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Maunder Thursday

Some time ago, I wrote about my ancestor William Wreford’s second wife, Ann Maunder (see post: Good Tithings). I had long thought that Maunder was her maiden name but discovered she was likely born Ann Anstey, and married a man named George Maunder. Today I stumbled on more evidence to support this theory.

William and Ann had a daughter named Elizabeth Ann Wreford born in Tiverton, Devon. While ’rounding out’ her story, I found her in the 1851 census in London. Elizabeth was in the home of ‘Aeneas B. Reid’ and his wife ‘Anne Maunder Reid’, recorded as a sister-in-law. Obviously the name Maunder jumped out at me. Mrs Reid’s age also tied in with the details for Ann and George Maunder’s daughter Ann (her baptism record can be seen in the earlier post).

1851 census image showing Elizabeth Ann Wreford in the home of her half-sibling Ann Maunder

Luckily, I could access the image of the marriage Ann Maunder (jr) to Aeneas Barkley Reid a couple years earlier in 1849. It confirmed her father’s name was George Maunder and also held the signatures of two witnesses: William Wreford and Mary Wreford.

1849 marriage of Ann Maunder to Aeneas Barkley Reid with Wreford witnesses

(I believe these witnesses are likely to be Ann’s step sibling (son of William Wreford to his first wife) and his wife, who also lived in London at the time.)

After this discovery, everything has started tumbling into place. Another half sibling, Mary Anna, who I was previously unable to pin down, shows up in the census record with the Reids in 1861.

1861 census showing Mary Anna Wreford with her half-sibling Ann Maunder

She also appears to have been buried in the family plot of Elizabeth Ann, who had married Alexander Small in 1853.

1863 Tower Hamlets Cemetery burial record of Mary Anna Wreford, showing she was buried in the ‘Smalls’s Grave’

Mary Anna and Aeneas Barkley Reid also show up as witnesses to that marriage,

1853 marriage of Elizabeth Ann Wreford to Alexander Small (note witnesses)

and the Small’s son is recorded with Elizabeth Ann’s brother Willliam in the 1861 census.

1861 census showing Elizabeth Ann’s son Alexander with her half-brother William

What tops it off for me, is seeing that my direct ancestor William Wreford was also buried in the Small family plot (4029).

1866 Tower Hamlets Cemetery burial record of William Wreford, showing he was also buried in the ‘Smalls’ Grave’

All of this ‘coming together’ is very satisfying, and gives me an insight into how much the siblings lives were entwined with each other.

And of course, I’m now pretty confident William Wreford’s wife Ann Maunder was born Ann Anstey.

A tree to help make sense of all this (click to enlarge)

Rage Against the Thrashing Machine

As part of my Ebbans One Name Study, I spent some time researching a man involved in the Agrarian Riots of the 1820s and 1830s. Imagine my excitement when while watching an episode of Who Do You Think You Are, parts of the story began to sound familiar to me and I realised they were referring to the man I had researched!

Part of the episode focused on Ed Balls’ agricultural labourer ancestor, Christopher Green, who was also involved in the riots and charged with arson alongside William Ebbon in 1832. (It can be viewed on the BBC iPlayer – Green’s story begins at 29:45.)

William Ebbon was baptised at St Leonard’s, Horningsheath (later known as Horringer) in Suffolk, on the 4th of August 1799. He was the son of William Ebbon and Temperance Elliss.

An oil painting landscape. Two men on a hill look out over an extensive tract of land north-east of Norwich. — *Mousehold Heath, Norwich* by John Crome (c1816-1818)

By 1821, the family had settled in nearby Winfarthing, Norfolk. In the 1821 census, William was recorded with his parents at the Winfarthing Workhouse. However, they were not inmates, his father was noted as the governor, whereas 22-year-old William was recorded as a labourer.

The show discusses Christopher Green’s arrest for destroying a threshing machine at Winfarthing on 19 September 1822. William wasn’t named as one of the men involved that night, but he was arrested for the same offence 10 days later. He and Ed Balls’ ancestor were both part of the growing movement of disgruntled agricultural labourers who felt forced to act against their livelihoods being taken away from them. One of the main issues was the introduction of new machinery that took even more work away from the already struggling labourers. (For more information see my post about the Agrarian Riots.)

On 29 September 1822, William was involved in the breaking of a threshing machine at Winfarthing during a riot of agricultural labourers. He and a man named Robert Large, pleaded guilty and the court decided that as their conduct was “not having been of an aggravated description”, both were sentenced to be bound in their own recognizance of £20. They were able to do so and were discharged.

newspaper clipping — Norfolk Chronicle, 14 December 1822, p3, c2

Ten years later, William was again involved in destruction of property. In 1832, he, along with Christopher Green and Robert Hubbard, was charged with “having set fire to the premises of the Manor-house called Winfarthing Lodge, the property of the Earl of Albemarle, and in the occupation of Mr. Daniel Doggett, an opulent farmer…”. The men were committed to Norwich Castle (the county gaol). Hubbard ‘turned approver’ and gave evidence implicating William, Christopher Green and two others, Robert Dixon and Francis Mullett, in the crime of sheep stealing. [Stamford Mercury, 25 May 1832, p4, c6]

