The writing about genealogy hasn’t made much headway, mostly due to busy days, many hours of painting and the sore muscles that come with it, not to mention the lack of a desk or even a comfy chair. However, the research has not stopped. Some days it is only a record here or there, sometimes I get a bit further. Whilst I’ve been dabbling a lot in my own family tree, my biggest breakthrough of late has happened up my husband’s line, namely his biological grandmother. Her family settled in a region near to where we’ve relocated and I thought it would be worth another look given our proximity to local records holdings, cemeteries, etc., that may have information about this family.

Due to privacy laws I was having a lot of issues finding the information I needed to take this tree further back. I knew his grandmother’s name was Lillian Cameron, and that she was born in the Barrie, Ontario area around 1916. Thanks to a rather vague letter from the Children’s Aid Society (CAS) I also knew that her mother died when she was a young child, but not much more. I also found a mis-indexed record for the 1921 Canadian Census that may possibly be our Lillian, but with a middle name we’d never heard before. Unfortunately, it just wasn’t enough to make me certain I was climbing the correct tree.

Since I wasn’t having much luck with official records, I turned to newspapers to help me bridge the gap between our family and the accessible records. Whilst I couldn’t find the marriage announcement I’d had hoped to find, I did find a single sentence that completely changed everything. The second paragraph of the Anten Mills social news gave me the lead I needed.

Miss Lillian Cameron, who has been spending a few weeks with her sister, Mrs. C. Cole, has secured a position in Barrie.

This would like have been about a year before Lillian married her husband Vincent in Barrie. Whilst it didn’t confirm a family connection, or even that it was our Lillian Cameron, it was a lead. With this small nugget of information, I started researching the Mrs C. Cole mentioned in the clipping. I was able to easily flush out her family tree. By combining records I found on Ancestry, cemetery photos posted on the internet, and more newspaper articles, I was able to find obituaries for her parents and grandparents, including one for her mother Lucy Ann (Butler) Cameron, wife of Lachlan Cameron, who died in 1923. Lillian would have been about six at this time, which fit both with the information from the CAS letter, and also matched up with the 1921 Census record I found.

Lachlan Cameron, Head, Male, Married, 48.
Lucy Ann Cameron, Wife, Female, Married, 38.
Margaret Ann Cameron, Daughter, Female, Single, 15.
Janet Mabel Cameron, Daughter, Female, Single, 13.
Alexander Cameron, Son, Male, Single, 12.
Angus Cameron, Son, Male, Single, 8.
Lucy Cameron, Daughter, Female, Single, 7.
David Cameron, Son, Male, Single, 5.
Lillie May Cameron, Daughter, Female, Single, 4.
Allan Lauder Cameron, Son, Male, Single, 2.

The Lucy Cameron that appears on this census would eventually marry and become the Mrs. C. Cole mention in the newspaper. The newspaper articles I had found matched the census records and other vital records on Ancestry. This was all the same family.

But was this our family?

I continued researching and could only find one other Lillian Cameron in Simcoe county and I was quickly able to rule her out using the Canadian Voter Registry and Phone Directories. To put it simply, the other Lillian was still single at a time when I knew that our Lillian was married.

More convinced than ever, I took a leap of faith and I messaged a fellow Ancestry user in hopes that they may have heard something – anything – about our line. More than anything I wanted some confirmation that this was the right family. They were quick to respond, we emailed back and forth, and we were able to confirm through their genealogy notes that their Lillian had married an O'Hara.

Not only had we found our family, we found new cousins who still live in the area. I greatly look forward to opening a dialog and sharing information with them. It is my hope, even with all the hard effort put forward by several people in this line of the family, I will have additional information that will help fill the tree out further for everyone.

But more than anything, I’m finally able to start filling in a very blank section of our family tree, all thanks to a few little lines in a newspaper and a kindred spirit.

Copyright ©2015, Chriss Coleman

Comments…

I wanted to post a quick update as this blog has been silent far longer than I intended, mostly thanks to sleepless nights, slow internet, and no designated workspace.

