John Harris (21) Batchelor, Engineer, who listed his father as Charles Harris, Blacksmith, married Alice Wilton (20) Spinster, daughter of Elizabeth Wilton, at the Parish Church of Bromley St Leonard (St Mary's Church, Bromley St Leonard's, more on this lost church here) on 25 Dec 1889. Witnesses at the wedding were W Wardley (there was a William Wardley lodging in her grandmother's household in 1881) and Hannah Smith. Alice had listed her father as "James Wilton, Carman", an invention, presumably "for appearances sake", which seems to be a portmanteau of James for James Hockley, her putative father; Wilton her mother's maiden name and her own birth surname; and Carman, which was the occupation of her half-uncle, George Wilton.
Because Alice was born on 12 Feb 1869 and her mother married James Hockley in 1870, it's generally assumed that James was Alice's biological father. In 1871, while James and Elizabeth Hockley were living on the Braintree Road, Great Dunmow, Alice (2) was next-door-but-one with her grandmother, Catherine Eldred, which made sense as Elizabeth was then about to have another baby. In 1881, Alice was on the census with James and Elizabeth Hockley, in Hornchurch, listed as Alice Hockley (14), leading many to assume she lived with them and used that surname thereafter, but I wonder if this was just a case of not challenging the use of dittos, nor wanting to explain why your kid had a different surname. Alice certainly didn't use that surname to marry and the fact that she married in the area her grandmother had lived, rather than where her mother lived, I feel, is also significant.
John and Alice Harris had ten children:
- Elizabeth Harris b. 7 Mar 1890 (1890 J Quarter in POPLAR Volume 01C Page 578), mother's maiden name listed as WILTON. (No baptism found, which is not really surprising given her 'premature' arrival.)
- Ellen Harris b. 28 Dec 1891 (1892 M Quarter in POPLAR Volume 01C Page 633) with her mother's maiden name listed as ALDRIDGE. Feeling that Aldridge could be a mis-hearing of ELDRIDGE and Ellen being the name of Alice's Aunt, this looked likely, so I obtained the birth record which confirms that she was the child of "John Harris, Boiler Maker and Alice Harris, formerly Aldridge, of 39 Egleton Road, Bromley", bap. 31 Dec 1891 at St Mary's, Bromley St Leonard's. She did not survive and it looks likely she died 1896 J Quarter in POPLAR Vol 01C Page 364.
- John Harris b. 25 Oct 1893 (1893 D Quarter in POPLAR Volume 01C Page 605) with his mother's maiden name listed as ELDRIDGE, bap. 30 Nov 1893 at St Mary's Church, Bromley St Leonard's
- Mary Catherine Harris b. 7 Dec 1895 (1896 M Quarter in POPLAR Volume 01C Page 597) with her mother's maiden name listed as WILTON, bap. 22 Dec 1895 at St Mary's, Bromley St Leonard's
- Charles Harris b. 1898 S Quarter in POPLAR Volume 01C Page 581, with his mother's maiden name listed as HOCKLEY. (No baptism record found.) Died 1898 S Quarter in POPLAR Volume 01C Page 394
- Charles Harris b. 15 Oct 1899 (1899 D Qtr POPLAR Vol 01C Page 569) mother's maiden name WILTON. bap. 26 Oct 1899 at St Mary's, Bromley St Leonard's. Died 1899 D Qtr in POPLAR Vol 01C Page 425
- Albert George Harris b. 29 Sep 1901 (1901 D Quarter in POPLAR Volume 01C Page 578), mother's maiden name listed as WILTON, bap. 23 Oct 1901 at St Mary's Church, Bromley St Leonard's
- Charles Douglas Harris b. 13 Jun 1903 (1903 S Quarter in POPLAR Volume 01C Page 575) with his mother's maiden name listed as WILTON, bap. 5 Jul 1903 at St Mary's, Bromley St Leonard's
- Percy Harris b. 1905 S Quarter in POPLAR Volume 01C Page 579 with his mother's maiden name listed as ELDRIDGE. (No baptism record found.) Died 1905 S Quarter in POPLAR Volume 01C Page 349
- Florence Hannah Harris b. 8 Apr 1912 (1912 J Quarter in POPLAR Volume 01C Page 972), mother's maiden name WILTON, bap. 28 Apr 1912 as Florence Anna Harris at St Mary's, Bromley St Leonard's. Died 1912 D Quarter in POPLAR Volume 01C Page 605
On the baptism for the 6th child, Charles Harris in 1899, John is listed as John Walter. It appears this is correct. It did seem that Charles was important and probably a family name, having used this for three sons, and this did also suggest this was indeed John's father's name. Hannah, used as the second name of the last child also seemed significant. Born John Walter Harris on 27 Apr 1868 (1868 J Quarter in STEPNEY Volume 01C Page 499), bap. 25 Feb 1869 at St Anne's Limehouse, he was the son of Charles John Harris and Hannah Harriet Camp. There's no record of a Charles Harris, Blacksmith in the area, ever, but Charles John Harris, Mariner and Rigger, later became a Labourer and, if that was at an Iron Foundry (as were his son and grandson later), then this is just the sort of 'upgrade' that would be given him to make a marriage certificate appear more posh. There are also many similarities between the naming of John and Alice's children and of his siblings.
