Among the First Quakers

Quakers in London 1723

On this, my fiftieth post in this blog, there is more to say about Quaker ancestors on my maternal grandmother's side of the family. As with many explorations into pre-19th century genealogy, don't expect too many firm conclusions. The records just aren't there. But I do believe that the Garritts are the Quaker connection, and go back to the beginnings of the movement.

The Quakers emerged around 1650 as George Fox and other dissenters began to preach around the country. They called themselves Friends; according to Fox, the term Quaker originated after a magistrate mocked Fox for urging him to "tremble at the word of the Lord". They were fiercely persecuted for their non-conformity, until the Toleration Act of 1689. But even by 1655, when George Fox visited Coggeshall in Essex, he found there were already 2000 co-religionists meeting at the town. Some of those may have been my ancestors. The story unfolds below.

Thomas Blacketer, shoe maker, and son of Zachariah and Winifred, married Elizabeth Garritt in 1786 and died two only years later, aged 31. Thomas and Elizabeth are 5xgreat grandparents of mine. Their children - they had two in their two years of marriage - have their births recorded by the Ratcliff Meeting of the Friends, although neither of the parents were considered members at the time. Elizabeth went on to remarry Christopher Moor, and their marriage, and the births of their children are recorded by the Friends. The Moors appear to have been members of their Friends Meeting since no there is no anotation to the contrary on their records.

Elizabeth's grandsons, through Joseph Blacketer, and all born in her lifetime, also have their births recorded at the Friends Meeting, while Joseph and his wife are not considered members. I have found no Quaker connection in my Blacketer line either before or since these two sets of records. And this made me particularly interested in Elizabeth Garritt's background.

On the marriage record for Elizabeth Blackiter and Christopher Moor, 29 July 1794, from the Quarterly Meeting of London and Middlesex, her parents are described as:
       Joseph Garritt, of Chelmsford in Essex, Draper, and Mary his Wife, deceased

From this I would have drawn the conclusion that Joseph must still be alive at this time, although Mary is not. However, I decided to search for Garritt marriages in which there were parents Joseph Garritt and Mary. Perhaps I could flush out some of Elizabeth's siblings. There were two marriages of interest.

The first, from the Quarterly Meeting of London and Middlesex 17 September 1793, for Joseph Docwra and Ann Garritt, describing his parents as:
       Joseph Docwra of the same place [Essex] Deceased & Patience his Wife him surviving

And her parents as:
       Joseph & Mary Garrett of Chelmsford in said County [Essex] deceased

Which I would read as both of Ann's parents being deceased. Of particular interest on Quaker Marriage Certificates is the large number of witness signatures, many of whom are under the heading: "relations". Among the relations signing as witnesses for this marriage is Elizabeth Blackitter, who must be Ann Garritt's widowed sister.

The second record of interest in my search comes from 6 August 1776, when another sister of Elizabeth Garritt has a marriage recorded at the Monthly Meeting of Devonshire House, London:
       Thomas Pace of the Parish called Saint Mary Whitechapel, Clockmaker,
       Son of John Pace, late of the Parish called Christ Church in Middlesex,
       Shoemaker, and Sarah, his Wife, both deceased; and Sarah Garritt,
       Daughter of Joseph Garritt, late of Chelmsford in Essex, Draper, deceased,
       and Mary, his Wife him surviving (now Mary Gostling)

So, Joseph Garritt, the Draper of Chelmsford, and father of Sarah, Ann and Elizabeth (and she my 5xgreat grandmother), died before 6 August 1776. His widow remarried someone named Gostling, and died before 17 September 1793, the date of the marriage record for Ann Garritt and Joseph Docwra. Of Joseph Garritt's marriage, the births of his children, and his deaths I have no direct record, nor of his widow's remarriage or death. The absence of these records from the Essex Friends Meetings suggests that they were not in membership, although his daughters appear to have remained in contact with the Society.

The Monthly Meeting of Witham have birth records which include Joseph Garritt, born in Chelmsford 1732. This Joseph, I believe, is our Draper of Chelmsford. Here is a list of children born to Thomas Garritt and his wife Ann:
       Thomas 7 June 1725 
              (Thomas Garritt son of Thomas and Ann
                     was buried in Chelmsford 13 November 1729)
       William 6 August 1726
       Joseph 17 December 1727 (this has been read as 1722 and 1732,
                                                       but 1727 would be sequential in the register)
       Ann 11 May 1729
              (Ann Garritt daughter of Thomas and Ann
                     was buried in Chelmsford 13 November 1729
                                      - they buried two children on one day)
       Sarah 23 September 1730
       Ann 31 January 1731/2 
       Elizabeth 9 June 1733 (but see below, the last digit is not visible)
              (A 67-year-old Elizabeth Garritt, Spinster
                     was buried in Colchester 10 August 1800)

Ann Garritt, the mother, was buried at Chelmsford 13 June 1733. June is rendered as 4th Month, although one could read the document as 11th Month, but in that case it should be double dated 1733/4 (and is clearly not double-dated). The double dating occurs because the English style New Year began 25th March, while elsewhere it was already 1st January. Likewise, the date of birth for the last of the children, Elizabeth, can be read as 9 June or January 173? - the last digit is obscured by the center binding. Elizabeth's date of birth could be one of the following:
       9 January 1732/3 or 9 June 1733.

I am thinking it's the second of these and Ann's burial is the 13 June 1733, and that Ann must have died of postpartum complications, what in the period they described as "death in child bed". It is, of course, possible that one of the January dates is the correct birth date for Elizabeth, and that Ann's death is unrelated to Elizabeth's birth.

Thomas Garritt, the father, meanwhile appears to have remarried. The Colchester Monthly Meeting records the burial 8 June 1776 of "Mary Garritt, Widdow of Thos Garritt, Draper late of Chelmsford in the County of Essex, deceased, aged about Seventy nine years". I have not yet found a direct record of such a marriage, nor of his death. For all I know, they may have had children for which I have found no record.

There is a later marriage for Sarah Garritt that is probably related to the 1730 birth of that name. This comes from the Witham Monthly Meeting of a marriage that occurred in Chelmsford 6 March 1764:
       Joseph Row of Duke Street old Artilley Ground Londn Weaver,
       Son of John Row of the same Place and Trade, deceas'd and Elizth
       his Wife him Surviving; and Sarah Garritt Daur of Thos Garritt of
       Chelmsford Essex Shopkeeper and Ann his Wife she being deceased.

