Joseph Samuel FORD (1859-C1916) and Marianette KINGHAM (1859-1916)
Family Stories > 4th GENERATION
Joseph Samuel Ford (1859 - C1916)
Spouse : Marianette Kingham (1859 - 1916)
Joseph Samuel Ford and Marianette Kingham were my 1st Great-Grandparents - 4th Generation
1. Nola Irene Warren
2. .... Iris Ella Ford & George Ernest Edward Warren
3. .... .... George Dixie Ford & Sarah Jane West
4. .... .... .... Joseph Samuel Ford and Marianette Kingham
Joseph Samuel Ford and Marianette Kingham
JOSEPH SAMUEL FORD Birth May 27, 1859, Back of 75 Edward Street, Birmingham Father Joseph Ford Mother Anne Turner Marriage Nov. 20, 1881 at St. Mary's Church, Luton, Bedfordshire Spouse Marianette Kingham Death Joseph Samuel Ford probably died sometime between March and November in 1916 - probably in England Occupations 1881 - Brass Finisher 1886 - Brass Finisher (Journeyman) 1891 - Brass Finisher 1901 - Brass Finisher 1908 - 1911 - Brass Finisher Residences 1859 - Birth, Back of 78 Edward Street, Birmingham, UK 1859 - 1 year, Hospital Street, Birmingham, UK 1861 - 1 years, 58 Albert Road, Luton, Bedfordshire, UK 1881 - 31 years, 10 Harry Street, Luton, Bedfordshire, UK 1891 - Move to Wood Green, London, UK 1893 - 1897 - 41 years, 29 Pelham Road, Wood Green, London 1901 - 48 years, 61 Lymington Avenue, Wood Green, London 1980 - 51 years, 33 Pelham Road, Wood Green, London 1911 - 1915 - 55 years, 33 Pelham Road, Wood Green, London Siblings 2. Harriett Ford (1864 - ....) Children |
MARIANETTE KINGHAM Birth Feb. 10, 1859 at St. Albans Road, Wheathamstead, Hertfordshire Mother Sarah Nash Death Mar. 2, 1916 at 194 Boundary Road, Tottenham, Middlesex at home of son and daughter-in-lawl, E.M. Ford Cause of Death Asthma & Chronic Bronchitis Burial In a pauper’s burial on March 7, 1916, in an unmarked plot at Tottenham Cemetery, White Hart Lane, Tottenham. Occupation Straw Hat Sewer Marriage November 20, 1881 at St. Mary's Church, Luton, Bedfordshire, England Spouse Joseph Samuel Ford |
JOSEPH SAMUEL FORD – EARLY YEARS
Birmingham is the place to start the story of Joseph Samuel Ford – my great-grandfather.
1859 - Birth of Joseph Samuel Ford
Joseph Samuel’s Birth Certificate reveals his father’s name as Joseph Ford and his mother, Ann, nee Turner. His father’s occupation is listed as Air Gun Finisher. Baby Joseph’s first cries were heard from the Back of 78 Edward Street in Birmingham on May 27, 1859 - he was a month old by the time his father registered his birth in June,1859.
“Back-to-Back Terraces” of Birmingham
The address of “Back of” relates to the “Back-to-Back Terraces” that were built to house the rapidly increasing working population that swelled Britain’s expanding industrial towns at that time, Birmingham being one of the major centres of industrialisation.
Birmingham’s “Back to Backs” were houses built in a ‘court’ style with a typical house having three rooms, on two levels, houses being set back-to-back with a courtyard between. The houses were known for squalor, disease, and poverty due to the cramped design and poor sanitation. This is the type of house in which my great-grandfather, Joseph Samuel Ford, took his first breath.
If we could look inside his house, we could approach from the main street, or more usually, we would enter through a narrow alleyway to reach the squalid courtyard. In the yard there would be women washing clothes in tubs, families using communal lavatories and rubbish piled here and there. It was quite usual for the courtyard and facilities to be shared by fifteen families. Each would pay about three shillings per week for rent and it was common for a family to take in lodgers or boarders to lessen the rent outlay but worsening the squalor and over-crowding.
Once inside the house we would find a small pokey scullery with a sink and a couple of shelves – this acting as a kitchen, dining room, living room and sometimes a workshop.
Upstairs, there were probably two bedrooms shared by the whole family.
We could have shielded our eyes from the bugs, vermin and silverfish that infect the rooms, and also tried to ignore the putrid smell that rises from the courtyard through the windows, but this was the reality of growing up in the poor regions of Birmingham in the early 1800’s.
Schooling
It seems unlikely that Joseph Samuel Ford received much of an education. He certainly couldn’t sign his name when he married at the age of 23 years.
