Thomas Barton and Elizabeth Ann Fuller

St Paul's Church, Woodford Bridge
cc-by-sa/2.0 - © Marathon - geograph.org.uk/p/5264357

Thomas Barton (bap. 4 Dec 1842 at Woodford Bridge), son of Thomas Barton and Ann Birch, married and Elizabeth Ann Fuller (bap. 8 Oct 1843), daughter of Robert Fuller and Elizabeth Ann Bradley, at St Paul's Church, Woodford Bridge (the previous church before it was rebuilt) on 27 July 1862.

Records suggest that this couple had 12 children:

1. Jane Ann Fuller b. 1860 J Quarter in WEST HAM UNION Volume 04A Page 44, bap. 16 May 1860 at All Saints Church, West Ham with a note that residence was 'Westham Union' (West Ham Union Workhouse)
2. Emily Elizabeth Fuller b. 1862 M Quarter in WEST HAM UNION Volume 04A Page 44, bap. 4 Apr 1862 at St Mary the Virgin, Leyton
3. Ann Jane Barton b. 1864 M Quarter in WEST HAM UNION Volume 04A Page 61, bap. 7 Feb 1864 at St Paul's Church, Woodford Bridge
4. Eliza Barton b. 1868 D Quarter in EPPING UNION Volume 04A Page 92, bap. 15 Jan 1869 at St John the Baptist Church, Buckhurst Hill and then again on 5 May 1872 at St Paul's Church, Woodford Bridge
5. Thomas Frederick Barton b. 1872 J Qtr in WEST HAM UNION Vol 04A Page 96, bap. 5 May 1872 at St Paul's Church, Woodford Bridge
6. Frederick William Barton b. 1875 J Qtr in WEST HAM UNION Vol 04A Page 114. Died 1875 J Qtr in WEST HAM UNION Vol 04A Page 55. 
7. Elizabeth Ann Barton b. 1878 J Quarter in WEST HAM UNION Volume 04A Page 154, bap. 4 May 1878 at St Paul's Church, Woodford Bridge. Died 1878 J Quarter in WEST HAM UNION Volume 04A Page 76 and was buried at Woodford Bridge, Essex.
8. John Barton b. 1880 M Quarter in WEST HAM Volume 04A Page 179, bap. 7 Mar 1880 at St Paul's Church, Woodford Bridge
9. George Barton b. 1882 M Quarter in WEST HAM Volume 04A Page 219, bap. 8 Aug 1882 at St Paul's Church, Woodford Bridge
10. Beatrice Barton b. 1883 J Quarter in WEST HAM Volume 04A Page 215, bap. 7 Aug 1887 at Holy Trinity, Hermon Hill, South Woodford
11. Joshua Barton b. 1886 S Quarter in WEST HAM Volume 04A Page 262, bap. 3 Jul 1886 at St Paul's Church, Woodford Bridge
12. Elizabeth Barton b. 1887 S Quarter in WEST HAM Volume 04A Page 261, bap. 7 Aug 1887 at Holy Trinity, Hermon Hill, South Woodford. Died 1887 S Quarter in WEST HAM Volume 04A Page 132 and was buried at Woodford Bridge, Essex

In 1871, Thomas Barton (29) Labourer was living in Woodford Bridge, Essex with wife, Elizabeth Ann Barton (28), Jane Ann Barton (10) born in Leytonstone; Emily Barton (9) born Leytonstone; Ann Jane Barton (7) born in Woodford and Eliza Barton born in Buckhurst Hill.

In 1881, Thomas Barton (37) Labourer was living in Victoria Road, Woodford, West Ham with Elizabeth Barton (37), Ann J Barton (17), Eliza Barton (12), Thomas Barton (9), John Barton (1) and James Mead (21) Lodger. (Eliza Barton married Alfred Mead in 1888, James Mead's younger brother.) Jane Ann Barton (21) was a Domestic Servant in the household of Augustus Harper (35) Member of stock exchange, at Louise Heim House, Cleveland Road, Wanstead. Couldn't find Emily Elizabeth under either Fuller or Barton.

In 1891, Thomas Barton (49) General labourer was living in Lower Road, Woodford with Elizabeth Barton (49), John Barton (11) and George Barton (9), Beatrice Barton (7), Joshua Barton (4) and William Fuller (46) Lodger.

In 1901, Thomas Barton (59) General labourer was living in Oxford Terrace, Chigwell Road, Woodford, with Elizabeth Barton (58) and John Barton (21) and Joshua Barton (14). (George had married that year at just 19.)

Elizabeth Ann Barton died at 65 in 1908 M Qtr in WEST HAM Vol 04A 227.

In 1911, Thomas Barton (69) Widowed, was still living in Woodford with Joseph Barton (29) [George] (Meanwhile, Annie Barton (27), George's wife, was Housekeeper to William Patience (34) Widower), Joshua Barton (24), Beatrice Saggers (28), Charles Saggers (28), Beatrice Saggers (8), Emily Saggers (6), Mary Saggers (3) and John Saggers (2).

Thomas Barton died at 69, in 1911 J Quarter in WEST HAM Volume 04A Page 161 and was buried on 8 Apr 1911 at Woodford Bridge.

Joshua Barton, 1886 & 1888, Uncle and Nephew

The India Gate War Memorial, New Delhi, India
Photo: Vikram Siingh Via Pixabay

While unpicking the two families of these two brothers who married two sisters: Thomas Barton and Elizabeth Ann Fuller and Peter Barton and Annie Fuller, inevitably, I encountered Thomas and Elizabeth Ann's youngest son, Joshua Barton, who was born in 1886, to whose record at FamilySearch, someone had attached records of a birth in 1888, merely stating the reason for doing so was "Correct Information", but offering no justification for why they believed this to be so. This is the genealogical equivalent of a red rag to a bull, because that cannot be right, so I sought to solve the puzzle ...

