John Frederick Rickman and Ellen Tooze

St James the Less, Bethnal Green
cc-by-sa/2.0 - © John Salmon - geograph.org.uk/p/4167332

John Frederick Rickman (b. 1838 in Homerton), son of George and Maria Rickman, married Ellen Tooze (b. 1837), daughter of Thomas Tooze and Mary James, at St James-the-Less, Bethnal Green, on 5 Aug 1858.

In 1861, John Rickman (27) Police Officer and Ellen Rickman (24) Dressmaker, were living in the High Road, Loughton, Essex.

In 1871, John F Rickman (32) Coachman and Ellen Rickman (34) Dressmaker, were Lodgers in Blackheath, Lewisham. The couple don't have children.

Ellen Rickman died, aged 48, in 1885 J Qtr in HACKNEY Vol 01B Page 348.

John Frederick Rickman remarried Lydia Ann Hazell. (bap. 12 Dec 1845 in Brooke, Norfolk), daughter of James Hazell and Emma Yallop, in Ongar, Essex, in 1886. Then John Frederick Rickman died, aged 51, in 1890 D Quarter in HACKNEY Volume 01B Page 413. In 1891, Lydia Ann Rickman (44) Widow, was a Housekeeper, living at 31 St Stephens Square, Norwich, along with her two sons Frederick James Rickman (4) and George Hazell Rickman, who, at just 4 months, was a posthumous child. 

Lydia Ann Rickman died at 83, in 1929.

Thomas Tooze and Mary James

St Olave, Exeter, Devon
cc-by-sa/2.0 - © Neil Owen - geograph.org.uk/p/4210935
One of Exeter's oldest churches, it was founded in 1035. It had a varied past, being closed by Cromwell and converted to a school, reopened during the Huguenot exodus as a church.

Thomas Tooze (b. 5 Jan 1805, bap. 20 Jan 1805, in Halberton, Devon), son of Thomas Tooze and Jane Burton, married Mary James at St Olave's Church, Exeter on 8 Jul 1832. Undoubtedly, this is the same Thomas Tooze who appears in court in Exeter in 1832, being tried for Larceny.

Both were listed as sojourner (temporarily residing) in this parish. Further records suggest that Mary was born in around 1806-1807, in Devon. The 1851 census reports her birthplace as 'Kintbar, Devon', which Google helpfully asks if I meant Kentisbeare. Yes, I probably did. :) 

This Thomas and Mary had at least three children:

1. Ellen Tooze b. 1837 in Stoke Newington, Middlesex (no reg)
2. William Tooze b. 19 Aug 1839 (1839 S Quarter in OF THE HACKNEY UNION Volume 03 Page 133). A 1879 record, British Civil Service Evidence Of Age (Post Office), gives William's birth date.
3. Elizabeth Tooze b. 10 Jan 1842 M Qtr HACKNEY Vol 03 Page 196

The mother's maiden name on both birth registrations is James.

They were in the London Borough of Hackney by the time of Ellen's birth, but there are no baptisms, so there could have been other children that were never recorded. There is no birth registration, but there is also a death of a 3 year old Eliza Tooze, in Hackney, in 1849, who could also have been theirs. 

In 1841, Thomas Tooze (rounded down to 30), Mary Tooze (30), Ellen Tooze (4) and William Tooze (1) were living in Brook Street, Hackney.

In 1851, Thomas Tooze (47) Brewers Servant - no surprise, his father was a Maltster - from Halberton, Devon, and Mary Tooze (44) from Kintbar, Devon [Kentisbeare] Laundress; William Tooze (11) and Elizabeth Tooze (9), both born in Clapton, Middlesex, were living in Assembly Row, which Victorian Villas in Hackney (PDF) suggests was in Northwold Road, Clapton, London. Ellen Tooze (14) Domestic Servant, born in Stoke Newington, Middlesex, was employed in the household of Thomas F Wilson (33) Stock Broker, in Wellington Place, Hackney. (An offshoot from the high road, called Wellington Place, had eight gentleman's residences by 1821; it had been extended due east as Wellington Road (from 1939 Shacklewell Road).

In 1861, Thomas Tooze (56) from Halberton, Devonshire 'Formerly Brewer' and saying formerly and being only in his 50's, I would read to indicate that Thomas had become infirm; Mary Tooze (54) Laundress and Elizabeth Tooze (19) Dress Maker, were living at 5, Queens Road, Hackney.

