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.

Widow Thurley of Loughton

Working back from Hannah Thurley, mother of Thomas John Blacketer, and my 2x great grandmother, I was greatly assisted by prior research on ancestry.com. The program links records that others have already attached to the same person, much as retail sites suggest other items bought by customers who had purchased your item. In fact, I have noticed that the search tool tends to lift those linked records above others which are more obvious fits for the search, but haven't been attached yet. Still, it's always worthwhile to cross-check records to be sure they belong to one's own family, and not some distant relatives'.

Hannah Thurley comes across to me as a remarkable woman. Married at about 21 years old, she bore four children in eight years, and was widowed before her last was born. She went on to raise her children as a single mum. Her son, Thomas John, at least repaid some of that loyalty in his reluctance to be married before she died, but she lived to be 87, dying only in 1939. She had lived through a truly remarkable era.

Her married census returns consistently have Loughton, Essex as Hannah's birth. Working the census returns backwards, we have the 1861 England Census for Baldwin Hill, Loughton:
     Rebecca Thurley    Head   Widow    45                                 Bucks, Swanbourne
     Sophia                   Daur    Un           21                                Essex, Ardleigh ) ?
     Harry                     Son     Un           17    Ag Labourer         Essex, Smead   )
     Ned                       Son     Un           14    Ag Labourer         Essex, Loughton
     Martha                   Daur                   11                                Essex, Loughton
     Hannah                  Daur                     9                                 Essex, Loughton
     George William      Son                      6                                 Essex, Loughton
The "?" was added by a census clerk, unable to identify the places names. Later census returns for Sophia has Hornchurch, Essex - later Hardleigh Green - for a birthplace. For Harry this is later given as Smead, Kent, although I have not found this.

Back ten years for the 1851 England Census
     John Thurley           Head   Mar       40   Ag Lab                    Essex, Epping
     Rebecca                 Wife    Mar       36                                  Bucks, Swanbourne
     Sophia                    Daur                 11   Scholar                    Essex, Hornchurch
     Susanna Elisabeth   Daur                   9   Scholar                    Kent, Eaton Bridge
     Harry                     Son                    7    Scholar                    Kent, Smead
     Ned                       Son                    4                                   Essex, Loughton
     Martha                   Daur                  1                                    Essex, Loughton
It looks as though the couple started out closer to London (Hornchurch), moved to Kent for a few years (although I can find neither location), before settling in Loughton. I haven't found a census return for 1841, but Kent or Hornchurch in Essex would be places to start looking.

Extracting the children from these two censuses. Likely BMD Birth Index entries are:
     Sophia Thurley Dec1839 Romford 12 198
     Susanna Thurley Dec1841 Epping 12 85
     Edward Thurley Sep1846 Epping 12 91
     Martha Thurley Sep1849 Epping 12 94
     Hannah Thurley Mar1852 Epping 4a 39
     George William Jun1855 Epping 4a 41
I cannot find a potential birth record for Harry.

Going foward to the 1871 England Census for Baldwin Hill, Loughton has:
     Rebecca Thurley  Head Widow 56                              Buckinghamshire
     Sophia                 Daur   Un       31                              Hornchurch, Essex
     Harry                   Son    Un       27      Gardener          Smead, Kent
     Ned                     Son    Un       24     Ag Lab              Loughton, Essex
     George W            Son   Un       16     Ag Lab               Loughton, Essex
     Edward H Green Grandson        8                                Chigwell, Essex
     Margaret E Green Granddaur     3                                Hackney, Middlesex

Susannah Elizabeth Thurley married Henry Green Dec1860 Epping 4a 53, and Rebecca's grandchildren in this census are their children. By this time Suzanna Green is already a widow, living by herself in Stratford, Essex. This may be a permanent arrangement, since Edward and Margaret Green are still with their grandmother for the 1881 England Census for Pump Hill, Loughton.
     Rebecca Thurley  Head  Widow  65  Charwoman                      Buckinghamshire NK
     Sophia                 Daur   Unm      41  Laundress                         Essex, Hardleigh Green
     Edward               Son     Unm      34  General Labourer              Essex, Loughton
     Martha                Daur    Unm      31 General Servant Domestic Essex, Loughton
     Edward Green    Grandson Unm  18  General Labourer              Essex, Chigwell
     Margaret Green  Granddaur Unm 13  Scholar                             Middlesex, Hackney

And now we find a couple of connections between the Blacketers and this family of Thurleys. The 1881 England Census for Gladstone Road, Nights Cottages, Chigwell, we have:
     Harry Thurley    Head    Mar    37  Gardener        Sury, Kent
     Elizabeth           Wife     Mar     40  Laundress      Fenny, Essex
     Florence A Blacketer Niece       6                        Bow, Middlesex
Florence is the daughter of Harry's sister, Hannah.

The parish records of All Hallows, Bromley, Middlesex have the marriage of George William Thurley and Mary Ann Miller on 13 September 1875. The witnesses to the ceremony were Joseph and Hannah Blacketer, George's brother-in-law and sister. The newly-weds give their address as 163 Campbell Road, to become a familiar street for the Blacketers. This corresponds to BMD Marriage Index Sep1875 Poplar 1c 1097.

