Inherited Craziness
A place to share all the nuts found on my family tree

Thursday, 31 March 2022

Herbert Joy Tubb and Ada Harriet Bartlett

St Corentine's Church, Cury
cc-by-sa/2.0 - © Trevor Harris - geograph.org.uk/p/1817672

Herbert Joy Tubb (b. 1865), son of Edward Tubb and Sarah Elizabeth Joy, married Ada Harriet Bartlett (b. 1870, bap. 8 Jan 1871 in Cury, Cornwall), daughter of John William Ginn Bartlett and Harriet Nanney, in the district of Helston in the 4th quarter of 1892. Baptised in Cury, brought up in Uny-Lelant, Ada was living at Boscawen, Mawgan in Meneage, Helston in 1891, where her father was a Farmer, so likely that was the venue for the marriage, where the parish church is dedicated to St Mauganus, a Welshman.

In 1891, Herbert J Tubb (25) Merchant's Clerk, had been a visitor in the household of Farmer, Samuel Trounson (58) at Penvores, Mawgan in Meneage, which was right next door on the census to the Bartlett household.

Herbert and Ada had two children:
  1. John Bartlett Tubb b. 12 Jul 1893 in HELSTON Volume 05C Page 168
  2. Olive Joy Tubb b. 26 Jun 1898 in HELSTON  Volume 05C Page 169
In 1901, Ada H Tubb (30) was living at Boscawen Cottage, Mawgan in Meneage with son John B Tubb (7) at school and Olive J (2). Herbert was not at home.

In 1911, the family were living at 4 Athenaeum Street Plymouth. Herbert Joy Tubb (44) Implement and machinery manager, Ada Harriet Tubb (39), John Bartlett Tubb (17) Apprentice Engineer and Olive Joy Tubb (12) at School.

Son, John Bartlett Tubb, Fleet Engineer, of 4 Athenaeum Street Plymouth enlisted in the Territorial Force Royal Engineers, on 18 Sep 1914. At 21, he was 5ft 6in tall with a 36 in chest. In reserve until 23 Mar 1915, he was then sent to Gibraltar on 24 Mar 1915, until 11 Nov 1916, where he picked up a dose of Gonorrhea (an occupational hazard in the forces?), treated in 1915 - remember this is well before the introduction of antibiotics that was not until the 1940's. (Gonorrhea: Historical outlook). He was discharged on 9 Jul 1919 at Ripon.

The family, with Herbert, Ada, John and Olive were still in Plymouth in 1921.

Olive Joy Tubb married Richard Donald Broad (b. 2 Feb 1896 in Liskard), son of William Nanscowan Broad and Louise Daniel, in Plymouth, in 1922.
Richard Donald Broad had enlisted in the brand new Royal Air Force (RAF) on 20 Apr 1918 and applied for a Temporary Commission. In Aug/Sep of that year he is listed at RAF & Army Co-Op School as 'Pilot for training'. In Nov 1918 he was assigned to 116 Squadron.
John Bartlett Tubb married Kathleen Margaret Coomb (b. 30 Sep 1896 in Truro, Cornwall), daughter of Arthur Bate Coomb (an Elementary teacher, born in Victoria, Australia) and Lucy Bennett, in Plymouth, in 1925.

Ada H Tubb died, aged 62, in Plymouth in 1932.

In 1939, Herbert Joy Tubb, Agricultural Engineer (Retired), widower, was living in the household of his son-in-law, Richard Donald Broad, Poultry, Pig and Fruit Farmer; daughter, Olive Joy Broad and grandson, David Broad (b. 12 May 1928), at Broadlands, Lifton, Tavistock, Devon, on the Devon / Cornwall border. 
Also living at Broadlands, Lifton, in 1939, in the next household was William John Rundle (b. 7 Jun 1909), Agricultural Labourer and his wife. Presumably, Rundle was working for Richard Broad. If [requires further investigation] this William John Rundle is related to the Rundle clan from Luxulyan, Cornwall - not entirely unlikely given the proximity - then, in another of those monkey puzzle tree branches of my family tree that have ceased to surprise, we could have someone distantly related to my father's mother, working for someone distantly related to my mother's father. God forbid that they could actually be related to each other! 
Meanwhile, John B Tubb, Marine Engine Fitter and Kathleen M Tubb were living at 3 Goldington Avenue, Bedford in 1939.

Herbert Joy Tubb of Broadlands, Lifton, Devon died, aged 74, on 28 May 1940, leaving effects of £1052 3s 11d (circa. £63K in 2022) to Olive Joy Broad, wife of Richard Donald Broad. There was an obituary in the Western Morning News of 30 May 1940 [that I have yet to access].

  • Olive Joy Broad died, in 1971, in Sodbury, Gloucestershire.
  • Richard Donald Broad died, in 1983, in Tavistock, Devon.
  • Kathleen Margaret Tubb died on 17 Mar 1988 in Plymouth.
  • John Bartlett Tubb died, in 1985, in Liskeard, Cornwall.
  • David Broad died, in 2005, also in Liskeard, Cornwall.

Wednesday, 30 March 2022

George Frederick Harcus and Charlotte Cooper

St Nicholas with St Mary Church, Strood
cc-by-sa/2.0 - © Marathon - geograph.org.uk/p/3568896

George Frederick Harcus (b. 1863), youngest son of John Harcus and Selina Patrick, married Charlotte Cooper (bap. 25 Aug 1867 at St Nicholas Church, Strood), daughter of Henry Cooper and Mary Ann Willan, at St Peter’s Church (now demolished), Rochester, Kent in 1884.

George and Charlotte appear to have two children:
  1. Richard John Harcus b. 1888 M Quarter in STROOD Volume 02A Page 555, bap. 27 Apr 1888 at St Nicholas Church, Strood
  2. Nelly May Harcus b. 9 Aug 1889 in STROOD Volume 02A Page 545



Cecil Avenue, Strood
cc-by-sa/2.0 - © Chris Whippet - geograph.org.uk/p/4847606

None of them can be found on the 1891 census, anywhere.

