royal Australian Artillery. 19th November, 1942. Age 32. Son of Frederick George and Maud Peterken Hunt; husband of Beatrice Joy Hunt, of Cottesloe, Western Australia. 4.D.9.

In the 1950s, Maud visited her sister, Madge, in England. This would have been after 1953, when Tom died. Maud suggested that Madge emigrate to Australia. Of course, Madge chose to remain in England, which gave me the chance to meet her.

Maud died at the age of 87.
     Australia Death Index: Maud Hunt Perth, Western Australia 1968 #3689/1968

But I prefer to remember them in life. I just love this photo, apparently taken in Cape Town en route to Australia by Fred's brother John. From left to right, it shows Frederick George Hunt, Frederick Peterken Hunt, Maud Hunt with Olive on her lap, Winnifred Maud, and (standing) John's wife Mabel.




Thursday, May 16, 2013

Thoroughly Thoroly and Beyond


You may remember, back in January, the post Widow Thurley of Loughton, and the family of my 3xgreat grandmother Rebecca Thurley. In that post I noted BMD Marriage Index Mar1938 Leighton Buzzard 6 105 for Rebecca Herbert and one John Thoroly and the possibility that "Thoroly" was a mistranscription of Thurley. I imagine that civil registration was a driving force for increased standardization of surname spellings. But this was early days. Civil registration of births, marriages and deaths began in July 1837, making this marriage certificate among the first to be filed. The certificate has duly arrived, and below is the transcript for the marriage solemnized 29 January 1838 at the parish church at Stoke Hammond:

     John Thoroly       Full age  Bachelor  Labourer      Stoke Hamond 
                                                                                        Richard Thoroly  Labourer 
     Rebecca Herbert Full age  Spinster   Staw Platter Stoke Hamond 
                                                                                        Edward Herbert  Tailor

Neither the bride nor groom were literate. On the certificate they are each reported to have signed their mark. So I can imagine that, when asked his name, our John went on to pronounce it very carefully, "Thu-re-ly", and it was written as on the certificate. And he would not have been able to tell the priest that he was wrong. Given that John was married in Buckinghamshire, the parish priest would not have had guidance from John's Essex-based family, who were likely not in attendance. Thoroly is almost certainly incorrect; there is no other Thoroly recorded among the BMD data. It could be a mis-spelling of Thorley, but I don't find any census record of a John Thorely/Rebecca combination. And yes, the above show the spellings of "Stoke Hammond" and "Straw Plaiter" as they appear on the certificate.

Birth certificates have a record of mother's maiden name, a useful tool for genealogists. Among a recently received batch of BMD certificates is the birth certificate for my 2x great grandmother Hannah Thurley confirming her mother's maiden name as Herbert, as transcribed below, registered 18 February 1852 (BMD Birth Index Mar1852 Epping 4a 39):

     Twenty ninth                                                                             X the mark of
     January                                  John        Rebecca                      Rebecca
     1852                Hannah  Girl                 Thurley        Labourer   Thurley
     Sheeres                                 Thurley    formerly                        Mother
     Cottages                                               Herbert                        Sheeres Cottages
     Loughton                                                                                   Loughton

This also links with the Herbert/Thoroly marriage certificate. The 1851 England Census at York Hill Hole, Loughton records Hannah's family of origin, including parents John and Rebecca Thurley. Rebecca's place of birth, here and on later census returns, is given as Swanbourne, Buckinghamshire, which is only about six miles from Stoke Hammond.

To research generations before this, we become reliant on parish records. Ancestry.com has few parish records outside London, but the familysearch.org site, maintained by the Latter Day Saints, has the following for Rebecca Herbert:
     England Baptisms and Christenings 1538-1975
          Rebecca Herbert Christening 30 May 1816 Swanbourne, Buckinghamshre  father: Ed.

I was then able to search for presumed siblings, that is, other Herberts sharing the same father's name, baptized in the same parish. This, and the spacing of their baptisms leads me to believe that these are the children of one family. Here they are:
          Mary      Christening 14 January 1810
          Hannah                     10 August 1812 and Birth 28 Dec 1811
          John                          15 November 1813
          William                      30 October 1817
          Jeffrey                       2 January 1820
          Thomas                     19 July 1824

Also of interest is an entry from the parish register in Stoke Hammond.
          Elizabeth                   7 June 1829            father Edward and mother Susannah

From Pallott's Marriage Index (which I found on ancestry.com) we have:
          Edwd Herbert and Susanna Arnold Swanbourne 1807

Which corresponds to England, Marriages 1538-1975 (from familysearch.org of the LDS):
          Edward Herbert and Susanna Arnold 19 October 1807



An Edward Herbert, Tailor, 55, and his wife Susanna are in the 1841 England Census living at East Side in Stoke Hammond. And Edward Herbert, widower age 65, tailor, born in Stoke [Hammond] and living at 39 The Newton Road in that parish in the 1851 England Census, next to a couple William and Mary Herbert, the former an Agricultural Labourer born about 1819, and likely his son and daughter-in-law.