Many things have happened in the last month, including a move across an ocean. We are currently trying to settle into an empty house whilst we wait for our container of our belongings to catch up with us, and we acquaint ourselves with our new surroundings.

It is my intention to catch up with my 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks posts as I have the time and headspace to do so. As with any large life change, this may take a little while.

I thank you for your patience.

Copyright ©2015, Chriss Coleman

Comments…

One of the things I love the most about genealogy is seeing the link between families. The one that stood out to me the most was that between Mabel Seaborne and her uncle William Christopher Chappell

Mabel was born December 31st, 1889, in Freemont, Sandusky, Ohio, the daughter of Martha Rosa Chappell and her husband William Seaborne.² Like her father, she was an artist. Mabel worked in the photographic industry and her main medium was oil over photographic portraits — a bit of luxury in a world that had not yet been introduced to colour photographic prints. Whilst she mainly worked in the New York City area,^3,4,5 the she and the photographer she worked for also took the photographs for the graduate s of West Point Military Academy.⁶

After William Chappell and his family moved to Canada, the Chappell and Seaborne families took advantage of their proximity to visit each other over the years.⁷ The first visit that we know of was a couple years after William’s arrival to Canada when Mabel visited him, along with his wife Elizabeth Emma (Farthing) and their daughter Rosemary Cecelia Chappell at Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada, in 1913.

It was most likely during this visit that Mabel painted the portraits of William Christopher Chappell and his wife Elizabeth Emma (Farthing) Chappell as Mabel married Alexander Burros on February 10th, 1914,⁹ and the portraits were signed with her maiden name.

The families continued to remain close, with Mabel being the maid of honour at her cousin Rosemary Cecelia Chappell’s marriage to Herbert Laurence Walsh in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada, in September of 1921.¹²

In my search I found another two photographic portraits painted by Mabel Seaborne, though done much later in her career. The first was of Simon Walsh, Herbert Laurence Walsh’s uncle. It was likely painted in the 1930s.

The final portrait in the family collection is that of Larry Slinn, grandson of Rosemary Chappell and Herbert Walsh. The portrait was painted around the time of Larry’s tragic death in a motor vehicle accident.

The examples we hold within our family collection alone show the progression of Mabel’s work over the course of her artistic career and how her style continued to evolve. Mabel passed away in Greenwich, Connecticut, in 1976.¹⁵

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.

Copyright ©2015, Chriss Coleman

Comments…

Martha Rosa Chappell was an older sister of my husband’s 2nd great-grandfather, William Christopher Chappell, and I’ve found her story fascinating as she is never quite where one would expect her to be.

Martha was the fourth child of Edwin Chappell and Harriet Oaten,² and was born in Bath, Somerset England on March 26th 1867.

And now the journey begins…

At the age of four she was enumerated at her uncle’s house at 13 Bear Yard in Westminster, London. Why was she living with her father’s brother? Was she merely visiting? Was she taking in the culture of London? Was she sent to London for a better education?

John Chappell, Head, Married, Male, 44, Shopman/Tripe Dresser, born Bath, Somerset.
Mary A Chappell, Wife, Married, Female, 44, born St Andrew Holborn.
John Chappell, Son, Unmarried, Male, 21, Butcher, born St Giles in Fields.
Mary Ann Chappell, Daughter, Unmarried, Female, 19, born [blank].
Harry Chappell, Son, Male, 15, born Chelsea.
Joseph Chappell, Son, Male, 12, born St Clement Danes.
Rosey Chappell, Niece, Female, 4, born Bath, Somerset.

By the 1881 census she’s moved back to Bath, this time living with her maternal grandparents, William Oaten and Harriet Bolt at their home at 4 Burlington Street in Walcot. At this point she was 14 years old and working as a servant, which was very common for girls of that age. As her grandparents were running a lodging house, she may even have been working for them.

William Oaten, Head, Married, 71, male, Lodgings housekeeper Waiter [Inn Serv written over], born Taunton, Somerset.
Harriet Oaten, Wife, Married, 68, born Sidmouth, Devon.
Adeliza Oaten, Granddaughter, 23, Unmarried, Neeedlewoman, born Bath, Somerset.
Rose Chappell, Granddaughter, 14, Domestic Servant General, born Bath, Somerset.