In 1901, George F Harcus (37) Barge Captain was living at 18, Cecil Avenue, Strood Intra, Strood, Kent with Charlotte Harcus (34), Richard Harcus (13), Nellie Harcus (12) and George's widowed mother, Selina Harcus (78).

In 1911, George Harcus (47) Waterman barge captain, Charlotte Harcus (43) and Nellie Harcus (22), lived at 67 Kitchener Road Strood Rochester

George Frederick Harcus died, aged 69, on 31 Mar 1932 and was buried at Strood Cemetery in Section K Grave No. 3 (C), where his mother was buried. Charlotte Harcus died, on 10 Mar 1939, she will have been 71, at 67 Kitchener Rd, Strood and was buried on 16 Mar 1939, in the same plot with her husband. Probate was granted on 9 Jun 1939 to her daughter, Nellie May Slater.

Kitchener Road, Strood
cc-by-sa/2.0 - © Danny P Robinson - geograph.org.uk/p/889492

  • Richard J Harcus married Elizabeth R Andrews, in Strood in the 4th quarter of 1917. There is a Richard John Harcus (b. 1888) in St Olave, Bermondsey, London in 1921, but with no Elizabeth in the household. Richard John Harcus died, aged 72, in 1960. 
  • Nellie M Harcus married Ernest J Slater in Strood in the 3rd quarter of 1923. In 1939, Ernest J Slater (b. 5 Jul 1885) Gentleman's hairdresser, and Nellie M Slater were still living at 67 Kitchener Road, Rochester. Nellie May Slater died in 1979, aged 90.

Henry Caddy and Selina Mary Ann Harcus

St Mary, Dock Road, Chatham
cc-by-sa/2.0 - © David Kemp - geograph.org.uk/p/4674626
The church, now closed, is mainly late C19 but a few Norman features still remain.

Henry Caddy (24), Shipwright, son of John Henry Caddy and Sarah Kirkby, married, Selina Mary Ann Harcus (20), daughter of John Harcus and Selina Patrick, on 18 Dec 1870 at St Mary's Church, Chatham. Witnesses were her brother Henry George Harcus and Sarah Caddy, Henry's sister.

In 1871, Selina Caddy (21), Henry Caddy (24) Shipwright, were living with Selina's widowed mother, Selina Harcus (47) Licensed Victualler at the Chest Arms, 55 High Street, Chatham.

Henry and Selina Caddy then had one daughter: 

  1. Selina Sarah Caddy, b. 15 Jan 1872 (1872 M Quarter in MEDWAY Volume 02A Page 470), bap. 11 Feb 1872 at St Mary's Church, Chatham.

Selina Mary Ann Caddy was one of the witnesses to the marriage of her brother Henry George Harcus and Susan Alice Tubb, on 29 Dec 1872.

Then in the forth quarter of 1874, in Shoreditch, Selina Mary A Caddy married either Lewis Betjemann or Christopher Court Harmes (Jane Edmunds married the other), but without buying the certificate, it's not clear which one married which. None of the combinations are listed on subsequent census returns. 

This is a mystery, because one might assume that Henry Caddy had died ...

However, in 1881, we find Henry Caddy (34) Shipwright presumably alive therefore, listed as married, living in the home of his father, John Henry Caddy (59) Joiner (he had been a Joiner at the Dockyard) and his second wife Elizabeth Caddy (61) at 50, Church Road, Gillingham, Medway, Kent, but with no mention of Henry's wife or child. (Henry's mother, Sarah Caddy, had died in 1866 and John Henry Caddy had married widow, Elizabeth Fowler, on 26 Mar 1874).

After that I can find no more records for Henry Caddy, not even a death.

Selina Sarah Caddy doesn't appear on a census either, until 1891, when we find George Lewis (47) Caretaker from Mile End, Middlesex at James Allen's School, Townley Road, Camberwell (James Allen's Girls' School), with wife Selina Lewis (41) Housekeeper from Chatham, Kent; daughter listed as Selina Lewis (19) also from Chatham, Kent, with two Assistant caretakers in the household.

There is no obvious record of a marriage of George Lewis to a Selina anything in the relevant timeframe that I can find and it's interesting that Lewis is the surname here, where it was a forename on the 1874 marriages. Coincidence? Is it possible that Lewis Betjemann, for whom I can find no other record, Anglicised himself to George Lewis? Was that a bigamous marriage? Did Selina have a good reason to escape Henry Caddy? We will probably never know. Subsequent records, which I found first, show that these are the right people however.

In 1894, Selina Sarah Caddy (22) married William Slate (24) at the church of St Michael, Burleigh Street, Westminster (Initially a chapel within the parish of St. Martin in the Fields, closed 1905. The church was demolished.)

William and Selina Sarah Slate had five children:

  1. Victor Alfred William Slate b. 30 Nov 1895 in HOLBORN 01B 683
  2. Eleanor Selina Slate b. 11 Nov 1897 in HOLBORN 01B 687
  3. Alfred John Slate b. 10 Aug 1900 in WEST HAM Vol 04A Page 469, bap 2 Sep 1900 at St. James' Church, Walthamstow
  4. Doris Margaret Slate b. 13 Oct 1904 in WEST HAM Vol 04A Page 458, bap. 13 Nov 1904 at St. James' Church, Walthamstow
  5. Lily Slate b. 12 Aug 1910 in WEST HAM Vol 04A Page 474, bap. 9 Sep 1910 at St. James' Church, Walthamstow
George Lewis (55) had died, in Camberwell in 1900.

In 1901, Selina Lewis (51) Widow, General shop dealer, from Chatham, Kent, was living at 52, Gladstone Road, Walthamstow, West Ham. William Slate (32) Bookbinder, was living at 81, Gladstone Road, Walthamstow, West Ham with Selina Slate (29) from Chatham, Kent; Victor (5), Selina (3) and Alfred (0).

