One of the people that I had tentatively penciled in as potentially being a child of the George William Fitz-Henry and Isabella Cooper marriage (but obviously wasn't) was Thomas Cooper Fitzhenry, who in 1911 was living at 11 Cromwell Road, Colchester, Essex.
Here's the details:
Thomas Cooper Fitzhenry head, married aged 49, a hairdresser in the army, born in Birmingham.
Jane Hannah Fitzhenry wife, married aged 46, born in Tollerton, Yorkshire.
They had been married for 17 years and had 4 children all living.
All the children were living with them:
Thomas Henry Cooper Fitzhenry aged 16 an errand boy at Wright Bros., born in Dublin Ireland
Wilhelmina Jean Fitzhenry aged 14, a scholar, born Farnborough Hampshire
Jack Fitzhenry aged 12, a scholar, born Tollerton Yorkshire
Redvers Baden Fitzhenry aged 10, a scholar born Farnborough Hampshire.
The variety of birthplaces of the children reflect the Army lifestyle, but what I found really interesting is that naming of the youngest son was an example of a collective act of national hero worship in England in 1900.
At this time two Army officers were famed for their exploits in the Boer War.
Sir Redvers Henry Buller was the commander in charge of the British forces at the Relief of Ladysmith, and Robert Baden Powell was famed for his part in the relief of the Seige of Mafeking and later went on to found the Scouting movement.
A look at the comparative numbers of these forenames in the birth indexes for England and Wales at this time shows the impact that these two men had on the national consciousness.
From the start of records in 1837 and up to the end of 1898, there were just 9 children (I assume they were all boys) named Redvers and 11 with the name Baden (one of these may have been a girl as the other given name was Mabel).
As the fame of the two men started to grow, in 1899 there were 57 baby Redvers and 10 baby Badens, of which 5 were Baden Powells.
In 1900, things really took off with 1183 babies named Redvers and 1169 named Baden (including 396 named Baden Powell). There were also 84 Redvers Baden including our very own Redvers Baden Fitzhenry patriotically named by his soldier dad in the GRO birth indexes Q3 1900.
Redvers Fitzhenry married a Lilian JV Ling in Islington in the fourth quarter of 1925. They had a daughter June born in 1928 in London, and according to the Library and Archives of Canada, emigrated to Canada in 1929. If anyone knows what happened to them after this, please drop us a line.
My thanks to the wonderful FreeBMD search engine without which I would never have found out about the Rash of Redvers.
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Showing posts with label 1911 census. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 1911 census. Show all posts
Sunday, 8 February 2009
Sunday, 25 January 2009
My East End family in the 1911 census.
It's been a while since I've written anything about my particular family group in London England. The newly released 1911 census has given me more previously unpublished information about them.
My great great grandparents John and Caroline Fitz-Henry (nee Thompson) are still living at Katharine Buildings, the tenements near the St Katharine's docks on the Thames next to the Tower of London. Here's where the tenement used to be before it was demolished in the 1960s.
John and Caroline have been married 42 years and have had 9 children, 7 of whom are still living. I've only collected 8 of the set so far and I'm missing one of the ones who have died before 1911.
John is 63 years old and now described as a shopkeeper, having been a carman (driver of a horse and cart) and a coalwhipper (coal deliverer) in previous documents. He was born in Stepney, London. My father talks about a shop in the Katharine Buildings, that John and Caroline's daughter Elizabeth took over with her husband William Dongray.
Caroline is 60 years old and was also born in Stepney.
Their address is 27 Katharine Buildings, Tower Hill, E6.
And here we have William Joseph and Elizabeth Maria Dongray living in a single room at 80 Katharine Buildings with their 2 daughters:
Valentine Amelia aged 4
Ellen Teresa Annie aged 15 months
At this time William is a horsekeeper.
John and Caroline's eldest son Thomas and his wife Rebecca (nee Lamb), my great grandparents and the subjects of my very first post on this blog are living in rooms 200, 201 and 202 of Katharine Buildings, although they give the road as Royal Mint Street. The blog link shows a photo of the pair of them taken at the tenement.
They are both aged 43, have been married 23 years and had 6 children 4 of whom are still living in 1911. (Rebecca may think her child-bearing days are over but in 1913, my great-uncle Jim is born!)
Both were born on Shadwell, London and Thomas was a carter.
Living with them in these three rooms were their children:
Thomas James aged 21 a yeast packer
Mary Ann aged 17 a lace maker
John Lawrence aged 15 a plumber
Henry Edward aged 10 (my grandfather)
and also Edward John aged 11, a nephew.
This nephew Edward ("Teddy") Fitz-Henry was the son of Thomas' brother John. John's first wife Julia Dibben had died shortly after Teddy's birth, and Thomas and Rebecca had adopted him into their family.
The remarried John Fitz-Henry (father of Teddy) is lving with his second wife Isabel (nee Day) in Forest Gate (further out in the leafy suburbs of East London) with a daughter Eileen aged 9. John is an accountant and has a six roomed house.
John and Caroline's eldest daughter, the widowed 36 year old Caroline Gilburns (sewing machinist) is living in a single room with her 11 year old daughter Theresa in Royal Mint Square.
