Jerry & Margaret Maher

The Lives of Jeremiah and Margaret Maher

To mark St Patick's Day, I have written a joint-biography of Jeremiah Maher and his wife Margaret Fant: my Great-Great-Great-Great-Grandparents who immigrated to England from Ireland to escape the potato famine in the 1840s.

Jeremiah Maher was born in 1828, in the small village of Dunkerrin, in County Offaly. He was the son of Thomas Maher, the village butcher, and Mary Brien. Jeremiah's parents were both from County Tipperary, and had married in Mary's hometown, Carrick-on-Suir, on 11 June 1807. As a teenager, Jeremiah moved about 40 miles away to the village of Rosegreen, in Tipperary. He worked as a "slater" - a roofer who uses slate tiles. It was whilst working in Rosegreen that Jeremiah met his future wife, Margaret Fant.

Margaret Fant was born in the small town of Fethard, in County Tipperary, in 1829. She was the daughter of William Fant, a builder, and Margaret Hickey. Margaret's mother died in about 1834, when Margaret was just five years old. Her father subsequently remarried to Honora Cunningham on 17 September 1835. As a teenager, Margaret moved about 10 miles east to the town of Cashel.

Cashel Cathedral, where Jeremiah and Margaret got married.

Jeremiah and Margaret met in the late 1840s, when both were in their late teens. They married at St John's Cathedral, in Cashel, on 9 October 1848; Jeremiah was about 20, and Margaret was about 19. After they got married, Jeremiah and Margaret lived in Cashel. At this time, Ireland was in the most devastating years of the infamous Potato Famine. Between 1845 and 1849, approximately 20 - 25% of the Irish population died. Rural areas which depended on the potato crop - such as Cashel - were significantly effected, with Tipperary losing up to 30% of its population. In 1849, Jeremiah and Margaret were among the millions of Irish who left Ireland during the famine. They settled in Wolverhampton, just outside Birmingham, where Jeremiah found work as a plasterer. Over the next 18 years, Jeremiah and Margaret had at least six children:

• Thomas Maher (7 August 1852 - 1914), my Great-Great-Great-Grandfather
• Mary Maher (1853 - 1887)
• William Maher (1856 - 1932)
• Catharine Maher (1863 - ?)
• Jeremiah Maher Jr. (1864 - 1866)
• Jeremiah Maher Jr. (1867 - 1873)

Around 1856, the family lived in the village of Wednesfield, which is now part of Wolverhampton. At the time of the 1861 census, the family were living on Moor Street, in Birmingham. They later moved to Coleshill Street. In 1874 their daughter, Mary, married Alfred Dean after getting pregnant. However, Alfred died before their son, Alfred Jr, was born on 11 July 1875. Jeremiah and Margaret then took in their daughter and grandson. After Mary died at the age of 34, in 1887, Jeremiah and Margaret became Alfred's guardians.

Jeremiah's death certificate

After their daughter died in 1887, Jeremiah, Margaret and Alfred moved to London. They lived at 3 East Place, in Clerkenwell. By this time, Jeremiah was working as a "Journeyman Plasterer." In the following years, Jeremiah began suffering from liver cancer. When his illness got worse in 1889, he was admitted to Holborn Infirmary. He died there on 11 October 1889, at the age of 61.

Islington Infirmary, where Margaret lived the last years of her life.

After Jeremiah died, Margaret continued living with their grandson Alfred. As Alfred was only 14, Margaret began working as a "washerwoman" to provide some income for the household. She would have been employed by several households to do their laundry for them. Alfred worked as a japanner - someone who varnishes furniture in a Japanese style. After Alfred married Elizabeth Wright on 21 July 1895, Margaret lived alone. She continued working as a washerwoman to support herself, and was never able to retire. In her later years, Margaret suffered from chronic nephritis - inflammation of the kidneys. She was admitted to Islington Infirmary, on Highgate Hill, where she lived the last few years of her life. Margaret died there on 17 October 1905, at the age of 76.

Margaret's death certificate

John Greenman

The Life of John Greenman (1872 - 1922)

By his great-great-grandson, Oliver Moules

John's birth certificate

Herbert Harry James Greenman, who was always known as "John", was born in the village of Box, in Wiltshire, on the 24th of January 1872. His parents were both from families who had lived in Box for generations. John's father, Henry "Harry" Greenman, had been born in Box in 1841 and worked as a quarryman in the Box Quarry from the age of 12. John's mother, Elizabeth Allen, was the youngest child in a large family. Her parents had died when she was young, so she was raised in an Orphanage for Girls in Bath - later working as a domestic servant for wine merchant John P. Sainsbury until she married Harry in 1866. I have also written a blog post about Elizabeth's life - which can be found here.