Martha Rosa married William Seaborne, the son of an Innkeeper, at St Werburgh church, in Bristol, Gloucestershire on November 4th 1886.⁶ William was a sculptor, and the couple immigrated to the United States shortly after their marriage. They lived first in Ohio, then moved to Michigan before the birth of their youngest child.⁷

William and Martha Rosa had three children:

1. Minnie Seaborne (b. Oct 1887, Cleveland, Ohio, USA)⁸
2. Mabel Seaborn (b. Dec 1889, Fremont, Ohio, USA)⁹
3. Ada Seaborne (b. Aug 1893, Michigan, USA)¹⁰

Tragedy struck the family when Martha Rosa died of pneumonia on March 4th, 1897,¹¹ only a few weeks shy of her 30th birthday, leaving her husband and three young daughters to mourn her loss.

Her husband William never remarried.¹² He continued to raise his daughters on his own whilst working as an artist. The family later moved to Pennsylvania,¹³ New Jersey,¹⁴ then to New York¹⁵ as William Seaborne followed his artistic passions.

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.

Copyright ©2015, Chriss Coleman

Comments…

When I look at the records for Harriet Bolt, my husband’s 4th great-grandmother, I wonder how she felt. Record after record showed she lived most of her adult life on her own, raising her children without her husband at her side. Whilst she was not financially trying to make her way through the world as a single woman, she certainly lived the life of a single mother.

Harriet Bolt was born in Sidmouth, Devon, the daughter of Christopher Bolt and Sarah Perriman, and was baptised at the local Anglican church on April 26th, 1812.¹ She grew up in Sidmouth, along with her siblings. This was also where she met her future husband, William Oaten.

I do wonder how they met. Were they living in the same neighbourhood? Or perhaps (and a likely possibility), were they both working as servants in the same household? We know that William was a servant, however little information is available on Harriet until their marriage on September 4th 1832,³ and the birth of their first child 4 months later.⁴

From the records we can tell that Harriet did follow her husband as he moved around to the various households he served.^5,6,7 In fact, most of the time she lived within the same civil parish as her husband. Many women married to servants would often have lived 10, 20 or 30 miles from their husbands in locations where the cost of living was less expensive. Even though he was close, how often did she really get to see her husband? Running a household essentially on her own must have made her a strong and independent woman, both in terms of the daily needs of her family and her emotional state.

Harriet Oaten, Wife, Married, female, 49, Servant’s Wife, born Sidmouth, Devon.
Elizabeth Oaten, Daughter, Unmarried, female, 19, Dressmaker, born Bath, Somerset.
Clara Oaten, Granddaughter, female, 8, Scholar, born Bath, Somerset.

The four known children of William and Harriet (Bolt) Oaten are:

1. William Oaten (born Sidmouth, Devon, ca. 1833)⁹
2. Harriet Oaten (born Boulogne, France, 1840)¹⁰
3. Elizabeth Oaten (born Bath, Somerset, 1841)¹¹
4. Martha Oaten (born Bath, Somerset, 1843)¹²

When her children grew up, Harriet became a lodgings housekeeper — taking in lodgers at her home at 4 Burlington Street in Walcot. She also took in her grown daughter, and even her grandchildren at various points over the course of her life.

Harriet Oaten, Head, Married, female, 59, Lodging House Keeper, born Sidmouth, Devonshire.
Clara Oaten, Daughter, Unmarried, female, 17, Dressmaker, born Bath, Somerset.
Adelina Oaten, [grand]Daughter, Unmarried, female, 15, Dressmaker, born Bath, Somerset.

William and Harriet lived out their golden years together, something that was foreign to most of their married life. After William retired from his life as a butler, he joined his wife at their residence in Walcot where the family continued to take in lodgers.^14,15

Harriet predeceased her husband by seven days, passing away at her home at 4 Burlington Street on March 7th, 1894, at the age of 81.¹⁶

Harriet Bolt is my husband’s 4th great-grandmother. Our ancestral line:

• 7. Harriet Bolt (c.1812-1894)
• 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.