At the top of the signatures of relations attesting to the 1776 marriage (described above) of Thomas Pace and Sarah Garritt are those of Joseph and Sarah Row, who, if we are right, are the aunt and uncle of Sarah Garritt of the 1776 marriage.

Sarah Garritt of the Garritt/Row marriage record is connected to Sarah Garritt, born in 1730, by the following points:
       1. Same name: Sarah Garritt
       2. Same parents' names: Thomas and Ann Garritt
       3. Same town: Chelmsford, Essex
       4. They are Quakers

Searching for Thomas Garritt, Sarah's father, I found a possible birth record at the Monthly Meeting of Coggeshall:
       Thomas Ye Son of Thomas Garritt & Elizabeth
              his Wiff was born the 6th of the 2:Mo:1700

Garritt marriages in which there were parents Thomas Garritt and Ann or Mary did not flush out any siblings. But I did find a record for parents Thomas and Elizabeth. A child of Thomas and Elizabeth Garritt is Sarah, who marries Thomas Corbyn 21 January 1752, as recorded by the Colchester Monthly Meeting.
       Thomas Corbyn of Holborn, Citizen and Apothecary of London Son of John
       Corbyn of the City of Worcester Clothier, and of Candia his Wife, and Sarah
       Garritt Daughter of Thomas Garritt late of Colchester Salesman and of
       Elizabeth his Wife both deceased.

Among witness signatures are the following Garritts: John, Ann, Isaac, Sarah, Mary, Rebeker[!]. And Thomas and Sarah Corbyn of this marriage are witnesses (as relations) to the marriage of Joseph Row and Sarah Garritt twelve years later in 1764. Again, if we are correct, they are uncle and aunt to the bride.

Sarah Corbyn died 21 January 1790, aged about 70 years, and is buried at the Friends Burying Ground Bunhill Fields. She would therefore have been born around 1719. I have not yet found a record of her birth, or the birth records for any prior siblings, except for the Thomas Garritt birth in Coggeshall 1700.

In Coggeshall 18 January 1697/8, the Essex Quarterly Meeting records the marriage of the parents of course Thomas born 1700:
       Whereas Thomas Garret [later references are all to Thomas Garritt]
       of Coggeshall Magna In Ye County of Essex Tayler Son of John Garritt
       of ye same Towne and County Afforesd Tayler and Elizabeth Pemberton
       Daughter of Richard Pemberton And Sarah his Wife deceased of ye
       same Towne and County Afforesd Baymaker.

Among the first witness signatures are John Garritt and Ann Garritt, possibly Thomas's parents, and Richard Pemberton, possibly Elizabeth's father or brother. Other Garritts are Isaac and Francis. If the line is correct back from Elizabeth Garritt (who married Thomas Blacketer), then Thomas Garritt and Elizabeth Pemberton are my 8xgreat grandparents. The caveat here is the discontinuity of records between Thomas Garritt born in Coggeshall in 1700, and Thomas Garritt the father of the children born in Chelmsford in the 1720s and 30s.

Births to Thomas and Ann (or Anna) Garritt recorded by the Coggeshall Monthly Meeting are:
       John 20 December 1666
       Thomas 16 December 1669 - presumably the future husband of Elizabeth Pemberton
       Isaac 22 April 1672
       Francis 8 March 1678

Meanwhile Richard Pemberton and Sarah his wife have the following children recorded at the same place:
       Richard 9 January 1662
       John 16 April 1665
       Sarah 31 August 1674
       Elizabeth 29 January 1676

There is even a record for the marriage of these parents:
       Richard Pemberton tooke Sarah the Daughter of William Guyon (deceased)
       the first day of the first month 1662 haveing twice published the same in the
       meeting before to wife.

Which would make William Guyon a 10xgreat grandfather of mine.

There are two Pemberton burial records of interest here, recorded together by the Coggeshall Monthly Meeting:
       Aged
       23 years (Sarah Pemberton the daughter of Richard Pemberton
                      (deceased, died 21st of ye 8/month [October] 1697
       61 years (Sarah Pemberton Snr the Wife of Richard Pemberton
                      (departed this Life the 24th of ye 10/Mo [December] 1697

A probate record, probably a will, for Richard Pemberton, Clothier of Gt Coggeshall is recorded for 1696, suggesting a year of death. If so, the signature on the marriage document must be Richard Pemberton, Elizabeth's brother. But note, the Richard, father of the bride, on the Garritt/Pemberton marriage document is described as a Baymaker, one who weaves baize, a woollen cloth resembling felt. The clothier could be a different Richard Pemberton.

By the 1660s, John and Ann Garritt, and Richard and Elizabeth Pemberton have the births of their children recorded among the Quakers. These four are all likely to have been born in the 1630s or early 1640s. They would have come of age as Quaker teaching came to Coggeshall, are appear to have been early converts to the movement.

The further back in time I go, the less certain the evidence. The Garritt family is probably quite large, and may have moved beyond Essex. The names are common, so I might expect there to be several Thomas or Sarah Garritts at any one time. On the encouraging side, the records presented in this post are connected by Friends Meetings. Marriages in earlier generations produce witness signatures of relatives in later ones. And occupational data appear to make sense, even from generation to generation. If you pass this information along in your family history, please be sure to add all the caveats.

Zach Black's Missing Watch

The Bench Hogarth

A derivation of the name Blacketer is Blackadder, a Lowland clan whose lands were on Blackadder Water, a tributary of the Tweed in Berwickshire. I am thus related to Edmund Blackadder, made famous by Rowan Atkinson in the series by that name! So far, I have not come across any Blackadders, although I have documented Blackader with one d.

Before proceeding further, I will review my Blacketer line. My great grandfather on this side is Thomas John Blacketer (sometime Mayor of Poplar) and his wife is Mary Ann Peterken. His father is Joseph Blacketer (who died aged before Tom was born) and his mother Hannah Thurley. Joseph Blacketer's father is Thomas Blacketer (sometime shoe maker, also carman) and his mother Martha Greenfield. And Thomas's father in turn is Joseph Blacketer (chemical worker, watch maker, and carman) and mother Elizabeth (probably) Botting. The documentary record of all of this holds together tightly through census returns and vital records. We can be as certain as it is possible to be that this line must be correct back to my 4xgreat grandparents.

In the previous post, Earlier Quaker Connections, I moved a generation before this to the parents of Joseph Blacketer, based on birth records kept by the Quaker Meeting in Ratcliff in east London. Here are the connections between that record and later records that I am sure belong to my 4xgreat grandfather Joseph Blacketer:
       1.  Name on the birth record match those of later records.
       2.  Time of birth on the birth record is consistent with that given in the later records.
       3.  Place of birth on the birth record is the same as that given in the later records.