Gun Manufacturing in Birmingham
Joseph Samuel Ford’s father, Joseph Ford, described his occupation in 1859 as an Air Gun Finisher. At this time, Birmingham was claimed to be the "foremost arms producer in the world".
During the 18th century, gun manufacture was concentrated in the present-day Gun Quarter - a very small area, and early accounts describe many "higgledy piggledy" houses and factories with different gun shops and gunsmiths existing near to one another.
By the end of the 18th century the Gun Quarter had become a thriving gun-manufacturing community. Guns and pistols of all types were produced for the British army for military use and for use in the ‘Atlantic Slave Trade’. A 1788 Parliamentary report counted over 4,000 gun makers, with 100,000 guns a year going to slave traders.
"Gun-makers" did not usually manufacture the parts for their guns or even assemble them: in keeping with the traditional nature of Birmingham’s manufacturing industries, parts were manufactured by independent specialist sub-contractors and assembled by "fabricators" or "setters-up", the "makers" commissioning and marketing the completed guns.
1861 - Census, Birmingham, Warwickshire
By 1861, Joseph Samuel Ford had survived his first year and a half. Together with his father, Joseph Ford, his mother, Anne Ford (nee Turner), and his elder brother, George J Ford, aged 4 years, he lived in a shared house in 145 Hospital Street, (31 court, # 8 house) Birmingham with five other people.
This would have been a “back-to-back” house.
Name: Joseph FordAge: 1Estimated Birth Year: 1860Relation: SonFather's name: Joseph FordMother's name: Ann FordGender: MaleWhere born: B'ham, Warwickshire, EnglandCivil Parish: BirminghamEcclesiastical parish: St GeorgeTown: BirminghamCounty/Island: WarwickshireCountry: EnglandRegistration district: BirminghamSub-registration district: St GeorgeHousehold Members: Name AgeEliza Wyatt 53Eliza Wyatt 16Susan Biston 20Emma Bayley 21James Reynolds 45Joseph Ford 30Ann Ford 27Joseph Ford 1George J Ford 4Source Information: Ancestry.com. 1861 England Census
1861 - Death of brother, George James Ford
Joseph at only a year old wouldn’t have even registered that his only brother died. George James Ford died on June 22 in 1861, aged just 4 years old.
He died of Rubeola (Rubella, Measles). His father, Joseph, was with him when he died at home at 33 Court Hospital Street in Birmingham.
But more tragedy was to follow …..
1864 - Death of father, Joseph Ford
Three years later in March 1864, his father Joseph Ford died leaving his 33-year-old wife, Anne with their only remaining son, Joseph Samuel Ford aged 4.Joseph died on March 7, 1864 at home at Court Cove Street in Birmingham with his wife Ann by his side. He had been working as a Gun Light Filer which most likely contributed to the cause of his death – consumption – all too common amongst metal workers and workers in the gun industry.
Metal Manufacturing
Joseph Samuel Ford was to join the brass finisher/brass polisher trade and probably joined when he was 7 or 8 years old as this was the usual age for boys to be sent out to earn income for the family.
If a person was lucky enough to work in one of the large foundries, power for the machinery would have been provided by a steam engine via overhead shafts and pulleys to a lathe, for example, as electricity was not readily available. If he worked in one of the smaller workshops, he probably had to power his lathe by treadle. His output may have included tapware, medals, toys, cups, door fittings, etc. Work would have been rewarding on larger different pieces, but very boring on repetitive work such as tapware.
When Joseph Samuel Ford joined the trade, he most likely started his workday at about 6 am maybe even 5 am. He may have had a lunch break, and perhaps even tea break. Sometimes he would have been required to return to the plant to work up until 9 or 10 at night. He usually would have worked seven days each week.
Life expectancy in the metal industries was not good. There would be fine dust, smoke, and air-borne debris everywhere, and even when the window was open, in the 1890-1900s the air may not have been "fresh" anyway. Most of the metal workers in those days would eventually succumb to lung disease.
The metal worker would generally choose to live close to his workplace so he could walk to work. If he was paid on time each week, he would think he was well off, as many workers were not paid regularly, or even at all.
1866 – Re-Marriage of Ann Ford, nee Turner
Not surprisingly, two years after the death of Joseph Ford, Ann Ford, nee Turner, re-married at Hockley, All Saints Church to John Bryant on February 27, 1866. Ann was 33 years old, described as a widow working as a Burnisher, living in Smith Street. Her father, James Turner worked as a Brass Founder. Ann’s new husband, John Bryant was 43 years old, also a widower, a Tool Maker, also living in Smith Street. His father was John Bryant, working as a Tarpolean (tarpaulin) Maker. Little Joseph was now about 7 years old.