In 1911, at 23 Camden Road Walthamstow, Walthamstow, were William Slate (41) Bookbinder, Selina Slate (39) from Chatham, Kent; Victor Slate (15) Junior clerk; Eleanor (13), Alfred (10), Doris (6), Lily (0) and Selina Lewis (61) Mother, Widow, Dressmaker from Chatham, Kent.

William and Selina Slate were still living in Walthamstow in 1921. There was nobody with the surname Lewis in their household, however, there is a Selina Ana Lewis (b. 1850), from Kent, also living in Walthamstow in 1921.


In 1939, William Slate (b. 1 Jul 1869), Groundsman and Sarah Selina Slate (b. 15 Jan 1872) were living at 13 Forster Road, Walthamstow. William Slate died, aged 89, in 1958 and Selina S Slate died, aged 95, in 1966, in Waltham Forest.

Tuesday, 29 March 2022

Henry George Harcus and Susan Alice Tubb

Church of St. John the Divine, Chatham
cc-by-sa/2.0 - © Chris Whippet - geograph.org.uk/p/3850305

Henry George Harcus (b. 1848), son of John Harcus and Selina Patrick, married Susan Alice Tubb (b. 1852), daughter of Edward Tubb and Hannah Bussey and younger sister of Elizabeth Tubb, at St John's Church, Chatham, Kent, on 29 Dec 1872. Henry George Harcus', 24 at the time of the marriage, occupation was listed as Publican. Witnesses were Selina Mary Ann Caddy (Henry George's sister, who had married in 1870) and George Vokes. 

(With Henry George's surname mis-transcribed as Harrens on the record of the marriage, it was finding his sister's marriage and her subsequently living with their widowed mother in 1871, which led me to the correct entries.)

(St John's a Waterloo church built in 1821 and restructured in 1869, ceased being an active church in 1964, used as an art project, reopened in 2021.)

The couple don't seem to have had any children.

On 8 Mar 1875 at Maidstone Assizes (the assizes heard the most serious cases), Susanah Alice Harcus stood accused of Perjury, but the bill was ignored. I don't know the details of the case, but it's ironic that Susan appears to be in trouble with the law, when her sister married a policeman

That same year, on 21 Oct 1875, at Maidstone Quarter Sessions, Henry Harcus was tried for "Stealing £1, the money of George Miles, at Chatham, on 12th September, 1875". The Verdict of the Jury was "No Bill", which generally means there was not enough evidence to indict him on the alleged crime, or the prosecution decided not to pursue the case any further.

In 1881, Henry Harcus (32) Eating house keeper and wife listed as Alice S Harcus (27) from Portsmouth, Hampshire, were living at 7, Middle Street, Gillingham (7 Middle St, Brompton, Chatham, Gillingham, close to both Chatham Dockyard as well as Brompton Barracks and Kitchener Barracks).

Henry George Harcus died on 20 Feb 1887, aged 39, at that time resident in St George in the East, Middlesex and was buried at Chatham, St Mary in the Chatham, Former St Mary's Burial Ground, now Town Hall Gardens. Records show he was interred in grave 319, with his father and sister. Now reinterred, on 5 Aug 1971, in the Borough Cemetery in Maidstone Road.

The very next quarter in 1887, Susan Alice Harcus remarried in Mile End Old Town, London. As yet, I haven't been able to determine who she married.

Thursday, 24 March 2022

Henry John Leese and Marian Blanche Burgess

HMS President in London
cc-by-sa/2.0 - © Steve Daniels - geograph.org.uk/p/3352722
HMS President is a stone frigate, or shore establishment of the Royal Naval Reserve; on the northern bank of the River Thames near Tower Bridge.

Henry John Leese (b. 5 Jan 1862), son of John Leese and Caroline Bussey and elder brother of William James Leese, married Marian Blanche Burgess (b. 1863 in Greenwich), daughter of William George Burgess and Emma Chisman, at St Olave's Church, Southwark (more images), Southwark St Olave, in 1885.

Henry John Leese began his naval career on 5 Jan 1879, having previously attended Greenwich School, assigned to school ship, HMS Impregnable (1810), transferring to HMS President (shore establishment) on 1 Jan 1881.

In 1881, Henry John Leese, then 19, had been an Ordinary seaman pupil teacher, stationed at HMS President (shore establishment). Although I've not found where Marian was that year (my guess is working in London) her parents were living at 6, Horsley Road, Rochester St Margaret, Medway, Kent and her father, William Burgess (51), was described as a 'Chelsea out pensioner'. 

Henry and Marian Leese had nine children, three of whom died (numbers confirmed by Henry John Leese' own account on 1911 Census):

  1. May Constance Leese b. 1886 S Quarter in BRIGHTON Volume 02B Page 228, bap. at Southsea, St Bartholomew in 1890.
  2. Elsie Christine Leese b. 1890 S Quarter in PORTSEA ISLAND Volume 02B Page 479, bap. at Southsea, St Bartholomew in 1890. Died.
  3. Henry John Leese b. 14 Dec 1892 in Valletta, Malta 
  4. Maude Christiana Leese b. 13 Jul 1894 in Malta 
  5. Marian Blanche Leese b. 1895 D Quarter in STOKE DAMEREL Volume 05B Page 301, bap. 1896 in Stoke Damerel, Devon, died aged 1 in 1896 D Quarter in ALVERSTOKE Volume 02B  Page 361
  6. William Gordon Leese b. 17 Jan 1897 M Quarter in ALVERSTOKE Volume 02B Page 560
  7. John Stanley Leese b. 1898 M Quarter in ALVERSTOKE Volume 02B Page 540, bap. in 1898 in Forton (Gosport), Hampshire
  8. Edward Lionel Leese b. 1900 M Quarter in ALVERSTOKE Volume 02B Page 568, died aged 3 in 1903 M Quarter Volume 02B Page 355
  9. Frank Alfred Joseph Leese b. 10 Jun 1909 J Quarter in ALVERSTOKE Volume 02B Page 565, bap. in 1909 in Forton (Gosport), Hampshire
All that's left of St Olave (in situ)
cc-by-sa/2.0 - © Stephen Craven - geograph.org.uk/p/1410297
This drinking fountain (no longer working) in Tanner Street Park formed from part of the tower of St Olave's church and was all that was left (in situ) when it was demolished in 1926.