Whether we believe the two Joseph Blacketers to be the same person hinges on our answer to how many Joseph Blacketers were born around 1787-8 in Ratcliff. I suspect there is only one, and I give special significance to the Quaker connection of Joseph's birth record, and then the later birth records of Joseph Blacketer's children. We also have a plausible narrative by which the widow Elizabeth Blacketer moves from Ratcliff to Barking; that is, she marries Christopher Moor.

All the same, it would be nice to see some kind of direct link between Joseph Blacketer and Elizabeth and/or Christopher Moor (his step-father from the age of 6); perhaps from a will. While I haven't yet found such a document, I do think I am justified in believing that Joseph Blacketer, child of the Ratcliff Meeting birth records (1787) is Joseph Blacketer, father of the Barking Meeting birth records (1817 to 1825).

Now, we work backwards from the 1787 birth record, searching for references to "Winnifread Blacketer". I set up the search in ancestry.com for "someone Blacketer" with spouse "Winifred someone" married around 1760 (broad search setting). And this produced the following record from London and Surrey, England, Marriage Bonds and Allegations 1597-1921. The names Winifred and Blacketer are rare enought that this must be the only couple, at least in that time and place, to possess that combination of names.

                                            15th May 1753
       Appeared personally Zachariah Blacketer
       of the parish of Endfield in the County of Middlesex
       Bachelor aged Twenty three Years and
       alleged that he intends to intermarry with
       Winifred Brown of the same Parish Spinster
       aged Twenty two years
       [etc...]

That is the Marriage Allegation. It goes on to specify three places where the marriage might be solemnized: the Parish Church of En[d]field, St Botolph Bishopsgate, or St Andrew Holborn. Enfield is where Zachariah was from; the others may be where Winifred is from, and where they intended to live. Additionally, the Marriage Bond contains the information that Zachariah is a Cheesemonger.

Cheesemonger Zachariah Blacketer is a prosecution witness, and victim of larceny, in Old Bailey Proceedings dated 23 October 1754. Here is a transcript of his testimony:
       Zac. Blacketer: I am a Cheesemonger in East Smithfield. The prisoner
       [William Smith] took a lodging in my house, ready furnished; he went
       for a Cooper. On the 6th of Sept. the first night he lay there, he burnt out
       a whole candle; the next day he came in about 12 o'clock at night and
       lay on bed till 12 the next day, which was Sunday; he got up and went
       out, and came in about half an hour after 6 in the evening, and said he'd
       go lie down for half an hour, and then he'd go and see his mother; he told
       me she was a tallow-chandler near London-stone; he went up about 5 or
       6 minutes, he came down, and at going out, said he had ordered a man
       with his chest of cloaths, and bid me take care of them; I went up stairs in
       about three quarters of an hour and missed my watch which was hanging
       up in my room before and the door was left open; then I suspected, as I
       had lost my watch I had also lost my lodger...

Smith was found guilty of this and other offenses, and sentenced to transportation. Zachariah doesn't appear to have recovered his watch, as the pawn broker denied any knowledge of the stolen property and was distinctly uncooperative with the authorities.

A series of tax records show a change in residence of Zachariah Blacketer. In 1762 and 1765, he is found in Wapping. The address is given as simply "Street", the previous address being Parrot Yard. In 1762 his landlord is Josiah Shank. In 1765, his landlord in John Minnitt at what looks like the same address, described as "empty late Zachh Blacketer". But not late as in dead, rather because he had moved. In 1766 there is a Zach Blacketer, and in 1772 a Zachh Blackader on Bett's Street, St George in the East.

This move is confirmed by baptismal records for their children.
At St John Wapping:
       14 [April 1754] Robert S of Zacariah Blackiter Cheesemonger and
                                                                   Winifred Eastsmithfield 16 [days old]
       14 [March 1756] Sarah Daur of Zacariah Blackiter Cheesemonger
                                                                   Eastsmithfield & Winifred 27 [days old]
       24 [April 1757] Thomas S of Zachariah Blackiter Cheesemonger &
                                                                   Winifred Eastsmithfield [illegible days old]
       18 [February 1759] Hannah d of Zachariah Blackiter Chandler &
                                                                   Winifred Eastsmithfield [illegible days old]
       23 [March 1760] George s of Zacharias Blackiter Chandler &
                                                                   Winifred Eastsmithfd 29 [days old]
       23 [December 1764] Peter S of Zachariah Blackiter Labourer &
                                                                   Winifred Eastsmith [27 days old]
 At St George in the East:
       17 [July 1768] Zechariah S of _______ Blacketer Labr by
                                                                    Winifred Betts St 28 [days old]

There is a burial at St George in the East 18 December 1774 for:
       Zachariah Blacketer  Betts St  44 [years old]

So far, I have no death nor remarriage record for Winifred, although we do know she was still alive in 1788 to witness the birth of her grand daughter Hannah, Hannah's father, of course, being the Thomas Blackiter above, baptized 24 April 1757 at St John Wapping.

To find the family origins of Zachariah, I searched for a birth or baptism about 1730, based on his age at death. I was rewarded with this record from the Enfield Baker Street Presbyterian Meeting. Note this agrees with his marriage allegation that he was from En[d]field. There is not just Zachariah, but a family with five recorded siblings:
       Septr 25 1728 Sarah Blackader Daugtr of Robert Blackader Gardr Enfd
       Decr 13 1730 Zachariah Blackadour Son of Robt & Sarah Blackadore Enfd
       Apr 24 1733 Elizabeth Blackadore Daur of Robt Blackadore at Enfd
       Octbr 21 1735 Sarah Dautr of Robt & Sarah Blackador Baker St
       Apr 27 1740 Thos Son of Robt & Sarah Blackadore Firty [prob. Forty] Hill

A Sarah Blackadore was buried 14 October 1728, presumably the first of these children. A note after her name, "Aff m" means that an affidavit was made affirming her shroud to be made of wool, after an Act of Parliament requiring all burials to be in wool (thus providing the wool trade a steady stream of customers).

The baptism for Sarah (1728) states he was a gardener (Gardr), and for Thomas (1740), he lived on what is probably Forty Hill, and for the second of the Sarahs (1735), he was on Baker Street, which is close by. Was he a market gardener, working on his own account; or did he work as a gardener at the Jacobean mansion at Forty Hall?