These records belong to two different people, as the evidence will show.

Joshua Barton, son of Thomas Barton and Elizabeth Ann Fuller, was born in 1886 S Quarter in WEST HAM Volume 04A Page 262, mother's maiden name FULLER and was baptised on 3 Jul 1886 at St Paul's Church, Woodford Bridge, clearly naming his parents as Thomas and Elizabeth Ann Barton.

As we can see, therefore, this child was already registered in 1886, so there'd be no need to register him in 1888. There's also a limit on the time allowed to register births, currently 42 days, which is a legal requirement. If someone had 'forgotten', they'd be far more likely to just not bother at all than to turn up two years later. The person who attached the 1888 record obviously missed the correct 1886 registration and, of course, if they ordered the birth certificate on the basis of the later one, they've got the wrong one.

Joshua Barton (b. 1886) was in the household of his parents in Lower Road, Woodford, aged 4, in 1891; in Oxford Terrace, Chigwell Road, Woodford at 14 in 1901 and, at 24, with his widowed father, in Woodford, in 1911.

By 16 Jun 1915, Joshua Barton had emigrated to Australia, because that's the date given for his marriage to Mary Birch in Queensland. Interesting in itself, because they were 2nd Cousins. Joshua Barton's paternal grandmother was Ann Birch (1812-1885) while Mary Birch was the granddaughter of Ann's brother, James Birch (1815-1879). One imagines an opportunity was offered by family in Australia and he then met and fell in love with his cousin. 

Joshua Barton died on 16 May 1968 and was buried at Caboolture Cemetery, Caboolture, Moreton Bay Region, Queensland, Australia. His widow, Mary Barton, d. 26 Jun 1989, is buried with him.

So, that just leaves us with the 1888 birth registration ... 

If it doesn't belong to this Joshua Barton, who does it belong to? The short answer is, his nephew.

Joshua Barton's older sister, Ann Jane Barton (b. 1864), had an illegitimate son in 1886 and then gave birth to a second illegitimate son, you guessed it, registered as Joshua Barton in 1888 S Quarter in WEST HAM Volume 04A Page 268. There's no mother's maiden name on this registration, indicating an illegitimate birth (which should have been clue alone that it did not relate to the legitimate 1886 birth.) And this child was baptised, as Joshua Barton, on 13 Dec 1888 at Holy Trinity, Hermon Hill, South Woodford. The record clearly notes that he was the child of Annie Barton, Single Woman.

Charles Edward Puffett and Ann Jane Barton married on 9 Jun 1890 in Woodford and from then, Joshua (b. 1888) used his father's surname.

Didn't find the family in 1891, but in in 1901, Joshua Puffett (13) was living with his parents at 33 Oxford Terrace, Chigwell Road, Woodford. Yes, in the same row, at the same time, as his 14 year old uncle, Joshua Barton. 

The Eastern Mercury of 29 Dec 1903 carried a story which began, "At Stratford [Petty Sessions] on Saturday, Joshua Puffett, 15, of 17, Oxford-terrace, and William Bass, 16, a private of the 2nd Essex Regiment, was charged with being disorderly and assaulting the police." Subsequent reports specify that it was Bass who was charged with assaulting PC Sharp, but before you sigh with relief, my 4x great-grandmother, Joshua Puffett's 2x great-grandmother, was Elizabeth Bass. Undoubtedly cousins too.

The Woodford Times of 25 Sep 1908 then informs us that, "At the Stratford Petty Sessions on Thursday, 17th, Joshua Puffett, 20, hawker of Oxford Terrace, Chigwell Road, Woodford, was charged with having in his possession a dog, a leather collar ..." It seems, quelle surprise, the items were stolen.

Coincidentally - or maybe not: could he have been "encouraged" to join up as an alternative to a custodial sentence - it was in 1908 that Joshua Puffett (20) of Woodford, Essex, joined the 1st Battalion, Durham Light Infantry.

In 1911, Joshua Puffett (22) was with his regiment in Neemuch, India. 

By Aug 1914 the 1st Battalion, Durham Light Infantry were in Nowshera, India (which is now in Pakistan.) Research carried out by Adrian Lee and Redbridge Museum reveals that "On 16th September 1916 he [Puffett] was admitted to hospital suffering from Malaria, but on 23rd September 1916 he underwent an operation for an appendicitis. Unfortunately he died from the effects of this condition on 26th September 1916." Joshua was buried on 27 Sep 1916, with his cause of death listed as Apendicitis and Malaria. 

His grave, with the others in Nowshera Military Cemetery is one which the Commonwealth War Graves Commission can no longer maintain, so he's formally remembered on the Delhi Memorial (India Gate).

J Puffett is also listed on the WW1 Board at Holy Trinity Church, South Woodford, the church where he was baptised (as Joshua Barton).

NB: If you think I'm being unfair by making an example of this, consider: the person who attached the wrong birth record, quite likely, has the wrong birth certificate. They may have looked at the 'wrong' information on it, then in their mind made it fit the circumstances and, lo and behold, another family myth will be born. They'll have seen that the mother was Annie and accepted this as Elizabeth's second name was Ann; as to the father's name being absent from the certificate, goodness knows whether they'll have 'separated' the couple, put the poor man in prison ... This isn't helpful and is particularly unfair to the memory of the human beings whose lives have been 'altered' (confused) in the error. Also, sadly, I find examples of this every day where people have grasped the first result found, then justified to themselves why it's the right one, clearly without looking for corroborative evidence. My experience is people then tend to resist accepting the facts over the myths they've so carefully crafted and can be hostile. Better then just to present the evidence.