The family are not on the 1891 Census in England as Henry John Leese was stationed at Malta Dockyard between 14 Jun 1890 and 11 Dec 1894.

Henry John Leese was appointed Schoolmaster at Portsmouth Division Royal Marines, at that time located at Forton Barracks, near Gosport in Hampshire, on 29 Jul 1896, position he appears to have held until 30 Apr 1917.

In 1901, Henry J Leese (39) Schoolmaster, Warrant Officer RMLI, born in Portobello, Sussex was living in Forton Road, Alverstoke (his Royal Marines record specifies this as 139 Forton Rd, Gosport), with wife Marian B Leese (37) born in Greenwich; May C Leese (14) born in Brighton, Henry J Leese (8) born in Malta; Maud C Leese (6) born in Malta; William G Leese (4) born in Gosport; John S Leese (3) born in Gosport and Edward L Leese (1) born in Gosport. There are no further records of Elsie Christine after her baptism; she is not listed on this census and I can find no record of a death either, so the most logical explanation is that she must have died as an infant in Malta.

In 1911, Henry John Leese (49) Schoolmaster, WO RMLI, was still living in Alverstoke, Hampshire with Marian Blanche Leese (47), May Constance Leese (24), Maude Christania Leese (16), William Gordon Leese (14), John Stanley Leese (13) and Frank Alfred Leese (1). Son Henry J Leese (18) had joined the Royal Marines in 1910 and was that year listed in Walmer, Kent (Deal).

Henry John Leese is still registered in Alverstoke in 1921.

Henry John Leese died, aged 70, on 15 Apr 1932 (J Quarter Volume 02B Page 734) and is buried at Clayhall Naval Cemetery (Haslar Royal Naval Cemetery).

Marian Blanche Leese died seven years later, on 15 Apr 1939, aged 75.

Alverstoke, chapel
cc-by-sa/2.0 - © Mike Faherty - geograph.org.uk/p/5531868
Mortuary chapel at Haslar Royal Naval Cemetery (Clayhall Cemetery).

The six surviving children: 
  1. May Constance Leese died, unmarried, aged 81, in Portsmouth, in 1967.
  2. Henry John Leese (70) was discharged dead from the Royal Marines, to which he'd obviously devoted his entire life, on 15 Nov 1962.
  3. Maude Christina Leese died, aged 83, also still a spinster, in 1977.
  4. William Gordon Leese enlisted in the Royal Navy on 20 Jul 1912, but was declared invalided on 8 Feb 1921 at Haslar Hospital. William G Leese died, aged 71, in 1968 in Gosport.
  5. John Stanley Leese died, at 80, in 1979 in Stockport, Cheshire.
  6. Frank Alfred Joseph Leese joined the British Army, Coldstream Guards in 1928. Frank A J Leese married Faith K Partridge (née Stead) in Acle, Norfolk in 1947. He died in 1990, in Norwich.

Wednesday, 23 March 2022

Gideon Baker, Susan Rhoda Bussey & William James Leese

Lavant Hill Cottage, near to Lurgashall, West Sussex
cc-by-sa/2.0 - © Chris Thomas-Atkin - geograph.org.uk/p/6123837

Gideon Baker (b. 1854 in South Petherton, Somerset), son of John Baker and Jane White, married Susan Rhoda Bussey (listed as Susan Aurora Bussey on the record of the marriage), daughter of James Wilmot Bussey and Ellen Jane Munday, at the second church of St Mary's Church, Portsea in 1876.

In 1881, Gideon Baker (25) was a Refreshment House Keeper at 37, North Street, Portsea, with wife Susan Baker (23), Richard Bussey (17) Brother-in-law, Butcher; Caroline Bussey (31) Sister-in-law, Housekeeper; William Shotter (5) Nephew (son of Susan's sister Hannah Jane), along with Thomas Beckford (30) Dockyard labourer, Visitor from Devonport, Devon and three Seamen, Boarders: George Matthews (21), John James (23) and William Madgarrick (25), so presumably were also running this establishment as a boarding house.

Twenty years earlier, in 1861, Gideon's father, John Baker, who had come to Portsmouth between 1854 and 1861, was also a Refreshment House Keeper in North Street, Portsea, so we can presume he is carrying on this business.

"Towards the end of the 19th century the temperance movement [a social movement against the consumption of alcoholic beverages] gave rise to a lot of establishments which didn't sell alcohol and were known as tea rooms or refreshment houses. They weren't the old coffee houses, more like modern tea shops." [Source]

Moderation or abstinence didn't help him, however, as Gideon Baker died, aged 34, on 22 Mar 1889 and was buried at Kingston Cemetery, Portsmouth. 

By the time Probate was granted on 10 Dec 1890, Susan Aurora Baker had already remarried to William James Leese, son of John Leese and Caroline Bussey, who was her first cousin. (William James Leese' mother, Caroline Bussey, was the sister of Susan Rhoda's father, James Wilmot Bussey.)

Neither of these marriages produced any children however.

In 1891, William James Leese (31) and Susan A Leese (33) - William, 12 years younger than his wife, made himself 10 years older - were living in London Avenue, Portsmouth with Jane Hayward (21) Boarder from Sussex. 

William James Leese' occupation on this census was listed as Dockyard Writer. His appointment as a Dockyard Boy Writer had been announced in The London Gazette in 1884 and, in the same periodical in 1895, his elevation to 'First Class Writer in the Expense Accounts Department of Her Majesty's Naval Yards'. In 1919, 'Assistant Expense Accounts Officer in H.M. Naval Establishments'.

Houses at corner of Shadwell Road and Gladys Avenue
cc-by-sa/2.0 - © David Martin - geograph.org.uk/p/5165865

In 1901, William J Leese (31) Clerk Civil Service and wife Susan R Leese (39) - she was 43 - were living in Gladys Terrace, Gladys Avenue, Portsmouth

Unable to [yet] locate them in 1911, they were living in Croydon by 1921.