2 Mead Cottages - John's childhood home.

John had three older siblings: George (1867 - 1941), Kate (1868 - 1919) and Isaac (1869 - 1944). In the mid-1870s, the Greenman family settled at 2 Mead Cottages, in The Ley. It was here that John's three younger siblings were born: Ellen (1874 - 1886), Frank (1875 - 1957) and Emily (1877 - 1970). John and his siblings attended Box School, which was about a five minute walk from their house. At school John would have been taught reading, writing and maths. At the time of the 1881 census, nine year old John was in the same class as his brothers Frank and Isaac. At the time, the family were living next-door to John's cousin, Worthy George Phelps. Worthy was the village blacksmith (ultimately the last one), and when John finished school at age 12 his parents arranged for him to become Worthy's apprentice. As an apprentice blacksmith, John would have spent his time as Worthy's "blacksmith striker" - this would have involved striking at hot iron on an anvil with a large sledgehammer. Worthy would hold the iron in one hand and indicate to John where to strike with his other one. At some point during his apprenticeship, John was injured in an accident which left him with a permanent "burn mark" across his chest. John was 14 when, in 1886, his 12 year old sister Ellen died.

After his injury John finished his apprenticeship but instead of becoming a blacksmith, he followed his father in the quarryman profession. John and his Dad would walk to work together every morning. In 1889, 17-year old John decided he didn't want to be a quarryman anymore. He traveled to Devizes and signed up to the army - enlisting in the Wiltshire Regiment. It is possible he had been inspired by his older brothers, George and Isaac, who had done the same thing a few years earlier. However, 56 days after signing up, John was "discharged by purchase" and left the army. This is where the recruit pays to be discharged - due to John being 17 years old it is possible his parents paid to have him discharged due to his youth. He returned to Box and worked as a labourer until 1890, when he turned 18. He returned to Devizes and re-enlisted in the Wiltshire Regiment on the 12th of August 1890. He was described as 5ft 4 1/2, 115lbs with grey eyes and light brown hair.

John's military posting history from his service record.

John spent 14 months in training until the 12th of October 1891, when he was among 160 Privates who embarked on the HMS Macabar for India. John spent the next two years in India, until he was posted back to England on 30 September 1893. John spent the next four years being posted to various places around the country, before being put on army reserve on the 12th of August 1897 - he returned home to Box. Whilst back in Box, John stayed with his parents and found work as a general labourer. The Second Boer War began in South Africa in October 1899. On the 15th of December 1899, John was recalled into service to fight in the war.

John landed at Port Elizabeth, on the Algoa Bay in the Eastern Cape of South Africa, on the 12th of January 1900. The Wiltshire Regiment was then merged with the Worcestershire, Bedfordshire and Royal Irish Regiments to form the "12th Brigade" commanded by Major-General Ralph Clements. John was dispatched to the Colesburg District, where the 12th Brigade defended from an onslaught of Boer raids. One raid on the town of Rensburg was disastrous for the Wiltshire Regiment in particular - 14 men were killed, 57 wounded and over 100 taken prisoner. John was one of the lucky few who survived the battle unscathed and escaped capture. The regiment was forced to retreat to prevent the Boer Commandos from breaking through the defense and threatening other towns. In February, John spent his time helping defend the city of Bloemfontein and the town of Kroonstad. However this didn't last long as the regiment was ordered to try and capture the town of Bethlehem - the base of operations for Boer General and Leader Christiaan De Wet. The Wiltshire Regiment managed to capture the town, but De Wet escaped.

John in the 1900s, wearing medals.

On the 23rd of July 1900, John fought in the Battle of Slabbert's Neck - an attempt by Major-General Clements to defeat De Wet's commados. Working with the Irish Regiment, the Wiltshire Regiment conducted a night assault - sneaking up on the Boers and capturing the ridge overlooking their position. The Boers were taken by surprise and defeated - 4000 were captured, by again De Wet escaped into the mountains. After this, the 12th Brigade a broken up. The Wiltshire Regiment was sent to patrol the area north of the city of Pretoria. John saw action again when De Wet attempted to raid the Cape Colony. The Wiltshire and Northamptonshire regiments were tasked with defending the Pretoria-Pietersburg rail line - they were successful in fending off the Boer attacks. Between May and July 1901, The Wiltshire Regiment participated in the operations of Lieutenant-Colonel Cecil Grenfell, capturing 229 Boer Commandos and 18 wagons. The war ended in 1902, with the surrender of the last of the Commandos. The Treaty of Vereeniging, signed on the 31st of May 1902, ended the state of war between the UK and The Boers. John returned home to Box on the 20th of August 1902.

When he returned to Box, John started work as a quarryman again. In the next few years, John met Annie Lucy Wootten. Annie had also been born and raised in Box, and was 12 years younger than John. It is possible they met through her father or brothers - who were all working alongside John in the Quarry. They got married at Box Methodist Church on the 20th of August 1905. Annie was 21 and John was 33. The witnesses to the marriage were Thomas Wootten (Annie's father) and Mary Purnell (girlfriend of Annie's brother Tommy Wootten). After getting married, John and Annie settled at 7 Henley Cottages, on Henley Lane. They were surrounded by family at Henley - John's parents lived next-door at number 6, John's brother Frank at number 5 and Annie's brother William at number 3. Annie's parents, Thomas and Lydia Wootten, also lived on Henley Lane but it is not known which house.

John and Annie's marriage certificate.