Forty Hall, Enfield

London and Surrey, England, Marriage Bonds and Allegations 1597-1921 records 24 February 1724/5 the intention to marry of Robert Blackader Bachelor and Sarah Field Spinster. The Bond states that Robert is a Gardener of Enfield.

The corresponding Allegation for this marriage records:
       Appeared personally Robert Blackader of
       the parish of Enfield in the County of Middx
       aged twenty four Years and a Bachelor
       and alledged that he intends to marry
       with Sarah Field of the same place aged
       twenty three Years and a Spinster...

Squeezed into the last line of a page in the parish register at St Andrew, Enfield:
       Robert Blackader & Sarah Field Both of this Parish were married February 25 1724/5

There are burial records for both Robert Blacketer (20 March 1774) and Sarah (8 March 1770) Blackedter at St Andrew Enfield, which are likely to be theirs. Robert Blackader and Sarah Field are my 7xgreat grandparents.

Following these generations of Blacketers, the documents show several spellings of the name. Zachariah is associated with the spellings: Blacketer, Blackiter, and Blackadour/Blackadore; while Robert has: Blacketer, Blackadore/Blackadour, Blackader and Blackador. His wife Sarah even has Blackedter. Robert himself signs: Robart Blakader. He does so twice, (on his Marriage Bond and Marriage Allegation) the same day 24 February 1725, so I believe he intentionally wrote his autograph this way. It is not at all obvious to me which spelling we should prefer for any individual.

 



 

Earlier Quaker Connections

St Ethelburga, Bishopsgate

The post, Some Quaker Roots, cited vital records for the Blacketer family from the Quaker Meeting in Barking, Essex. Since then, images of the records have become available on ancestry.com which contain much more information than the indexes alone. And from these I have been able to trace the Blacketer line to the turn of the 18th century and some 7xgreat grandparents. Along the way we will see several spelling variants for Blacketer.

First, some historical name-dropping. The Barking Quaker Meeting was attended by the reformer Elizabeth Fry. The cropped image below shows the birth record for William Botting Blacketer. On the line below is the birth record for Daniel Henry Fry, the reformer's youngest son. Whether the Blacketers and Frys ever rubbed shoulders at Meeting I don't know, but the birth records of their children are here side-by-side!

Top line: William Botting Blacketer; next line: Daniel Henry Fry

The transcript reads:

  12mo:9:1822 Stratford William Botting Son Joseph & Elizabeth Stratford not a member

                          Essex                                          Blacketer

  11mo:1:1822 Plasket   Daniel Henry    Son Joseph & Elizabeth  Plasket   Banker

                                                                                 Fry

The use of, for example, 12mo is peculiar to the Society of Friends, which had long refused to use the pagan-named months (January through August) of the conventional calendar, referring to them by number instead. However until 1752, when the English Parliament reformed the calendar, the year was reckoned as started on 25 March. Thus, March was the "first month" for the Friends. After 1752, March became the "third month". After 1752, the year was reckoned to begin 1 January. From this record, William Botting Blacketer was born 9 December 1822, while Daniel Henry Fry was born 1 November 1822.

The corresponding records for other children of Joseph and Elizabeth Blacketer are:

       1817 25th of the 12th month / Stratford WtHam Essex / Thomas / Son /
              Joseph & Elizabeth Blacketer father not a member / Stratford /
              Servt to Howard, Jewell & Gibson

       1820 8th of 10.Mo /  Stratford / Joseph / Son /
              Joseph & Elizabeth Blacketer not a member / Stratford /
              In the employ of Howard & Co Chemists

       12mo 24 1825 / Stratford / John not in membership / Son /
              Joseph & Elizabeth Blacketer / Stratford /
              not in membership

This Thomas Blacketer is my 3xgreat grandfather.

William Botting Blacketer is a 4xgreat uncle of mine. He died 26 November 1829, aged 7, and was buried in the Friends Buring-ground in Ratcliffe.

I believe Joseph Blacketer (another 4xgreat uncle of mine) is the one  died in 1839:
       BMD Death Index Joseph Blacketer Mar1839 West Ham 12 202

Of the last brother, John Blacketer, I have not found any certain information, beyond an 1851 census. Australian records have John Blacketer of about the right age as an unassisted passenger to Victoria in 1852, and a death record for presumably the same person in St Kilda, Victoria 1908. However, it give mother's maiden name as Moon, when we are expecting Botting, of which more later.

Interestingly Joseph Blacketer is "not a member". He may never have been a member, or he may have been in and out of membership - the Frys had their membership suspended from time to time.

Two of the records list an occupation for Joseph, that he worked for Howard, Jewell and Gibson, Chemists. This is at variance with Thomas's marriage record, which states that his father was a watchmaker. I wondered briefly if I hadn't made some mistake.

First, the marriage record (BMD Marriage Jun1845 West Ham 12 415 Thomas Blacketer and Martha Greenfield). This is a copy of the record from the General Register Office:
       18 May 1845 at the Parish Church of West Ham
       Groom: Thomas Blacketer  Full Age  Bachelor  Shoe Maker  West Ham
              father: Joseph Blacketer  Watch Maker
       Bride: Martha Greenfield  Full Age  Spinster  West Ham
              father: Thomas Greenfield  Butcher
       signed: Thomas Blacketer, Martha Greenfield
       witnessed: Thomas Joseph Adey, Harriet Greenfield

The witnesses and much else makes this certain that Thomas's wife is Martha Greenfield from Guildford, Surrey. The 1851 for Thomas and Martha at Harrow Cottages has:
        Thos Blackiter Head Mar 33  Shoe Maker   Essex, Stratford
        Martha   Do     Wife  Mar 30                        Surrey, Guilford
        Joseph    Do     Son    U    2                         Essex, Stratford
        Thomas   Do     Son    U    8 months                Do       Do

The 1861 England Census at 1 Harrow Cottages for this same household:
        Thomas Blacketter     Head   Mar       43  Carman    Essex West Ham
        Martha Blacketter        Wife    Mar       41                  Guildford, Surrey
        Sarah Ann Blacketter Daugr  Unmar  14                   Essex, West Ham
        Joseph Blacketter       Son      Unmar  12   Schlolar  Essex, West Ham
        Thomas Blacketter     Son      Unmar  11       Do      Essex, West Ham
        Elizabeth Blacketter   Daugr  Unmar    3                  Essex, West Ham
        Elizabeth Blacketter   Mother Widow  75                  Petworth, Sussex

By 1861, Elizabeth Blacketer is a widow. Joseph's death must be that recorded at:
        BMD Death Index Joseph Blacketer Dec1856 West Ham 4a 3

Next, going back to the 1851 England Census, this time for Joseph Blacketer's household at 7 Bridge Place, Stratford:
        Joseph Blacketer Head         Mar   63  Carman       Midx, Ratcliffe
        Elizabeth   Do      Wife           Mar  63      Do Wife   Sussex, Petworth
        John          Do      Son             U    25      Do            Essex, Stratford
        Sarah A     Do     Grand Daug U    4                            Do        Do

Just as Thomas Blacketer's reported occupation changes from Shoe Maker (1845 and 1851) to Carman 1861, so Joseph, his father's changes from working at the chemical company (1817 and 1820) to Watch Maker (1845) to Carman (1851 and 1861).