Susan Rhoda Leese died, aged 65, on 9 Jul 1922 S Quarter in CROYDON Volume 02A Page 269. Probate was granted to William James Leese.

In 1939, William James Leese was listed at 1 Lavant Cottages, Hurgas Hall, Lurgashall, West Sussex. William James Leese died, aged 83, in 1953 S Quarter in CROYDON Volume 05G Page 63.

Charles Baker and Sarah Hoile

St Mary Aldermary, Bow Lane, London EC4 - West end
cc-by-sa/2.0 - © John Salmon - geograph.org.uk/p/885942

Charles Baker married Sarah Hoile in the parish of St Mary Aldermary with St Thomas the Apostle on 12 Jan 1822. Since the church of St Thomas the Apostle was destroyed in the Great Fire of London in 1666 and not rebuilt, it's probably safe to assume that the venue was St Mary Aldermary

The couple have two children, baptised at St Leonard's, Shoreditch:
  1. Sarah Baker b. 1 Nov 1822, bap. 10 Jan 1823 
  2. Charles Hoile Baker b. 23 Aug 1825, bap. 9 Oct 1825
It has not been possible [yet] to isolate further records for this pair.

Tuesday, 22 March 2022

Charles Hoile Baker and Amelia Young

St John's Church, Waterloo Tom Morris, CC BY-SA 3.0

Charles Hoile Baker (b. 23 Aug 1825, bap. 9 Oct 1825 at St Leonard's Church, Shoreditch), son of Charles Baker and Sarah Hoile, married Amelia Young (b. 6 May 1823, bap. 14 Sep 1823 at Southwark St Saviour), daughter of Richard and Sarah Young, at St John's Church, Waterloo (interior image) a..k.a. Lambeth St John the Evangelist, Surrey in Q1 1847.

Charles and Amelia Baker, it would appear, had six children:
  1. Charles Richard Baker b. 1848 M Quarter in SHOREDITCH Vol 02 Page 399, bap. 4 Jun 1848 at St Leonard's Church, Shoreditch
  2. Frederick Hoile Baker b. 21 Nov 1849 D Quarter in ST GILES IN THE FIELDS & ST GEORGE BLOOMSBURY Volume 01 Page 65, bap. 9 Dec 1849 at St Anne's Church, Soho. Died, aged 7, in 1856 D Quarter in SAINT GEORGE IN THE EAST Volume 01C Page 295 and was buried on 21 Dec 1856 at the City of London and Tower Hamlets Cemetery.
  3. Sarah Jane Baker b. 1 Feb 1852 M Quarter in HOLBORN Volume 01B Page 395, bap. 1852 at Lambeth St John.
  4. Amelia Elizabeth Baker b. 1854 J Quarter in HOLBORN Vol 01B 421
  5. Sophia Baker b. 1858 D Quarter in SAINT GEORGE IN THE EAST Volume 01C Page 426
  6. Ellen Rosina Baker b. 1866 S Quarter in SAINT GEORGE IN THE EAST Volume 01C Page 398. Registered as Ellen Susannah, the mother's maiden name is also shown as Young. Always known as Ellen Rosina, it appears the registration was listed or transcribed incorrectly.
In 1851, in Kingsgate Street, Holborn (celebrated by Dickens as the address of Mrs. Gamp's Lodging) were Charles Hoile Baker (25) Plumber, Amelia Baker (27), Charles Richard Baker (3), Frederick Hoile Baker (1) and Eliza Sandall (19) Dressmaker, who I can only assume was a Lodger.

By 1861, in Cowley Street, St George-In-The-East (which ran north-south just east of Shadwell Station), the household comprised: Charles Baker (39) Mechanic Plumber, Amelia Baker (40), Charles Baker (13), Sarah Baker (9), Amelia Baker (7) and Sophia Baker (2).

Once more in Cowley Street, St George in the East in 1871 were Charles H Baker (45), Amelia Baker (47), Sarah J Baker (20), Amelia Baker (17), Sophia Baker (13) and Ellen Baker (4). (Charles Richard had married in 1867.)

And in 1881, at 75, Cowley Street, St George in the East, were Charles Baker (54) Plumber, Amelia Baker (58) and Ellen Baker (14).

Amelia Baker died, aged 61, in 1883 M Quarter in ST GEORGE IN THE EAST Volume 01C Page 300. 

Charles Hoile Baker died on 20 Sep 1883 at 75, Cowley St, Stepney. (1883 S Quarter in ST GEORGE IN THE EAST Volume 01C Page 283).

Monday, 21 March 2022

William George S Broome and Louisa Adcock Soppit

Church of St Martin-in-the-Fields
cc-by-sa/2.0 - © N Chadwick - geograph.org.uk/p/6466193
English Anglican church at the north-east corner of Trafalgar Square. There has been a church on the site since at least the medieval period. It was at that time located in the farmlands and fields.

William George Sonniers Broome (b. 1884), son of William Sommers Broome and Mary Ann Dunbar, married Louisa Adcock Soppit, daughter of John Soppit and Louisa Tompson at the church of St Martin-in-the-Fields, in 1913.

William and Louisa had two children:
  1. Margaret Broome b. 1914 M Quarter in LEWISHAM Vol 1D Page 2122, died aged 1, in 1915 D Quarter in LAMBETH  Vol 01D  Page 509
  2. John Sommers Broome b. 19 Nov 1915 D Quarter in LEWISHAM Volume 01D Page 1946
William, Louisa and John were still living in Lewisham in 1921.

William George Sommers Broome died, aged just 38 in 1923 M Quarter in LEWISHAM Volume 01D Page 1098.

In 1939, Louisa A Broome, Laundry Director, was living at 57 Ladywell Road, Ladywell, Lewisham. Living with her was her widowed sister-in-law, Rachel Soppit and her three children.

Louisa Adcock Broome died, aged 76, in December 1963 and was buried on 24 Dec 1963 at Ladywell Cemetery.

John Sommers Broom died on 18 Jul 2004, aged 89.

