Here is the second of my posts concerning the identity of John Tilley, father of Vivian Kennett Tilley. One line of research on ancestry.com suggests that his parents (that is, Vivian Kennett's grandparents) are John and Ellen Tilley. While my own search for suspects brought forth Llewellyn and Elizabeth Tilley. Can I eliminate either or both from my enquiries? For, to quote Holmes:
“How often have I said to you that when you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth?”
As I posted earlier, I am waiting to receive the marriage certificate of this John Tilley, father of Vivian Kennett Tilley, and his wife Amelia Augusta Beresford. From this I hope to find directly his father's name. The research here represents attempts to rule in or out certain suspects for less than $15! And although the data here may turn out to belong to some unrelated family of Tilleys, some of the insights I gained by looking at census and parish records are worth recording.
So, putting the family of John and Ellen Tilley under the microscope, we have, first of all, 1871,1881 and 1891 England Census returns. For all these years they lived at 34 Saville Street, Marylebone, Middlesex. (In 1851 and 1861, John - age 10 and 20 - is living with his parents at 28 Saville Street!). Here is the family in 1871:
John Tilley Head Marr 30 Carman Mdx, Marylebone
Ellen Wife Marr 36 Mdx, Paddington
Albert Son 16 Porter Mdx, Westminster
William Son 13 Errand Boy Mdx, Westminster
John Son 8 Scholar Mdx, Marylebone
Frances S Dau 6 Scholar Mdx, Marylebone
Ellen Dau 3 Mdx, Marylebone
Frederick Son 1 Mdx, Marylebone
To judge from the ages, Albert and William are actually Ellen's sons from a previous marriage, but they have taken the name Tilley - at least for purposes of the census. But if this is the case, I will never find birth or baptismal records for Albert or Wiliam Tilley.
In 1881, Frances S is no longer among them, reminding me first of the high child mortality of the period, but she might also be working as a maid and no longer at home. the rest have all aged ten years, and Rose aged 6, and Eliza aged 4 are added to the family. The connections of names, common family members, ages, places of birth (mostly: Ellen - the mother - is now listed as born in Marylebone), and John's - the father, that is - occupation is still Carman.
In 1891, John (still a Carman) and Ellen remain at 34 Saville Street with daughters Ellen, Rose and Eliza, although curiously the girls' ages are all wrong.
I also found a baptismal record in the parish register of All Souls, St Marylebone for 5 March 1865.
John Edward, born 13 January 1863
Frances Sarah, born 8 February 1865
They are son and daughter of John (Carman) and Ellen Tilley of 34 Saville Street, most certainly John, the son and Frances S of the census listed above, and indicating that John and Ellen kept the same address for at least 26 years!
This also illustrates a limitation of names in the census data. I would have expected to see at least "John E" if not "John Edward" on the census, especially since we have Frances S, but this is not so. The census data often contain discrepancies of age and place of birth.
The next question: What happens when John - the son - leaves home after 1881? A candidate suggested by the ancestry search engine is a family living at 33 Foley Street, Marylebone for the 1891 England Census:
John Tilley Head Marr 28 Painter's Labourer London, Marylebone
Louisa Wife Marr 26 London, Marylebone
Louisa Dau 2 London, Marylebone
George Son 1 London, Marylebone
John Baillie Brother-in-law 25 Butcher London, St. Pancras
The brother-in-law is significant here, because through him I was able to find a marriage record. The parish register for St John the Evangelist, Charlotte Street, Camden records the marriage on 13 September 1886 of John Edward Tilley, bachelor, age 23 and Louisa Frances Baillie, spinster, age 22. John's occupation is Paper Hanger (decorator?), and his father is John Edward Tilley, Carman, presumably still living, since Louisa's father is Albert Broughton Baillie, Carman (deceased). Their address is given as 22 Tottenham Street.
The 1891 Foley Street census data above clearly relate to this marriage. Connecting the marriage to the 1871 John Tilley - the son - is less certain. The name John Edward matches his baptism. His father's name John Edward and occupation are consistent. John's place of birth for the census is also consistent. I am inclined to accept that they are referring to the same John Tilley.
In the 1901 England Census at 25 Bolsover Street, Marylebone, there is a Louisa F Tilley, widow, 36 Charwoman, born in St Pancras London and her son George F, 10 born in Marylebone would appear to be the remnant of this family. Her name and age,and her son are all consistent with the Foley Street census. The BMD Death Index records John Edward Tilley Dec1897 Pancras 1b 29 Age: 35.
The data are all consistent with the John Edward Tilley who died in 1897, being the John Tilley, son of John and Ellen. And if so, he could not be John Tilley, the father of Vivian Kennett Tilley. But while the data are highly suggestive, it remains possible that we are looking two different John Edward Tilleys born about 1862/3. I cannot eliminate him from my inquiries definitively.
No comments:
Post a Comment