This marriage and the Chigwell 1881 census each provide a link between Hannah, the wife of Joseph Blacketer, and Hannah of this Thurley family we have tracked through census returns.

By 1891 England Census for Pump Hill, Loughton we have only:
     Rebecca Thurley  Head  Wid  75 Charwoman          Swanbourne, Buck
     Sophia                 Daur    S     51                             Essex, Hardley Green
     Ned                     Son     S     44 General Labourer  Essex, Loughton
The last column on the census was intended for deaf or dumb, blind, and mental disabilities. For Sophia she is listed as "deformed". The BMD Death Index records: Sophia Thurley Mar1895 Epping 4a 228 Age:55

In the 1901 England Census at Woodberrie Hill, Loughton:
     Edward Thurley   Head  S    54    Epping Forest Labourer     Loughton, Essex

In the 1911 England Census at the same address, Woodberrie Hill, Loughton:
     Ned Thurley      Head      64 Single    General Labourer Epping Forest CL Corpor
                                                                            [?Council Corporation]
     George William  Brother  55 Married  Guard GER Co
                                                                           [Great Eastern Railway Company].
The G.E.R. ran the trains from London through Loughton, which is one of the reasons for the town's growth in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

Also, the BMD Death Index has the following:
      Harry Thurley Dec1926 Epping 4a 410 Age:83
      Ned Thurley Jun1928 Epping 4a 465 Age:81
      George William Thurley Dec1936 Essex SW 4a 198 Age:81
The boys all lived into their 80s. I haven't followed Martha and Susanna Gree, both of whom seem to disappear after 1881.

As to the parents, John and Rebecca Thurley, ancestry public member trees have attached BMD Marriage Index Mar1838 Leighton Buzzard 6 105 for Rebecca Herbert and John Thoroly. Leighton Buzzard is just a few miles from Swanbourne, Rebecca's birthplace, and "Thoroly" might just be a phonetic spelling of a rustic-sounding Thurley. The BMD Death Index has Rebecca Thurley Mar1900 Epping 4a 262 Age:82 John Thurley is present for the census in 1851, but had died by 1861. Seven John Thurleys are recorded as dying between 1851 and 1861, three in Essex, three in London, and one in St Ives.

In two generations, we see two working, single mums raise families after their husbands have died. The experience of Hannah Blacketer reflects that of her mother, Rebecca Thurley, who, in addition, may have raised a couple of grandchildren. We also see some of the family connections that make it all possible.

Tom Blacketer, Mayor of Poplar

I  am fortunate enough to have recollections of three great grandmothers. The one I remember best was known to me as Great Nan, Mary Ann Peterken, who was by then the widow of Thomas Blacketer. She lived to nearly one hundred years. She died in a residential home, where, I am told, she would regale the youngsters (in their sixties and seventies I presume!) with tales of the reign of good Queen Victoria. It is largely through her that we had much already written down in the 1970s about the children of Octavius Peterken, and a little about the cousins.

The photograph below is a family portrait (gratefully received from my Mum, Barbara Tilley) of the Blacketer family, with my Nan, Elsie (born 1917), seated next to her mother Mary Ann. Standing is the older daughter Norah (born 1912), and seated on the right is Thomas John Blacketer. Mary Ann and Thomas John (Madge and Tom to their cousins) had been married in 1906. The story goes that he hesitated to propose while his mother was still alive, but Mary Ann forced the issue - it's now or never - so they were married. Which was just as well, because his mother didn't die until 1939 (BMD Sep1939 Poplar 1c 289 Age:87)!

The 1911 England Census has Thomas John and Mary Ann Blacketer living at 18 Myrtle Road Acton, his occupation is listed as Driver Fireman for the North London Railway. Mary Ann is 31 years old, and Thomas John is 30. They have two boarders living with them.

(In 1901, Mary Ann Peterken, age 22, is in domestic service, living with Frederick and Jane Maddox at 3 Osbourne Road, Forest Gate. By family report she had done some work as a nanny, but is listed here as General servant Domestic).

The 1901 England Census has Thomas John Blacketer living with his mother and 2 of his 3 siblings at 168 Campbell Road, Bromley.
     Hannah Blacketer   Head Wid   49  Laundress                        Essex, Loughton
     Ellen E                    Daur   S      24 Waitress                           London, Bromley
     Joseph H                Son     S      22 Tie Warehouseman           London, Bromley
     Thomas J                Son     S      21 Railway Foreman             London, Bromley
"Foreman" is probably an error for Fireman.