A colour drawing. Norwich Castle on a hill looms over a stonemason's yard in the foreground. — *Norwich Castle* by James Bridges (1833)

Ultimately, the grand jury of the Norfolk and Norwich Assizes held 30 August 1832, ignored the bills of arson against them, and acquitted them of having stolen a ewe sheep, the property of Mr. Edmund Bale, of Tibbenham on 21 December 1831. [Norwich Mercury, 04 August 1832, p3 c1]

The Norwich Mercury reported: “This case rested almost entirely on the uncorroborated evidence of an accomplice, who had never mentioned the matter till he was apprehended on suspicion of setting fire to some premises at Winfarthing.” [Norwich Mercury, 04 August 1832, p3 c1]

William Ebbon and his family stayed in Winfarthing for a few years after this, but sometime after 1836, the family emigrated to the United States.

In 1840, William was recorded at Sackets Harbor, Hounsfield, Jefferson, New York and again at Hounsfield in 1855 before the trail goes quiet.

All William Ebbons‘ other ‘accomplices’ remained in Winfarthing. Robert Hubbard, the ‘turncoat’, died there only a few years later in 1835. Christopher Green died in 1860 at the Kenninghall Union Workhouse. Robert Dixon died at Winfarthing in 1865, and Francis Mollett died in the Kenninghall Union Workhouse in 1873.

Has anyone you were researching ever been mentioned on television?

Alfred Wreford

Just outside the entrance to St Mary’s church in Morchard Bishop, Devon, is a solitary grave.

The grave stone is so worn, only the name ‘Alfred Wreford’ can be made out.

Fortunately, there was a list of burials inside the church which quickly gave me Alfred’s death date and the fact he was only 8 years old when he died.

Of course, I wanted to know more. I was unable to find any mention of Alfred’s death in the newspaper, which indicates he was likely to have died from some kind of illness rather than a tragic accident. To know for sure, I’d have to order his death certificate. But if I ordered every certificate that took my fancy, I wouldn’t have enough money to eat, so that will have to remain a mystery for now.

But I’ve still been able to find some details about Alfred’s life.

Alfred was baptised at Morchard Bishop on 25 May 1863, the son of agricultural labourer Matthew Wreford and his wife, Mary Drew. This was the second marriage for both his parents, and although Alfred would be the only child his parents would have together, he had 7 older half-siblings combined. At the time of his baptism, the family were residing on The Street in Morchard Bishop.

In the 1871 census, Alfred can be found with his parents and 14-year-old half sister, living at ‘Sidbury’ (or Sidborough) which is part of the village of Oldborough (just south of Morchard Bishop).

I was able to find photographs of the house but it looks a lot grander today than it would have done in the 1870s. (Historic England states it was formerly a small farmhouse and adjoining cottage.)

Alfred would die only a few months after the census was taken, and be buried next to the church building, where I would discover him 153 years later.

But since I have a theory that I am related to every Wreford buried in Morchard Bishop, I wanted to find out how this boy was related to me.

Turns out, Alfred was my fourth cousin, once removed, and two sets of his 3rd great grandparents were also my 7th great grandparents:

Set one – William Wreford (1717-1763) and Thomasin Manley (1719 – 1794)
Set two – Matthew Wreford (1712-1752) and Sarah James (1717 – 1763)

William and Matthew were brothers – the children of Matthew Wreford (1682 – 1763) and Elizabeth Manley (1684 – 1757) – and two of Matthew’s children grew up to marry two of William’s children.

Nice to have ‘met’ you, cousin Alfred.

A Grave Mistake

man in deerstalker hat laying on the ground One of my favourite things about genealogy is feeling like a detective, and today gave me another opportunity to don my deerstalker and grab my pipe.

I noticed that Find A Grave had an ‘extra’ child linked on the page of my great grandparents, George Wright Wreford Palmer and Margaret Palmer (nee Glaister). The ‘memorial’ was for an infant, William Tracey Palmer, born and died in 1911, which included the note: ‘Accidentally killed after his sleeping mother rolled over on him in bed.’ A tragic event, but I was a bit befuddled.

The problem was, George and Margaret were married in 1913, and although I’m no stranger to discovering ‘early’ children, I had never come across this one before. So of course, I needed to either prove or disprove the connection.

a dilapidated grave — Block 3 Plot 105 via Dunedin City Council

The gravesite is pretty dilapidated and only the faint outline of the name ‘Palmer’ can be seen on a marker – so no help there.

Grave marker with faint outline of the name PALMER — Block 3 Plot 105 via Dunedin City Council

I could find no birth or death record for an infant named William Tracey Palmer. There was a death record but this was for a 77-year-old man. The name Wreford Henry Palmer jumped out at me, due to my family connections with the name Wreford, but this was the child of Thomas Henry Palmer (George’s brother) and his wife Kate Palmer (nee Gilchrist).