A Peter Blackiter or Blacketer - also appears as Blackett, Blackister - Watchgilder, finished his apprenticeship in 1786, and baptized several children in the 1780s and 90s. From what I can tell, Peter is an uncle of Joseph. He died in 1795, although Joseph may have maintained a relationship with the trade. And yet, given his connection to the chemical works, I wonder if he was actually engaged in making matches, and that Match Maker became Watch Maker in transcription to the general register. A look at the parish register might clear this up.

Much of the above repeats, though in more detail, records presented in the post Quaker Roots. At the end of that post, I mentioned birth records for Joseph and Hannah Blacketer. Subsequently, following them up, I found that this earlier generation had Quaker connections. Here is the transcript for Joseph's birth registration (italics are handwritten, while the normal font is printed on the form):

       On the Nineteenth Day of the Ninth Month,
       called September One Thousand Seven-Hundred and
       Eighty Seven was born in the New Road Ratcliff Highway
       in the Parish of St. George's (so called) in the
       County of Middlesex unto Thos. Blacketer
       Shoe Maker and Elizabeth his Wife, a
       Son who was named Joseph

       We, who were present at the said birth, have subscribed our Names as
       Witnesses thereof.
[signed]
       Rachel Deighton Midwife
       Elizabeth Tippett
       Winnefread Blacketer

       A true Copy, Sam Marsh
       Licensed Register to Ratcliff Monthly Meeting
       Not a Member of Our Society

[Margin note]
       The Parents not Members of our Society

From what I can tell the record is a copy of the Quaker Meeting's vital records, made for the Registrar General in 1837. Hannah's birth registration is on the same page, with much the same information except that obviously she was a daughter named Hannah, born 14 August 1788. The witnesses are: Rachel Deighton Midwife, Winnefread Blacketer (as before) and Ann Lineman.

St George in the East has the following burial record for 1788:
       Novbr 5  Thomas Blacketer  New Road  39 [years old]

And this presumably is for the father of the Quaker birth registrations. His year of birth calculates to 1749.

While St Ethelburga Bishopgate has the following marriage for 1786:
       Thomas Blacketer Bachelor & Elizabeth Garrit both of this parish were married the
       Banns first being duly published according to Act of Parliament this twenty first
       day of September 1786 by me John Girton Curate
       This marriage was solemnized )  Thos Blacketer
       between us                               )  Elizth Garritt
       In presence of us                         Robert Blacketer
                                                           Ann Blacketer
                                                           Margt Mackie

Autographs of three Blacketers 1786

The short marriage, interupted by Thomas's death explains why there are no more birth records for this couple. Elizabeth went on to remarry in 1794. The Quarterly Meeting of London and Middlesex (of the Friends) records the marriage of Elizabeth Blacketer nee Garritt:
       The Twenty Ninth Day of the Seventh Month,
       One Thousand Seven Hundred and Ninety Four
       Christopher Moor of Upton in Essex
              Son of John Moor
       of Netherdale Yorkshire Husbandman
              and Jane his Wife,
       and Elizabeth Blackiter Daughter of Joseph Garritt
       Draper of Chelmsford in Essex
              and Mary his Wife, deceased
       were married in a publick Assembly of the People called Quakers in
       Plaistow
       A Copy of the Marriage Certificate, at full Length, is recorded in
       Barking Monthly-Meeting

She is probably the Elizabeth Moor of Plaistow, aged 62, who dies 4 May 1826. and is buried at the Friends Burial-ground in Barking on the tenth of that month. Her year of birth calculates to about 1764, making her 15 years Thomas Blacketer's junior. Her second husband Christopher Moor(e) is buried in the same place the year after her 21 February 1827. His age of death, 72, gives a year of birth about 1755. The following births are recorded by the Friends as children of Christopher and Elizabeth Moor:
       John Moor 20 October 1795
       Sarah Moor 16 February 1797
       William Moor 17 April 1798
       Christopher Moor 1 September 1800
       Eliza Moor 9 June 1802

These would all be step-siblings of Joseph Blacketer, my 4xgreat grandfather.

I have noticed that occasionally "Moor" is transcribed "Moon", and this made me think about the 1908 death record in Australia for John Blacketer which gives his mother's maiden name as Moon. Death records are only as accurate as the informant on the certificate. Elizabeth Moor was our John Blacketer's grandmother. Perhaps the informant knew this and assumed that she must be his maternal grandmother. After all, his paternal grandmother might be expected to have Blacketer for her married name. Along the way the name has been mistranscribed from "Moor" to "Moon". If you're a descendant of John Blacketer 1825-1908 reading this in Australia, I would welcome information from you, whether I must be wrong or could be right.

The birth records for Joseph and Hannah Blacketer included the detail that Winnefread Blacketer witnessed the births. This is a welcome detail, being an unusual name. And searching in ancestry.com for a marriage of Winnifred someone to someone Blacketer was rewarded by the following record, of which more in the next post.
      

My Dear Comrade

Tom Blacketer 1901

Mum sent me a scanned collection of family papers, among which were some letters from Labour Party politician George Lansbury. As you may recall, my great grandfather, Thomas John Blacketer, was his election agent. The papers include campaign letters from Lansbury, and a particularly touching condolence letter on the death of Octavius Peterken.

Also, I have just received Janine Booth's Guilty and Proud Of It. Strange to read my great grandfather's name in a history book, albeit a local history. He gets three one-liners and a short biography! But I haven't read deeply enough into it to give a good book report.

