Elizabeth Parr is recorded in the 1871 census as the daughter of William Parr & Elizabeth nee Wells when the family were living in Opic Street, Everton, Lancashire. There is a considerable gap between the birth of Elizabeth T Parr, as she is recorded in a census, and her elder sister, also Elizabeth Parr, who was born in Hamilton Street, Deptford Kent in October 1859 and is with the family in Bow, London in 1861. This suggests that the elder Elizabeth would have died between 1861 and 1867/8 although no death registration has been found, nor oddly has a birth registration for the younger Elizabeth.

The mystery deepens as when Elizabeth married Edward Charles House in 1888 her father was given as William Parr, a brush maker.  William Parr had been consistently recorded as a coppersmith throughout his life and would have been alive at the time of the marriage.  There seems little doubt, however, as to the relationship between Elizabeth and William & Elizabeth Parr nee Wells as Edward Charles House, known as Charles, is living with several members of the family at 1 Priory Street, Bromley St Leonard, London in 1901, shortly after Elizabeth, his wife, had died.  I have so far been unable to locate any of the House family in the 1911 census.

It is possible that Elizabeth was "adopted" by William & Elizabeth because she named William Parr as her father on her marriage but with the wrong occupation.

I would be interested to hear from anyone who may have any information or may be researching the Parr or House families Back to top

Sidney Land Luker is recorded in the Australian Dictionary of Biography (ADB) as a distinguished civil engineer and town planner and that he married a distant cousin, Annie Luker Morris.  Annie Morris is descended from George Ennever aka George Morris who was transported to Australia in 1817 for handling forged notes.  His story is told in more detail here.

The name 'Luker', however, hadn't appeared in the Ennever/Morris family before Annie and may be connected to Annie Sophia McCrohan who married Charles Secundus Ducker Morris in 1888.

I would like to be able to prove the relationship between Sidney and Annie and would be interested to hear from anyone who has any information or may be researching the Luker family. Back to top

George Horace Westwood was born in 1887 in Poplar, London, the son of James Westwood and Alice Jane Ennever, who had married in 1878.  George's two elder siblings, Frederick James & Louisa Maud can be traced through their marriages but I lose track of George after the 1901 census

There is a marriage of a Horace George Westwood to Mary Jane Jones in 1907 and Horace's father is recorded as George Westwood, believed to be George James Westwood, an engineer.  This is also the occupation of James Westwood, George Horace's father, but it seems that there are two very similar families living in London at the same tiime.

I would be interested to hear from anyone who has any information or may be researching the Westwood families. Back to top

Thomas White married Louisa Brown in Islington, London in 1877 when he was a soldier.  Their first child, Laura White, was born in Aldershot and Beatrice, Frederick and George Thomas were all then born in India.  A further 7 children are recorded with four, at least, having been born back in Islington.

At the time of the 1901 census the family, including seven children, are at 97 Georges Road, Islington with only Beatrice White missing.  By 1911 Thomas had died and Louisa is at 25 Rhodes Street, Islington but with just two children, George and Ada.  The census indicates that nine of the twelve children are still living while only three have been successfully located.

Thomas's mother, Eliza Mary Ann Ennever, had first married Thomas Gemmill in 1835 and they had a son Andrew Robert Gemmill in 1837 but after 1841 I can no further trace of Andrew. Her second marriage was to Charles Henry White, Thomas White's father, in 1841.

I would be interested to hear from anyone who has any information or may be researching these families. Back to top

Thomas Richard Owen and Ruth Susannah Bowers married in Bromley St Leonard, Middlesex (London) in 1886 but no further trace has been found of them since. 

I would be interested to hear from anyone who has any information or may be researching this family. Back to top

Henry Edward Stevens and Mary Ann Boyton married in St Saviour, Southwark, Surrey in 1845 but no further trace has been found of them after then.  At the time of their marriage both were living in Great Guildford Street, Southwark when Henry was a Grocer and his father, William Stevens, was a Stone Mason. Mary Ann Boyton was the daughter of Thomas Boyton, who appears to have witnessed the marriage but died the following year in Grays, Essex.  Mary Ann's elder sister, Elizabeth Boyton, can be found in the 1841 census but no trace can be found of her after this date nor can Joseph Boyton, her younger brother, be located after 1871 when he is living at 2 Coppins Cottages, Dagenham, Essex. and the same applies to William Boyton, another brother, after 1861.

I would be interested to hear from anyone who has any information or may be researching this family. Back to top

George Smith and Eliza Ennever married in Whitechapel, Middlesex in 1844 but no further trace has been found of them.  At the time of their marriage both were living in Lambeth Street, Whirechapel and George was a Police Officer although we don't know his age.  His father was recorded as a John Smith, a shoe maker and Eliza Ennever was born in Rainham, Essex in 1811 to Joseph Ennever and Mary Anne Jacobs.

I would be interested to hear from anyone who has any information or may be researching this family. Back to top

Eliza Ennever and Francis Grant married in Bromley, Middlesex in 1832 and two children were christened there in 1833 and 1834, Edmund Francis Grant and Eliza Grant.  The family appear to move back to Eliza's home town, Rainham in Essex, before 1841 but neither Francis nor Eliza has been found.  Edmund is still in Rainham in 1851 but there is no trace of the rest of the family nor of Edmund in later years.

I would be interested to hear from anyone who has any information or may be researching this family. Back to top

Augustus was married to Marie Caroline (May) Hill in 1904 and they had three children and by 1911 the family can be found living in Birmingham although Marie and the three children were soon to emigrate to Canada. Whether this prompted Augustus's relationship with Phoebe Schwerin, an actress, or was as a result of it is unclear but Ivy Ennever, also known as Ivy Schwerin, was born in 1914 although no trace has been found of her since.

