Harriet Oaten (52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks #4)

25 January 2015, Chriss Coleman

Harriet Oaten was the daughter of a Butler. Her father, William Oaten, served his employers first and his family second — as most servants did. As such, she spent most of her life living with her mother, Harriet (Bolt) Oaten, and siblings whilst her father lived on the estate of his employers. However, William always lived close to his family — census records and the location of Harriet’s birth makes that clear.

Harriet Oaten Chappell 1889
Harriet Oaten (1840-1914). According to the inscription on the back, the photo was taken in 1889 at Bath, Somerset, England.1

She was born in Boulogne-sur-Mer, France, the only child of the family to be born outside of England. Most servants do not bring their families with them abroad, so I wonder if it was her impending birth that prompted William to have his wife with him in Pas-de-Calais. Harriet was born on January 3rd 1840,2 and baptised on the 26th of the month in a British Chapel in Boulogne.3

Clipping of 1851 England Census for Walcot
Baptism entry for Harriet Oaten, British Chapel of the city of Boulogne-sur-Mer, in Pas-de-Calais, France.

The family didn’t reside in France much longer, as they moved to Bath, Somerset, England, by 1841, where they resided in the Walcot area.4,5

Clipping of 1851 England Census for Walcot
1851 England Census for Walcot, Somerset, household of Harriet Oaten.5

The 1851 England Census for Walcot, Somerset shows the household of Harriet Oaten living at 3 St James Place. Two visitors were also present in the household.

  1. Harriot Oaten, head, married, female, 39, Wife of a Butler, born Sidmouth, Devon
  2. Harriot Oten, daughter, female, 11, Scholar, born Bolougne - B.S. [British Subject]
  3. Elizabeth Oten, daughter, female, 9, Scholar, born Bath, Somerset
  4. Matilda Oten, daughter, female, 8, Scholar, born Bath, Somerset

It was in Walcot that Harriet Oaten met her husband Edwin Chappell, a Bath native. The two were wed on February 19th 1860 at Walcot St-Swithin church,6 and continued to reside out their days in Bath.7,8,9,10,11 Together, they had 10 children.12

  1. Edwin Oaten Chappell
  2. William John Chappell
  3. Harriet Chappell
  4. Martha Rosa Chappell
  5. William Christopher Chappell
  6. Elizabeth Ada Chappell
  7. Albert Chappell
  8. Alice Mary Chappell
  9. Arthur Chappell
  10. Minnie Chappell


Edwin and Harriet (Oaten) Chappell
Seated (left to right): Harriet (Oaten) Chappell and Edwin Chappell. Standing (left to right): Minnie Chappell, Annie Chappell, and Elizabeth Ada Chappell. Photo taken circa 1910. Photo courtesy of our cousin Jennifer, posted with permission.13

After she lost her husband on March 10th 1913, things became a bit more difficult. She moved from her home at 5 Caroline Place to a new abode at 7 Pera Place in Hedgemead, just to the north of Walcot. Money was tight, jobs were scarce, food was expensive, and strikes were prevalent. And although they didn’t know it at the time, a war was looming. With all this going on, she was ageing and suffering with heart problems. A letter she sent to William Christopher Chappell, however, shows she was a literate woman, who cared about her family both near and far, and enjoyed the company of her family and friends.14

Harriet passed away on August 27th, 191415, the month after the Great War broke out.

Signature of Harriet Oaten (1840-1914)
Closing signature of a letter to her son William. The entire line reads “I remain your affectionate Mother H. Chappell”16

Harriet (Oaten) Chappell is my husband’s 3rd great-grandmother. Our ancestral line:

  • 6. Harriet Oaten (1840-1914)
  • 5. William Christopher Chappell (1869-1941)
  • 4. Rosemary Cecelia Chappell (1900-1985)
  • 3. James Francis Walsh (1931-2001)
  • 2. My husband’s mother (living)
  • 1. My husband (living)

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks is a blogging prompt started by Amy Johnson Crow at No Story Too Small. My stories will include both sides of our family, including collateral lines.

