My 2xgreat grandmother was born and grew up in Luton, in Bedfordshire, joining many thousands of others working in the booming straw hat industry, probably from a young age. She would have earned good money, which may be why she didn't immediately marry the father of her first child. What would Hattie's formative years in … Continue reading Harriet Scrivener (1851-1931): Hattie in hat town
Scrivener Harriet (1851-1931)
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