Living just round the corner in Royal Albert Buildings (another tenement) are John and Caroline's youngest daughters:
Annie Fitz-Henry aged 25 a military tailoress
Amelia Fitz-Henry aged 23 a clerk in a stockbroker's business
The census was on the night of 2nd April, and on the 13th April Amelia married Sylvian Romaine.
The only one of John and Caroline's children that I've not been able to find as yet is Henry born 1882. The search goes on.
Why not subscribe to this blog and get the updates sent to your inbox? Or send us an email about your Fitz(-)henry family links.
My great great grandparents John and Caroline Fitz-Henry (nee Thompson) are still living at Katharine Buildings, the tenements near the St Katharine's docks on the Thames next to the Tower of London. Here's where the tenement used to be before it was demolished in the 1960s.
John and Caroline have been married 42 years and have had 9 children, 7 of whom are still living. I've only collected 8 of the set so far and I'm missing one of the ones who have died before 1911.
John is 63 years old and now described as a shopkeeper, having been a carman (driver of a horse and cart) and a coalwhipper (coal deliverer) in previous documents. He was born in Stepney, London. My father talks about a shop in the Katharine Buildings, that John and Caroline's daughter Elizabeth took over with her husband William Dongray.
Caroline is 60 years old and was also born in Stepney.
Their address is 27 Katharine Buildings, Tower Hill, E6.
And here we have William Joseph and Elizabeth Maria Dongray living in a single room at 80 Katharine Buildings with their 2 daughters:
Valentine Amelia aged 4
Ellen Teresa Annie aged 15 months
At this time William is a horsekeeper.
John and Caroline's eldest son Thomas and his wife Rebecca (nee Lamb), my great grandparents and the subjects of my very first post on this blog are living in rooms 200, 201 and 202 of Katharine Buildings, although they give the road as Royal Mint Street. The blog link shows a photo of the pair of them taken at the tenement.
They are both aged 43, have been married 23 years and had 6 children 4 of whom are still living in 1911. (Rebecca may think her child-bearing days are over but in 1913, my great-uncle Jim is born!)
Both were born on Shadwell, London and Thomas was a carter.
Living with them in these three rooms were their children:
Thomas James aged 21 a yeast packer
Mary Ann aged 17 a lace maker
John Lawrence aged 15 a plumber
Henry Edward aged 10 (my grandfather)
and also Edward John aged 11, a nephew.
This nephew Edward ("Teddy") Fitz-Henry was the son of Thomas' brother John. John's first wife Julia Dibben had died shortly after Teddy's birth, and Thomas and Rebecca had adopted him into their family.
The remarried John Fitz-Henry (father of Teddy) is lving with his second wife Isabel (nee Day) in Forest Gate (further out in the leafy suburbs of East London) with a daughter Eileen aged 9. John is an accountant and has a six roomed house.
John and Caroline's eldest daughter, the widowed 36 year old Caroline Gilburns (sewing machinist) is living in a single room with her 11 year old daughter Theresa in Royal Mint Square.
Living just round the corner in Royal Albert Buildings (another tenement) are John and Caroline's youngest daughters:
Annie Fitz-Henry aged 25 a military tailoress
Amelia Fitz-Henry aged 23 a clerk in a stockbroker's business
The census was on the night of 2nd April, and on the 13th April Amelia married Sylvian Romaine.
The only one of John and Caroline's children that I've not been able to find as yet is Henry born 1882. The search goes on.
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Saturday, 24 January 2009
1911 census - Dr George William Fitz-Henry and Isabella
One of the BIG mistakes in any form of research is to let your imagination run away with you. This entry from the 1911 census has neatly brought me back down to earth and reminded me that I shouldn't take anything at face value unless I've seen the documentary evidence to back it up.
In the "Out of Africa" series of postings, we met William Cooper Fitz-Henry and his indefatigable wife Lassie and in passing, a Jack Cooper Fitz-Henry who ran the fire service in Hong Kong. I assumed they were the sons of Dr. George William Fitz-Henry and his wife Isabella nee Cooper. (George William, also known as William George, was the eldest surviving son of Captain William Fitz-Henry of Ashtead by his first wife Barbara Morrison).
The 1911 census was the first England and Wales census which asked how many children living and dead had been born to that marriage.
George and Isabella stated that they had been married 23 years and had had 4 children, all of which were still living.
Also living at the household were three daughters! This means that at least one of the sons that I had ascribed to them was not theirs!
So for the record here is their census return. Although it's made me eat humble pie, it has also confirmed some other assumptions that I had made.
7 East Dulwich Road, South East London.
George William Fitz-Henry head aged 49, married, born Winchester Hampshire, General Medical Practitioner
Isabella Fitz-Henry wife aged 50, married (place of birth not stated) she has been 23 years in this marriage and has had 4 children, all of whom are still alive.
Barbara Eleanor Fitz-Henry aged 21, single, born Lyttelton New Zealand (British Subject)
Dorothea Tighe Fitz-Henry aged 16, born Amberly New Zealand (British Subject)
Margery Bell Fitz-Henry aged 5, single born East Dulwich London.