I would be interested to hear from anyone who may be researching these families. Back to top

George Renecle married Jane Brooman in 1871 and Eliza Brooman in 1886 following the death of Jane.

I would be interested to hear from anyone who is researching the Renecle or the Brooman families. Back to top

Charles Hubbard and Eliza Bowers married in Bethnal Green, London in 1856 and although I can't find them in the 1861 census they do appear in 1871 living next door to Eliza's parents, William Bowers & Susanna nee Ennever at 139 New North Road, Shoreditch in London.  No further trace has been found of them after this, however.  It is possible that the family may have emigrated or changed their name as Eliza's two younger brothers, Thomas Bowers and John Bowers, haven't been traced after 1861.

I would be interested to hear from anyone who has any information about what may have happened to Charles & Eliza. Back to top

Samuel Lacey was born about 1878 in Walworth, London and married Charlotte Ennever (known as Lottie or Dottie) in 1898 and their son, Samuel, was born in 1898/9 in Camberwell. The spelling of their surname is recorded as both Lacey and Lacy.  In 1901 the family is together in Scarsdale Road, Camberwell while in 1911 Charlotte is living with her parents, recorded as married, while there is no trace of either Samuel.

I would be interested to hear from anyone who has any information about what may have happened to either Samuel Lacey or Samuel Lacy, his son. Back to top

John and Jane married in the Parish Church of Tilney All Saints in Norfolk in 1856 and although this was a rural farming community from which few people ever travelled far no further trace can be found of them.  Interestingly, the marriage certificate records John as living in Tilney although no earlier trace of him, or his father William Woods, can be found.  Jane is the daughter of Robert Barnes who appears to have lived in Tilney All Saints throughout almost all of his farming life.

I would be interested to hear from anyone who may have any information about this family. Back to top

Henry Richard Ansell married Eliza Amelia Ennever in 1888 and in the 1901 census Henry is recorded as married but living with his mother, Elizabeth Ansell nee Roberts, at 54 Gill Street, Limehouse and Eliza is not present. Henry's father & uncle, John & Richard Ansell, had married Roberts sisters in 1859 and 1861.  John Ansell marrying Elizabeth Roberts and Richard marrying her sister, Emma Roberts, about two years later.  In trying to solve the "disappearance" of Eliza, other information has further confused the history of the Ansells:

1. John William Ansell b1859 is apparently recorded in the 1861 census as the child of Richard Ansell & Elizabeth.  It is assumed this should be John Ansell, although the age is right for Richard & not for John!  There is, however, no trace of John elsewhere in the census.
2. In 1861 Elizabeth Roberts' parents are living at the same 37 Northey Street, Limehouse address as "John" and Elizabeth above and Emma, who was to marry Richard a week later is also there.  If the assumption about Richard & John's names being recorded incorrectly by the enumerator is correct then Richard is not present.  On his wedding day, just a week after the census, both parties gave their addresses as being in George Street, in the parish of Stepney, although at different numbers in the street.  Both the Ansell families can be found at the 37 Northey Street address in 1871 suggesting that they had all been living there in 1861.
3. Meanwhile, searches for both Eliza and her husband, Henry, and their son, William Henry Ansell, who was born in 1889 have not produced any information about their whereabouts since 1891/1901. To add to the complication Eliza Amelia Ennever had also been known as Eliza Amelia Hannaway (see here).

I would be interested to hear from anyone who may be researching these Ansell families. Back to top

James and Caroline were married in New Windsor, Berkshire on 18th May 1874 although no further trace has been found of them.  It is possible that James had joined the army as there was a barracks of the First Battalion Grenadier Guards in New Windsor, although at the time of his marriage he was a servant.  Caroline is the daughter of Charles John Smetham and was born in Brompton, then in Middlesex, and had no known family connections to Berkshire.

Jane Louisa Smetham was Caroline's elder sister and married Charles William Shepherd in Kensington in 1868 and they have two children by 1871 although I can find no trace of the couple after this.  It seems possible that the two couples may have emigrated.

I would be interested to hear from anyone who may have any information about these Bailes, Shepherd or Smetham families. Back to top

Joseph and Emily had at least five children all born in Bath, Somerset, most of whom can be traced until 1901 and it seems probable that the family have no living descendants.  Four of the children appear not to have married having concentrated on their careers:

1. Ada Emily Morris b1857 had not married by the age of 43 so a family seems unlikely
2. John William Morris b1858 became a vicar in the 1880s but I lose track of him after 1891
3. Minnie Lucy Morris b1863 was a teacher and had not married by 1901
4. Herbert R Morris b1866 can be traced until 1881 but I lose track of him after that.  It is possible that he emigrated to Canada as a Herbert R Morris born in England c1866 can be found in the North West Territories, in Eastern Assiniboia, in the 1901 census.
5. Henry Seton Morris b1869 was a well-known architect and it is almost certain that he had a son, Noel Ennever Seton Morris (also known as Noel Seton-Morris) who was born in Burma but although he married it is not known if there were any children.

It is probable that Harry Rashleigh Morris b1864, also in Bath, was another child but he died in infancy. John Rashleigh Phipps was Emily's father's name.

I would be interested to hear from anyone who may have any information about this or any related families.  Back to top

Thomas Freeman married Ruth Hutchinson in 1873 and they had 6 children, all born in or close to Denaby, Yorkshire.  In 1901 Thomas appears to be living apart from his wife, who is at 91 Doncaster Road, with 2 of their children, Arthur Freeman and Lucy Freeman while Thomas is lodging at 56 Doncaster Road (I believe Doncaster Road was previously Pitt Row). 2 other children, Frank Freeman and William Freeman, are living in South Kirkby, Yorkshire with William Shelton and Lucy (nee Whitehead) and are recorded as their nephews.  Lucy unusually had been born in America.