Among Lansbury correspondence at the London School of Economics archives are four letters from TJ Blacketer to George Lansbury. I haven't seen any of these, but maybe someone out there has, or might be interested in transcribing them. So here are the references for anyone wishing to follow up:
     Lansbury/8 275 20 February 1927
     Lansbury/12 12 March/April 1933
          Condolence letter on the death of Lansbury's wife
     Lansbury/13 203 11 December 1933
     Lansbury/14 29 14 December 1933
          Sympathy letter on Lansbury's hospital stay with a broken leg

In 1924 Thomas Blacketer's father-in-law, Octavius Peterken, died. Among our papers is this letter from George Lansbury, dated 1 August 1924. Given that Thomas's own father had died while his mother was still pregnant with him, Octavius was something of a father to him, and, indeed, Lansbury writes "father" rather than "father-in-law". Lansbury's handwriting is about as bad as mine, so I was able to make a transcript (but if you think you have a correction, I would be happy to receive it):

                                    1-8-24
My dear Blacketer

I feel I must send you this note. The news of your father’s death & burial came as a shock one which has left me feeling rather sad.

Yet there is no room for darkness for me or you because his life’s journey is over & now comes peace. Death is a final mystery because we believe though the body passes our souls remain & these are in the hands of God from whom all Spirit comes.

You travelled a long journey with your father & will feel his loss deeply but you will I am sure remember loss or sadness only for a night & then comes the dawn & you have the wholly blessed memory of all you were to each other & also the equally blessed knowledge that though absent in the body he is still nearby in spirit.

God bless you both & keep you till the Day dawns & the night of Sin & Death passes away forever.

Always,

George Lansbury

The following photograph of Octavius Peterken reading the newspaper is from 1922, and shows his appearance toward the end of his life.

Octavius Peterken, 1922

The previously shown Octavius Peteken photograph (see The Sound of Bow Bells) was one used for a memorial picture of him. Our family has a photograph of the memorial photograph (and it will not adequately display here). Our photograph and the one from Paul Peterken look identical down to the autograph as best I can tell, and lacks the fold down the middle. The frame is matted so that Octavius's signed portrait is above and below is the following inscription:

For forty years a devoted Mission Worker in East London and for over thirty three years the beloved Honorary President of the Salmon's Lane Mission Condor Street Limehouse London E
CALLED HOME JULY 16TH 1924

A search for "Salmon or Salmon's Lane Mission" shows that a place with the former name had been seaman's hostel, of which the cornerstone was placed in 1923. It appears to have been converted to residential apartments. If the same mission , then Octavius was presumably involved in the fundraising side for this building. An 1897 interview from T Wilson Booth, Honorary Secretary of the Salmon's Lane Mission Condor Street, is in the notebook of Charles Booth, a prominent philanthropist and social scientist, concerned with the plight of the poor. This is again lodged among the archives at the LSE (ref. Booth B172, pp18-22, which apparently includes a sketch of the premises of the Mission), a document I would like to see one day. Octavius, as Honorary President for some 33 years prior to 1924, must have worked with T Wilson Booth. If I ever needed it, I am reminded that many in the Labour movement around this time were inspired by Christian ideal of service to the poor.

In his role as election agent for George Lansbury, Thomas Blacketer received these two post-election notes from his victorious candidate. They are undated, so I do not know the election to which each refers. here is the first:

                                                   Saturday
My dear Comrade
This is to bring you my very grateful thanks for the manner in which you put through the election. The whole business has been more than satisfactory & for myself most peaceful & comfortable especially the last 10 days. 

I have never bothered about money, this time least of all & in addition we have all known we were getting full value for all that was spent.

The workers were one & all splendid. In fact we have never had so luxurious a fight.

I know you have done it all for the Cause but also know you have done your level best to save me trouble & in this you have succeeded splendidly.

Love and all good wishes to you both.
Always yours,

George Lansbury

In a second note from a different election, marked only Friday, Lansbury expresses regret for some words they had on a stressful election day.

Dear Comrade
This is a note of personal congratulation to you. The victory is largely yours, because of your work & confidence. I was very sick last night because of the intolerable stories of no helpers & nobody voting in North Ward & then the figure of 5000 at six o'clock knocked me out altogether. But I ought to have done better than say a word when you were tired & worn out with work & worry. But the result is splendid. I know you will not mind now it is over...

All good wishes,

George Lansbury

By 1928, Thomas Blacketer was in the confidence of George Lansbury enough to be asked to manage the discussion at a council meeting in Lansbury's absence. There appears to have been some dissension within Labour ranks concerning Lansbury's leadership. I notice that he begins, "Dear Tom". Also, notice the handwriting is different, possibly a dictated letter, although the "Always, George Lansbury" is in his hand:

                    7-xi-28
Dear Tom:
I find the meeting I have to address is at 7 o'clock & that of course means that I cannot possibly come to the council meeting. I have written to the Town Clerk expressing my regret at being absent & wishing the new council the best of success in the future three years. But I also want to emphasize - damp down all discussion & criticism amongst our people. Let us try to be as big as we can, no matter how bad we feel.
I feel like packing up and all that I told you: but after all, the movement is bigger than all the lot of us, and a personal discussion in which I am involved is the worst thing that could happen & something I do not wish to happen. best of good luck & thanks both to you Tom & everybody else.

Always,

George Lansbury
Be at 39 Bow Rd @ 6:15 on Friday if you want to go with me.

For the year 1930-31 Thomas Blacketer was Mayor of Poplar, very much involved managing council meetings.

We also have a campaign poster for London County Council election, which was on 5 March 1931, for Labour Candidates T. J. Blacketer and E. Cruse, with their manifesto (including "Houses with rents that workers can pay") and public meeting dates at which Blacketer, Cruse and Lansbury would be speaking. There is an emphasis on trades unions, Cruse is with the Amalgamated Engineering Union, and Blacketer with ASLEF (Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen), befitting his occupation as locomotive engineer. At the bottom of the poster is small print:

Printed by H. & H. G. PETERKEN T.U. throughout, 153 High St., Poplar, & published by T. J. BLACKETER, 141 Bow Road.

It actually reads "PILTERKEN", which I hope is not a poor reflection on union labour. The "H" is Henry, the brother of Octavius, while "H. G." is Henry George, son of Henry - and first cousin of Mary Ann Blacketer, Thomas's wife. Interesting that the Peterkens supported a unionized workforce at their printshop.

It appears that Blacketer and Cruse won the election since on a letter dated 5 March 1931 (presumably written the night of the election), Lansbury writes:

My dear Comrade,
A thousand congratulations. Bow & Bromley always comes up trumps at the end. All good wishes to you both.
Alys,
G Lansbury.

