My maternal great grandparents Charles Brown and Lavinia Seaby married fairly late in life; he was 30 and she was 32. Both had had careers before marriage, he as a soldier in India, she as a Cook in London. Their marriage was sadly cut short by Charley's early death. What do we know of their … Continue reading Charley and Lavinia Brown: A short marriage
Occupations
Lavinia Seaby (1861-1944): Cook to the gentry?
My maternal great-grandmother Lavinia Seaby was born in Dry Drayton, in rural Cambridgeshire, but family tales suggested that before she married Charles Brown, she was a Cook 'to the gentry' in London. Censuses do show that she worked in service, latterly as a Cook, in private houses in fashionable Notting Hill, London. What more could … Continue reading Lavinia Seaby (1861-1944): Cook to the gentry?
Horace & Elizabeth Brown: Beds to London via Essex
My maternal grandparents married in Sandy, Bedfordshire in 1923. There were no photos of the wedding, but a local paper described the happy event. Family photos and newspapers also provide insights into family life with nine children before they set up a hardware shop in South London. What kind of a picture do they show? … Continue reading Horace & Elizabeth Brown: Beds to London via Essex
Elizabeth Sarah Fage (1901-2002): Musicians, malnutrition and misadventure
My maternal grandmother lived to the grand age of 101. In her 80s, she told of being Nanny for the children of well-known 'theatricals' in London and being starved by another employer. A man climbed through her bedroom window when she was working for an elderly couple in Biggleswade, leading to her appearance as a … Continue reading Elizabeth Sarah Fage (1901-2002): Musicians, malnutrition and misadventure
Horace Brown (1901-1994): A bad lad of Sandy?
My mother's father was born in 1901 in the small Bedfordshire town of Sandy. Both he and my grandmother were still alive when my interest in family history was piqued, so I was able to hear about their early lives and families at first hand. Was Granddad Brown really a 'bad lad', as Nana Brown … Continue reading Horace Brown (1901-1994): A bad lad of Sandy?
Charley Brown (1862-1904): A soldier in India?
My maternal great grandfather Charles Brown was said, in family circles, to have served with the Indian Army. Could I find any evidence? I knew his birth year and place and father's name from other records, and also knew he married as a Labourer, aged 31, comparatively late in life. There was a family photo … Continue reading Charley Brown (1862-1904): A soldier in India?
Frederick Ephgrave: London Dairyman to RAF Engineer
My great grandfather's early life and career took some interesting twists and turns. He was born illegitimately in Luton, initially followed in his baker father's footsteps but then worked in the London Dairy industry before becoming an RAF Motor Engineer. Before researching Fred's career I knew next to nothing about London's dairy industries in the … Continue reading Frederick Ephgrave: London Dairyman to RAF Engineer
Great grandmother Phoebe Caroline Gibson: A comfortable North London childhood?
My Dad's maternal grandmother Phoebe Caroline Gibson was born in Hornsey, a North London suburb, in 1877, the daughter of a Looking Glass Frame Maker. The few records from her childhood give little insight into what life was like. Can I find out more about the areas and houses she lived in? From Hornsey to … Continue reading Great grandmother Phoebe Caroline Gibson: A comfortable North London childhood?
Tracing Great Grandad Frederick Ephgrave: A puzzle
My paternal great-grandfather was Frederick Ephgrave - or was he? Tracing his birth posed a big puzzle. I thought I knew his name from my grandmother Jessie Ephgrave's vital records, his marriage certificate and censuses. Apparently born in Luton 1872-3, son of 'Jessie' Ephgrave, he had various jobs in the dairy industry, but in earlier … Continue reading Tracing Great Grandad Frederick Ephgrave: A puzzle
London Waleses: Aaron & Catherine’s family
After their marriage in 1849 in Waterloo, South London, Aaron and Catherine Wales lived out their lives in Bermondsey and Southwark, close to the Leather Market South of the Thames. They raised nine children there, including my 2xgreat grandmother Alice Mary Wales. Aaron was originally from rural Norfolk, but married a girl from Newington. Were … Continue reading London Waleses: Aaron & Catherine’s family
My Stocking Roots 