John and Annie had six children together over eight years:

• Arthur William John Greenman (31st of October 1907 - 20th of August 1986)
• Margaret Lucy Greenman (25th of January 1910 - 1994)
• Mary Greenman (1913 - 1913)
• A stillborn son (1914 - 1914)
• Nellie Greenman (22nd of November 1911 - 25th of October 2010)
• Emmeline Dora Greenman (29th of October 1915 - 5th of January 2000)

The Greenman Family in the late 1910s.

At the time of the 1911 census, John is listed as living on Henley Lane with his wife and two oldest children. He is listed as working as a quarryman in the "freestone quarry" industry. During this time John and Annie helped care for John's father, Harry Greenman, who had what is now called dementia. John was at his father's bedside when Harry died on the 2nd of November 1913, age 72.

Upon the outbreak of World War I in 1914, John was recalled into the army. His regimental number was 523778 and he served in the Labour Corps. Other than this, not much is known about John's World War I service due to many records being destroyed by The Blitz in the 1940s. It is known that he was posted away from home, as there is a surviving letter which he sent back to his family:

My Dear John, Maggie, Nellie and Dora,

I am writing you a few lines. I hope you are all quite well. Dad is going on nicely. I hope you have all been good children since I have been away. I hope you had some nice weather for your holidays, dear children. I am sending you two shillings you must let Mam buy you something with it. Tell Dora Daddy will come home someday, and we will all go for another ride in the Gee-Gee cart. Hope you are having some nice weather, we get a lot of rain here now, we see a lot of aeroplanes here 20 together sometimes. So now, dears, I hope you will all be good children and do all Mam tells you to till Dad comes home again and we will all go into Bath together then. So now I think this is all for now, so I will close with fondest love to yo all from your ever-loving Dad

Xx H. Greenman xx

Xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Give my love to Mam xxxx

When John returned from the war in 1918, his daughter Nellie didn't recognise him - when she spotted him walking towards the house she went and told her mother that a "soldier is walking up the road." Not long after the end of the war, John was diagnosed with cancer of the lip - often caused by smoking a pipe. After having the cancer removed, it was discovered to have returned in 1921. It was also discovered to spread to John's liver. John's health deteriorated until he died on the 13th of May 1922, age 50. His funeral was held in the Methodist Church on the 3rd of June, and he was buried in the Box Parish Cemetery. He was survived by his wife, his four children and his 88 year old mother. Annie outlived John by 52 years - she died in 1974 at age 90.

John's obituary in the Wiltshire Times and Trowbridge Advertiser.

Moules Origins

I have decided to write a blog post about the progenitor of the Moules family - my Great-Great-Great-Great-Grandfather, William Moules.

Origins

I have been able to find very little information about William Moules' early life, and no information at all about his parents. In the UK, birth certificates did not start being issued until 1836, by which time William was already a grown man. However, for several centuries before this, baptism records were kept by local parish churches - nevertheless I have still failed to find a baptism record for William. The little information I have on his background all comes from his appearance in the 1841 England census, and his death certificate from 1849.

The 1841 census - the first census taken in the UK - was recorded on 6 June 1841, and was the only census to be taken in William's lifetime. He is listed as 35 years old, which would place his birth year around 1806. This is backed up by William's death certificate, which lists his age as 43 when he died in 1849. Unlike other censuses, the 1841 census does not provide people's birthplaces, so it is not known where William was from. Despite this, there is a column asking whether the person had been born in the county they currently live in - "yes" is written in this column for William, which means he was supposedly born somewhere in Wiltshire. In this period poorer, working-class people living in the countryside - such as William - were less likely to move around. As a result, it is likely that he was from Colerne, or possibly a nearby village.

Many genealogists researching William's family have decided that William's parents were a John Moules and Harriet Palmer. However, after conducting my own research, I have come to the conclusion that this relationship is inaccurate. William's supposed father, John Moules, is often recorded in Ancestry trees as having died in Colerne in 1843 - this is often the only source for John's existence at all. By searching through the GRO index, I discovered that a John Moules did die in Colerne in 1843 - however this record is for an infant boy, who I later discovered was actually William's son, not his father. I have found no evidence whatsoever of the existence of a Harriet Palmer in the right place or time. I have discovered that there is a Harriet Palmer who was married to a John Moules - however this couple married in Hertfordshire in 1839. The fact that they married 33 years after their supposed son was born, and in a different county, leads me to conclude that John Moules and Harriet Palmer were not the parents of William Moules. It seems that people on Ancestry have combined multiple people from different areas and times, and made a fictional parentage of William.

Marriage and Family

When he was in his 20s, William was living in the village of Colerne, in the north of Wiltshire. He met Florence Tiley, a local girl about a year younger tan him, and they became engaged in 1831. Florence had given birth to an illegitimate daughter, Charlotte Tiley, the previous year. It is possible that William was Charlotte's biological father, but this is unconfirmed. Nevertheless, after marrying Florence William adopted Charlotte, who took the surname "Moules" from then on. William and Florence's marriage banns were published on 13 November, 20 November and 27 November 1831. Their wedding was held at St John the Baptist Church, in Colerne, on 10 December 1831. William is recorded as being a "bachelor", and Florence a "spinster." Both signed the record with an "X" in place of their signatures, which meant both William and Florence were illiterate.