Thomas Tooze died, at 65, in 1869 D Qtr in HACKNEY Vol 01B Page 335.

In 1871, Mary Tooze (69) Pauper, Widow, Domestic Servant from Devonshire, was a resident at Hackney Union Workhouse.

Mary Tooze died at 66, in 1872 J Qtr in HACKNEY Vol 01B Page 287.

So what relation are Thomas Tooze and Mary James to Thomas Tooze and Mary Summers? The chance that they are NOT related, given they all hail from the same Devon villages, is infinitesimally small, however the link is further back than available records, so we can only speculate.

We do know that: Thomas Tooze (b. 1801) m. Mary Summers was son of, Thomas Tooze (b. 1770) m. Joan Potter who was son of, William Tooze (b. 1727) m. Joan Cood. On the other hand, this Thomas Tooze (b. 1805) m. Mary James was son of, Thomas Tooze (b. 1776) m. Jane Burton who was son of, Thomas Tooze (b. 1735) m. Dorothy Woodbery. 

Baptisms for William Tooze (b. 1727) and Thomas Tooze (b. 1735) are not available online, however, with only eight years between them, it would not be a surprise to discover that these two were brothers. If this is so, then the first common ancestor that Thomas Tooze (b. 1801) and Thomas Tooze (b. 1805) would share would be their great-grandfather, making them 2nd cousins.

Archibald Carle Heckmann and Daisy Rhoda Day

Brick Lane in the East End of London
cc-by-sa/2.0 - © N Chadwick - geograph.org.uk/p/7049342

Archibald Carle Heckmann (b. 1883), son of Napoleon Joseph Heckmann and Susie Lane, married Daisy Rhoda Day (b. 10 Feb 1881), daughter of Arthur Stephen Day and Mary Ann Ray (and sister of Arthur Wilton Day), at St Faith’s Church, Ebner Street, Wandsworth, in the first quarter of 1900. 

The couple had two sons:

1. Archibald Wilton Napoleon Heckmann b. 1901 M Quarter in WANDSWORTH Volume 01D Page 785
2. Cecil Arthur Heckmann b. 1903 D Quarter in ONGAR Vol 04A Page 537

In 1901, they were living at 60, Fullerton Road, Wandsworth, with Archibald Heckmann (21) - he was actually only 18 - Gas stove fitter from Loughton, Essex, Daisy Heckmann (20) and son Archibald Heckmann (0).

But in 1911, while Archibald Wilton Napoleon Heckman (10) and Cecil Arthur Heckman (7) were staying with their grandparents, Daisy R Heckman (30) described as "Married Deserted 7 Yrs", was staying with her brother.

Archibald Carle Heckmann must have left shortly after the second child was born and there's no sign of him after that: completely disappearing, as I've not found him under that name, on any subsequent records, neither census, nor electoral rolls, nor death, nor passenger lists going abroad.

Son Archibald W N Heckmann died, aged 15, in 1916, in Marylebone, London.

On 25 Apr 1919, Daisy Rhoda Heckmann, daughter of Arthur Stephen Day, Photographer, married William Arthur Clancy at St Mary's Church, Leyton. 

One can only hope she knew of the death of her first husband, because I also haven't found a record of a divorce, which would have been rare at that date, and it was not until 1937 that desertion became a ground for divorce.

So far, I've found no further trace of William Arthur or Daisy Rhoda Clancy.

On 11 Mar 1921, Cecil A Heckman (17) Motor mechanic, embarked on the SS Euripides, in London, bound for Melbourne, Australia, giving his last address in the UK as c/o A Day, Photographer, High Street, Ongar. 

Cecil Arthur Heckman married Bessie Henderson Soutar, in 1932, in Victoria, Australia, so we can probably safely assume he settled there. 

But whilst we don't yet know where Archibald Carle Heckmann went, we do have some information on where he came from: 

Firstly, we have his grandfather's petition for Naturalisation in 1846: Johan Heinrich Heckmann of No 5 John Street, Chicksand Street, Brick Lane in the Parish of Whitechapel, in the County of Middlesex, Fur Skin Dresser, states that he was born in Eissen, Warburg, then in the Kingdom of Prussia. He had been married for 13 years at that point, so married in 1833. His wife, also German, was Catharina Boss - the mother's maiden name on some of the children's births was Boss - and had lived in Tower Hamlets for 15 years, so since around 1831, when he would have been around 19 or 20. I've not found any record of his birth, or marriage so, we'll have to take his word for it.