It is unclear to me how these families are related and I would be interested to hear from anyone researching the Shelton, Whitehead, Hutchinson or Freeman families or who may have any relevant information.  Back to top

Henrietta was born in Rayleigh, Essex in about 1834/5 and married William Livermore in 1851, having at least 5 children with him.  William died in 1869 and Henrietta married David Such in 1870 six years after Henrietta's brother, Thomas John Bedlow, had married David's sister, Phoebe Such.  I believe David & Henrietta had one daughter, Mary Annie Such who appears in the 1881 census with Henrietta and "husband", Charles Backer.

There is a marriage recorded in 1876 of a Henrietta Eliza Such to either William Chambers or James Cole but no marriage to a Charles Backer, who is probably Charles Baker, born in Walmer, Kent in about 1838. No trace can be found of Charles in 1861 or 1871 nor of the family in later years.

Is anyone researching the Baker (Backer), Bedlow, Livermore or Such families or have any relevant information please? Back to top

George married Frances in Bermondsey, London in 1893, George being recorded as 23 years old and Frances considerably older, at 38.  They had both been living in St James Road, Bermondsey at the time of their wedding but no trace of them can then be found after their wedding either as emigrants or in the 1901 census. 

George Hussey's father is recorded as George Hussey, a gardener, but the family have not been located in any censuses before the marriage and while the addresses given at their marriage in 1893 were family addresses neither George nor Frances were living there in 1891.  Frances is also missing in both the 1881 and 1891 censuses.  It seems possible that Hussey was not George's real name but as so little is known about him, it is impossible to be certain.

Is anyone researching the Hussey family or have any relevant information please? Back to top

All of these families lived in Ilkeston, Derbyshire for many years, most were coal miners and there are a number of marriages between the families.  Among many unanswered questions I have the following specific queries:

Is anyone researching any of these Ilkeston families and would be willing to share information please? Back to top

Annie Eliza Collins was born in the Bristol area of Gloucestershire in 1863, the daughter of Robert Lyde Collins and Emma Elizabeth Bull, who had married in 1862.  Robert died only a year after Annie's birth and Emma remarried in 1873 to Eli Phippin or Phippen. I have been unable to trace a marriage for Annie nor locate her with any certainty in later censuses.

Is anyone researching the Phippin or Phippen or the Collins families from the Bristol area or have any relevant information please? Back to top

James was born in Nevendon, Essex in about 1833 and married Mary Ann in 1853 in Woolwich, Kent and they nhad 12 children that I know of. I have been able to trace several of their families and have the following questions remaining:


Is anyone researching the Such or related families or have any relevant information please? Back to top

Samuel Clement Marsh was born about 1838 in Bermondsey, Surrey and married Maria Ennever in 1868.  I know of six children of the marriage and lose trace of the family after the 1881 census and although there seems to be no trace of the family in the 1891 census I believe the family stayed in the South London area. The children are:


Is anyone researching the Marsh or associated families or have any relevant information please? Back to top

Elizabeth was born in Old Street, Finsbury, London in 1835 and in 1853 married George Henry Emm who died in 1858, the same year that their son, Joseph John Emm, was born.  Elizabeth then married Edward Henry Allen in 1862 with whom she had 5 children that we know of.  Of her 6 children the following is known:


Is anyone researching the Emm or Allen families or have any information that may be helpful please? Back to top

James Boggiss married Jane Ennever in February 1852 in St Clement Danes in London having been born in Shenfield, Essex while his father, Robert Boggiss, had apparently been born in Felsham, Suffolk.  James and Jane had 11 children between 1852 and 1872, several of whom died in infancy.  I am currently unable to reliably trace Ann Boggiss b1854 after 1861, Elizabeth Boggiss b1864/5 after 1881, William Boggiss b1866 after 1881, Samuel Boggiss b1868 also after 1881, Joseph Boggiss b1870 after 1891 and Jane Boggiss b1872 also after 1891.

George Lewis Boggis, born 1863, can be found with Emma Matilda nee Hamshere and their two children in 1891 but cannot be traced until 1911, when George appears to turn up alone in a lodging house in the Whitechapel Road, London.  There is no trace of his wife (the 1911 census records him as married) nor his children.

I believe that Robert Burgess Boggiss born in 1856/57 emigrated to Australia in about 1876 with his bride, Jane Brown, so it is possible other members of the family also emigrated.

Is anyone researching the Boggiss or Boggis families or have any information that may be helpful please? Back to top

Robert Long had an interesting (well, very unusual) family in that his 4 daughters, Mary Ann Long, Elizabeth Long, Ellen Long and Margaret Long, seem to have had no fewer than 13 or 14 illegitimate children between them.  And this when living in a small country village of less than 300 people (230ish in 1851) where there were probably only about 20-30 main families in the village and just about everybody would have known everybody else. Mary Ann Long married John Page in 1858, Ellen Long married William Southgate in 1866 and I think Margaret Long married William James Powle Smith in 1865 and as far as I know Elizabeth did not marry.  Were any fathers identified when these children married by any chance?

It is an unpalatable conclusion but the number of illegitimate children by all four of Robert Long's daughters does suggest that incest or some form of prostitution will have been involved.  Fortunately, all Robert's children and grandchildren are no longer with us so the truth behind this unusual family will almost certainly never be known for certain.

Is anyone researching the Long families of Bale, Norfolk or have any other information that may be helpful please? Back to top

Hannah Tilson (1811-?) is my third great grandmother and was living in Cotmanhay, Ilkeston in the mid 19th century.  She married Isaiah Beecroft in 1831 and 2 children can be found in censuses, Joseph Beecroft born 1838/9 and Sarah Ann Beacroft born 3rd December 1840 and it appears that Isaiah may have died before June 1841 because no trace in a later census has been found although neither has his death registration.  I understand from a fellow researcher that no father's name is recorded for either child so it seems likely that Isaiah was not in fact their father.