William and Florence's marriage record.

After getting married, William and Florence moved in together in a house on Quarry Lane, in Colerne. They had seven children together over a fourteen year period:

• Sarah Moules (1832 - 1838)
• Ann Moules (1835 - 1862)
• George Moules (1836 - 14 Feb 1908) - My 3x-Great-Grandfather
• William Moules (1841 - 1911)
• John Moules (1843 - 1843)
• John Moules (1844 - 1844)
• Sarah Moules (1846 - 16 Jul 1935)

Some more information about William's life can be gleaned from his children's christening records, which included the father's occupation. From these records, we know that for the first half of the 1830s William worked as a paper maker at the local Colerne paper mill. He is listed as working as a paper maker in 1832 and 1835. In 1837, William is instead recorded as working as a labourer. He likely worked on one of the many farms around Colerne. His occupation is recorded as labourer in every source from this point on.

Probably the most useful document relating to William's life is the 1841 England Census. The Moules family appear on page 11 of the Colerne census. William is listed as living on the High Street, in Colerne, with Florence and their children: Charlotte (age 11), Ann (age 7), George (age 4) and William (age 4 months). William is listed as working as a labourer, and is recorded as having been born in Wiltshire. They are the only people in Colerne enumerated in the census who have the surname "Moules", or a similar spelling of the name. This suggests that William and/or his family may not have  originally come from Colerne. Due to William's untimely death at the age of 43, this was his only appearance in the census. This is unfortunate as some valuable information - such as his specific birth place - would have been recorded have he lived to been included in the 1851 census.

Moules family listed in the 1841 census.

Death

In January 1849, William developed a severe abscess on his spinal cord. Possible causes for this include back injury, tuberculosis or septicemia. The abscess would have been extremely painful for William. Symptoms of a spinal abscess include sharp pains in the back, arms and legs, paralysis in the area below the abscess, fever and a loss of bladder control. Due to these symptoms, it is unlikely William would have been able to carry on working whilst he had the abscess - especially with his physically demanding manual job. William suffered with the abscess for eight months, before dying in his home on 21 August 1849. He was only 43 years old. William was buried at St John the Baptist Church, in Colerne, five days later on 26 August.

William's death certificate.

William's death left Florence a 42 year old widow with four children aged between 14 and 3. With the sole provider for the family gone, Florence found work as a charwoman - cleaning her neighbours' houses. Their sons, George and William - who were just 12 and 8 - immediately had to start working on nearby farms to contribute to the household income. Florence never remarried, and died 40 years later on 3 February 1889, age 82.

William was deeply mourned by his family. Seven of his grandsons were named after him. As far as I have been able to trace, William and Florence are the progenitors of this branch of the Moules family - every Moules that has ever lived in Colerne or one of the surrounding villages has been descended from them. Through his seven children, William had 30 grandchildren and 88 great-grandchildren. He has over 600 descendants going down nine generations to his 7x-Great-Grandchildren.

It is very unlikely any photographs of William exist, and I have also been unable to find any photos of any members of William's close family. I have, however, found a photograph of William's youngest child, Sarah Moules. The photo appeared in the newspaper in 1925, when Sarah celebrated her 60th Wedding Anniversary to her husband Edwin Hillier - they were sent a congratulatory letter from King George V. When Sarah died in 1935, age 89, she was the oldest person living in Colerne.

William's daughter Sarah Moules in 1925, age 79.

Henrietta Wootten

The Life of Henrietta Wootten (1853 - 1914)

By her great-great-great-grandson, Oliver Moules

Henrietta's birthplace - now Komedia, in Bath.

Lydia Henrietta Vincent was born on the 10th of December 1853, at 23 Westgate Street in Bath. She was the seventh and youngest child of William Vincent, a brass finisher, and Lydia Reeves, a housewife. She was known by her middle name, "Henrietta", throughout her life to differentiate from her mother. Her older siblings were Mary Ann (1843 - 1847), Fanny Rebecca (1844 - 1890), Jeremiah (1846 - 1912), Mary Ann (1848 - 1878), Hester Louise (1850 - 1923) and William Alfred (1852 - 1852). Henrietta had a relatively comfortable childhood growing up in Bath, as her father's brass foundry business was successful. She attended school with her siblings from the ages of about 5 until 12. As a teenager, Henrietta met Henry Wootten. Henry was a year younger than Henrietta and from the village of Box, about 5 miles from Bath. He grew up in a poor, working-class family and had worked as a quarryman from the age of around 14. By the early 1870s, they became engaged. Henrietta's family were heavily against the match, possibly due to Henry's poorer background. According to family legend, Henrietta was disowned by her parents when she married Henry anyway.

Henrietta and Henry married at St Thomas a Becket Church, in Box, on Christmas Day 1873. The witnesses to the marriage were two of Henry's siblings, Thomas Wootten and Jane Wootten. After getting married, Henry and Henrietta moved to Box Hill. Unfortunately, in 1875, Henry was diagnosed with tuberculosis. He suffered with the disease for two years before dying on the 5th of April 1877, age 23. In the months following Henry's death, Henrietta started a relationship with his brother, Thomas Wootten. They quickly became engaged and married nine months later on Boxing Day 1877, at St Andrew's Church in Chippenham. Henrietta gave birth to her first child, Emmeline Wootten, some time in 1877. It is unknown whether Emmeline's father was Henry or Thomas. It is possible that Henrietta was widowed whilst pregnant, which may have been a reason she and Thomas decided to get married - to provide the baby with a father. Regardless of who Emmeline's biological father was, she was raised by Thomas as if she were his own.

After getting married, Henrietta and Thomas settled in the village of Colerne. During the years they lived on Tutton Hill, in Colerne, they had three children: Louisa Jane Wootten on 24 January 1879, William Thomas Isaac "Bill" Wootten on 30 August 1881 and Edward Thomas "Tommy" Wootten on 24 February 1882. After Tommy was born, the Woottens relocated to Blue Vein, in Box. At least one of their children is known to have been born there: Annie Lucy Wootten on 24 February 1884. At some point over the next few years the family moved again, to Henley. Henrietta and Henry had their final four children in Henley: Albert Henry Wootten in 1886, twins Ellen Elizabeth & Agnes Maud Wootten on 29 December 1888, and Arthur Henry Wootten on 7 January 1891. Albert and Agnes died young, at the ages of four and one.

On 28 December 1898, Henrietta's unmarried daughter, Emmeline Wootten, gave birth to an illegitimate son - Ernest Frank George Wootten, known as George, who was Henrietta's first grandchild. Due to the stigma surrounding out-of-wedlock births in that time, George was raised as Henrietta and Thomas' son rather than their grandson. He is listed as "son" in the 1901 and 1911 censuses. Henrietta had 23 grandchildren in total, 14 of which were born in her lifetime. In the 1910s, Henrietta and Thomas lived next-door to their daughter, Annie, and her husband John Greenman. In later life, Henrietta suffered from heart problems. At age 58 she was diagnosed with mitral regurgitation - where the blood in the heart flows the wrong way. This would have caused her frequent chest pains, fatigue and breathlessness.

On News Years Eve 1914, Henrietta suffered a cerebral hemorrhage at her home, and died shortly after. She died exactly three weeks after her 60th birthday. Her funeral was held on the 2nd of January 1915, and she was buried at Box Parish Cemetery, in plot 51. Thomas was buried beside her when he died in 1925.

Henrietta's death certificate

Walter Harrison

The Life of Walter Harrison (1830 - 1888)

By his great-great-great-great-grandson, Oliver Moules

Walter Harrison was born in the early months of 1830, in the village of East Coker, in the south of Somerset. He was the illegitimate son of 25 year old Teresa Harrison. The identity of his biological father is not certain, but it is possible his father was Samuel Douch (1795 - 1843), a gardener. Walter had one older half-sister, Susan Thorn Harrison, who was also illegitimate. In January 1831, when Walter was less than a year old, his mother died at the age of 26. As he was now an orphan, the infant Walter spent the first few years of his life in the care of his widowed grandmother, Margaret Harrison. However, Margaret eventually became infirm and was admitted to the Helyar Almshouse. With no-one to care for him, the young Walter was sent to the nearby town of Yeovil and admitted into the Yeovil Union Workhouse. It was here that Walter would spend the rest of his childhood.

Yeovil Workhouse

Walter's childhood in the workhouse would have been very unpleasant. Workhouse conditions were designed to be worse than the conditions poor people experienced outside the workhouse. This was to discourage people entering them - saving the parish money. As soon as he was able to, Walter would have joined the other men in the workhouse doing manual work - this could have included stone-breaking, wood-cutting or other agricultural labour. Walter's daily meals would have been bread and cheese for breakfast, meat and potatoes for lunch followed by bread and cheese again for supper. During the years Walter lived in the Yeovil Workhouse, it was run by the aptly named Masters family. Francis Masters was the Master of the Workhouse whilst his wife, Susanna Masters, was the Matron.

In his teenage years, Walter had a rebellious streak. In 1845 he was arrested, alongside Samuel Randell and George Eastment, for stealing a loaf of bread from the Workhouse staff. In July 1845 Walter was sent to Wilton Gaol, in Taunton, before his trial. He was described as 4ft 11, with grey eyes, brown hair and a "fresh complexion." After spending a month in the Gaol, Walter was found guilty of larceny (theft of personal property). He was sentenced to three weeks imprisonment and also had the unfortunate experience of being whipped with a Cat o' Nine Tails. Walter was never arrested again in his life after this brush with the law.

Walter's punishment, printed in the newspaper.

In the later 1840s, teenage Walter left the workhouse after being apprenticed to the local blacksmith. Walter would have worked as the blacksmith's striker - whose job it was to use a large sledgehammer in heavy forging operations. Walter completed his apprenticeship and became a full blacksmith around the age of 19. Walter decided to remain in Yeovil after leaving the Workhouse. In 1851 he was living on Kingston Road, Yeovil, and boarding in the household of Francis Hyde, a stone mason.

It was around this time that Walter met Tryphena March. Tryphena had lived in Yeovil all her life, and had been widowed for two years following the death of her husband, Gideon March, in 1849 at age 32. Gideon's death had left Tryphena struggling to support herself and her two young daughters, Rebecca and Mary March. She made some money from sewing gloves, and in 1851 was lodging with her daughters in the household of James Tarrant, on Paradise Street - about one mile away from Walter. Walter and Tryphena married at St John's Church later that year. Walter was 21 and Tryphena was 26.

Walter and Tryphena moved to Belmont Street, in Yeovil. Shortly afterwards Walter gave up his career as a blacksmith and, instead, became a plasterer. Walter and Tryphena had five children, four of which lived to adulthood:

• Theresa Harrison (1852 - 1911)
• Tabitha Harrison (1855 - 26 November 1918)
• Elizabeth Harrison (1856 - 1857)
• Susan Thorne Harrison (1858 - 1898)
• George Harrison (1860 - 1890)

Walter was the head of a large household including his wife, their five children and his two step-daughters. In 1859, Tryphena became ill with tuberculosis. 1861 was a particularly hard year for the family. In January, Walter's 16 year old step-daughter, Rebecca March, gave birth to an illegitimate daughter, Elizabeth March. The baby died in April 1861, age three months. Shortly afterwards, on the 28th of May, Tryphena died at age 36, having suffered from tuberculosis for two years. Walter was at her side when she died. In 1865 Rebecca gave birth to another illegitimate daughter, who she also named Elizabeth. It was around this time that Walter and Rebecca got married. It is possible that Walter was the biological father of one or both of Rebecca's illegitimate daughters - this is not known for certain and likely never will.

After they married, Walter and Rebecca left Belmont and settled on Bond Street, just three minutes away. Walter and Rebecca had a further eight children, but four died as infants and another died at age 11:

• Louisa Harrison (3 May 1869 - 1 September 1915)
• John Harrison (1871 - 1872)
• John Harrison (1871 - 1872)
• Annie Harrison (1873 - 1884)
• John Harrison (1875 - 1948)
• Harry Walter Harrison (1877 - 1877)
• Tryphena Rose Harrison (1879 - 1880)
• Tryphena Rose Harrison (14 November 1882 - 20 January 1965)

The Seven Stars Inn, now
the hair salon Mazzers.

In 1871, the Harrison family were living at the Seven Stars Inn, on Bond Street. Despite continuing to work as a plasterer, Walter also took on the license of the pub for several years. As well as his wife and five of his children, Walter was also living with his nephew, his son-in-law, his apprentice William Giles and two lodgers. William Giles, like Walter, had been in the Yeovil Workhouse, and only left when he became apprenticed to Walter. Later that year, Walter was hired to do some plastering and whitewashing at Yeovil Workhouse - returning there for the first time in over 20 years.

The rest of the 1870s was filled with legal problems for Walter, and he was summoned to court on several occasions. In January 1872 Walter was summoned for not vaccinating his children. He explained that they had been vaccinated, but he "had no idea he had to return the certificate." He was told to do so in future, and made to pay for the costs of the summoning.

In April 1873 Walter came under fire for sending his apprentice, William Giles, to Newfoundland. He had sent William there with a "band of men" to become apprenticed at the fisheries. The court ordered Walter to bring William back by the following week or be punished. It is not known if Walter succeeded in doing so.

On the 22nd of October 1875 Walter was summoned again for not paying the water rates at the Seven Stars. By the time of the summoning this was £3, but Walter had already paid part of it. He was told to pay the rest by a certain date or be punished.

After 1875, Walter decided not to renew his licence at the Seven Stars and the family moved to 22 Vicarage Street, just two minutes away. Walter lived here for the rest of his life. Walter's first grandchild, Alice Harrison, was born in 1880 when he was 50 years old. He would have 31 grandchildren in total, but only 9 of them were born in his lifetime. In his 50s Walter began suffering from chronic respiratory disease - namely asthma and asthenia. This was likely caused by decades of working as a plasterer. Despite his worsening health, Walter continued to work as a plasterer until his final days. He died on the 13th of December 1888, at his home 22 Vicarage Street. He was 58 years old. He was buried at St John's Church - the same church where he had married Tryphena 37 years previously.

Walter Harrison's death certificate

Walter's wife, Rebecca, outlived him by 26 years - she died on the 13th of March 1917, age 73.

Michael Knewstubb

The Life of Michael Knewstubb (1818 - 1879)

By his great-great-great-great-grandson, Oliver Moules

St. Oswald's Church, Ravenstonedale.

Michael Knewstubb was born in the Winter of 1818 in Ravenstonedale, a small village at the foot of the Howgill Fells in Cumbria (then Westmorland). He was the eldest known child of Edward Knewstubb (1785 - 1857) and Margaret Murray, who had married at St Oswald's Church on 30 December 1817. Michael was baptised in the same church on 13 December 1818 and probably named after his late grandfather, Michael Knewstubb (1752 - ?). Michael had four younger brothers: Thomas, Edward, John and James.

Michael's father, Edward, was a prosperous farmer and Michael grew up on the family farm on the outskirts of the village. Michael was taught to read and write but it is not known whether he attended school officially, or was instead taught by his mother. Michael would have assisted his father with "odd-jobs" on the farm from a young age, and started working as a farm labourer for his father full-time at the age of about 12. His father was a successful farmer, and as a result the family were able to employ servants. When Michael was no older than 13 when his mother died - this had a profound effect on him, and he would later name his eldest daughter after her. His father remarried to Mary Harrison (1796 - 1872) shortly after. Through his father's second marriage Michael had three half-siblings: Henry, Elizabeth and Richard.

Newspaper account of the inquest which
appeared in the Kendal Mercury on 5 June 1847.

In 1847, Michael was involved in the untimely death of his friend, Robert Tunstall. On 20 May 1847, after attending Brough Fair together in the nearby village of Brough, Michael and Robert started walking home to Ravenstonedale at roughly 4:30 a.m. Michael had left his horse at the local inn, and when they got there they decided to go in for a quick drink. By the time they left, they were both "intoxicated." As Robert didn't have his own horse, Michael told him to get on his. The horse refused to carry two people and began kicking. About 50 yards from the inn Michael and Robert both fell off the horse. Michael was unhurt but Robert hit the back of his head "with considerable force" and was knocked unconscious. Robert was taken back to the inn and attended by the local doctor. He was returned to his home the next day but never regained consciousness and died 12 days later, age 60. An inquest ruled Robert's death as an "accidental death." It is possible the event deeply effected Michael, as family remembered him for being strictly against drinking alcohol.

Stud Fold Farm in 2010.

At the time of the 1851 census, Michael was living at Sprint Gill cottage, in Ravenstonedale, with his father, step-mother and siblings. He was listed as working as a farm labourer on his father's farm. It was around this time, in the early 1850s, that Michael started training to be a cattle doctor. He began treating the cows of Ravenstonedale and the surrounding area around the year 1854. His main responsibilities would have been tending to sick cows and delivering calves. After the death of his father in 1857, age 72, Michael inherited his land - roughly 45 acres. In 1861 Michael was living at Stud Fold Farm, near Sprint Gill. At age 42 he was still unmarried and living alone except for a 21 year old domestic servant, Mary Kirkhide.

Michael married Jane Hodgson on 12 November 1863, at Ravenstonedale Church. He was 44 years old, and she was 22. Jane was also born and bred in Ravenstonedale, coming from the nearby farm of Dovengill. After their marriage, Michael and Jane continued to live at Stud Fold Farm. They had five daughters together:

• Margaret Knewstubb (5 December 1864 - 5 April 1945)
• Catherine "Kitty" Knewstubb (25 November 1866 - 24 July 1948)
• Mary Ann Knewstubb (1868 - 1941)
• Jane "Jennie" Knewstubb (February 1871 - 31 January 1941)
• Elizabeth Knewstubb (1874 - ?)

In 1871 Michael was still living at Stud Fold Cottage, and was still listed as a "farmer of 45 acres" - this meant had had not bought or sold any land in the previous ten years. As well as his wife and four young daughters, Michael also employed one servant - Elizabeth Fawcett. As well as farming his land, Michael was by now an experienced and skilled cattle surgeon who was respected and well-known in the community and surrounding area for his expertise.

On 11 July 1874 a "public meeting" was held at the Cross Bank Inn to reward Michael. Michael was presented with "a beautifully illuminated address and a purse of 55 guineas" as a token of thanks for his services as a cattle doctor in the community. Michael was described as a "kind neighbour and friend, ever ready to do good." The guineas and address had been collectively paid for by the community to thank Michael for his "great skill and attention as a cattle doctor during a period of upwards of 20 years." Around 1875, the Knewstubb family left Ravenstonedale and settled in the town of Sedbergh, about 10 miles away. At the time, Sedbergh was part of Yorkshire - but it is now also part of Cumbria.

In Sedbergh, Michael's career focused more on being a cattle doctor than a farmer. In the later 1870s his elderly father-in-law, Martin Hodgson, moved in with the Knewstubb family. Martin died on 11 July 1879, age 76. Michael continued working in Sedbergh until he died "very suddenly" exactly five months later on 11 December 1879. He was about 60 years old and may have even died on his 61st birthday.

Michael's sudden death threw his family's future into uncertainty as the family's sole provider was gone. Michael's widow, Jane - just 38 years old and with five daughters age between 15 and 5 - managed to find success as the owner and keeper of a hotel, The Temperance Inn.

Elizabeth Greenman

The Life of Elizabeth Greenman (1834 - 1927)

By her great-great-great-grandson, Oliver Moules

Elizabeth Allen was born in 1834, in the village of Box in Wiltshire. Not much is known about her early life or family. She was baptised in Box on the 22nd of June 1834, and her parents are listed as James and Mary Allen. They were living at "the quarries" in Box, and James was working as a labourer. When Elizabeth was a very young girl, both of her parents died. She was sent away to Bath where she was raised in the workhouse at 12 Walcot Parade, which held roughly 100 orphaned girls. Elizabeth would have had a hard and unpleasant childhood growing up in the workhouse. She was later trained to be a domestic servant, and left the workhouse around the age of 16 to become employed as one.