I would guess that Susanna Arnold was from Swanbourne, hence she and Edward Herbert were married there. Likely they lived there for a while, or at least had their children baptized at the parish church. Later they would move to Stoke Hammond, presumably by 1829.

We can tell why standardized civil registration is so much more useful than the idiosyncratic parish registers, which do not always give the mother's name, and might even abbreviate the father's. Also by 1841, we can cross reference the civil index with census returns. From here on in this post the data are consistent but (even more) speculative as I look for the origins of Edward Herbert, tailor and his wife Susanna (presumably) Arnold.

The Swanbourne parish register (familysearch.org England, Births and Christenings 1538-1975) has:
          Susannah, Christening 3 August 1783 daughter of Richd Arnold.

And a long list of baptisms of other children of Richd Arnold, maybe my 5xgreat grandfather:
          Mary      10 February 1771
          John        8 March 1772
          William   10 July 1773 
                            (and I think a duplicate William transcribed as 18 July 1773)
          Edward  4 August 1774
          William   10 November 1776
                            (reusing the name of a deceased infant, or two Richd Arnolds?)
          Rebecca 4 October 1778
          Ann        21 February 1781
          Hannah   1 January 1786
          Hester    14 October 1787
          Peter       15 August 1790
          Elizabeth 20 January 1790

And in nearby Cublington, Buckinghamshire, the following two children of Richard Arnold and Elizabeth, possibly a second wife:
          Thomas  1796
          Sarah     1800

So much for the Arnold side, here are some baptisms on the Herbert side in Stoke Hammond. First, the children of Edward Herbert and Christian (maybe my 5xgreat grandparents):
          William    5 June 1775
          Ann         24 July 1776
          Edward   18 April 1785 
                               (might this be Edward Herbert, Tailor, my 4xgreat grandfather?)
          Mary       25 April 1787
          Elizabeth 26 March 1790

And second, children of Edward Herbert and Elizabeth, possibly a second wife:
          Martha    11 March 1798
          Mary       14 September 1806

In conclusion, I want reiterate how speculative this research becomes once we begin to rely on parish registers. We are likely to find the same with each family line as we move further through the generations, and I'm not sure how much further I want to build speculation on speculation. I'll leave this family line here, for now.

Saturday, May 11, 2013

Witnesses to a Wedding


It's been a few weeks since my last post here, so here's hoping to return to a regular and more frequent routine. There is certainly enough material from research so far that I find interesting, and more certificates in the mail. Spurring me on are the well wishes of strangers, distant cousins, no doubt, who have written to me or posted after reading the blog. Here goes!

I have already written of the marriage of my 2x great grandparents Ardeshir Kapadia and Zoe Young-Hanrott, and extensively about the parentage and name change of the latter (How Many Ways to Spell Zoe? and A Change of Name). For completeness I thought to send for the marriage certificate for this couple, BMD Marriage Index Mar1886 Lambeth 1d 559, and was not expecting much more information from it than I already had. But it contains some interesting names as witnesses.

First, the certificate itself, for this marriage solemnized at the Lambeth registry office 11 March 1886. The groom, Ardeshir Kapadia, was 21 years old, occupation listed as Law Student, living at 68 Blackheath Hill (in Greenwich SE10), and that his father was Rustomji Kapadia, Tea Merchant. The Lincoln's Inn Admission Register have his date of admission as:
     14 January 1885  Adeshir Rustomji Pestonji Kapadia, of Uny. of Bombay (20),
          o.s. [only son of] Rustomji Pestonjee K., of Bombay, general broker.

The bride, Zoe Devinia Halton Young-Hanrott (other sources have Devina, and no hyphen), was 26 years old, living at 50 Guildford Road, South Lambeth, and confirms her father as James Denoon Young, deceased, Civil Engineer - implying that Ardeshir's father was still thought to be alive at the time.

The witness signatures turn out to be quite interesting - to me at least! The first is Zoe Emmeline Peyen Payne and the second Euphemia Chamberlain Young.

I had previously encountered a Zoe Taylor, as Zoe Young-Hanrott's aunt. According to parish records of St Giles in the Fields, Holborn, Zoe Taylor was baptized 27 November 1840, daughter of William and Sarah Taylor. Living at 59 Great Queen Street, her father was a solicitor. Zoe Taylor is listed as age 10 in the 1851 England Census, living with her mother Sarah Halton (nee Birkett) Taylor, widow, and her sister Charlotte age 25, at the same boarding house as the widowed James Denoon Young. I have not tracked down a BMD Birth Index for her yet. Peyen Payne is a distinctive, possibly unique, surname. A google search showed the author and genealogist James Bertrand Payen Payne, who married Zoe Taylor (BMD Marriage Index Mar1864 St Geo Han Sq 1a 387). For more on his background see this brief biography. The dispute with Mrs. Moxon referred to in the biography, hinges around Payne's management of the Moxon publishing house, which controversially lost Alfred Lord Tennyson as one of its authors in 1868.

