Geneageek

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.)

Raineys Hill Top Park

When I met my now husband – all the way back in 2003 – I was living on Rainey Street, Chermside; a suburb of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.

Today I found a cool real estate map from 1925 on the State Library of Queensland website of what was then named ‘Raineys Hill Top Park’ in Kedron.

A real estate map from 1925 — Raineys Hill Top Park Estate, 1925

75 years later, I rented a flat built on Plot 30.

Although I can’t remember if it was ‘free from dust, and delightfully cool’ as advertised in newspapers at the time, it did have ‘water and electric light’. Unfortunately, I was too late to utilise the tram system which appears to have run along Gympie Road a few blocks away. (All Brisbane trams had stopped running by 1969.)

It was a lovely place to live and we have fond memories of our time there.

Bloxwich Cemetery

photograph of disused chapel on sunny day — Disused chapel at Bloxwich Cemetery

Bloxwich Cemetery, located on Field Road, was opened in 1875.

Until 1875, burials had taken place in the churchyard of All Saints – the parish church of Bloxwich (built 1793). By the 1870s, the churchyard had become extremely crowded and another burial site was needed.

image of old map featuring Bloxwich Cemetery — Bloxwich Cemetery as shown on map c1901

The cemetery expanded over the years – from 6 acres to about 13 acres today (2023).

photograph of Bloxwich Cemetery map sign displayed at site — Map of Bloxwich Cemetery c2021

There were originally two mortuary chapels – one designated for Church of England and one for Nonconformists – but the Nonconformist chapel was demolished sometime before 2009. There was talk of demolishing the remaining building but as of 2023, the disused chapel is still standing.

Side view of disused chapel at Bloxwich Cemetery

Family Connections

1986 – Carnation Richards (died 27 Jan 1986) – buried [HH section]
1987 – Charles Richards (died 29 Apr 1987) – buried [HH section]
1900 – Eli Fletcher (infant) – buried 10 Aug 1900 [E section 2 grave 55]
1909 – Elizabeth Fletcher (died 3 May 1909) – buried 8 May 1909 [C section 2 grave 251]

Other Connections

1875 – The first burials were those of William Boncer (age 28) and Henry Edward Hough (aged 2 days) on 7 June 1875.
(Mary Ann Pritchard (aged 3) was buried 8 June)

Good Tithings

In the 1841 census, William Wreford was recorded at ‘Withley Goodman‘, near Tiverton, with his second wife Ann, and their four children. He was recorded simply as ‘Farmer’.

part of the 1841 census page showing the Wreford family at 'Withley Good Man' — William Wreford in the 1841 census

I’d already found the location of the farm, but now, using the 1841 tithe maps and apportionments on the Devon County Council website, I’ve been able to establish the exact land that William farmed!

Tithes were a kind of tax where one tenth of all agricultural produce was paid annually to support the local church and clergy. The Tithe Commutation Act was passed in 1836 to convert this to monetary payments. A tithe survey was carried out in each parish to value the land, discover what tithes were payable and calculate each landowner’s liability.

In the survey conducted in 1841, William was recorded as the occupier of Withleigh Goodman in the Priors district of the parish of Tiverton. At this time, the farm consisted of 21 plots, which came to a total of 54 acres, 3 roods, and 12 perches. This works out to 221, 879 square metres (about 22 hectares).

Plots occupied by William Wreford in 1841 (shown on a c1905 map)

William did not own the land he farmed. In 1841, the landowner of Withleigh Goodman was Richard Morrish ‘as Trustee for George Brook Maunder’.

These tithe records have triggered a new set of questions.

What was the Maunder link?
Who was George Brook Maunder? And why did he need a trustee?
Who was Robert Morrish?

What was the Maunder link?

Maunder was the previous surname of William’s wife, Ann. It was also the surname of two other inhabitants of the house, Ann Maunder (20, female servant) and George Maunder (15, apprentice).

I’d long thought of Maunder as being Ann’s maiden name but it’s possible that Maunder was a married name, and the young Maunders are actually Ann’s children. William and Ann’s marital status was not noted on their marriage record, but I know William was widowed so Ann could have been too. 1841 census ages are ‘iffy’, but other records show Ann was actually about 45 years old – old enough to be the mother of children aged 20 and 15.

Who was George Brook Maunder?

The only records for George Brook Maunder that I could find, suggest he was baptised in 1825 at Puddington (about 5 miles from Withleigh). He was the son of a George and Ann, who resided at Coombe.

Baptism of George Brook Maunder at Puddington on 2 Jan 1825

This couple also had a daughter named Ann, baptised in 1820.

Baptism of Ann Maunder at Puddington on 6 Nov 1820

This ties in with the ages of the George and Ann Maunder at Withleigh Goodman in 1841.

Why would George Brook Maunder need a trustee?

George Maunder, a yeoman of Coombe, died in 1826. It appears that he bequeathed the land to his eldest (and only living) son, George Brook Maunder. A trustee would have been appointed since his son was not of age. The will should be consulted to prove this theory.

Although not proven, it’s looking a lot like William’s wife, Ann, was the widow of George Maunder. This would mean that the Maunders recorded on the 1841 census were her children from this previous marriage, and her son George was the legal owner of the property that William Wreford was farming.

Next Steps:

obtain a copy of George Maunder’s 1826 will

The Baddow Elopement

Companion post for the Geneageek’s Gems podcast episode:
The Baddow Elopement

(The full story details can be heard on the podcast. This post is to illustrate places featured in the story.)

old photograph of pub on road — The Cock Inn, Boreham c1893 (via Pub History)

James and Eliza made their escape from Little Baddow on the morning of 28 September 1872. On the way to Chelmsford, they stopped at the Cock Inn at Boreham ‘for refreshment’.

clipping from newspaper with 'the Cock Inn, Boreham' highlighted — Chelmsford Chronicle, 4 October 1872

After unloading their items at Chelmsford Station, James, Eliza, and their driver Thomas Peacock, spent some time at the Fleece Inn on Duke Street.

newspaper clipping with 'the Fleece Inn, in Duke-street' highlighted — Essex Weekly News, 17 Jan 1873

The Fleece Inn (trading as the Golden Fleece), Chelmsford (via Pub History)

The map below, although drawn 20 years later than the events in 1872, shows where these places were located in relation to each other:

old map with Little Baddow, the Cock Inn, Chelmsford Station and the Fleece Inn labelled with arrows — c1893 map showing Little Baddow, the Cock Inn, Chelmsford Station, and the Fleece Inn

Unfortunately, we can no longer visit these establishments. The Cock is no longer a pub and has since become a private home. The Fleece Inn, which was situated at 84 Duke Street, was demolished by 1932. A new building was erected which now trades as the Golden Fleece.

Even the Chelmsford Station of James and Eliza’s time is no more. It was originally situated slightly to the north of where the station is today; the present building was constructed (initially) in 1885.