In 1850, Elizabeth left the workhouse and moved to Bathampton, where she became employed as a servant in the household of John Popham Sainsbury, a wine merchant. Elizabeth was one of three servants, alongside Jane Bowles and Catherine Nickson, who she would have shared sleeping quarters with. Elizabeth's working day was long and tiring: the day would start by Elizabeth fetching clean clothes for the women in the household (Sainsbury's five daughters). Elizabeth would then spend the next few hours cleaning. Once the cleaning was done she would then go around the house and do various jobs such as making the beds and dusting the furniture and various ornaments. Finally, Elizabeth would work together with Jane and Catherine to do the laundry for the whole house. Elizabeth worked in the Sainsbury household for several years before she started courting Henry "Harry" Greenman in the 1860s.

Harry Greenman was a young man from Elizabeth's hometown of Box. Like many living in Box during this period, Harry worked as a quarryman, mining bath stone in the local quarry. He was seven years younger than Elizabeth. Harry and Elizabeth married on the 27th of May 1866, at the St. Thomas a Becket Church in Box. After their wedding, Elizabeth and Harry moved into a house in Boxfields. It was here that they had their seven children:

• George Henry Greenman on the 28th of February 1867
• Kate Elizabeth Greenman on the 30th of April 1868
• Isaac William Greenman on the 26th of October 1869
• Herbert Harry James "John" Greenman on the 24th of January 1872
• Ellen Louisa Greenman in 1874
• Alfred Frank Greenman on the 4th of December 1875
• Emily Caroline Greenman on 1st of January 1877

Elizabeth spent these years as a housewife whilst Harry worked as a quarryman. The Greenmans would often have several of Harry's fellow quarrymen to living with them - at the time of the 1871 census two quarrymen, Job Baker and John Butler, were listed as "lodging" with the Greenmans. Around 1880 the family moved from Boxfields to Woodstock House, a house on Mill Lane in Box. Over the next few years Elizabeth and Harry's eldest children began moving out - with George and Isaac both joining the army in the mid 1880s. Tragedy struck the family in 1886, when Elizabeth's daughter, Ellen, died suddenly when she was only 12 years old.

In the 1890s Elizabeth helped care for Harry's elderly parents, Isaac and Charlotte Greenman, who were both in their 80s. Isaac died in 1895, age 86, and Charlotte died later that year age 82. Elizabeth and Harry's first grandchild, Ellen Amelia Greenman, was born on the 23rd of January 1896 to their son George, when Elizabeth was 61. Elizabeth and Harry would have 20 grandchildren in total, the youngest of which was born when Elizabeth was 86 years old, in 1920.

In the early 1890s Elizabeth and Harry moved from Mill Lane to Washwells. Harry, who by this point had been a quarryman for almost 40 years, became Foreman of the Box quarry around this time. After celebrating their 40th wedding anniversary in 1906, Elizabeth and Harry moved to Henley, where they lived next door to their son Herbert Harry James "John" Greenman. At the time of the 1911 census, Elizabeth and Harry were both in their 70s. Harry had retired from quarrying and instead was working as a general labourer. Their son, John, was living next-door, with his wife Annie Lucy Wootten and their two young children: Arthur William John Greenman and Margaret Lucy Greenman.

Shortly after the 1911 census, Harry began suffering with Alzheimer's disease. As Harry's health deteriorated he was cared for by both Elizabeth and her daughter-in-law Annie Wootten. In May 1913 Harry was diagnosed with "retention of urine." Then, in October, Harry was discovered to have developed gout in his legs. Harry died on the 2nd of November 1913, at the age of 72. After Harry died, Elizabeth became heavily reliant on John and Annie. In 1914 World War I broke out across Europe. John, who was a veteran of The Second Boer War, was called up to fight in WWI as well. Around 1916 or 1917 John was injured in the neck with shrapnel and sent home. Elizabeth lived to see the war end in 1918.

Elizabeth became a great-grandmother for the first time upon the birth of Gwendoline Errington, on the 30th of January 1919, when Elizabeth was 84. Later that year, Elizabeth's daughter, Kate, died at the age of 51. Three years later, John died of cancer at the age of 50. In 1923, Elizabeth was diagnosed with cancer herself - cancer of the esophagus. Due to Elizabeth's advanced age, being 89 years old at the time, it was decided that an operation would be too risky. Instead, Elizabeth just continued to live with the cancer under the care of her widowed daughter-in-law, Annie.

In 1924 Elizabeth celebrated her 90th birthday. Later that year, Annie re-married to Edwin Bow and moved from Henley to Valens Terrace. Elizabeth's advanced age and ongoing health problems meant she could no longer continue to live at Henley alone, so she moved in with her youngest daughter, Emily, who was living on Devizes Road in Box. Elizabeth lived here for the rest of her life. She died in her daughter's house on the 25th of February 1927, age 92. She was buried in Box Cemetery, beside her husband Harry.

Elizabeth's long life spanned the reigns of 4 British monarchs and 32 British Prime Ministers. Many of Elizabeth's descendants also lived long lives - her daughter, Emily, died in 1970 age 93 and her granddaughter Nellie Moules (daughter of John) died in 2010 age 99.