The 12th child born to my 2xgreat grandparents, Rose grew up in her father's home village of Redbourn, where he was a master baker. She worked as a skilled waterproof clothing machinist with her older sister. I made a cardinal error marrying her off to the wrong man, tracing their lives without double checking the … Continue reading Rose Ephgrave (1892-1969): Family ties (almost a mistake!)
Hertfordshire
Ellen Ephgrave (1889-1969): Wars and Waterproofs
My 2xgreat grandparents suffered the loss of two baby daughters before Ellen, their 11th child, was born. She grew up in Redbourn, and worked as a machinist in a waterproof clothing factory in nearby St Albans, Hertfordshire. War seems to have been a backdrop to much of her family life. WW1 saw her marry and … Continue reading Ellen Ephgrave (1889-1969): Wars and Waterproofs
George Ephgrave (1885-1935): Milk sterilizer engineer
My great great uncle George was one of several in his family to leave rural Hertfordshire for a life in London. There he worked, like his brothers Frederick and William, for a large dairy company. He became an electrical engineer involved in milk sterilization. He and his wife had two daughters. He died at the … Continue reading George Ephgrave (1885-1935): Milk sterilizer engineer
Alice Ephgrave (1882-1945): Silk winder, servant, unmarried mother; emigrated to the USA
My great great aunt Alice grew up in Redbourn, Hertfordshire, where her father was a baker. She first worked locally as a silk winder before giving birth to an illegitimate son in her brother's house in London. After emigrating to Detroit, Michigan, she married and had two further sons, the first later joining them there. … Continue reading Alice Ephgrave (1882-1945): Silk winder, servant, unmarried mother; emigrated to the USA
Clara Ephgrave (1880-1941): In service before a late marriage
After the birth of five sons, one of whom had died, my 2xgreat grandparents Jesse and Harriet Ephgrave must have been pleased at the birth of a healthy daughter. Clara spent at least a decade working as a domestic servant for a small family involved in the hat business in Luton. She married in her … Continue reading Clara Ephgrave (1880-1941): In service before a late marriage
William Ephgrave (1878-1949): Lifelong milkman, intriguing in-laws
Born in St Albans, Hertfordshire, William spent his adult life in London, where he worked as a milkman in the same dairy business as my great grandfather, his brother. William's marriage to Annie Looker led me to research her intriguing, much-married father, a coffee house keeper of London and later a publican. I believe William … Continue reading William Ephgrave (1878-1949): Lifelong milkman, intriguing in-laws
Arthur Ephgrave (1876-1943): Family puzzles
The fourth of my great grandparents' 13 children, Arthur grew up in St Alban's but raised his own much smaller family in Luton following a brief stay in London. He worked in two of Luton's major industries before and after WW1 service, but finished his working life at Vauxhall's Motor Works. Intriguingly, his wife appears … Continue reading Arthur Ephgrave (1876-1943): Family puzzles
Edward Thomas Ephgrave (1873-1932): A minor brush with the law
Ted was the second of my 2xgreat grandparents' 13 children, one of nine to survive. Unlike some of his siblings, he stayed close to his family and life seems to have followed a traditional pattern. A reported teenage misdemeanour, the impact of war and a description of his dilapidated rural home give a glimpse of … Continue reading Edward Thomas Ephgrave (1873-1932): A minor brush with the law
Jesse Ephgrave (1852-1926): Losses and legacies
My 2xgreat grandfather was born in Redbourn, a small historic town in Hertfordshire. His father, a baker, died when he was six and he was brought up by his mother and stepfather - also a baker. He followed the same often financially precarious trade for at least 50 years; but what was his childhood like? … Continue reading Jesse Ephgrave (1852-1926): Losses and legacies
Jesse & Harriet Ephgrave: A baker’s dozen
My 2xgreat grandfather Jesse Ephgrave was a master baker. He had 13 children - a baker's dozen - with Harriet Scrivener. Their first son, my great grandfather, was illegitimate and their second was born only a few months after their marriage. Times were hard for them, with the loss of four children in infancy, and … Continue reading Jesse & Harriet Ephgrave: A baker’s dozen
My Stocking Roots 