Copyright ©2015, Chriss Coleman

Comments…

William Oaten’s family had lived in what is now known as the Taunton Deane district of Somerset for generations, however, this young man moved beyond the confines of his parish, county, and even country, over the course of his life.

He was the eldest son of Joseph Oaten and Elizabeth Toller, and was baptised at the All Saints church in Trull on July 16th 1809.² Whilst his parents stayed in Trull for the remainder of their lives, William went further afield and was working as a servant in Sidmouth, Devon when he met his future wife.

William Oaten and Harriet Bolt were married after banns on September 4th, 1832 at the parish church in Sidmouth, Devon.³ Their first child, William, was baptised four months later at the same church.⁴

Their movements are not clear for a number of years, at least not until his wife gave birth to a daughter, Harriet, in Boulogne, France in 1840.⁶ Whether or not they had other children between 1833 and 1840 is unknown.

The Oaten family returned to England by 1841, where William was occupied as a servant in Walcot, Bath, Somerset.⁷

William Oaten, 30, male, M.S. [Male Servant], born in Somerset

Meanwhile, his pregnant wife and their two children, William and Harriet, were living in the nearby area of Lansdown.⁸

There are four known children of William and Harriet (Bolt) Oaten:

1. William Oaten (born Sidmouth, Devon, ca. 1833)⁹
2. Harriet Oaten (born Boulogne, France, 1840)¹⁰
3. Elizabeth Oaten (born Bath, Somerset, 1841)¹¹
4. Martha Oaten (born Bath, Somerset, 1843)¹²

William spent most of his working life living apart from his family, as is shown in the various censuses. As a butler, he held a prominent position that required him to be available at the home of his employer the majority of the time. He did, however, work for several families over the course of his life, including William Macadam of Gay St,¹³ William Hudleston of Harley House,¹⁴ William Jervois of Porlland Place, ¹⁵ and Joseph Elliot of Marks Hall.¹⁶

It wasn’t until the 1881 census that we find William living with his family, and occupied as an inn servant. Whilst his children have moved out, he is now living with his wife and two of their granddaughters — William’s daughter Adeliza Oaten, and Harriet’s daughter Martha Rosa Chappell — at 4 Burlington Place, Lansdown, Walcot, Bath.

William Oaten, Head, Married, 71, male, Lodgings housekeeper Waiter [Inn Serv written over], born Taunton, Somerset
Harriet Oaten, Wife, Married, 68, born Sidmouth, Devon
Adeliza Oaten, Granddaughter, 23, Unmarried, Neeedlewoman, born Bath, Somerset
Rose Chappell, Granddaughter, 14, Domestic Servant General, born Bath, Somerset

By 1891, Wiliam was running a Lodging House on his own account. The family was still living at 4 Burlington Street in Lansdown, this time with their unmarried daughter Martha, and their granddaughter Adeliza.

William Oaten, Head, Married, 82, male, Lodging House Keeper, on own account, born Taunton, Somerset
Harriet Oaten, Wife, Married, 80, female, born Sidmouth, Devon
Martha Oaten, Daughter, Single, 48, female, working on own account, born Bath, Somerset
Adeliza Oaten, Granddaughter, Single, 30, Seamstress, on own account, born Disk [Diss], Norfolk

William died in his home at 4 Burlington Street on the March 14th, 1894, exactly one week after his wife’s passing. Their obituaries were published in tandem in the Bath Weekly Chronicle.¹⁹ William was 84 years old.²⁰

However, it was what I discovered after doing my research about William Oaten that made me happiest. Whist visiting relatives in the autumn, I was scanning through various family documents, as you do, when I came across not just one, but two photos of William Oaten and his wife Harriet Bolt. One is an obvious photographic copy of the other.

After comparing other handwriting samples, I am quite certain that the writing on the reverse of the copy it that of William Christopher Chappell.