In 1841, Johan Heckmann (30) Skin dresser, wife Cathe (30) and daughters, Helena (4) and Sophia (2) along with four others who were described as fur dressers, were living at John Street, Christchurch, Whitechapel.

Johan Heinrich Heckmann was the victim in a case of theft heard at the Old Bailey on 18 Sep 1848. Some 180 rabbit skins that had belonged to him had been stolen from an outworker. The two suspects, Thomas Saul and Richard Bailey, were found guilty and sentenced to be transported for seven years.

In 1851, now listed as John H Heckmann (39) Skinner & furrier employing 20 men, still at 5 John Street, Christchurch Spitalfields, Whitechapel, with Chatherina (sic) (39) from Homberg, Hesse; Chatherina (sic) (18), Christina (16), Helena (13), Sophia (11), Margretha (10), Napoleon (5), Anna Sophia (3), Cleopatra (1) and Karl Boss (20) Brother-in-law, Fur skin dresser.

In 1861, J H Heckmann (49) Proprietor of houses, from Prussia Naturalized British Subject, had moved to 30, York Hill, Loughton, Essex, with Catherine (49), Catherine (27), Sophia (21), Margretha (17), Napoleon (15), Anne (13), Adelaide (12), Theodore (5) and Adolf Leity (33) Visitor from Berlin, Prussia.

On 4 Jul 1865, John Henry Heckmann of John Street and Samuel Street, Spitlefields and of Loughton, Essex, Skin Dresser and Brewer, was declared bankrupt. He was discharged from bankruptcy on 5 Dec of the same year.

In 1871, John H and Katherine Heckmann were still at York Hill, Loughton, as they were also in 1881. John Henry Heckmann of York Hill, Loughton, died on 11 Sep 1887. In 1891, widow, Catherine Heckmann was still living at York Hill, Loughton with two of her daughters, spinsters, Catherine (56) and Anna (43) and one servant. Catherine Heckmann died, aged 86, in 1898.

Napoleon Joseph Heckmann (b. 1846), son of Johan Heinrich Heckmann and Catharina Boss, married Susie Lane at St John of Jerusalem, South Hackney, in 1879. Susie claimed to be from High Beach (or High Beech), Essex, but I've not found a record of her birth and cannot identify her parents. 

Dr Septimus Swyer

In 1871, Napoleon Joseph Heckmann (25) 'wife's brother', had been living in the household of Septimus Swyer (35) at 32 Brick Lane, Spitalfields, Whitechapel. Dr Septimus Swyer, General Practitioner, had married Napoleon's sister, Agnes Christina Heckmann, in 1857. Much has already been written about this contentious character, from his apparent partnership with a medical fraudster Edward Morass who went under a number of aliases and his second wife's alleged bigamy, but most of all, in relation to Jack the Ripper, as a person of interest and a possible suspect. Circumstantially, at least. It's relevant, I feel, to mention that Septimus Swyer emigrated the United States and one of his sons emigrated to Australia and changed his name. 

In 1881, Napoleon Joseph Heckmann (36) Living on income, Susie (22) and son Napoleon J (1), with a Domestic servant and a Nurse, were at York Hill.

Second son, Archibald Carle Heckman, born 1883 S Quarter in EPPING Volume 04A Page 223 and baptised at High Beech, Essex on 4 Jun 1889.

Napoleon Joseph Heckmann died, at 45, in the first quarter of 1891 and was buried on 3 Mar 1891 at the Church of the Holy Innocents, High Beach. 

In 1891, Susie Heckmann (30) Widow, was Living on her own means, still at York Hill, Loughton with her two sons, Napoleon (11) and Archibald (7). There's a record of Susie Heckmann remarrying in the 4th quarter of 1893, in Holborn, London, but I've been unable to establish to whom.

If one were to follow every line, there might be more clues, but it's clear there's a laundry list of circumstances that might be motivations for disappearance in this family and they have practice: I'm not hopeful.