  1. Harriet (Oaten) Chappell Portrait, 1889, photographer unknown; privately held by Joan [surname witheld for privacy], [address for private use], Simcoe county, Ontario. 2014. [Name and date inscribed on back of photo, unidentified handwriting.] ↩

  2. Births, Marriages, and Deaths, Chappell family record, undated; privately held by Joan [surname witheld for privacy], [address for private use], Simcoe county, Ontario. 2014. [From the style and format of the document, it appears to be a transcription of a family bible. Based on the handwriting and information, the transcription was likely written between 1897 and 1910.] ↩

  3. Boulogne Episcopal Chapel (Boulonge-sur-Mer, Pas-de-Calais, France), Baptisms, 1839-1896, page 4, Harriet Oaten, 26 Jan 1840; index and digital image, The Genealogist (http://www.thegenealogist.co.uk : accessed 14 Feb 2014); citing The National Archives, Kew, “Boulogne Vol. 3: Baptisms”, reference RG33/39. ↩

  4. “1841 England Census”, Somerset, Lansdown, enumeration district (ED) 12a, parish of Walcot, page 9 (stamped), family of Harriet Oates; index and digital image, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 17 Jan 2015); citing The National Archives, London, “Census Returns of England and Wales, 1841”, class HO107, piece 970, book 213, folio 33, GSU 474610. ↩

  5. “1851 England Census”, Somerset Bath, parish of Walcot St Swithin, page 23 (stamped), household of Harriot Oaten; index and digital image, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 15 May 2014); citing The National Archives, London, class HO107, piece 1943, folio 411, GSU roll 221102. ↩

  6. “1861 England Census”, Somerset, Bath, enumeration district 10, parish of St Michael, page 22 (stamped), household 109, family of Edwin Chappell; index and digital image, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 15 May 2014); citing The National Archives, London, “Census Returns of England and Wales, 1861”, class RG9, piece 1687, folio 120, GSU roll 542851. ↩

  7. “1871 England Census”, Somerset, Bath, enumeration district (ED) 8, parish of Walcot Trinity, page 22 (stamped), household 160, family of Edwin Chapple; index and digital image, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 15 May 2014); citing The National Archives, London, “Census Returns of England and Wales, 1871”, class RG10, piece 2492, folio 85, GSU roll 835198. ↩

  8. “1881 England Census”, Somerset, Bath, enumeration district (ED) 5, parish of Walcot, page 29 (stamped), household 180, family of Edwin Chappell; digital image, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 15 May 2014); citing The National Archives, London, “Census Returns of England and Wales, 1881”, class RG11, piece 2440, folio 95, GSU 1341587. ↩

  9. “1891 England Census”, Somerset, Bath, Walcot, enumeration district (ED) 30, parish of Holy Trinity, page 25 and 26 (stamped), schedule 169, family of Edwin Chappell; digital image, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 15 Dec 2014); citing The National Archives, London, “Census Returns of England and Wales, 1891”, class RG12, piece 1937, folio 49, GSU 6097047. ↩

  10. “1901 England Census”, Somerset, Bath, Walcot, enumeration district (ED) 30, parish of Holy Trinity, page 25 (stamped), household 193, family of Edwin Chappel; index and digital image, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 7 Dec 2014); citing The National Archives, London, “Census Returns of England and Wales, 1901”, class RG13, piece 1937, folio 49, GSU roll 6097047. ↩

  11. “1911 England Census”, Somerset, Bath, Walcot, enumeration district (ED) 7, household 39, family of Edwin Chappell; index and image, Ancestry (http://ancestry.com : accessed 15 May 2014); citing The National Archives, London, “Census Returns of England and Wales, 1911”, class RG14, piece 14709. ↩

  12. Births, Marriages, and Deaths, Chappell family record, undated. ↩

  13. Edwin Chappell family, photo, ca. 1910, photographer unknown; privately held by Jennifer [surname witheld for privacy], 2014, emailed to author 2 Sep 2014. A sepia coloured outdoor family photograph, scanned. ↩

  14. Harriet Chappell (Bath, Somerset, England) to “Dear Son and Daughter” [William Christopher Chappell and Elizabeth Emma (Farthing) Chappell], letter, undated; privately held by Joan [surname witheld for privacy],[address for private use], Simcoe county, Ontario, 2014. [Letter is addressed to ‘son and daughter’ however the letter identifies both William’s wife Emma and their daughter Rosemary; although the letter is undated, I am confident it was written between her husband’s death in March 1913 and and her death in August 1914 as it both failed to mention her husband and that she is living in a different home from where she living was when her husband died.] ↩

  15. Births, Marriages, and Deaths, Chappell family record, undated. ↩

  16. Harriet Chappell to “Dear Son and Daughter”, undated. ↩

Copyright ©2015, Chriss Coleman

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