The 1891 England Census has all four siblings and their mother at 178 Campbell Road, Bromley.
     Hannah Blacketer   Head Wid   39  Laundress                        Essex, Loughton
     Florence A              Daur   S     16                                          London, Bow
     Ellen E                    Daur   S      14 Domestic Servant              London, Bow
     Joseph H                Son     S      12 Scholar                             London, Bow
     Thomas J                Son     S      10 Scholar                             London, Bow

The 1881 England Census has three of the four with their mother at 174 Campbell Road, Bromley.
     Hannah Blacketer   Wife Widow   29  Laundress                      Loughton, Essex
     Ellen E                    Daughter          4 Scholar                           Bow, Middlesex
     Joseph H                Son                  2 Scholar                           Bow, Middlesex
     Thomas J                Son              1M Scholar                           Bow, Middlesex
     Jane Holling            Boarder         77 Undertaker's Widow       Mile End, Middlesex
Florence Annie is to be found with Hannah's brother Harry and his wife in Chigwell.

In the 1911 England Census, Hannah Blacketer is a household of one at 154 Campbell Road and for occupation has Caretaker Sunday School. Of note, she records that she had four children, of whom all four are living. Here are some vitals:
     Florence Annie  
          BMD Birth Sep1874 Poplar 1c 600
          BMD Marriage Dec1897 Poplar 1c 1023 Ernest William Lofts
               Bromley St Leonards 25 December 1897
                    father given as Joseph Blacketer (deceased) Carman
          BMD Death Mar1964 Ilford 5a 408 Age:89 (Florence A Lofts)
     Ellen Elizabeth    
          BMD Birth Sep1876 Poplar 1c 627
          BMD Marriage Mar1903 Poplar 1c 677 Alfred Connell
               Bromley St Leonards 9 March 1903
                    father is Joseph Blacketer Coal Porter
          BMD Death Mar1931 Poplar 1c 516 Age:54 (Ellen E Connell)
     Joseph Harry      
          BMD Birth Mar1879 Poplar 1c 691
               School Admissions and discharge register specifies 7 January 1879
          BMD Marriage Jun1904 Poplar 1c 1025 Esther Elizabeth Corfe
          BMD Death Mar1942 Lewisham 1d 1149 Age:63
                National Probate Calendar specifies 14 February 1942
     Thomas John      
          BMD Birth Jun1881 Poplar 1c 617
               School Admissions and discharge register specifies 2 March 1881
          BMD Marriage Jun1906 Poplar 1c 1001 Mary Ann Peterken
          BMD Death Dec1953 Romford 5a 405 Age:63
               National Probate Calendar specifies 11 December 1953

Their father, Joseph Blacketer, married Hannah Thurley in 1873 (BMD Marriage Sep1873 W Ham 4a 8). BMD Birth has Hannah Thurley Mar1852 Epping 4a 39 and Joseph Blacketer Sep1848 W Ham 4a 12.
Joseph Blacketer died before Thomas John was born (BMD Death Sep1880 Poplar 1c 411 Age:31), so never appears on a census return with his family. We will see him in a later post; for now, back to Thomas John.

The years between the Great War and World War Two were years of economic and political turmoil. The British economy slumped after the Great War, culminating in the Great Slump of 1929. Depressed wages and reductions in welfare spending precipitated the General Strike (1926) and the Invergordon Mutiny (1931). There were seven general elections between 1918 and 1939. The Labour Party gained prominence as the vote was extended to include all men over 21 years and women over 30 in 1918, and then all adults over 21 in 1928. This was the political environment in which the Blacketer family grew.

In 1921 Thomas Blacketer was a councillor in Poplar Borough Council, during the Poplar Rates Rebellion headed by the Labour politician George Lansbury. In order to keep its local rates down, Poplar refused to pay the precept which went to pay for certain metropolitan London services so that it could spend on social welfare and programs to alleviate the chronic poverty in the borough. It was perceived as grossly unfair that while poor boroughs had to pay toward certain services, wealthy boroughs did not pay toward common welfare needs. Poplar Borough Council's refusal to pay the precept defied Parliament and the Courts, and 30 Councillors, including Lansbury, were gaoled for contempt of court. This generated much public sympathy, and the government were forced to back down after six weeks.

The family report is that the Blacketers with their young children (Norah would have been 9 years old, and Elsie 4) absconded to Devon to avoid arrest, and so his name is not on the mural on Hale Street, commemorating the Rebellion. They returned when the crisis was over. On 1st January 1922 Minnie Lansbury (George's daughter-in-law) died of pneumonia, thought to have been contracted while she was imprisoned. Janine Booth in Guilty and Proud of It (2009) writes:

Councillor Blacketer [wrote] that "Our loss is irreplaceable". Minnie, he said, had "died for the cause", arguing that imprisonment had weakened her, leaving her body unable to fight off the illness that killed her.

Thomas Blacketer was also George Lansbury's election agent, roughly equivalent to an American campaign manager, and the family has letters from Lansbury addressed to "My Dear Blacketer". In 1930 Blacketer was himself elected to the office of Mayor of Poplar, and this is a portrait of Mayor Blacketer with his mayoral chain of office (another scan from Barbara Tilley). The family story goes that Lansbury offered Thomas Blacketer a parliamentary seat if he desired to enter national politics. Thomas consulted with Mary Ann who said, "Over my dead body", so he declined the offer. Given the tumult of the time, I can well understand their concern that a political life might have destroyed their family life.

Too bad I never got to meet him. But we still have the stories and we pass them on.