If we needed clues that this is indeed Alice Catherine Wilton, Elizabeth Wilton's daughter and Catherine Byatt's granddaughter, there are the names given to the first two girls. Using HOCKLEY on one of the birth registrations adds another, but the use of ELDRIDGE on some of the birth registrations is strange, but extremely useful in providing evidence of her connections. Alice's grandmother, Catherine Wilton (née Byatt), married a second time to John Eldred. However, in 1881, Catherine (living at 23, Powis Road, Bromley, Poplar), had listed herself as Catherine Eldridge, and her two step-children, John Eldred's son and daughter from his previous marriages, also later used this 'usefully wrong' surname. There is no logical reason that I can think of for Alice to use this surname, unless, as the clues seem to be pointing, she was actually brought up by her grandmother. It's almost as if Alice is leaving us a trail of clues, although I can't possibly imagine she did so consciously.
Haven't been able to find them in 1891 and think they eluded the census.
In 1901, John Harris (30) General Labourer from Limehouse, Middlesex was living at 14, Powis Road, Bromley, Poplar with Alice Harris (29ish), Elizabeth Harris (11), John Harris (7) and Mary Harris (5). On this census, Alice's birthplace is listed - curiously and wrongly - as Bromley, London.
In 1911, John Harriss (sic) (40) General Labourer at Iron Foundry from Limehouse was living (in 2 rooms) of 24 Norris Road, Bow, London, with Alice Harris (42) whose birthplace this time is listed as Rainham; Jack Harris [John Jnr] (17), Albert Harris (10), Charles Harris (8), Lizzie Harris (21) and Mary Harris (16). On this census they confirm that they had been married for 21 years and had 9 children of whom 5 were then still alive and 4 had died.
On 18 May 1920, Charles Douglas Harris, son of John Harris of 24 Norris Road, Bromley-by-Bow, London E3, enlisted in the Royal Tank Corps, the record saying he had previously served with the 5th Dragoon Guards. He was, however, discharged on 14 Jun 1920, "Having made a mis-statement as to age on enlistment." He'd said he was 18, when he was only 17. (So many had done this during WWI and the services weren't so fussy about it then.)
In 1921, weirdly listed as John Alfred Harris (52) Labourer from Limehouse, Middlesex, still living at 24, Norris Road, Bromley, Poplar, with Alice Harris (53) who had finally remembered that she was born in Dunmow, Essex; and Charles Harris (18) Labourer. Also listed on the transcript is Albert Harris (20) Seafarer, although on the original census schedule, there is a line through his name as in the r/h column of the listing, in brackets states (away at sea).
Albert George Harris (right) born 29 Sep 1901 in Bromley-by-Bow, had indeed joined the Merchant Navy in 1918. On 1 Apr 1919, he had joined the
Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve, described then as being 5ft 5in, with light brown hair, brown eyes and a fresh complexion and a 34½ in chest, from which he was demobbed on 8 Apr 1920. It appears Albert had joined the ship "Woodarra" at Victoria Docks, London on 4 Feb 1921.
Alice Harris died, aged 61, in 1931 M Quarter in POPLAR Volume 01C Page 479.
In 1939, John W Harris (b. 27 Apr 1868) Skilled Labourer (Pensioner), Widower, was living at 774 Old Ford Road, Bow, Tower Hamlets.
John Walter Harris died, aged 80, in 1949 M Quarter in POPLAR Volume 05D Page 322. It is reported that he died on 10 Mar 1949 at St Andrew's Hospital (St Andrew's Hospital, Devons Rd, Bow).