Benjamin Tompson Soppit and Ida Lily Hepworth

St Nicholas ChurchDurweston, Dorset

Benjamin Tompson Soppit, son of John Soppit and Louisa Tompson, married Ida Lily Hepworth (b. 16 Sep 1891 in Exeter, Devon), daughter of Vincent Hepworth and Mary Ann (Annie) Rogers, at St Mary Major, Exeter, on 2 Jul 1913. Benjamin Tompson Soppit, 28, Traveller, of Sincero, Honley Road, Catford, son of John Soppit, Gentleman. Ida Lily Hepworth gave her residence as 3 Cathedral Yard, Exeter, which is now the address of Al Farid restaurant [1]. Witnesses were Annie Adams (Ida's mother who had remarried in 1908), H W (Henry Wood) Adams, her step-father, and John Soppit, presumably Benjamin's father.

The Church of St Mary Major, Exeter, formerly Exeter Minster, had stood in Exeter Cathedral Yard, between the west front of the cathedral and next to The Three Gables, the building which now houses Al Farid restaurant. Having been rebuilt several times, St Mary Major was finally demolished in 1971.

In 1911, Ida Hepworth was a Hospital Nurse at The Croydon Borough Hospital for Infectious Diseases (Waddon Hospital) opened in 1886. The Hospital was extended in 1911 to include two isolation pavilions and a Nurses' Home.

Benjamin and Ida had two children: 

  1. John Vincent Soppit b. 15 Jul 1914 S Quarter in YORK Vol 09D Page 27
  2. Ida Louisa Soppit b. 1916 M Quarter in PLYMPTON ST. MARY Volume 05B Page 293
In March 1916 Benjamin Tompson Soppit M2/115307 was serving with the Royal Army Service Corps in Salonica [Thessaloniki] on the Macedonian front. He ultimately achieved the rank of Second Lieutenant And Adjutant

In 1939, Benjamin and Ida were living at 46 Cambridge Drive, Lee, Lewisham.

Final resting place of Benjamin Tompson and Ida Lily Soppit

They later moved to 43 Barrack Row, Durweston, near to their daughter. 

Benjamin Tompson Soppit died on 28 Jan 1969, aged 85. Ida Lily Soppit died on 3 Jun 1995, at the age of 103 years 9 months. They're buried together in the churchyard at St Nicholas ChurchDurweston, Dorset. The inscription reads:

IN LOVING MEMORY OF
BENJAMIN TOMPSON SOPPIT
WHO FELL ASLEEP 
28th JAN 1969
Faithful in all things
ALSO OF HIS WIFE
IDA LILY
3rd June 1995
In her 104th year

  • John Vincent Soppit married Olive Constance Archer in 1943 in Bromley, Kent. Listed in the 21 Jun 1945 edition of The London Gazette is Lieutenant-Colonel (temporary) John Vincent SOPPIT (124996), Royal Army Service Corps (Beckenham, Kent). They had one daughter, Amanda Janet Soppit, born in 1946. John Vincent Soppit died in London in 1990. Olive Constance Soppit of 54 Greenways, Beckenham, Kent, died on 1 Dec 2010. Amanda Janet Soppit appears not to have married and died on 9 Apr 2015.
  • Betty I L Soppit (Ida Louisa) had married, although the record of the marriage incorrectly states to Alfred W Woodley, in Deptford, London in 1938. In 1939, Alfred E Woodley (b. 22 Jan 1913) School Master, and Betty I L Woodley were living at 77 Salisbury Street, Blandford Forum, Dorset. They had one son, born in Carlisle, Cumberland, in 1942. Alfred Ernest Woodley of The Old Bank House, Blandford, died, aged 30, on 17 Feb 1943 at Bewaldeth Village, Cockermouth, Cumberland. Betty I L Woodley then remarried to Harold Greenleaves in Blandford, Dorset in 1944. They had one son in 1945. Harold Greenleaves, born 1904, died in North Dorset, in 2003. Betty Ida Louisa Greenleaves died, on 29 Jul 2014. Both sons appear to have married and have families and to be still living.

[1] Coincidentally, Al Farid is one of my favourite restaurants anywhere in the world. The food, atmosphere and experience are authentic. Particularly recommend their mezze and wine deal. Liked by anyone I've sent there.

Thursday, 17 March 2022

John Winship Soppit, Mary Ellen Finch and Mary Morrell

Sangley Rd
cc-by-sa/2.0 - © N Chadwick - geograph.org.uk/p/3162332

John Winship Soppit, son of John Soppit and Louisa Tompson married Mary Ellen Finch, at St Lawrence, Catford (built in 1887, demolished in 1968 to make a car park) [in Lewisham registration district] on 24 September 1904. 

John and Mary Ellen had three daughters:

  1. Dorothy Louisa Soppit b. 18 Aug 1906 in LAMBETH Vol 01D Page 471
  2. Hilda Mary Soppit b. 14 Aug 1908 in LAMBETH Volume 01D Page 477
  3. Kate Winship Soppit b. 12 Oct 1910 in Lewisham 
The records for the first two girls show the mother's maiden name as Finch. Even though FamilySearch quote GRO references for Kate's birth, this record does not show up in searches on the GRO website.

In 1911, living at 78 Sangley Road, Lewisham, were John Winship Soppit (29) Joiner from Deptford; Mary Ellen Soppit (36) with birthplace listed as York; Dorothy Louisa Soppit (4) birthplace Brixton; Hilda Mary Soppit (2) birthplace Brixton and Kate Winship Soppit (0) born in Catford.

There wasn't a record of a Mary Ellen Finch born in York, around 1875. As she was also seven years older than her husband, my guess is that Mary Ellen was a widow at the time of her marriage to John Winship Soppit and that Finch is her previous married name. Without seeing the marriage certificate that might tell us who Mary Ellen's father was and thus her maiden name, I can't yet confirm.