Hannah can then be found living with William Smith, as his wife, in 1851 onwards and they had a son, Henry, born in Cotmanhay in 1843 but no trace can be found of Henry in censuses until his marriage to Ruth Hutchinson in 1865.  Strange!

Is anyone researching the Tilson/Bamford or Bampton or Baympton/Clower or Clowes/Beecroft or Beacroft or Hutchinson families or have any other information that may be helpful please? Back to top

Ann Crowley (possibly Ann Crawley or Ann Croley) married John Cory in Milton Malsor, also known as Middleton Malzor, in January 1824.  On Ann's 2nd marriage, to Thomas Bushell in 1839, her father is recorded as a William Croley of Milton.  Her mother is believed to have been Martha but her birth name is unknown, however.

Ann had seven children with John Cory and at least two with Thomas Bushell, who were both registered as Bushill. Emma Cory Bushill was a child of the 2nd marriage and she married an Edwin Wilmott or Edwin Willmott in the Birmingham area in 1857 but I lose all trace of this family after 1861, when they are in High Engen Street with two children, both seemingly also called Edwin..

Is anyone researching the Crowley/Croley/Crawley, Bushell/Bushill or Wilmott/Willmott families or have any other information that may be helpful please? Back to top

John Sherrott and Sarah Ann Dyke married in Stepney, London in 1841 and their daughter Teresa Ann Sherrott was born in 1842 and later married William Joseph Ennever, a pianoforte maker.  With the help of French descendants the Sherrott family have then been traced to Jersey where Amy Ellen Sherrott was born in 1847.  Sarah then had several children with her second spouse, James Holsworth Greenhalgh, and later moved to France but apparently retained a London address.  To obtain retrospective French birth certificates for two of their children James & Sarah told a French court that they had been legally married in Dalston, London in October 1846 but no marriage nor a divorce from John Sherrott can be traced.  It seems likely that Sarah and James ran away together as James had married Anna Date in 1841 in Hackney (which included Dalston) in 1841.  James was reported dead in 1851 in "The Gentleman's Magazine" presumably either by his parents who may have disowned him or to try to prevent himself and Sarah being found.  Several questions remain, including:

1. Did Sarah divorce from John Sherrott and did she marry James Holsworth Greenhalgh?
2. Were more children born to John & Sarah or James & Sarah between 1842 and 1847?
3. Where was John Sherrott from 1842 to 1868 and did he remarry?
4. Why was James Holsworth Greenhalgh reported dead in 1851?

Is anyone researching the Sherrott, Greenhalgh or Dyke families or have any other information about these families please?   Back to top

Joseph Edward was born as Joseph Edward Lynch but many of the family changed their name to Lensh and it was by this name that he married in 1873. Eliza Symes was the daughter of John Symes, an engineer, and both she and Joseph can be traced in censuses in the St Pancras area of London before their marriage but after that they appear to change their name again, this time to Dench.  Joseph is with Eliza in 1881 in St Pancras with two children while in 1891 he appears with an Ophelia and five children, most of whom appear to have been registered as Dench.  See also the Lynch to Lench to Dench surname change here. The children can be traced as follows:

1. Joseph Edward Lensh b St Pancras 1874, living in St Pancras in 1881 but no further trace
2. William Lensh b St Pancras about 1880, registration not found.  Living with his parents and Joseph in 1881 and with Joseph & "Ophelia" in Islington in 1891
3. Agnes Eleanor Dench b St Pancras 1881 and living with the family in Islington in 1891.  I believe she married in Islington in 1909 indicating that the family remained in the area.
4. Lilian Dench b St Pancras about 1883, registration not found.  Living with the family in Islington in 1891.  No trace after 1891.
5. Rosina Dench b St Pancras 1885 and living with the family in Islington in 1891. I believe she married in St Pancras in 1908.
6. Henry James Dench b Islington 1889 and living with the family in Islington in 1891.  No further trace.

There are other possible family links to a Symes or Simes family (see David Simes below) as well as a family story of a Lily Symes or Simes falling in love with an Aide de Comp in Bermuda and falling pregnant with his child on two occasions while visiting him.

It seems likely that Eliza Symes also had an illegitimate child as there is an Eliza, aged 3, living with her and her father in 1871 but as we haven't located Eliza in later censuses it is not known what happened to Eliza Symes junior, born c1868.

Is anyone researching the Symes or the Lensh, Lynch or Dench families or have any relevant information that may help solve any of these outstanding questions please?   Back to top

Alice Maud Griffin's birth certificate records her father as Thomas Griffin, Mary Ann (nee) Franklin's husband at the time and it was Mary Ann that registered the birth which took place at the General Lying in Hospital, Lambeth, London in 1884.  Although the official records will never support this, the family, however, are certain that Henry Ennever was her father.

In the 1881 census Mary Ann Griffin (nee Franklin) is living with her husband, Thomas, in Bermondsey with their child, Thomas John b1880.  They had married in 1875.  No trace has yet been found of Thomas Griffin and Thomas junior in the 1891 census.

In the 1891 census Henry Ennever is living with Mary Ann together with 6 children, Mary Ann being recorded as his wife.  The children are: This particular Ennever family has a history of confusing family historians and census enumerators alike about their names and relationships.  Henry’s grandparents had criminal records and Henry himself is recorded as Thomas in the 1871 census either deliberately by his parents or as an error by the enumerator (see also 1901 census information below).  Interestingly, Henry Ennever’s father married an Elizabeth Mary Griffin, although no link has yet been established to Thomas.