The copy reads:

William & Harriet Oaten
Died on March 14 & 7th 1887 [year incorrect]
Ages 84 & 81
Great Grandmother & Grandfather of Rosemary Chappell

The original photograph also had an interesting detail on the reverse:

This is an original obituary glued to the reverse of the photo, and based on the text it was printed in one of the local Bath papers, however not The Bath Chronicle — a digital copy of which appeared above. The obituary reads:

March 7th, at 4. Burlington-street, HARRIET, wife of WILLIAM OATEN, ages 81; also, March 14, at 4, Burlington-street, WILLIAM OATEN, ages 84, husband of the above.

I love it when family documents found after the fact validate my research efforts. And more than anything, finding a photo I never knew existed.

William Oaten is my husband’s 4th great-grandfather. Our ancestral line:

• 7. William Oaten (c.1809-1894)
• 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.

Copyright ©2015, Chriss Coleman

Comments…

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.

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

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

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

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.

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.

Copyright ©2015, Chriss Coleman

Comments…

After researching the tragic ends that became of Sarah Chappell Cole and her three youngest children, I was interested in what happened to the rest of the family. Under the situation, it is most likely that the family entered one of the Bath workhouses. Unfortunately, many of the parish relief records for Bath have not survived, including the records for the time period in question, so I had to proceed along other avenues.

I looked at a lot of records for Sophia Cole, the eldest of the surviving children, and quickly discovered that there were two girls named Sophia Cole born at Bath, Somerset, England within a year of each other, and both were baptised in the same church. It didn’t take me long to sort out which was which. However, I wanted to document my research findings here as part of a log which includes the records that I’ve disproved as belonging to our Sophia. I hope that this might help other family historians in their research — I’d already done the research so I may as well share my findings.

After searching both the BMDs and the parish registers for Bath, Somerset, I was able to find two –and only two- children named Sophia Cole born in the area between 1848 and 1858.

Sophia Cole #1

The first Sophia Cole was the daughter of Nathaniel Cole and Grace. Her birth was registered in the third quarter of 1852,² and BathBMD lists her registration recorded in Walcot and mother’s maiden name as Ford.³ Based on my research to date, I do not believe this child had a middle name.

Her parents, Nathaniel Cole and Grace Ford were married at Rode [Road], Somerset, in St Lawrence parish on January 1st 1832, both parties residing within the parish.⁴

Sophia was baptised at Walcot-St Swithin, Bath, Somerset on December 1st 1852. They were residing at Somerset Cottage, and the father was occupied as a labourer.⁶ Research of Nathaniel and Grace’s other children’s baptismal records show this couple residing in Walcot, Weston, Widcombe, and Bath, and the father occupied as a Labourer, Servant or Porter. These findings are consistent with other records I have found for this family.

This family appears on the 1841 England Census of Bathwick, Somerset, residing at Sams Court.⁷

Nathaniel Cole, male, 30, Porter, born in Somerset
Grace Cole, female, 30, born in Somerset
Jane Cole, female, 9, born in Somerset
Hugh Cole, male, 8, born in Somerset
Ann Cole, female, 7, born in Somerset
Robert Cole, male, 5, born in Somerset
Edward Cole, male, 4, born in Somerset
Elizabeth Cole, female, 3, born in Somerset
Mary Cole, female, 5 months, born in Somerset

They appears again on the 1851 England Census of Bathwick, Somerset, residing at 13 Sams Court.⁸

Nathanial Cole, head, married, male, 42, Porter, born Winterborn, Gloucestershire
Grace Cole, wife, married, female, 38, born Road, Wiltshire
Hugh Cole, son, single, male, 17, Lite Porter, born Bath, Somerset
Ann Cole, daughter, single, female, 16, Servant, born Claverton, Somerset
Mary Cole, daughter, single, female, 10, Scholar, born in Bath, Somerset
Lucy Cole, daughter, single, female, 5, Scholar, born in Bath, Somerset
William Cole, son, single, male, 3, Scholar, born in Bath, Somerset
Charles Cole, son, single, male, 1 month, born in Bath, Somerset
There are 3 lodgers (a family) residing at the address.