In 1917, then actually 35 (not 33 as listed) John Winship Soppit enlisted (was probably conscripted) into the Royal Army Medical Corps (RAMC) at the 4th General Hospital, Birmingham. [See more at: Birmingham’s Military Hospitals] At the time of his discharge he was a nursing orderly. [Source]

In 1921, John Winship Soppit is listed in Lewisham. As Joseph and Rachel are among other members in the listing's household, we can surmise that John was visiting his brother. While Mary Ellen (who appears to have got younger), Dorothy, Hilda and Kate are listed in the district of Aston, Birmingham

Mary Ellen Soppit then died in 1924 D Quarter in BIRMINGHAM NORTH Volume 06D Page 486. 

In 1928, John Winship Soppit then remarried to Mary Baker (née Morrell), daughter of William Jabez Morrell and Sarah Waldron. This time we know she was a widow - her first husband Samuel Horatio Baker had died in 1925 - and had at least two sons from that previous marriage.

Second wife, Mary Soppit, died, aged 65, on 13 Jul 1950.

John Winship Soppit died, in Birmingham, on 6 May 1969. The death notice in The London Gazette gives his address at that time as 15 Homecroft Rd, Yardley, Birmingham. It's ironic that growing up in Birmingham in the 1960's, at times I'll have been mere streets away from there, while my mother felt as 'a fish out of water' in that city. If only she'd known she had relatives so close.

  • Dorothy Louisa Soppit died in DOR Q2/1989 in BIRMINGHAM (0611K) Volume 32 Page 1041
  • Hilda M Soppit married James F Lawless, in Birmingham, in 1933. James Frederick Lawless (bap. Jacobus Fredericus Lawless at the Roman Catholic parish of Most Holy Sacrament & St Osburg, in Coventry, in 1908.) The couple don't appear to have had children. In 1939, they lived at 286 Chester Road, Hardwick (286 Chester Road, Streetly, Sutton Coldfield). James Frederick Lawless died in 1980 in Carmarthen. Hilda Mary Lawless of 15 Homecroft Road, Yardley, Birmingham died, aged 86, on 18 Mar 1994 (DOR Q1/1994 in WARWICKSHIRE SOUTH (7751B) Reg B24B Entry Number 279) at Lapworth Nursing Home, Chessetts Wood Road, Solihull and was buried at Yardley Cemetery & Crematorium, on 25 Mar 1994.
  • Kate Winship Soppit died in DOR Q3/1998 in SOLIHULL (0731B) Reg B41F Entry Number 97.
It's evident, therefore, that neither Dorothy, nor Kate ever married.

Wednesday, 16 March 2022

Joseph Daniel Soppit and Rachel Boad

Beckenham Lane
cc-by-sa/2.0 - © DS Pugh - geograph.org.uk/p/3780404

In 1901, Joseph D Soppit (23) Beer and Wine Retailer, was living at 60, Beckenham Lane, Bromley (trade and address confirmed in the Kent 1903 Beer Retailer Directory) - still here the premises of Refreshers Independent Wine Merchant - along with Rachel Boad (28), his Servant and Housekeeper. 

Six years later, on 18 Aug 1907, Joseph Daniel Soppit, son of John Soppit and Louisa Tompson, married Rachel Boad, daughter of Charles Boad and Elizabeth Short, in Milton, Kent [the district of Milton-next-Gravesend]. 

Joseph and Rachel Soppit had three children:

  1. John Soppit b. 11 Jan 1908 (GRO Reference: 1908 M Quarter in EASINGTON Volume 10A Page 536)
  2. Elizabeth Louisa Soppit b. 5 Jun 1909 (GRO Reference: 1909 J Quarter in EASINGTON Volume 10A Page 588)
  3. Catherine Sarah Winship Soppit b. 8 Apr 1916 (GRO Reference: 1916 J Quarter in EASINGTON Volume 10A Page 947)
All three children were born in South HettonEasington, Durham, where Rachel had family. Rachel's late father, Charles Boad, had been a stone mason in a colliery there. Joseph's father, John Soppit, also had links with South Hetton - he'd gone there to his father's home when his first wife died in 1871 and both John and his father had also worked in the collieries, so we must entertain the idea that these families already knew one another from that area.

In 1911, living at 57 Holbeach Road, Catford, were Joseph Daniel Soppit (33) who was now employed as an Engineer's Fitter at the Manganese Bronze and Brass Co at Millwall, Propeller makers [Manganese Bronze Holdings], along with his wife Rachel Soppit (38), John Soppit (3) and Elizabeth Louisa Soppit (1).

On 7 Aug 1917, Joseph Daniel Soppit (39), then a Commercial Traveller, enlisted in the Army's Royal Flying Corps (RFC), transferring to the Royal Air Force (RAF) upon it's formation on 1 Apr 1918. At time of enlistment, Joseph was 5ft 5in tall with a chest measurement of 35 inches. He then transferred to the RAF Reserve on 21 Mar 1919 and was discharged on 30 Apr 1920. 

Joseph Daniel Soppit died, aged 58, in 1936 M Quarter in Lewisham.

In 1939, the widowed Rachel Soppit (b. 16 Jun 1872) was living with her widowed sister-in-law, Louisa A Broome, Laundry Director, at 57 Ladywell Road, Ladywell, Lewisham, with John Soppit, Wholesale Drapery Salesman; Elizabeth L Soppit, Civil Servant and Catherine S W Soppit, Railway Clerk.

Rachel Soppit, of 33 Shirley Park Rd, Addiscombe, Croydon, died, aged 76, on 27 Jul 1948 at The General Hospital, Croydon (GRO Reference: Volume 05G Page 89). Probate was granted to son John Soppit, Advertising manager, on 27 Sep 1948. Rachel left effects of £1037 15s 9d (around £40K in 2022).

Monday, 14 March 2022

William Dalton and Sarah Travally

Stepney Green
cc-by-sa/2.0 - © Marathon - geograph.org.uk/p/6294695

William Dalton married Sarah Travally, daughter of Winnall Travally and Elizabeth Benbow. I've been unable to find a record of the actual marriage, however, there are records of four children to this couple: 

  1. Thomas Benbow Dalton b. 6 May 1770
  2. Sarah Dalton b. 22 May 1778
  3. Martha Dalton b. 2 Oct 1780
  4. Ebenezer Dalton b. 16 Aug 1782
The records for these children are unusual. Those in the set, 'England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975' do mention Saint Dunstan and All Saints Church, Stepney (as in parish geographically), but they do not follow the usual format of Christian baptisms and specify the dates as birth dates, not christenings. 