The 1901 census records Henry Ennever (Thomas has been deleted and Henry instated) and his wife, Mary and the following children: Francis is thought to Florence (see 1891) and Mary is probably Eleanor Emmeline, born 1875 while “M” is believed to be Alice Maud, also known as Martha and another element of the confusion.  Florence was born Florence Harriet Bloomfield in March 1874, two months before Henry and Martha Bloomfield were married but no father’s name or occupation are recorded on her birth certificate.  The very short period between her birth and Henry and Martha’s marriage is a clear indication that Henry was the father but, seemingly to add to the confusion, Florence is recorded as a boarder with the family in 1881!

Alice Maud Griffin’s marriage to Calvin Rumsey in 1904 then further confuses matters by recording her father as a Harry Griffin, a fishmonger (Thomas’s surname and Henry's occupation) while her 2nd marriage to Thomas Justice in 1928 records that her father is Henry Ennever, fishmonger.

The following questions remain:

Does anyone have any relevant information that may help solve any of these outstanding questions? Back to top

Jane Ennever was the daughter of Charles Ennever and she married James Edward Common in 1884 after the birth of their 3 children.  James died later in 1884 and Jane then illegally married James's eldest brother Simon Robert Common (known as Robert) in 1885 in Mile End, London having a further 8 children with him.  The children of Jane Ennever with the Commons brothers were:

First 3 with James Edward Common and the next 8 with Simon:

1. Ann Elizabeth (Annie) Commons b1879
2. Mary Ann (Polly) Common b1881
3. Sophia Commons b1883
4. Robert James Commons b1885
5. Charles Samuel Commons b1888
6. John Henry Commons b1/5/1890
7. Louisa Jane Commons b1/5/1890 d1892
8. Arthur William Commons b1893
9. Florence Rosina Commons b1895
10. Joseph Commons b1898
11. James Maurice Commons b1900

Is anyone researching the Common/Commons family or have any information about Jane Ennever's children and their descendants please?  Back to top

Rosetta Ivy Ennever was born in Mile End, London, England in June 1909 to Andrew Henry Ennever and Rosetta Hodgins. By the age of 10 she was living in a Dr Barnado's children's home because both her parents had died by the time she was six years old. As was the custom then a number of the children were sent to Australia to start a new life and we believe Rosetta arrived in Sydney in August 1925 with a group of girls from the home. We lose track of Rosetta after this and do not know if she married. 

If anyone has any information about Rosetta, or any descendants, I would be delighted to hear from you.   Back to top

Stanley Arthur Meldrum married May Florence Ennever in 1929 and after May's death in 1946 and Stanley's second marriage to Dorothy Harris in 1947 their three sons were placed in care homes or in David's case, adopted at about 6 months of age.  It seems likely that David will now be known under a new name but we don't know what that might be.

David's two brothers, Michael and Roger, who were then aged about 12 and 8 respectively, would like him to know that they would like to make contact with him.   Back to top

Cyril Rudge married Annie Maria Sherwood in the Wandsworth district of London in 1910 and there was an apparently only daughter, Gladys Muriel Rudge, born in 1911.  Information about his family's name change from Beadle to Rudge can be found here.

Is anyone researching this family or have any relevant information about Cyril Edwin Rudge (or Beadle), Annie Maria Sherwood or information about their daughter please?   Back to top

Basil Ranaldson Lawson (1878-1951) died in Vancouver, BC, Canada in October 1951 having emigrated from England in about 1905 and in his obituary a Mrs Russell Robertson of Vancouver is mentioned as a cousin of his.  It is possible her christian name is Flo and that she is from the Oldacres side of the family.

Is anyone researching this family or have any relevant information about who Mrs Florence Robertson is please?   Back to top

Emily Bowers was born in 1863/4 in Bethnal Green and is recorded with her brother, William, and mother, Sarah Sophia Hornsby, at 35 Ion Square, Bethnal Green in 1871. Sarah had married William Bowers in 1852, William dying before 1871. Emily married Alfred Weston a few days before the 1881 census at the young age of 17 and as both her parents were dead by then her un-named grandmother was at the ceremony to give the family's approval to an underage marriage and at the time of the 1881 census Alfred and Emily are recorded as living with their parents despite their marriage a few days earlier. The marriage certificate unusually records that both bride and groom gave an identical false address, 21 Crozier Terrace, and they are both themselves named as the marriage witnesses!

Emily is at the same address in 1881 as she was in 1871 and is recorded as living with her mother, Mary A Bowers, when her mother was actually a Sarah and had died by then.  It would seem likely that she would have been living with her grandmother but as her paternal grandmother, Susanna Ennever, had also died and her maternal grandmother was Sarah the name doesn't match.  Given the 8 or 9 year gap between Emily and her brother it may be possible that she is not the daughter of William Bowers and Sarah Hornsby, although her marriage certificate records William Bowers as her father.

Is anyone researching these families or have any relevant information about Emily or Mary A Bowers please?   Back to top

Elizabeth Tadman is the eldest child of Thomas Tadman and Ann Parkinson and was born in Bermondsey in 1832.  She has been located reliably in all censuses with the exception of 1861.  In 1871 she was living with John Wicker at 71 Edward Street, Mile End Old Town, whom she never married.  In 1881 she is living with Charles Ennever at 15 Westover Street, also in Mile End, who she married shortly before her death in 1884.  There are children from both relationships and also possibly an earlier one.

