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Smith Family
I had always thought this photograph was of Ada Willday, daughter of Ursula Smith, but on checking the back of the photo, I found the handwritten note "With heaps of love & kisses from your loving Dear Mother, Oct 2nd 1918". Given the age of the sitter, her slight resemblance to Ada and that - at this date - Ada Sherman formerly Worsley nee Willday would have only been forty-one, I now believe it is her widowed mother Ursula Willday nee Smith. Her late husband Edward Willday died in 1917. As with all incredibly common names, my primary task in researching the Smith family has been to ensure I was actually researching the right members of the right family. Even to get to this correct Smith line in Worcestershire involved a huge detour towards a family from the same area of England who, due to an oversight in the marriage index, I mistakenly paired up with the Willday branch.
The census records have been invaluable to me here, as have the occasional christening record from the International Genealogical Index. I try not to take the IGI as gospel, but some details have certainly helped me to fill in the gaps. The earliest crucial information I have comes from the 1841 census for the parish of Claines, Worcestershire. James Smith, living on the street (or possibly area) of Fernall Heath was working as a butcher. His wife was Mary and they had a two year old boy, Henry. Their servants (perhaps helpers for James) were Henry Griffiths, Thomas Hall and William Hettle.
Over the next decade, further christenings followed and some definitely unique names emerged. Ursula was baptised on 14 Nov 1841, just a few months after census night. Edward Samuel's christening followed on 10 Dec 1843. Thomas Guynne (or Gwynn) Smith was christened on 20 February 1848, as was his brother Silvester Orlando. By 1851, the Smiths lived at Hindlip Court Farm. The farm was 300 acres in size and, as well as being a butcher and farmer, James employed four labourers. Albert was born a year later, followed by youngest son Edgar in 1853. When Edgar was a year old, James died, aged only 44.
The family stayed together after James' death, but stayed in business as butchers, moving to 43 Tythiny Street, whether they seem to have stayed for at least a decade. There was a houseful of people at number 43 in 1861 - Mary herself was described as a butcher. Daughters Mary and Ursula remained at home, Henry and Edward worked as butchers and Edgar, Albert and Frederick attended school. Besides an assistant butcher and a domestic servant, there was also a visiting accountant, twenty-two year old Edward Willday. On 6 May 1862 Edward married Ursula Smith at Claines.
Although the Smiths appear to have managed as a family business in 1871 (Mary was assisted by Frederick, Edgar, Thomas and Albert at the butcher's shop). They did move, eventually, but only as far as number 45 Tythiny Street. Their assistant in 1881 took the form of Mary's seventeen year old granddaughter Polly Willday.
The Smith brothers did marry. Aged 28, Edward married Anne Brookes, but he was a widower at the time of the 1881 census he was still butchering at 2 Oxford Place, Great Malvern. His visitors on that date were his three sisters-in-law, Emily, Elizabeth and Jane Brookes. Elizabeth stayed with him when he moved his business to 30 Broad Street, Worcester, but Edward died at the age of fifty-one in 1894.
A name like Silvester Orlando Smith was never going to be difficult to trace. He too, married - to Mary Tracey, five years his senior, in 1870. They lived at Little Ridgend Farm in Wichenford just after their marriage. Daughters Florence Mary (1874), Ethel Tracey (1876), Marion Edith (1884), Evelyn May (1887) and Lilian Beatrice (1889) followed, as did a son. Baby Silvester Orlando died, aged about six months in 1880. Silvester died the same year as his brother Edward. After his death, Mary and the girls went to live at 5 Brook Street, where her daughters worked in clothing-related occupations.
After working as a stud groom to James Poole in Sherbourne, Dorset, Thomas Gwynn married twice. His first bride was Florence Susette Coates (1854-93) from Salisbury, and three children were born - Martin Gwynne (1877), Herbert (1878) and Percy Gwynne (1881). Thomas then married Martha Ogden Dexter. Martin Smith was the only one of his children to marry before the turn of the century. With his wife Etheldreda Landon, he had two daughters - Florence Susette (1899) and Louise Gwendoline (1900).
Albert Smith's wife was Elizabeth Ann Greaves. After their 1872 marriage in the district of Droitwich, they too ran a butcher's shop - Albert doing the butchering and Elizabeth book-keeping for him. Like his brother Edward Samuel, Albert seems to have taken some of his new family in. in 1891, living at 30 Sidbury, Worcester, Albert and Elizabeth hosted her sister Emily Kate, niece Emily, cousin Francis as well as three servants.
Curiously, in spite of the evidence that these many Smiths existed, I am still looking for living descendents.
Latest page update: made by katehurst
, May 21 2008, 6:16 PM EDT
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added Ursula
- katehurst
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added Ursula
- katehurst
92 words added
57 words deleted
1 image added
view changes
- complete history)
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