They each also include the information: Maternal Grandfather's Name, Winnal Travaly and Maternal Grandmother's Name, Elizabeth, so we can have no doubt that these are the children of this couple and their pedigree. 

Also for each one is a further record in the set, 'England and Wales Non-Conformist Record Indexes (RG4-8), 1588-1977', which specified each child's birthplace as "White Horse Street, St Dunstans Stepney, Middlesex."
"White Horse Street was the main street of the medieval village of Stepney, centred around St Dunstan’s Church. Until the nineteenth century, although there were buildings along White Horse Street itself, the surrounding area was mainly open fields." [Source]

There were witnesses to all these birth records too, which in all four cases were Elizabeth Gabbedey and Esther Travally, both Sarah's sisters. 

These records are from Dr Williams' Library Registry; Registers of certificates, an early birth register of Protestant dissenters. Initial searches tell me that, "Following England’s split with the Roman Catholic Church during the reign of Henry VIII and his establishment of the Church of England, Protestants of other faiths, Catholics, Quakers and Jews were considered Nonconformists."

It was the burial of Ebenezer Dalton, who died on 17 Apr 1828, aged 47, and was buried at Shadwell, Ebenezer Chapel (Independent), a Congregational Chapel, which suggests which flavour of non-conformist. See: Independent / Congregational Chapel Watney Street ~ Coverdale & Ebenezer, Bigland Street.

Friday, 11 March 2022

James Wilmot Bussey and Ellen Jane Munday

Saint Mary's Church, Alverstoke
cc-by-sa/2.0 - © Mike Parsons - geograph.org.uk/p/628752

James Wilmot Bussey (b. 1824), son of Benjamin Bussey and Elizabeth Bowen and elder brother of Caroline BusseyHannah Bussey and Susannah Bussey, married Ellen Jane Munday, (bap. 7 Dec 1824 in Bishop's Waltham, illegitimate daughter of Jane Munday) on 27 Jul 1845 in Alverstoke

James and Jane Bussey had at least 12 children:
  1. Sarah Ann Bussey Munday b. 2 Apr 1845, bap. 31 Jul 1853 at St Mary's Church, Portsea, listed only with mother's name, Ellen Jane Munday
  2. Hannah Jane Bussey b. 1847 M Quarter in PORTSEA ISLAND UNION Volume 07 Page 131, bap. 31 Jul 1853 at St Mary's Church, Portsea
  3. Caroline Bussey b. 1849 J Quarter in PORTSEA ISLAND UNION Volume 07 Page 137, bap. 27 Nov 1853 at St Mary's Church, Portsea
  4. James Bussey b. 1851 J Quarter in PORTSEA ISLAND Vol 07 Pg 143
  5. Ellen Bussey b. 1853 S Quarter in PORTSEA ISLAND Vol 02B Pg 310
  6. Benjamin Bussey b. 27 Feb 1855 J Quarter in PORTSEA ISLAND Volume 02B Page 328, bap. 7 Oct 1855 at St Mary's Church, Portsea
  7. Susan Rhoda Bussey b. 1857 M Quarter in PORTSEA Vol 02B Pg 371
  8. Francis Henry Bussey b. 1859 J Quarter in PORTSEA Vol 02B  Pge352
  9. Alice Bussey b. 1861 J Quarter in PORTSEA ISLAND Volume 02B Page 360, died 1861 S Quarter in PORTSEA ISLAND Volume 02B Page 229
  10. Elizabeth Bussey b. 1862 S Quarter in PORTSEA ISLAND Vol 02B Pg 324
  11. Richard Bussey b. 1864 S Quarter in PORTSEA ISLAND Vol 02B Pg 370
  12. Mary Agnes Bussey b. 1867 S Quarter in PORTSEA Vol 02B Pg 387
The mother's maiden name listed on the civil birth registrations include: Munday, Monday, Mundy and even Munslay [iv]. Variations are nothing unusual.

In 1851, James Bussey (26) Butcher, in Landport View, with wife Jane Bussey (25), Sarah Bussey (6) and Caroline Bussey (2). Hannah Jane as Jane Bussey (4) was staying with Thomas Churcher (52) a Sawyer from Titchfield, Hampshire, and his wife Ursula (53), in Church Lane, Botley, Hampshire, described as their niece. One surmises that these are relatives of Jane Munday's.

In 1861, at 213-215 Commercial Road, were James Bussey (36) Pork Butcher, Ellen Jane (35), James W (10), Benjamin (6) and Francis (2). None of the girls are listed. [Portsmouth Local History, list of Butchers, Meat Dealers (PDF)]

Then James Wilmot Bussey, butcher of Arundel Street, Landport, died, aged just 47, on 10 Jun 1870 J Quarter in PORTSEA ISLAND Volume 02B Page 318 and was buried, on 12 Jun 1870 at Portsea Cemetery. (Kingston cemetery – St Mary’s Road, Fratton also referred to as Portsea or St Mary’s cemetery.)

In 1871, at 81, Arundel Street, Portsea, Jane Bussey (46) is listed as a Pork Butcher, with son James (19) Assistant, Ellen (17), Benjamin (15), Susan (13), Frank (11), Elizabeth (9) and Minnie (4).

In 1881, Ellen J Bussey (55) widow, Formerly butcher's wife from Bishop's Waltham, was again at 81, Arundel Street, Portsea with her son Benjamin Bussey (26) Pork butcher employing 1 man and his wife Emily J (21).

Ellen Jane Bussey died, aged 72, in 1897 J Quarter in PORTSEA ISLAND  Volume 02B  Page 305.
Print Friendly and PDF

These pages are notes on work in progress, so expect changes as further research is done. Follow That Page can monitor changes.

Latest posts: