52 Ancestors Challenge - Week 12 - Joined Together

 

When I saw this theme, I was first drawn to thinking about ‘joined together in holy matrimony’ but then there was the question of which marriages to write about.  I then thought of other occasions where family members have joined together, such as baptisms, marriages, and burials.  Recently funerals have been the main gathering for me and my cousins with the standing joke that we’ve got a season ticket at the local crematorium.  It is a nice change when we have a wedding or christening to attend.  We now have no aunts or uncles still with us, and the cousin count is also being affected with us losing three over the last few years.  I am the youngest cousin with my oldest cousin being 34 years older than me.  Therefore, some of my cousin’s children are older than me and one of my cousins is a Gt-Gt-Grandma – what a confusion of generations!

However, after mulling over this theme in this Platinum Jubilee year I am going to write about other times where my family, their communities and the country have joined together to celebrate royal events.

My grandparents were born in the reign of Queen Victoria (1837-1901), with my parents in the reign of King George V (1910-1936).  My cousins were born from the reign of King George V (1910-1936) to me in the reign of Queen Elizabeth II (1952 onwards).

The earliest piece of royal memorabilia I own is a mug which was given to my maternal grandmother Sarah Taylor, and all the children in Hitchin, to commemorate the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria in 1897.  The mug was given to me by my granddad, most probably at the time of the Queen’s Silver Jubilee in 1977.  It is one of my most treasured family items.

Mum’s family were very loyal to the royal family, maybe partly as HM Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother was brought up at St Paul’s Walden Bury, only a few miles from Hitchin.  I have the Bible that was given to my mum by her sisters Vi and Cissie on the occasion of the Silver Jubilee of King George V in 1935 – Mum would have been 10.  

Mum also remembered that when old newspapers were cut up to use in the outside toilet, all the paper was used unless it contained photographs of the King and royal family – it would have been disrespectful to use it in the loo. 

I also have the commemorative book given to Mum on the occasion of the Coronation of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth in 1937 by the Urban District of Hitchin.  

Therefore, my Mum and her family lived through the Abdication crisis in 1936, a time of upset and uncertainty.  For the 1937 Coronation in the UK most children were given a book, china mug or a teaspoon as a keepsake.  I still have my Mum’s 1937 Coronation spoon which must have been given at the same time as the aforementioned book.  Parties to celebrate royal Coronations were popular in 1937 and perhaps more so in 1953 – some of my relatives can remember joining in with such events organised by their churches and communities.  Everyone brought something to eat or drink and it was all joined together to share.

My Dad’s sister Nellie was also a great royalist and gave me newspapers and magazines and her scrapbooks of all things royal, from fashion to crown jewels and royal children to Coronations dating from the reigns of George VI, the years of the second world war and up to the Coronation of our present Queen in 1953.  At the time of the Golden Jubilee in 2002 my collection of Royal memorabilia and the scrapbooks were lent to our local museum to form part of a commemorative display. 

My first recollection of a Royal Jubilee was in 1977 when our Queen celebrated 25 years on the throne.  I was at school and for one project we learnt about the royal family which really got me interested in genealogy.  One part of the project was learning about the royal family tree with the second part trying to compile your own family tree.  My effort was chosen to be put on the wall for parents evening, maybe because I managed to go back as far as my Gt-Gt-Grandparents on both sides of the family.  From little acorns……

From that Silver Jubilee I still have some of the plastic red, white and blue bunting that we used to decorate our home and the commemorative mug I was given at school.  On the weekend of the Jubilee itself we were on holiday in Suffolk where we had a chalet bungalow.  Over the years we got friendly with another family with children of a similar age to me.  On that weekend we all attended church in Kessingland and then Sally, Jane and I took part in the grand Jubilee parade in the village with our homemade banner – 3 x wooden poles and a folded over white sheet with applied photographs of Her Majesty, Prince Philip and royal coats of arms which was followed by a huge community picnic. My husband also celebrated the Silver Jubilee with his family.  His Union Jack flag is the’ real deal’ and made of proper flag material – we still use it on royal celebratory occasions hanging in our front window. 

For the Jubilee’s of 2002 and 2012 we joined our neighbours for a ‘get-together’ with a buffet and drink over the weekend, but we all watched the church service and parade on TV, with the soldiers, horses, children, crowds, and Balcony appearance.  It is what symbolises our nation and what the tourists come to see – pageantry and a glimpse of royalty.

Other Royal events such as the televised weddings of Princess Margaret, Princess Anne and the Prince of Wales and Lady Diana Spencer in 1981 caught the imagination of the public and media. The Funeral of HM Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother was also televised.  We were lucky enough to get a ticket to view the lying-in state in Westminster Hall – a very solemn and moving occasion with huge crowds and queues which I think surprised many people.  The unprecedented outpouring of national grief with the untimely death of the Princess of Wales joined together the country, Commonwealth, and the World.  The weddings of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge at Westminster Abbey and those of the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall, Duke and Duchess of Sussex and Princess Eugenie at Windsor were also televised as was the recent funeral of the Duke of Edinburgh , with all its covid restrictions, also at Windsor.   By televising these royal occasions, the public can join together with the pomp and pageantry of the event and feel that they are part of the event, even if it from the comfort of your armchair. Not quite the same as being in the crowd with the noise, smell and buzz of the occasion, the lifting of spirts and joining together with others to celebrate.

In the early 20^th century, the main medium was printed newspapers which could be accessed by most people with in the 1920s the Pathe News gave cinema-goers a glimpse of moving images of royal events.  Television was a new thing in 1953 and many households purchased their first television so they could see the Coronation processions and the main event at Westminster Abbey.  For previous Coronations there were commemorative books and newspapers which were eagerly purchased and perused by the population.

I have collected books, magazines, newspapers and china and glass commemorating royal occasions for many years, as well as history books on royalty from the earliest British Kings and Queens to date.  The earliest piece of china I have in my Nana’s Victorian mug. 

For us on this side of the Atlantic we are looking forward to the Platinum Jubilee Pageant and all the entertainment and celebration planned for the first weekend in June continuing my family’s long-standing love of all things royal and join together with our country’s celebrations for HM’s Platinum Jubilee – what a milestone!

52 Ancestors Challenge - Week 11 - Flowers

 

When this theme popped up, I was initially at a loss on what to write about.  Did my ancestors like flowers, grow flowers, or sell flowers?  I have a few photographs of floral tributes from family funerals but thought this was a bit morbid.  My mum loved roses and freesias.  But did I have enough to write about? 

Eventually after mulling this over, I have found one family photograph which shows a relative in her garden with an impressive array of flowers, so I have decided to write about my Great Auntie Liz.

Auntie Liz was my Great -Grandmother Kate’s eldest sister.  They were daughters of George and Sarah Cotton from Hitchin in Hertfordshire.  Elizabeth was born early in 1853 as her birth is registered in the GRO March quarter (GRO 1853 Mar Qtr 3a 223 Hitchin) and she was baptised at St Mary’s church in Hitchin on 4 March 1853.

Elizabeth is recorded in the 1861 census of Hitchin with her parents and siblings.

Census – 1861 – Hitchin Hill, Hitchin

George Cotton                  Head     Mar        29           Shoemaker                         Herts   St Ippollitts

Sarah Cotton                     Wife      Mar        30           Strawplaiter                       Herts   Hitchin

Elizabeth Cotton               Dau                        8            Scholar                              Herts   Hitchin

William Cotton                 Son                         6            Scholar                            Herts   Hitchin

Ellen Cotton                       Dau                      4                                                      Herts   Hitchin

Edward Cotton                  Son                        2                                                      Herts   Hitchin

John Cotton                       Son                        2ms                                                 Herts   Hitchin

 

However, by 1871 she is not living at home and is found lodging a few doors away from her parents and younger siblings.  Perhaps they had run out of room!

You may notice a gap between John and Kate.  There was also a stillborn son born in 1863 who was buried at the council cemetery in Hitchin whom I discovered whilst researching in the grave books at the cemetery many years ago.  Infant mortality did of course touch my family, but most of the many Morgan, Cotton, Moules and Taylor children in Hitchin survived their early years.