I turned to the Dunedin City Council site which has a very helpful grave location search but there was no William Tracey Palmer buried at Anderson’s Bay cemetery between the years 1910 and 1919. So where the heck was this grave info coming from?

Considering possible spelling variants may have been at play, I searched only for the surname ‘Palmer’ in that time period and got three results – none being William Tracey Palmer. The first I knew to be my great great grandfather (George’s father), the other two being children of the above mentioned couple Thomas and Kate. The only 1911 burial was for ‘W Henry Palmer’ but aged 16 years. I thought it was another dead end but lo and behold, the record page gave me the information I needed.

Block 3, Plot 105; died 22 Nov 1911 – the same burial plot and death date given on the Find A Grave site. This was the burial record of the aforementioned Wreford Henry Palmer. Despite giving an age of ’16 years’, the notes section stated the ‘occupation’ of INFANT, so likely meant ’16 days’ – the burial register entry showed this to be the case.

Screenshot of burial entry record — Burial entry of Wreford Henry Palmer in Andersons Bay Cemetery records

So poor little Wreford Henry must have been linked accidentally as a child of his uncle when added to Find A Grave (his parents are also on the site) but I have no idea where the name ‘William Tracey’ came from. Unfortunately, at least 5 other people have since added ‘William Tracey’ as a child of my great grandparents (on Ancestry), so let this tale serve as a reminder to always CHECK YOUR SOURCES.

Who Dehoux Are You?

an old photograph of a woman — Florence Dehoux

Florence Dehoux married Leon Befays in Belgium in 1928. I was able to find Leon’s birth record fairly easily but had never managed to locate Florence’s.

It turns out there was a good reason for that… Florence was not born Florence Dehoux after all, but Florence Moreau! An official note next to the birth entry indicates that her parents were not married when she was born. When they married two years later, Florence was ‘legitimised’ as a child of their marriage.

Florence Marie Joseph Ghislaine Moreau was born 6 May 1903 at Wagnelee, Hainaut to 21-year-old Laure Moreau. Laure’s father Joseph registered the birth with the civil registrar the next day. {Note: although the name was recorded as Moreau, Joseph signs his name as Moreaux, as does Laure on her later marriage record.)

Laure would go on to marry Eugene Joseph Dehoux (from the nearby village of Saint-Amand) on 25 February 1905 at Wagnelee.

Transcription:

L’an mil neuf cent trois, le sept du mois de mai à nix heures
du matin, Pardevant NOUS Stanislas Wauthy, Echevine,
par délégation Officier de l’Etat-Civil de la commune de Wagnelée,
province de Hainaut, est comparu Joseph Moreau, âgé de cinquante huit ans,
journalier, domicilié à Wagnelée, lequel a [aniste’d ?] l’accouchement,
qui nous a déclaré que le jour précédent â huit heures et denné ou soir
est né en cette commune de Laure Moreau, ménagere, célibataire âyée
de vingt un ans, née à Wagnelée et y domiciliée
________, un enfant du sexe
feminin qu’ il nous a présenté et auquel il a donné les prénoms
de Florence-Marie-Joseph-Ghislaine
les dites déclaration et présentation faites en présence de Louis Allart, âgé de trente
deux ans, maçon, et de Nestor Stercy, âgé de vingt huit ans,
menuisier, lou deux domiciliés à Wagnelée.
après lecture du présent acte, le déclarant et les témoins l’ ont signé
avec nous.

[In margin:]

L’ENFANT DONT L’ACTE DE NAISSANCE ESI CI-
CONTRE, A ÉTÉ LÉGITIMÉ PAR LE MARIAGE DE SES
PÈRE ET MÈRE Eugéne Joseph Dehoux
ET Laure Moreau
CONTRACTÉ À Wagnelée LE 5 février 1905

Translation:

The year one thousand nine hundred and three, the seventh day of May at six o’clock
in the morning, before US Stanislas Wauthy, Deputy Mayor,
by delegation Civil Registrar of the municipality of Wagnelée,
province of Hainaut, appeared Joseph Moreau, aged fifty eight years,
day labourer, domiciled in Wagnelée, legal [aniste’d ?] childbirth,
who declared to us that on the previous day at eight o’clock in the evening
was born in this commune to Laure Moreau, housewife, single aged
twenty-one years old, born in Wagnélee and domiciled there
________, a child of the female sex
that he presented to us and to whom he gave the first names
Florence-Marie-Joseph-Ghislaine
the said declaration and presentation made in the presence of Louis Allart, aged thirty
two years old, mason, and Nestor Stercy, twenty eight years old,
carpenter, both domiciled in Wagnelée.
After reading the present act, the declarant and the witnesses signed it
with us.

[In margin:]

The child whose birth certificate is shown opposite,
was legitimised by the marriage of his[/her]
father and mother Eugene Joseph Dehoux and Laure Moreau
contracted at Wagnelee on 5 February 1905

(Transcribed to the best of my ability and translated using various translation software – any corrections or suggestions are welcome.)