Rather document-heavy today, and I still have more I am in the process of transcribing. And male-heavy too, so below is a picture of Mary Ann Peterken (Madge) at age 21, who was married to Tom in 1906. They must have made quite a couple. I will end with a family anecdote. In 1931 the Indian Independence leader Mahatma Gandhi visted England for the Round Table Conference. George Lansbury hosted Gandhi during his visit to the East End of London. Gandhi was seeking solidarity between the poor in both India and Britain, and was well received by those living in the East End. Thomas Blacketer got to shake hands with Gandhi when Lansbury introduced them.


Mary Ann Peterken 1900

Botting Connections

Thomas Blacketer is my 3x great grandfather. His birth is registered 1817 with the Barking Meeting of the Society of Friends (that is, the Quakers). For more about his family, you may read the post Some Quaker Roots. The BMD Marriage Index for Jun1845 W Ham 12 412 has the names of Thomas Blacketer and Martha Greenfield, which makes sense of his married census returns recording a Martha Blacketer, born about 1820 in Guildford, Surrey. Along with the Blacketers and Greenfields, I kept coming across Bottings.

Greenfield is not an uncommon name in Surrey, at least, not uncommon in the early 19th century according to the ancestry search engine. Add "Guildford" to the search, and it looks like a single family. One of those census returns is from 1851, the household of a widow, George Hart, Grocer at 185 High Street, Deptford, Kent, and his three servants. One of them is Assistant in his grocer's shop. The other two are General Servants, both women, and their names are:
     Sarah Botting          Unmarried 66 born in Petworth, Sussex
     Harriet Greenfield    Unmarried 28 born in Guildford, Surrey
Sarah would be born about 1785, and Harriett about 1823. The pair are also George Hart's servants in the 1841 England Census at the same address.

You may recall that Thomas Blacketer's mother was originally Elizabeth Botting, born about 1787 in Petworth, Sussex. That is too much of a coincidence for me, suggesting that Sarah Botting was Thomas's aunt, while Harriet Greenfield was his sister-in-law.

Proving the latter turns out to be fairly easy. The parish register of Guildford St Mary records the baptism on 17 September 1820 of Martha daughter of Thomas and Mary Greenfield. His occupation is listed as Butcher. The same parish register for 5 January 1823 records the baptism of Harriet, daughter of the same parents. Including these two, I found five Greenfield siblings baptized at Guildford St Mary between 1812 and 1823. Here they are:
     Elizabeth   5 April 1812
          (this record is in a different format with daughter of Thomas Greenfield only)
     Edward     9 October 1814
     Sarah        26 June 1816
     Martha      17 September 1820
     Harriet       5 January 1823
          (the remaining four are all for Thomas Greenfield, Butcher, and his wife Mary)

Although I could find no records for Elizabeth or Edward, I did find the following:

Harriet married William Simmonds Carman 18 September 1853 at St Giles Cripplegate, Middlesex. The witnesses to her wedding were James and Mary Botting. This corresponds to Sep1853 East London 1c 84. The presence of the Bottings here is no coincidence. William Simmonds's family's census returns are easy to track. In the 1841 England Census they live on East Street (or church Street) in Petworth, Sussex next door to James Botting (Age 25) Fishmonger, and his wife Sarah (Age 20 - the ages in the 1841 census are supposed to be rounded to the nearest 5). Looking ahead to the 1861 England Census, although William is no longer living at home, his father's household on census night includes John Botting (Age 44, born in Petworth); John is the brother of William's mother, whose maiden name was evidently Botting.

Sarah married Thomas Joseph Adey 22 December 1844 at St John Hackney, Middlesex. Joseph Blacketer (Thomas's father) and Martha Greenfield (his future wife) witnessed this marriage. This corresponds to Dec1844 Hackney 3 125.

Among papers that had been sent to me several years ago, I belatedly found a copy of the marriage certificate of Thomas Blacketer and Martha Greenfield, solemnized in 1845 at the Parish Church in the Parish of West Ham, Essex:
     May 18    Thomas Blacketer   Full Age   Bachelor   Shoemaker   West Ham
                                                                         father: Joseph Blacketer    Watchmaker
                     Martha Greenfield   Full Age   Spinster                        West Ham
                                                                         father: Thomas Greenfield   Butcher
One of the witness signatories is Harriet Greenfield, Martha's sister. The other is Thomas Joseph Adey, her brother-in-law, which certainly ties some of the above together.

As to Martha's parents, Thomas and Mary Greenfield, I can find little information. According to the BMD Death Index, one Thomas Greenfield died Mar1853 Guildford 2a 28. However, I am dissuaded from buying this one, since there are two more Thomas Greenfields who died in Petworth, Sussex in the 1840s. As for Mary Greenfields, I find three death records in Petworth alone for the 1840s. At $15 per certificate, it could work out expensive to find the correct one by trial and error!

There are several Thomas Greenfield marriages in Surrey, one of which is to a Mary Botting. This is for 24 March 1808 in the parish register of Stoke St John the Evangelist, which is in Guildford, Surrey. If this is the correct record, that could make Thomas Blacketer and Martha Greenfield cousins of some degree, but I have no evidence as yet.

A search for Bottings in the first half of the nineteenth century shows many families across Sussex, including Petworth. One way forward from here (actually backward in time) will be to build a Botting family tree. This may help me to figure out how each of the Bottings above are related to each other, and then to other people in my tree. A public member tree already exists with Bottings back to about 1600, and when I return to this branch of the family, that may well direct my future research.

Some Quaker Roots

Our high school, Wymondham College, was divided into houses, some named after notable figures in history who were associated with Norfolk. One such figure was the Quaker prison reformer Elizabeth Fry (picture above), for whom Fry Hall was named. Fry was born Elizabeth Gurney in Norwich 1780. She and her husband, Joseph Fry, moved to Plashet House, East Ham in what was still rural Essex in the early nineteenth century. Later they moved to Forest Gate. She campaigned tirelessly to improve prison conditions, abolish capital punishment, and alleviate poverty. As well as being a respected public figure, she and her husband also raised 11 children. When she died at Ramsgate, Kent in 1845, the Seamen of the Ramsgate Coast Guard flew their flag at half mast until she was buried at the Friend's burial ground in Barking, Essex. Over a thousand mourners observed a silence as she was interred.

Her homeground in southwest Essex was also the family home of some Blacketers. I have already written of Thomas John Blacketer, who became the mayor of Poplar in 1930. Thomas John's father, Joseph, had died in 1880 before he could figure in a census with his young family. Joseph does, however, appear in censuses with his siblings.