1871 - Census
Five years later in 1871 when I checked the census entry, I thought 12-year-old Joseph Samuel Ford was missing from his mother’s new family. But I think it more likely that Joseph had become Joseph Bryant, taking on his stepfather’s surname. His mother, now Ann Bryant was 39 years old and lived in another Back-to-Back house at 147 Upper Hospital Street, 20 Court with her husband, John Bryant, aged 49 years and his son, Edward Bryant, 16 and our Joseph Samuel Ford, masquerading as Joseph Bryant, 12. Harriet Bryant, aged 6 was also child of the marriage of Ann and Joseph Ford who had taken the Bryant surname. The two younger children, William, 4 years and Emma, 6 months were from the marriage to John Bryant.Name: Ann BryantAge: 39Estimated Birth Year: abt 1832Relation: WifeSpouse's Name: Jno BryantGender: FemaleWhere born: Birmingham, Warwickshire, EnglandCivil Parish: BirminghamEcclesiastical parish: St GeorgeTown: BirminghamCounty/Island: WarwickshireCountry: EnglandRegistration district: BirminghamSub-registration district: St GeorgeHousehold Members: Name AgeJno Bryant 49Ann Bryant 39Edward Bryant 16Joseph Bryant 12Harriet Bryant 6Wm Bryant 4
1881 - Census
Sometime in the period 1861 to 1881, Joseph Samuel Ford decided to seek his fortune further afield and moved to Luton in Bedfordshire. On the census night in 1881, he was living at 60 Albert Road, Luton, boarding with a family headed by Harry Tomalin.
Joseph Samuel was 21 years old, he was working as a brass finisher and gave his birthplace as Birmingham, Manchester.
Name: Joseph FordAge: 31Estimated Birth Year: abt 1850Relationship to Head: BoarderGender: MaleWhere born: Birmingham, Warwickshire, EnglandCivil Parish: LutonCounty/Island: BedfordshireCountry: EnglandStreet address: 58 Albert RoadOccupation: Brass FinisherHousehold Members: Name AgeHarry Tomalin 29Eliza Tomalin 28Arthur T. Tomalin 6Harry Tomalin 3Joseph Ford 21Source Information: Ancestry.com and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 1881 England Census
Where had he met his future wife, Marianette Kingham? She was living at 13 New Town Street, Luton with her aunt and uncle and working as a straw-hat sewer - they lived very close to each other.
MARIANETTE KINGHAM – HER EARLY YEARS
1859 – Birth of Marianette Kingham
Marianette Kingham, my great-grandmother, began her life in the district of St. Albans in the sub district of Harpenden in the County of Hertfordshire on the fourth of February 1859. She was born at a house in St. Albans Road, Wheathamstead to Sarah and George Kingham. She was the fourth child born of the marriage of Sarah and George Kingham, but her older siblings had not survived their first year.
Her father, George Kingham registered her birth a week or so later. Her birth certificate tells us that her mother’s maiden-name was Sarah Nash and that her father was an agricultural labourer and could not sign his name.
1860 – Death of mother, Sarah Kingham, nee Nash
Marianette’ s mother, Sarah Kingham, nee Nash, died 14 months after the birth of her daughter, Marianette, from ‘fever’. This could have been from influenza, typhoid fever, scarlet fever, or numerous other diseases.
With the early death of Marianette’s mother, life took a serious downturn for Marianette and her father, George. Working as an agricultural labourer, George earned minimal wages and may even have struggled to find work at all.
1861 - Census
Where was Marianette living at the time of the 1861 Census? Her father, George Kingham, 39 years old and an agricultural labourer, was a lodger with William Peacock and his wife, Mary. William Peacock is related to George Kingham through his wife, Mary. Was the child named “Melicent’ another Kingham daughter and Marianette not recorded? If so, where was Marianette?
Name: George KinghamAge: 39Estimated Birth Year: 1822Relation: LodgerGender: MaleWhere born: Wheathamstead, Hertfordshire, EnglandCivil Parish: WheathamsteadCounty/Island: HertfordshireCountry: EnglandRegistration district: St AlbansSub-registration district: HarpendenHousehold Members: Name AgeWilliam Peacock 61Mary Peacock 56Sarah Thrale 12George Kingham 39Melicent Kingham 3Source Information: Ancestry.com. 1861 England Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2005.
1869 – Death of father, George Kingham
What an awful start to life for poor baby Marianette. Her mother dead in April of 1860 and then her father dead just nine years later! It seems that George Kingham left the house of William Peacock to take up residence in the St. Albans Union Workhouse. He became ill, was admitted to the workhouse infirmary where he died of a fever 18 days later. He was only 43 years old.