There is an unmarried Elizabeth Tadman living with a one-year old daughter, Sarah Tadman, at 6 Brook Street, Stepney in 1861 when she is recorded as deaf and a Fruit Shop Keeper but no trace of Sarah's birth registration has been found nor of a marriage nor any other census records.   It is assumed that this is Elizabeth Tadman but does anyone know for sure or what happened to Sarah?   Back to top

William started the family piano manufacturing business which continued until the early 1900s.  He married Jane King in 1824 and they had 7 children that we know of, Jane herself dying in 1838.  William re-married in 1840 and is found in the 1841 census at a Regent's Park address with his new wife, but no children.  Of the 7 children, we know that William Joseph (b 1829/30), Catherine Ann (b 1834) and Jane (b 1834) had survived into the 20th century and while William has been found in all censuses except 1841, Catherine Ann is found at school in the 1851 census but then not until 1891 in St Pancras, Jane is missing from 1841 to 1861 and little is known of the other 4 children. 

It is possible that several of the children may have been in France during some of this time.  Any information related to any of the children or documents or information about the piano manufacturing business would be of great interest.  There is a short history of the pianoforte business here.  Back to top

William was born in Birkenshaw, Yorkshire in 1845 with a strong coal mining background and is recorded as marrying Hannah Stead, who was born in Colton or Carlton, Yorkshire.  Their first child, Frank Joseph, my great grandfather, was born in Illinois, USA in approx 1870.  While it was not uncommon for families to emigrate to the USA this family unusually returned to the UK before 1873 when their second child, Charles Hill, was born.  Their marriage registration has now been found in St Louis, Missouri, but it does not identify Hannah's father and therefore her birth registration has yet to be found.  Hannah died aged just 33 in August 1881 about the same time as her 6th child, Martha Hill, was born.

Does anyone have any clues as to who Hannah's parents were, why William and Hannah returned so quickly from the USA or have any other relevant information please?  Back to top

Joseph Hill is William Hill's father (see above) and married Martha Ibbotson in Hartshead in 1842 and they both gave Clifton as their residence.  Subsequent censuses record Halton, Yorkshire as Joseph's birthplace and Thornton or Dewsbury as Martha's birthplace.  No trace can be found of either Joseph or Martha, nor of either of their fathers (Francis Hill, a farmer, or Jonathan Ibbotson, a miner) in the 1841 census .

Is anyone else researching these families or have any other relevant information please?  Back to top

You can read the story of the family's name change here but there also a few other questions.  The family of John William Ennever/Hannaway, being John himself, his wife Ellen (nee Grady) and baby Elizabeth Blanche were in Limehouse late in 1890 and again in 1892, for the birth of Adelaide, but there is no trace of them in the 1891 census. Ellen's parents, James Grady and Hannah or Honora, and her six siblings were also close by, in Poplar, in the 1881 census and they too cannot be found in the 1891 census. 

As John William Ennever and his family had changed their name and Ellen's mother is recorded as both a Driscoll and an Anderson could James and Hannah have also changed their name?  Back to top

I'm certain we have now solved this mystery but would love to hear from anyone with any other information. Follow the remarkable story here.  We are still searching for Mary and her children in the 1881 census as no trace has been found of them either as Ennever or Collins. They appear to have moved out of the house they shared with Henry Collins and his wife because Albert Alfred Ennever was born in Spring Street, Bow in 1879 but they are not this address in the 1881 census.

Does anyone have any idea where they are in 1881 or may be researching related families?  Back to top

Parish registers record Joseph and his wife, Mary Anne or Mary, as the parents of Mary Ann Ennever b1794 in Rainham, Sarah b1795 and Elizabeth b1798, both in Hornchurch, and then Catharine and 3 other children all born in Hornchurch between 1805 and 1811.  The registers also record the christenings of 3 other Ennever children between 1800 and 1803, again in Hornchurch, born to a George Ennever and wife Mary.  These include John Ennever, born 1800 and Elizabeth born 1798.

The gap in christenings of Joseph & Mary's children between 1800 and 1803 is unusual because children were born both before and after that date and searches in all the surrounding parishes have failed to identify any other christenings.  The christenings of George and Mary all fit very neatly into the gap and there are no known christenings before or after that date nor can we find any records of George & Mary in the area either before or after these christenings. 

John Ennever's Will appoints Thomas Boyton, who married an Elizabeth Ennever, as an executor.   Elizabeth's christening in 1798 identifies Joseph as her father.

Does anyone have any evidence that they are in fact two different people? Back to top

On our web site there are now 7 main branches of the Ennever and related families and while there are at least three of us researching various parts of the families in some detail we haven't yet been able to find a link.  These branches are as follows:

• Branch 1 is a large group of Ennevers originating in Essex, many of whom later moved to London during the Victorian period of industrialisation.  This branch includes John Ennever, who divorced his wife by Act of Parliament in 1753, the pianoforte makers, the founder of the Pelman Institute and Pelmanism, W J Ennever and many of the name change Ennevers we have identified (including Ennever to Hannaway).  This branch also includes most of the American Ennevers.
• Branch 2 of Somerset Ennevers includes the infamous Joseph Ennever, who was executed for forgery, and his family and a successful branch of the family descended from Joseph's brother George, who was transported to Australia, also for forgery.  It also includes a branch of the family who changed their names to Eniver early in the 20th century.  This branch is also probably linked to the "Essex" Ennevers.
• Branch 3 is from the East End of London and is almost certainly linked to the "Essex" branch and includes the well-documented bigamous marriages, several branches of the family now living in Australia and the family who changed their names from Ennever to Collins to reflect the name of their natural father as well as a family making a late spelling change to Enever.
• Branch 4 is a Jamaican Ennever and Ennevor family group some of whom arrived back in the UK in the 1950s while others emigrated to the USA, Canada and Switzerland.  Interestingly, it is probable that this family group is descended from one of the two branches of Somerset Ennevers.
• Branch 5 is an American group descended from a John Ennever who was born in New York in about 1813/4. At the moment his ancestry is unknown.
• Branch 6 is a second group of Somerset Ennevers who are undoubtedly connected to the previous Somerset family. The earliest known members of the two branches were both born in Walcot, near Bath, in Somerset but so far we have been unable to confirm the connection.
• Branch 7 is a second group of Essex Ennevers, born in and around Upminster, and almost certainly connected to the "main" Essex branch above.

There is one interesting link between two of these branches in that Frederick Ennever and Thomas White were both living at 11B Grove Street, Islington at the time of the 1891 survey.  Frederick is descended from the "Somerset" branch of the Ennevers while Thomas was the son of Eliza Mary Ann Ennever's second marriage, to Charles Henry White, Eliza being descended from the "Essex" Ennevers.  The census suggests that they were living separately, albeit in the same house, although it is hard to imagine that they did not discuss the fact that Thomas's mother had the same surname as Frederick, who was sharing the house.

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Charles Green Appleton married Ann Barbara Sutherland in Norwich in 1818 and they had twelve children between 1819 and 1840.  The family can be found in the 1841 census in Barrack Street, Norwich and while the whereabouts of the two eldest sons, James Sutherland and Charles Green, is known there is virtually no trace of any other member of the family after the 1851 census.  Both James and Charles emigrated to Australia in about 1853 and it is possible that others emigrated also, although no records have yet been found.  The exception is John Green Appleton who can be traced in England until 1901, having married Jane Videan in 1864.

nb other interesting stories about the Appletons can be found in the History section!

Is anyone else researching the Appleton family and may have any relevant information?  Back to top

Two children are staying with Eliza (Lily) Ennever in 1891 and 1901 and while one is named David in 1901, the 1891 census shows what appears to be a different name and one that I have been unable to decipher.  To add to the mystery, no relevant birth registration has been found either as Simes or Limes.  They may or may not be relevant to the Ennever family but I am keen to discover their background, if possible.  The image below was taken from the 1891 census in Blatchington Road, Hove, Sussex.



Can anyone decipher the enumerator's name for Master Simes or know anything about a David Noonan Simes, who married Ellen Slattery, please?   Back to top

Robert was born in Hornchurch in 1803/4 and was first married to Francis Ann Gahagan in 1825.  There were four known children of whom only two can be reliably traced. After Frances Ann's death in 1838 Robert married Emma Fish, the widow of a Thomas French.  As far as we know there are no children from Robert's marriage to Emma but Thomas French and Emma had a son called Thomas who can be found with his grandfather, John Fish, in 1841. Neither Robert nor Emma, have been located, however.

Robert emigrated to Australia and died there in 1867 but it is not clear whether Emma or any his children travelled with him.

Does anyone have any other information about this family or are researching the Grandi family please?   Back to top

James Grady was born in Ireland in about 1813/14 and can be found in the England 1851 and 1861 censuses, with his wife Hannah or Anna and their seven children.  Thomas Grady, the eldest child, was born in about 1836/7 in Lambeth while the other six were born in Wapping, according to census returns.  Strangely, no birth registrations can be found for this area of London for any of the children (James, William, John, Hannah, Michael or Mary Ann). The family cannot be found in the 1841 census either!

James Grady, the second child, also married a Hannah or Honora, nee Driscoll, in St George in the East in 1862 having lived next door to her in Wapping.  Their fourth child was Ellen, born in 1870, but Hannah's maiden name was given as Anderson, not Driscoll, on her birth certificate while she was recorded as Driscoll on their second child, Joseph Grady's, birth certificate.  This may simply be an error by the registrar but as Ellen later married John William Ennever, who initiated their family's name change to Hannaway, it may just be possible there is another name change confusing matters.

None of the Grady family, James nor Hannah nor the children, can be found in the 1891 or 1901 censuses with the exception of Ellen who is with her husband in 1901.

Does anyone have any other information about this family that may help to clear up these questions?  Back to top

Amy Rayson was born in Acacia Road, Wood Green in February 1895.  Her birth certificate records her mother as Mary Ann Rayson, formerly Smith, but unusually for someone who was apparently married gives no father's name nor occupation.  On Amy's marriage to Henry Sturgeon Ennever in Poplar in 1917 her father is recorded as a William Rayson (deceased), a jewel case maker.  No trace can be found of Amy in the 1901 census nor of a William Rayson or Mary Ann Smith (or Rayson) in 1891 nor of any marriage.

Does anyone know who Amy's parents were, whether they married or their, or their families', whereabouts in 1891 or 1901?   Back to top

Henrietta married John Henry Moralee in 1889 in Boston, Lincolnshire and gave the name Henrietta Thomers Jane Parker although she is always known as Jane in censuses and is recorded as Henrietta Naomi Jane Parker on Charles Henry Moralee's birth certificate in 1910.  Her birthplace is recorded as South Hornsey, London/Middlesex but her birth registration has not yet been located nor can she be found in the 1871 or 1881 censuses.

Does anyone have any other information about this family that may help to clear up these questions?  Back to top

Thomas Parducci and an Elizabeth Ann Pommeroy (to be confirmed as her maiden name) had about 8 children between 1843 and 1861 of whom only one can be reliably traced after 1861.  This is their son, also a Thomas Parducci (1847-1892), who married Mary Illingworth shortly before his death in 1892, having had 7 children together.  No trace can be found of his parents or any of the other children in the 1871, 1881 or 1891 censuses.

Does anyone know the whereabouts of any members of this Parducci family after 1861?   Back to top

George Bloomfield's daughter Martha Emeline Bloomfield who was born in 1852 married Henry Ennever in 1874.  George married Elizabeth Burch at Bramford, Suffolk in 1842 and both parties are recorded as living in Bramford.  Elizabeth's family can be found in the 1841 census but there is no trace of either George Bloomfield.

Does anyone know the whereabouts of any members of this Bloomfield family in 1841?   Back to top

Priscilla Ann was the daughter of John Sturgeon and Priscilla Ann  (maiden name unknown although could be Rudkin) and was born about 1830 probably in Brentwood, Essex.  She had at least 2 siblings, John Rudkin Sturgeon and Harriet and all three were christened in Brentwood.  She married George Collins in St Bartholomew's Church, Bethnal Green in 1848 but no trace of the family can be found in 1841.  There is a George Collins in North Street, Bethnal Green in the 1841 census, aged 11, although no parents or siblings appear to be nearby.

Does anyone know more about this Sturgeon family or their whereabouts in 1841 or George Collins and his family?   Back to top

Amelia Currie is Eleanor Emmeline Ennever's mother-in-law having married Frederick Butt in 1870. Her marriage certificate identifies her father as a Matthew Currie, a Carman, but no trace can be found of Matthew or Amelia in censuses in 1851 nor Matthew in 1841.  Amelia can first be found as a 13 year-old servant in the house of George Fall at 6 Stanford Road, Fulham in 1861.  She consistently records her birthplace as Camden Town but no birth registration has yet been found.

Does anyone know the whereabouts of Matthew or Amelia in 1851 or the details of either Matthew's or Amelia's birth registration?   Back to top

I think most of Charles's complicated life and the mysteries surrounding it have now been solved with the help of Jane Mills & Molly Craven. 

Charles Ennever's first spouse was Amelia Frances Herring with whom he had 3 children, two of them dying in infancy. The third child, Elizabeth, can be traced until 1871 after which no further trace is found.  No marriage has been found for Charles and Amelia, either.

Charles's second spouse was Elizabeth Jane Seyler, again with no marriage having been found, with whom he had 3 children between 1858 and 1863.  Elizabeth Jane Seyler had previously been married to James Martin Clark, with whom she had at least two children, Henry and James. 

Elizabeth died in 1863 shortly after giving birth to Amelia Annie Ennever and Charles then lived with Elizabeth Tadman until her death in 1884 and they had a son, Charles (Wag) Ennever/Tadman who later changed his name to Tadman and went on to found the long-established funeral directors of A&C Tadman.  After Elizabeth Tadman's death Charles married Mary Ann Parker in 1889 and they adopted a Charles Price as their son.

Charles Ennever therefore had had four spouses, marrying two of them, fathering 7 children, 4 of whom died young and one of which we can find no trace of after 1871. Charles outlived all his spouses dying in 1917 aged about 81.  One of his children, Jane Ennever, also married the brother of her deceased husband, a marriage which was illegal at the time. His third spouse, Elizabeth Tadman had another two spouses and both Elizabeth Seyler and Mary Ann Parker a further one each, all of these earlier marriages also producing children!

Does anyone know the later whereabouts of Elizabeth Ennever born 1854 or Charles Price, born 1877/78 or have any other information please?  Back to top

Sarah Jane watson was born to Mary Watson in the Wisbeach (or Wisbech) Union Workhouse in 1845.  No father's name nor occupation was listed on her birth certificate.  No trace of Sarah Jane or her mother, Mary Watson, can be found in any census from 1841 to 1861.

Does anyone know the whereabouts of Sarah Jane or Mary in 1841-1861?  Back to top

Philip is recorded as marrying Sarah Bazley in 1840 and the family can be found in Greatworth, Northamptonshire in 1841, when Philip was a stone mason.  In 1851 Sarah is recorded as having her "husband in prison" and in 1861 appears to be widowed.  This family is almost certainly connected to Flora Thompson (nee Timms), the authoress.

Does anyone have any further information about this family, Philip's parents or his whereabouts in 1851?   Back to top

Henry Elsom's marriage to Lydia Maria Patten in 1886 records his father as Henry Elsom (deceased), a waiter, but no such family can be found in earlier census records.  After his marriage, he can be located reliably and his birthplace is recorded as Bethnal Green or Hackney.  It seems likely that Henry born c1857/8 is to be found in Norfolk Terrace, West Ham in 1861 with father, James and mother Matilda Anne George.  The birthplace is recorded as Bethnal Green and his father is a Railway Guard, Henry's occupation from the time of his marriage onwards.

Is anyone else researching the Elsom and Patten families and have any information about Henry and his father's identity?   Back to top

Thomas King Clothier and his sister Ruth Clothier married Jane Pook and Frank Pook respectively, also siblings, but we lose track of both Thomas and Frank after their marriages which took place in early 1876.  A family tree lodged at Somerset House indicates that Thomas Clothier emigrated to the USA in May 1876 but it is unclear whether his wife travelled with him as she is back with her parents in Culmstock, Devon by 1881.  It is also just possible that Thomas had returned to the UK as there is no record of him in the US 1880 census.

In 1884 Ruth applied for their son, Harry Pook, to go to The Princess Alice Orphanage in Sutton Coldfield stating that she was a widow with two children and unable to support them and saying that her husband had died 11th March 1879 of broken blood vessels, but no death certificate can be found.  Is it possible that Frank had emigrated after the birth of his children and did Jane travel with her husband to the USA?

If you are researching the Clothier or Pook families or may have any relevant information I would be delighted to hear from you.   Back to top

Edward Henry Allen, son of William Allen, married Elizabeth Mary Ennever in 1862.  They can be found with 5 children until 1881 when Edward is living in Ely Road, Croydon with 4 of the children while Elizabeth appears to be in service a short distance away in Beulah Road.  In 1891 Edward is in the Croydon Union Workhouse Infirmary and is recorded as married but there is no trace of Elizabeth or several of the children. Of the five children, Frederick William Allen married Hannah Coward in 1888, Eliza Ann Allen married Frederick Gibbs and Mary Selina Allen married George Garlick and these families can be traced until 1901.  There is no further trace of William Allen or Walter John Allen after 1881.

Is anyone else researching the Allen family or have any information please?  Back to top