Census – 1871 – 1 Bethel Lane, Hitchin

George Cotton                  Head     Mar        39           General Dealer                  Herts  St Ippollitts

Sarah Cotton                     Wife      Mar        40           Straw Plaiter                     Herts  Hitchin

William Cotton                 Son        Unm      16           General Dealer                  Herts  Hitchin

Ellen Cotton                      Dau                      14          Straw Plaiter                      Herts  Hitchin

Edward Cotton                  Son                        12           Labourer                          Herts  Hitchin

John Cotton                       Son                        10           Scholar                            Herts  Hitchin

Kate Cotton                       Dau                        5              Scholar                           Herts  Hitchin

Charles Cotton                  Son                        4                                                       Herts  Hitchin

 

Census – 1871 – 4 Bethel Lane, Hitchin

Robert Douglas                 Head     Mar        39           Whitesmith                  Berwickshire  Coldstream

Margaret Douglas            Wife      Mar        31           Straw Plaiter                 Herts   Hitchin

Robert Douglas                 Son                        2                                                Herts   Hitchin

Annie Douglas                   Dau                      7ms                                             Herts   Hitchin

Elizabeth Cotton               Lodger                  18                                               Herts   Hitchin

 

At No 3 Bethel Lane is living Thomas Cotton, brother of George Cotton and his family. My wider family members all seemed to live next door, a few doors away or in the same area of Hitchin.

Elizabeth married on 6 January 1876 at St Marylebone, London, by Banns.  Her husband was called Edward Cuff who was a coachman¹.   

In the 1881 census, Edward and Elizabeth were found living in Wandsworth in south London, so have moved from the St Marylebone area.

Census – 1881 – St Goar, Stable, Wandsworth

Edward Cuff                       Head     Mar        29           Coachman                           Dorset  Whitchurch

Elizabeth Cuff                    Wife      Mar        28                                                       Herts    Hitchin

 

Edward is still a coachman; I suspect living over the stabling of his employers house with his wife.  This was the usual for coachmen, or later, the chauffeur.

Their son, Edward John Cuff, was born on 28 November 1884 in Putney, London (GRO 1885 Mar Qtr Wandsworth 1d 778).

Edward Cuff senior died on 18 July 1885 at the Union Infirmary in Battersea and Elizabeth was left a widow with a son only a few months old.  Edward jnr was shortly afterwards placed in the care of her sister Mrs Ellen Richardson in Hanwell, Middlesex so that Elizabeth could continue to work.

The next time Elizabeth is found in a census is 1891 where she is working as a Cook in Ealing, Middlesex, northwest of London. 

Census 1891 – The Manor House, 163 Gunnersbury Lane, Ealing

Joseph Flexman(?)          Head     S              61           Living on own means      Bucks  Chesham

Elizabeth                         Sister     S              48                                                    Bucks Chesham

Emily                             Niece    S              25                                                      Australia Melbourne

John                                Nephew S           18                                                        Middx Edmonton

Alice Maberley              Serv       S              24           Housemaid                         Gloucs Cirencester

Elizabeth Cuff               Serv       Wid        31             Cook                                   Herts  Hitchin

 

Edward Cuff is still living with the Richardson’s in the 1891 Census

Census 1891 – 4 Southfield Cottages, Hanwell

Arthur Richardson            Head     M            35           Gardener                            Middx  Acton

Ellen Richardson               Wife      M           34                                                      Herts  Hitchin

Edward Cuff                      Nephew               6              Scholar                             Surrey  Putney

Eliza A. Richardson          Dau                      5              Scholar                             Middx Hanwell

Frank Barnard                    Lodger  S            18           Gardener                            Surrey  Lingfield

 

At 1 Southfield Cottages is living Henry Hearn, a widower with his son Henry, aged 13.

Elizabeth married for a second time on 20 October 1891, at St Mary, Lambeth, by Banns².  Her new husband Henry Hearn a widower, slightly older that Elizabeth, and the same Henry Hearn who lived at 1 Southfield Cottages, a few doors away from Elizabeth’s sister Ellen (Auntie Nell) in Hanwell in the 1891 census.  I suspect this is where they met.  Why they were married in Lambeth is a mystery, maybe Henry was working in that area at the time.  At this time Hanwell was still rural with market gardens and public parks where the husbands of Ellen and Elizabeth, Arthur Richardson and Henry Hearn, both worked. 

Henry and Elizabeth welcomed their daughter Ellen Jane in 1895 (GRO 1895 Mar Qtr Brentford 3a 146) who was baptised 27 Jan 1895 at St Mark, Hanwell.  The family were by this time living at 1 Southfield Cottages, Hanwell, Middlesex, where Elizabeth was to remain until her death. 

Census 1901 – 1 Southfield Cottages, Hanwell, Middlesex

Henry Hearne                    Head     Mar        50           Carter on Farm                  Bucks  NK

Elizabeth Hearne              Wife      Mar        46                                                      Herts  Hitchin

Nellie Hearne                    Dau                        6                                                     Middx  Hanwell

 

Census 1911 – 1 Southfield Cottages, Oakland Road, Hanwell, Middlesex

Henry Hearn                       Head     Mar        62           Carman                             Bucks  Taplow

Elizabeth Hearn                Wife      Mar         58                                                      Herts  Hitchin

Ellen Hearn                         Dau                     16           Laundrymaid                     Middx  Hanwell

 

Henry and Elizabeth’s daughter Ellen (Nellie) was married on 9 February 1918 in Hanwell, Middlesex to Arthur Redman, a sailor, with her half-brother Edward Cuff being one of the witnesses.   Ted Cuff was also in the Royal Navy, in submarines in the First World War, rising to the rank of Lieutenant Commander, by the Second World War.  Ted’s youngest son Vernon, named after HMS Vernon at Portsmouth where Uncle Ted and his family lived, and where my mother had many happy holidays with the family prior to the 2WW, has written a memoir of his dad which you may find if interest⁴.

By 1921, the latest census that we in the UK have access to, Elizabeth is again a widow, still living at 1 Southfield Cottages.  Her daughter Ellen and her young family are also in residence.   My Mum was named after Eva Redman.  Young Teddy Redman was one of the few sailors to survive the torpedoing of HMS Edinburgh in the Second World War.

Census 1921 – 1 Southfield Cottages, Hanwell, Middlesex

Elizabeth Hearn                Head     68 4       F   Widow Herts Hitchin                Gen Domestic Servant

Arthur Frederick Redman Son in law 36  M Warwicks, Kidderminster             Admiralty (out of work)

Ellen Jane Redman          Dau  26   Mar F       Middx,Hanwell                           Home Duties

Eva Daphne Redman      G Dau    1 5  F          Middx, Hanwell                          

Edward Alec Redman     G Son     5ms            Middx, Hanwell

 

Elizabeth died in 1938 at the age of 85 (GRO 1938 Mar Qtr Brentford 3a 248).  My Mum, born in 1925, could remember visiting her in Hanwell.

She was buried at Hanwell Cemetery on 5 May 1938 and as this entry in the burial books indicates was still living at 1 Southfield Cottages, Hanwell at the time of her death⁵.

Notes

1.       Edward Cuff was a coachman, son of John Cuff, a coachman.  Elizabeth Cotton was the daughter of George Cotton, a bootmaker.  Both of full age.  Edward Cuff made his mark; Elizabeth Cotton signed her name. Both were living in St Marylebone.

2.     Henry Hearn, 40, Widower, a Carman, of 60 Walnut Tree Walk, Lambeth, son of Robert Hearn dec, a Labourer and Elizabeth Cuff, 35, Widow, of 60 Walnut Tree Walk, Lambeth, daughter of George Cotton, General Dealer.  Both signed their names.  Witnesses – Arthur Richardson, Ellen Richardson (Elizabeth’s sister).

3.       Arthur Frederick Redman, 33, Sailor, of Southfield Cottages, Hanwell, son of Frederick Redman, dec, Cabinet Maker and Ellen Jane Hearn, 23, or Southfield Cottages, Hanwell, daughter of Henry Hearn, Carman.  Both signed their names.  Witnesses: Edward John Cuff, Lilian Edith May.

4.       Cuff, Vernon  ‘21285 Edward John Cuff RN’ in Kinsman, the journal of the Cuffe Research Centre, No Eleven, 2000

5.  City of Westminster Archives Centre; London, England; Westminster Cemetery Registers; Reference: CR/1/1/16

52 Ancestors Challenge - Week 10 - Worship

 

How important was worship for my family? 

My family consider themselves Christian but are not regular churchgoers.  Nowadays we don’t usually go to church apart from Christenings and Funerals, and even the latter is usually conducted at a crematorium chapel.  But, in the past attendance at church once a week was the norm, and if you didn’t it was sometimes frowned upon by your neighbours.

My Dad’s family attended church sporadically.  My Dad and his sister Nellie were never baptised, although the other children from my grandparent’s family were – Alf and Jim in London, with Vi and Dick being baptised at St Faith’s in Walsworth, Hertfordshire as a ‘job lot’. 

St Faith's Church, Walsworth, Hertfordshire

Maybe Grandmother Elizabeth encouraged this as I believe she was a churchgoer, as we have her well-thumbed Hymns Ancient and Modern, and her Bible, in which is proudly inscribed her three Nickels children's birth dates. 

In the 19^th century my paternal ancestors all made sure that their children were baptised in an Anglican (Church of England) church, be this in London or in Suffolk.    Gt Grandmother Elizabeth’s Dorset family worshipped in St James at Poole, or earlier in the Skinner Street Independent church.  So, this family were sometimes Anglican, and sometimes Nonconformist.  Maybe they liked the preacher!

The Nickels’ worshipped in Orford, Tunstall and Wickham Market in Suffolk, all Anglican churches.

In the 18^th century they would have attended the churches in their locality, mostly Anglican, by evidence of baptism, banns, marriage, and burial.  Whether they attended every week, we shall never know.

My Mum’s Hertfordshire family were regular churchgoers, right up to my Mum’s generation.  I have her bible and Congregational hymn book and various certificates she was presented with for attending church related activities, like the Band of Hope.    Mum always watched ‘Songs of Praise’ on TV on Sunday evening as we didn’t attend church regularly. 

I was baptised at the Free Church in Letchworth but later after joining the church choir at St Paul’s in Letchworth was Confirmed into the Church of England by the Bishop of St Albans.  

St Paul's Church, Letchworth, Hertfordshire

I love looking around churches, especially those where my ancestors worshipped, be it Anglican or nonconformist.  The history, the atmosphere and the monuments all fascinate me.  

I attended a Catholic convent school where my fellow pupils came from all sorts of different religions -  Roman Catholic, Unitarian, Church of England, Moslem, Buddhist, Baptist, Methodist and many other faiths.   We were married at All Saints in Willian, a church special to me as relatives from both sides of my family have been baptised, married and buried there.

All Saints, Willian, Hertfordshire

My Mum’s parents and all the 6 children attended the Congregational Church in Queen Street, Hitchin.  Most of my aunts were married there.  The church no longer exists, being demolished in the mid-1900s.   The periodical below was the Magazine of the Congregational Church, a bound copy of issues from 1912 - 1913 was gifted to me by an uncle (on the Nickels side of the family!) many years ago.  Together with the moral stories suitable for Sunday reading there is a useful commentary on the clubs and societies run by the church and also births, deaths and marriages.  Full of names for the genealogist.

Mum’s Morgan family have a long association with nonconformity in Hitchin.  I have located burials of my direct ancestors in the nonconformist burial ground in 1809 and 1810, so they must have been part of the congregation back into the 1700s.  They attended the Back Street Meeting and the Tilehouse Street Baptist Church, both in Hitchin.   The Taylor’s, Moules’ and Cotton’s attended the Anglican churches in Hitchin (St Mary), Baldock (St Mary), Willian (All Saints) and in the nearby village of St Ippollitts.  Most of my ancestors attended the Anglican church, but some brothers or sisters did attend nonconformist chapels, mostly Baptist.  How often we will never know, but it was normal to attend worship weekly.

St Mary's Church, Hitchin

Although we don’t now attend church services regularly this does not mean that we are atheist!  We ‘attend’ services on TV, occasionally attend a church service associated with things we are involved with for example the The Battle of Britain Service at Westminster Abbey or the St John's Day Service at St Paul's Cathedral. I also sing with my operatic society choir where we always have a Christmas concert where traditional carols, and Christmas songs, are sung with gusto. 

I guess in the 21^st century there are so many things that occupy our time so that a weekly visit to church is not necessarily priority, but that doesn’t mean that we don’t worship in a personal way.  Perhaps we are more ‘spiritual’ these days. 

For example, we enjoy learning about the history of Christianity and different faiths, investigating the origins of the bible, which gospels were included and which were not, Relics, the Turin Shroud, the Dead Sea Scrolls, and more controversial theories.  This doesn’t make us less Christian, but we would probably have been ostracised or accused of blasphemy in times gone by.  In the past people accepted church doctrine and could recite passages from the Bible without question, nowadays we are perhaps more questioning of that doctrine. 

52 Ancestors Challenge - Week 9 - Females

 

Half of our ancestry is made up of our female ancestors, your mother, grandmothers, great-grandmothers and so on. 

For this weeks #52ancestors challenge I thought hard about this theme.  Should I write about a particular female ancestor?  One of my grandmothers died when I was 2 years old, so I don’t really remember her at all.  My other grandmother died in 1917 – so I certainly can’t remember her.  I remember my aunts well.  My Dad had two full sisters, and one half-sister, whilst my Mum had 4 sisters.   I knew them all and remember them fondly – but that is a topic for later weeks of the challenge. 

