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