The 1861 England Census shows the family including Sophia Cole, living in Lyncombe and Widcombe, Bath, Somerset, at 2 The Court.⁹

Nathaniel Cole, head, married, male, 50, Shop Porter, born Charfield, Gloucestershire
Grace Cole, wife, married, female, 46, Sempstress, born Road, Wiltshire
William Cole, son, single, male, 13, Errand Boy, born Bath, Somerset
Sophia Cole, daughter, single, female, 9, Scholar, born Bath, Somerset

Her parents, Nathaniel and Grace, continue to reside in Bath, appearing on both the 1871¹⁰ and 1881 Census.¹¹

By the 1871 census, Sophia had moved away from Bath. She appears in the household of Milles Coventry, in Streatham, Surrey, in the parish of Holy Trinty.¹²

Sarah Cole, servant, single, female, 18, Housemaid Domestic Servant, born Bath, Somerset

Now, looking at the information given in the above census, it could have belonged to either Sophia Cole born in Bath, Somerset. However, the linchpin that sorted out the identities of these two girls happened a few months after the 1871 Census, when Sophia married William Watson in Surrey, England.

The record reads:

1871, Marriage Solemnized at the the Parish Church in the Parish of St Mary Lambeth in the County of Surrey
No. 423, page 212, married 7th Nov, 1871.

Groom’s Details
Name: William Edward Watson
Age: Both of Full Age
Condition: Bachelor
Rank or Profession: Coachman
Residence at the time of Marriage: Lower Marsh
Father’s Name and Surname: Thomas Watson (deceased)
Rank or Profession of Father: Coachman

Bride’s Details
Name: Sophia Cole
Age: Both of Full Age
Condition: Condition
Rank or Profession: [blank]
Residence at the time of Marriage: Lower Marsh
Father’s Name and Surname: Nathaniel Cole
Rank or Profession of Father: Porter

Married in the Parish Church according to the Rites and Ceremonies of the Established Church, by [blank] or after Banns by me, W. R. [unable to decipher last name]. Mark of William Edward Watson and Sophia Cole [signed]. In the Presence of us, Charels Henry Border [signed] and Sarah Elizabeth Bridges [signed].

The marriage record states that the Sophia Cole who married William Watson was the daughter of Nathaniel Cole, a porter.¹³ It is this record that confirms that this Sophia Cole is not part of our family tree.

However, this Sophia Cole and her husband William Watson had a family and appear on the 1881,¹⁴ 1891,¹⁵ 1901,¹⁶ and 1911¹⁷ Censuses as living in London. Their children were:

1. Dinah E Watson (born 1872)
2. William James Watson (born 1877)
3. Sophia L Watson (born 1879)¹⁸
4. Bessie Watson (born about 1882)¹⁹
5. John Watson (born about 1888)
6. Annie M Watson (born about 1892)
7. Rose M Watson (born about 1894)

Note that this list of children is not complete. According to the 1911 Census, Sophia had 12 children, 6 of whom were still alive in 1911.

Sophia Cole #2

This is the Sophia Cole that connects with our family through her mother Sarah Chappell, who was sister to my husband’s 3rd great-grandfather Edwin Chappell. The facts up until 1863 coincide with those in the newspaper article concerning her mother’s death.

Sophia Cole was baptised as Sophia Eugenia Cole, on June 1st 1853 at Walcot-St Swithin, Bath, Somerset, and was the daughter of James Cole and Sarah. They were residing at Abindon Buildings, and her father was occupied as a gilder.²⁰ Her birth was registered in Lansdown, Bath, in 1853 under the name Sophia Eugenia Cole, and her mother’s maiden name was Chapple.²¹

The family appeared together on the 1861 England Census for Walcot, Bath, Somerset, living at 42 Dafford Villa.

James Cole, head, married, male, 49, Gilder, born Bath, Somerset
Sarah Cole, wife, married, female, 29, Gilder’s wife, born Bath, Somerset
Sophia E Cole, daughter, single, female, 7, Scholar, born Bath, Somerset
Rose Cole, daughter, single, female, 6, Scholar, born Bath, Somerset
Matilda Cole, daughter, single, female, 5, Scholar, born Bath, Somerset
John J A Cole, son, single, 3 months, born Bath, Somerset.