All my aunts were supportive of me when I got interested in tracing the family tree and gave me many old photographs of their parents and grandparents, so I have some photos of my great-grandparents.  I have photographs of my maternal grandmother and her mother my paternal grandmother, and her mother.  From the 1910s I have many photographs of the aunties (and uncles) in formal photographer’s studio shots, and as cameras became more portable and commonplace, ‘snaps’ of the family on holiday, and in more relaxed attitudes.  From the aunties I also learnt a about their parents and grandparents and the wider family.  What they did for a living, sayings, stories, and the odd scandal. 

However, they say that the only true ancestry is through the female line as ‘it is a wise man who knows his father’.  This is of course true, but how many of your mothers, mothers, mothers, mothers can you trace with any certainty?

I have been tracing my family for over 40 years, and there are still some lines way back in time that I am still finding out about.

My mother, Eva, was born in Hitchin in Hertfordshire, the fifth of the six children of my grandparents.  Five girls and one boy, hence why I had an Uncle Son rather than an Uncle Ernest.   Mum married my dad late in life and I arrived when she was 40.  Before her marriage she worked in a shoe shop, Pomfrett’s, and before that Freeman, Hardy and Willis, both in Hitchin.  In the 1939 Register she is described as a Machinist, free stitch and zips and general repair work.  Mum always made my clothes when I was a youngster.  She loved sewing and knitting, but she didn’t get on with crochet.  One of the small bedrooms at our house was her ‘Sewing Room’ with the sewing machine etc.

Mum

My grandmother Sarah, always known as Sally, married young, at 17, with my eldest auntie arriving mere days after the marriage.  If the rumour is true, she also had an earlier child which was adopted – naughty girl!  Sarah had just the one brother, Arthur.  Sarah was a housewife, who supplemented the family income with sewing.  Exquisite sewing, of which we have some examples kept in the family.  She made all the children’s clothes. Granddad received a World War 1 Pension, and worked as a Plate Layer on the Railway.

Sally, aged about 16

Sarah’s mother, my great-grandmother, was called Kate.  She married late and had just the two children, Sarah and Arthur.  She was a hard-working lady who ran a successful Laundry at her home.  My Mum and her sisters could remember helping with the washing, mangling and ironing.  In the 1911 Census of No 4 Hitchin Hill Path¹, Kate is a Laundress, employing her daughter Sarah and her husband’s niece, Daisy, who she helped to bring up when her mother died. Her husband Arthur is a Railway Carpenter.  Kate’s maiden name was Cotton, she was the daughter of George and Sarah Cotton and was born in 1865 in Hitchin.  Granny Taylor was a character and had some very ‘colourful’ sayings which have come down in the family.

Arthur and Kate Taylor 

Kate’s mother, my great-great- grandmother was called Sarah.  I presume that my grandmother was named after her.  Sarah was a housewife, bringing up her large family.  She and her husband George, a coal dealer, also lived in the Hitchin Hill area of Hitchin.  In earlier census records Sarah is a straw plaiter, a not uncommon occupation in Hitchin in the mid to late 19 century. George and Sarah are buried at the main council cemetery in Hitchin. 

Sarah’ s maiden name was Muncey.  She was the daughter of Charles and Amey Muncey and was baptised 24 September 1830 at St Mary’s, Hitchin.  She and George Cotton were married 11 May 1850 at St Mary’s, Hitchin.  

Sarah’s mother, my Great-great-great-grandmother, was called Amey.  Amey was born in about 1811 in Hitchin and was the daughter of a Sarah Parkins who is aged 55 and living with Amey and her husband and family in the 1841 Census of Hitchin.  Sarah by this date is a widow.  Charles and Amey had six children, 3 sons and 3 daughters.

Further research in the parish registers for Hitchin found a marriage for a William Parkins and a Sarah Poulter on 26 December 1806.  William could sign his name; Sarah made her mark.  More research is needed to find out more about this couple and their family.  

There is a Sarah Poulter who was the daughter of Joseph and Sarah Poulter, baptised in Hitchin on 5 April 1782.  Joseph was a labourer.   I wonder if she is my great- great-great-great-grandmother?

The name Sarah features often in my female line ancestry.  I wonder how far back I can go.  I’m lucky that so far, my direct female ancestors have not strayed far from Hitchin!

 

1.      1. The National Archives of the UK (TNA); Kew, Surrey, England; Census Returns of England and Wales, 1911, Ancestry.com. 1911 England Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011. Last accessed 27/02/2022.