The article claims a single son, James Bertrand De Vinchelez Payen Payne, but baptismal records from South Acton 25 September 1878 have records for Mabel Zoe and Ralph Stephen Hacon Payen Payne, both as children of this couple, and the added information that James Bertrand senior was a Colonel R[oyal] A[rtillery].

James Bertrand Payen Payne

Euphemia Chamberlain Young has a BMD Birth Index entry of Dec1862 Upton on Severn 6c 317, and I can locate her 1871 England Census as visitor in the household of Elizabeth Dredger at 50 Guildford Road, Zoe Hanrott's 1886 address before she married. Euphemia is possibly a daughter of James Denoon Young and Charlotte. I have sent for her birth certificate.

Now see this 1881 England Census at 53 Camden Park Road
     Charlotte Dunn     Head   W      45          London EC
     Euphemia Young  Niece  Unm   18          Worcestershire, Ripple
     Violet Young        Niece  Unm  16           Surrey? Battersea
     Zoe Payne            Sister  Marr   35          London W
     Mabel Payne        Niece             7           Middx, Islington

This household came to my attention as one result of a search for Violet Young, Zoe Young-Hanrott's sister. When I first saw this around Christmas, I ignored it as the other names were all wrong, and Young is, after all, quite common. But in the light of the marriage witnesses, this is worth another look. We see Zoe Payne (and her daughter Mabel) who is the Zoe Emmeline Peyen Payne of the marriage certificate. Here also is Euphemia Young (mis-transcribed here as Eupheria), along with Violet, listed as nieces to someone named Charlotte, although, at least for Violet, I would have expected daughter.

Could this Charlotte Dunn be Zoe Young-Hanrott's mother? Her father, James Denoon Young, died in 1868. I searched for marriage records of Charlotte Young with Dunn, and found the following. First, BMD Marriage Index has Jun1877 Kensington 1a 129 Jabez Dunn and Charlotte Young. Further, London and Surrey, Marriage Bonds and Allegations 15 June 1877 records the oath of Jabez Dunn, Esquire that there was no impediment to his marriage to Charlotte Young, widow. Jabez Dunn died not long after (BMD Death Index Jun1879 Brentford 3a 75 Age:41), leaving Charlotte a widow once more for the 1881 census. All this would seem consistent with Charlotte Dunn being my 3x great grandmother. In any case, I have sent for the Dunn-Young marriage certificate.

Violet Young ought to be Charlotte's daughter, rather than niece. There is a baptism 19 August 1874 at Greenwich, East Church of Violet, daughter of James Denoon Young, Civil Engineer and Charlotte, his wife. Her father had died in 1868. It doesn't give a date of birth, but I suspect BMD Birth Index Mar1865 Wandsworth 1d 487.

However, for Charlotte Dunn to be our Charlotte Taylor, born 1826, the ages are all wrong! This 1881 Census for Charlotte Dunn gives 45 when she should be 55. Also Zoe Payne, born about 1840, is given as 35. Here are age records for Charlotte, assuming they are all the same person:
     1826 Baptism shows birthday as 15 January
     1841 Probable census with William and Sarah Taylor                                 age as 15
     1851 Census with mother Sarah Halton Taylor                                           age as 25
     1861 Census as Charlotte Young with children and stepchildren                  age as 31
     1871 Census as Charlotte Young, widow daughter Violet Young                age as 37
     1881 Census as Charlotte Dunn, widow shown above                                age as 45

These are all I have found so far, but clearly as early as 1861 some fudging of age is going on. But I do see the same phenomenon with Zoe Taylor, although her census age catches up with her chronological age by the time of her death.
     1840 Baptism 27 November, age unknown
     1851 Census with mother Sarah Halton Taylor                                           age as 10
     1881 Census as Zoe Payne, shown above                                                 age as 35
     1901 Census as Zoe Payen-Payne                                                             age as 58
     1911 Census as Zoe Payen-Payne                                                             age as 70
     BMD Death Index Dec1920 Greenwich 1d 1001                                      age as 80

I am certain that the 1881 through 1920 dates are for the same Zoe (and quite sure that the preceding ones are, as well), and I do see under-reporting of her age. Thus the same is quite plausible for Charlotte. I expect that the certificates I have ordered will confirm the identity of Charlotte Dunn. In which case surely Violet should not be niece, but daughter - maybe a census enumerator error. And who are the parents of Euphemia Chamberlain Young? In any case I will learn more of the family of origin of Zoe Young Hanrott.