The births of Barbara and Dorothea in New Zealand confirm that this was the same doctor Fitz-Henry who was appointed public vaccinator and local doctor in Lyttelton in 1887. From the Christchurch Star of Monday 25 July 1887:
Dorothea had the middle name Tighe. The only other incidence of this name that I have found in this family is her step-uncle Woodfield Duncombe Tighe Fitz-Henry, the patriach of the Canadian branch of this Fitz-Henry family and the son of Captain William Fitz-Henry of Ashtead by his second wife Martha Eagles.
Why not subscribe to this blog and get the updates sent to your inbox? Or send us an email about your Fitz(-)henry family links.
In the "Out of Africa" series of postings, we met William Cooper Fitz-Henry and his indefatigable wife Lassie and in passing, a Jack Cooper Fitz-Henry who ran the fire service in Hong Kong. I assumed they were the sons of Dr. George William Fitz-Henry and his wife Isabella nee Cooper. (George William, also known as William George, was the eldest surviving son of Captain William Fitz-Henry of Ashtead by his first wife Barbara Morrison).
The 1911 census was the first England and Wales census which asked how many children living and dead had been born to that marriage.
George and Isabella stated that they had been married 23 years and had had 4 children, all of which were still living.
Also living at the household were three daughters! This means that at least one of the sons that I had ascribed to them was not theirs!
So for the record here is their census return. Although it's made me eat humble pie, it has also confirmed some other assumptions that I had made.
7 East Dulwich Road, South East London.
George William Fitz-Henry head aged 49, married, born Winchester Hampshire, General Medical Practitioner
Isabella Fitz-Henry wife aged 50, married (place of birth not stated) she has been 23 years in this marriage and has had 4 children, all of whom are still alive.
Barbara Eleanor Fitz-Henry aged 21, single, born Lyttelton New Zealand (British Subject)
Dorothea Tighe Fitz-Henry aged 16, born Amberly New Zealand (British Subject)
Margery Bell Fitz-Henry aged 5, single born East Dulwich London.
The births of Barbara and Dorothea in New Zealand confirm that this was the same doctor Fitz-Henry who was appointed public vaccinator and local doctor in Lyttelton in 1887. From the Christchurch Star of Monday 25 July 1887:
Birth - FITZ-HENRY - July 23 at Lyttelton, to wife of William Fitz-Henry, a son, premature.As Isabella denied that any of her children had died, then I assume that the final missing (and eldest) child from this census is a son - but who was he?
Dorothea had the middle name Tighe. The only other incidence of this name that I have found in this family is her step-uncle Woodfield Duncombe Tighe Fitz-Henry, the patriach of the Canadian branch of this Fitz-Henry family and the son of Captain William Fitz-Henry of Ashtead by his second wife Martha Eagles.
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Saturday, 17 January 2009
The 1911 census
Last week, the 1911 census of England and Wales was publicly released two years early. However, me and Lesley were invited to take part in the beta testing of the online site in December as we were subscribers to the previous censuses released by FindMyPast.com.
Currently the 1911 census is only available as a pay per view of each page (at about £3 per page) rather than on a subscription, which does make it rather expensive for trawling through all variants of Fitz(-)henry. And as yet not all parts of England and Wales have been released. But we're using canny search techniques to minimise the duplications and soon we hope to have a summary of what we've found up on the FitzhenryDNA website. When we do, we'll let you know here.
What makes this census special is that for the first time the householder filled in the forms themselves and if there was a married couple involved, they were to state how many years they had been married and how many children living and dead the woman had borne.
So on the (very good) images of each household, you get to see your ancestors' own handwriting. You also hope that they knew how to spell their own surnames, so unlike the previous censuses one level of transcription error is removed. And their count of their own children should be accurate so we now have a cross reference for the trees that we have constructed so far.
If anyone has already "found a Fitz" in the 1911 census and wishes to share the information with us, please drop us an email so we can concentrate our funds on the Fitzhenrys that haven't been extracted yet.
Why not subscribe to this blog and get the updates sent to your inbox? Or send us an email about your Fitz(-)henry family links.
Currently the 1911 census is only available as a pay per view of each page (at about £3 per page) rather than on a subscription, which does make it rather expensive for trawling through all variants of Fitz(-)henry. And as yet not all parts of England and Wales have been released. But we're using canny search techniques to minimise the duplications and soon we hope to have a summary of what we've found up on the FitzhenryDNA website. When we do, we'll let you know here.
What makes this census special is that for the first time the householder filled in the forms themselves and if there was a married couple involved, they were to state how many years they had been married and how many children living and dead the woman had borne.
So on the (very good) images of each household, you get to see your ancestors' own handwriting. You also hope that they knew how to spell their own surnames, so unlike the previous censuses one level of transcription error is removed. And their count of their own children should be accurate so we now have a cross reference for the trees that we have constructed so far.
If anyone has already "found a Fitz" in the 1911 census and wishes to share the information with us, please drop us an email so we can concentrate our funds on the Fitzhenrys that haven't been extracted yet.
Why not subscribe to this blog and get the updates sent to your inbox? Or send us an email about your Fitz(-)henry family links.
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