In the 1851 England Census at Harrow Cottages, Stratford:
     Thos Blacketer      Head   Marr  33 Shoemaker         Essex, Stratford
     Martha                  Wife    Marr  30                           Surrey, Guilford
     Joseph                   Son       S      2                            Essex, Stratford
     Thomas                 Son       S       8 mos                    Essex, Stratford

 In the 1861 England Census at 1 Harrow Cottages, Stratford:
     Thomas Blacketter  Head    Mar        43  Carman           Essex, W Ham
     Martha                    Wife     Mar        41                         Guildford, Surrey
     Sarah Ann               Daugr   Unmar    14                         Essex, W Ham
     Joseph                     Son      Unmar    12  Scholar            Essex, W Ham
     Thomas                   Son       Unmar    11 Scholar            Essex, W Ham
     Elizabeth                 Daugr    Unmar     3                          Essex, W Ham
     Elizabeth                 Mother  Widow   75                         Petworth, Sussex

This not only begins to provide evidence of the next generation, but also sent me looking for Sarah Ann in 1851, and I found her staying with  Thomas's parents. It would seem that his father had died between 1851 and 1861, and his mother, Elizabeth, came to stay with his family. Here is the 1851 England Census for 7 Bridge Place, Stratford:
     Joseph Blacketer    Head         Mar       63    Carman           Ratcliffe, Middlesex
     Elizabeth                Wife           Mar       63    Carman Wife  Sussex, Petworth
     John                       Son            U          25    Carman           Essex, Stratford
     Sarah A                  Granddaur U           4                            Essex, Stratford

Back to Thomas and Martha's family. In the 1871 England Census for 76 High Street, Stratford:
     Martha Blacketer   Head    W      50                              Surrey, Gilford
     Joseph                   Son      Unm   22         Carman         Stratford, Essex
     Thomas                  Son     Unm    20         Cow man      Essex, W Ham
     Sarah Ann Kearley Daur     Mar   24                              Essex, W Ham
     Elizabeth                Daur               12                              Essex, W Ham

Thomas had died bewteen 1861 and 1871; Sarah Ann had just married. From BMD Marriage Index, Sarah Ann Blacketer married James Kearly Jun1871 Manchester 8d 480. The marriage certificate shows that James Kearly was a sergeant in the 4th Dragoon Guards. Ten years later, they appear in the census in Stoke-upon-Trent, Staffordshire, and James by this time is a Police Constable.

Other vitals are:
     Sarah Ann
          BMD Birth Index        Mar1847 W Ham 12 307
          BMD Marriage           Jun1871 Manchester 8d 480 to James Kearly
          (I have not been able to deduce which BMD Death Index refers to her)
     Joseph
          BMD Birth Index          Sep1848 W Ham 12 282
          BMD Marriage Index   Sep1873 W Ham 4a 8 to Hannah Thurley
          BMD Death Index        Sep1880 Poplar 1c 411 Age:31
     Thomas
          BMD Birth Index          Sep1850 W Ham 12 306
          (An ancestry public member tree has his death in Beachport, Australia, from which I could find:
          Australia Death Index   28 Jul 1928 South Australia 1926-1930 p44 v506
     Elizabeth
          BMD Birth Index          Sep1858 W Ham 4a 5
          BMD Marriage Index   Sep1881 W Ham 4a 17 to Albert Adolphus R Moor
               They had one child together that I found in a census:
                    Lilian Rose Kathleen Moor
               Albert Adolphus Moor died in 1891.
          BMD Marriage Index   Sep1893 Poplar 1c 812 as Elizabeth Moor to William Albert Hunt
This was at Bromley St Leonard 15 July 1893. In the parish record (which would is the same as the GRO marriage certificate), her father is given as Thomas Blacketer Shoemaker.
          (I have not been able to deduce which BMD Death Index entry refers to her)

As always, from this kind of analysis, I cannot rule out that other children were born and died between censuses. I especially notice the eight years between Thomas's birth Elizabeth's.

For the parents, we have:
     Thomas Blacketer BMD Death    Jun1870 W Ham 4a 10 Age:52
     Martha Blacketer BMD Death   Sep1873 W Ham 4a 2 Age:53
     Thomas Blacketer and Martha Greenfield BMD Marriage Jun1845 W Ham 12 415

Their births, around 1818 and 1820 are before the central registers, so one would need to search parish records to find them. Nothing came from such a search in ancestry.com, but LDS familysearch came up with the following birth registrations (non-conformist records) from the Society of Friends (i.e. Quakers). The Quakers did not baptize infants, but they did keep a record of birth registrations. All these are from the Barking, Essex Meeting, and born to parents Joseph and Elizabeth Blacketer.
     Thomas Blacketer
          Birth 25 December 1817
               (my 3x great grandfather)
     Joseph Blacketer 
          Birth 8 October 1820
             (ancestry public member tree claims that he died 1839;
               his death record is possibly BMD Death Mar1839 W Ham 12 202)
     William Botting Blacketer
          Birth 9 December 1822
             (ancestry public member tree claims that he died 1829)
      John Blacketer Birth 24 December 1825
             (he was at least alive for the 1851 England Census shown above - I haven't looked further)

According to LDS familysearch, the parish records of Christ Church, Spitalfields, Stepney has the marriage of Joseph Blacketer and Elizabeth Botting on 7 April 1817. Browsing the appropriate register in ancestry.com reveals that these pages are missing from their transcript and scans. This is a marriage in an established church. Possibly Joseph and Elizabeth became Quakers soon after they were married. I have no evidence the Blacketers were much involved by the next generation.

LDS family search also records a Christening for a Joseph Blacketer, born 19 September 1787 in Middlesex, and parents named Thomas and Elizabeth, but no other information as to which parish, or whether this is another non-conformist record. This is consistent with, but not necessarily the same Joseph Blacketer who married Elizabeth Botting.

BMD Death Index has Joseph Blacketer Dec1856 W Ham 4a 3 and Elizabeth Blacketer Dec1863 W Ham 4a 6.

So, at least between 1817 and 1825, this Blacketer family were Quakers, living in Stratford, and connected with the Barking Friends Meeting. There is no documentary evidence that the Blacketers ever met Elizabeth Fry. I suspect that to be a non-conformist in the early nineteenth century was something of a commitment, so the family may well have heard her speak. I wonder if her radical social message, transmitted through the family, contributed some part in Thomas John Blacketer's political formation.