Shortly after her youngest brother’s birth, tragedy happened on July 6th 1863 when her mother Sarah killed the youngest three children then killed herself in the canal near Bathampton.²³

In the 1871 England census, she was working as a servant in a private home in Walcot, Bath, Somerset.

She is living in the home of Mary Lamacraft of 17 Charles St, in the parish of Walcot-Trinity, Bath, Somerset. Her line of the census reads:

Sophia Cole, serv, single, female, 17, Servant, born Bath, Somerset

By 1881, things have taken a turn for the worst again, and she is under the care of the District Bath Poor Law Union Workhouse at Lyncombe and Widcombe.

Her line of the census reads:

Sophia Cole, pauper, single, female, 27, Domestic Servant, born at Bath, Somerset

Sophia did have a child, a son named Frank Reginald Cole. Frank’s birth was registered in the parish of Lyncombe and Widcome, Bath, Somerset in 1890. There was no maiden name of the mother provided²⁶ which is usual for children born out of wedlock. However, a record of baptism exists for Frank in the register of the Bath Union Workhouse, where he was baptised on January 4th 1891, son of Sophia Cole, a servant, residing at Bath Union Workhouse. No father is listed. ²⁷

Sophia and Frank were enumerated in the Bath Union Workhouse of Lyncombe and Widcombe again in the 1891 census.

Sophia Coles, pauper, single, 33, domestic servant, born Bath, Somerset
Frank Reginald Coles, pauper, 3 months, born Bath, Somerset

Their lives improve slightly by the next census because by 1901 they are no longer living in the workhouse.

Sophia and her son Frank are enumerated as living at 48 Avon Street in Walcot, Bath, Somerset:

Sophia Cole, head, single, female, 48, Charwoman, worker, born Bath, Somerset
Frank Cole, son, single, male, 10, born at Bath, Somerset

They are living at 36 Avon St in Walcot, Bath, Somerset during the 1911 Census. What I find intriguing here is that she listed one living child and two dead children, but wrote only 1 child in as born alive. This has me wondering whether the other 2 children were stillborn or live births. I’m also intrigued by the fact that both their ages are incorrect on this return, yet they filled the return out themselves.

The census return reads:

Sophia Cole, head, female, 53, single, 1 child born alive [crossed out by enumerator and replace by a 3], 1 living, 2 dead, Wood Chopping, on own account, at home, born Walcot, Bath.
Frank Cole, son, male, 18, single, General Labourer, worker, born Bath, Somerset.

Sophia Eugenia Cole continued to live out her days in Bath. She died in 1931, at the age of 78.³¹ The GRO BMD index simply lists her as Sophia E Cole, however the Bath BMD index lists her full name as Sophia Eugenia Cole, which helped me determine that I did indeed have the correct Sophia Cole on the Bath census returns.

Hers was not a charmed life. The records show that she fought a battle with poverty from an early age, and much of the battle was fought alone. I hope her later years and the fruits of her son’s marriage to his first wife, Emily Gant,³² brought her greater joy. Frank married his second wife, Gladys Ethel Murphy, in 1932,³³ the year after Sophia passed away.

Discrepancies

On two of the census returns, Sophia’s age is listed at five years younger than she was, including the one she filled out. However, her son’s age was also wrong on the form that she filled out, so I don’t believe this hinders the argument as to whether or not this is the correct person. Furthermore, she listed herself as Sophia Cole on the form, but signed her name as Sophia Coles at the bottom of the form. She was enumerated as Coles on the 1891 Census as well.

Further, there was an additional Sophia in Bath in 1881. She was enumerated as Sophia Coles, born in Bath, a servant, residing in the Bath Union Workhouse of Lyncombe and Widcombe, and of the exact same age as our Sophia.³⁴ Other than the additional “s” on her last name, their information is identical. I could not find a record of a Sophia Coles that fit this person, certainly not one born in Bath. It is my belief that Sophia may have been enumerated twice.

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.

Copyright ©2015, Chriss Coleman

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