1871 – Census
By Census night in 1871, Marianette, is a 13-year-old orphan, living with William Peacock at Morford Cottages in Sandridge in Hertfordshire. William Peacock is 71 years old, and it appears that his wife, Mary may have died. William’s son, James Peacock, aged 46, is the only other person at the address.
Name: Merrionette KinghamAge: 13Estimated Birth Year: abt 1858Relation: OrphanGender: FemaleWhere born: Wheathamstead MarfordCivil Parish: SandridgeCounty/Island: HertfordshireCountry: EnglandRegistration district: St AlbansSub-registration district: HarpendenED, institution, or vessel: 10Household schedule number: 43Piece: 1377Folio: 86Page Number: 10Household Members: Name AgeWilliam Peacock 71James Peacock 46Merrionette Kingham 13Source Information: Ancestry.com. 1871 England Census
It is interesting to note the many variations of spelling for her name - Marionette, Marianette, Merrionette, and so on. I have opted to use the spelling – Marianette as I believe she was named after her paternal grandmother. Marianette’s father, George Kingham’s parents were James Kingham and Maria, nee Taylor.
1881 – Census
Sometime during the preceding 10 years, Marianette, aged 22 years, had moved to Luton in Bedfordshire to live with her aunt and uncle, James and Mary Gentle at 13 New Town Street. Mary Ann Kingham, sister to George Kingham, was born 1819 in Wheathamstead, married James Gentle in 1851. James Gentle is 60 years old, born in Kimpton, Hertfordshire and a bleacher. Mary was 61 years old, born in Gustard Wood in Bedfordshire and was a straw-hat sewer.
Marianette is working as a Straw-Hat Sewer. All the family work in the straw hat industry. The other person living with the family is Clara Dollinger who will be a witness at Marianette’s marriage later this year – as will Arthur Gentle, son of Mary Ann Kingham and James Gentle, who lives next door at 15 New Town Street, Luton.
Joseph Samuel Ford & Marianette Kingham - Their Life Together
1881 – Marriage of Joseph Samuel Ford and Marianette Kingham
On November 20 at the Parish Church of Luton, Joseph and Marianette married. Joseph was 23 years old, a bachelor, occupation brass finisher and could not sign his name. He gave his father’s name as Joseph Ford whose occupation was gun finisher. Marianette was 22 years old and a spinster with an education as she signed the marriage register. Joseph’s father is given as Joseph Ford, Gun Finisher and Marianette’s father, George Kingham, Labourer.
Witnesses to their marriage were Arthur Gentle and Clara Dollin.
After their marriage, Joseph and Marianette continued to live in Luton at 59 Albert Road.
1883 – Birth of Wallace Ford
In 1883 on February 23 Joseph and Marionette's first born child, a son, was born. They named him Wallace Ford.
1885 - Birth Algernon Percival Ford
Two years later, another son was born - Algernon Percy Ford - also in Luton on January 29.
Name: Algernon Percy FordRegistration Year: 1885Registration Quarter: Jan-Feb-MarRegistration district: LutonInferred County: BedfordshireVolume: 3b Page: 470Source : England & Wales, Civil Registration Birth Index, 1837-1915 – Ancestry.com
1886 – Birth of George Dixie Ford
Another two years, and on December 5 in 1886, again in Luton at 68 Albert Road, came their third son, George Dixie Ford – my grandfather.
1888 – Birth of Rose Helen Ford
Their first daughter followed, named Rose Helen Ford on November 12 in 1888 at Luton.First name(s) ROSE HELENLast name FORDBirth year 1888Birth quarter 4Registration month -Mother's maiden name KinghamDistrict LutonCounty BedfordshireCountry EnglandVolume 3BPage 423Record set England & Wales Births 1837-2006Category Birth, Marriage, Death & Parish RecordsSubcategory Civil BirthsCollections from Great Britain, EnglandSource : England & Wales Births 1837-2006 – Find My Past
Baptisms
Sometime after the birth of their daughter, Rose, Joseph Samuel Ford took his family back to his birthplace, Birmingham. There, Joseph and Marianette had their children baptised at St. George’s Church in 1890 – Wallace Ford, Algernon Percival Ford, George Dixie Ford, and Rose Ellen Ford.
The family were living at the time at Back of 92 Town Street in Birmingham and the father, Joseph Ford, was working as a Brass Polisher.
1891 – Birth of Stanley James Ford
By 1891 the family had returned to live in Luton, Bedfordshire where their next son, Stanley James Ford, was born.
Name: Stanley James FordRegistration Year: 1891Registration Quarter: Jan-Feb-MarRegistration district: LutonInferred County: BedfordshireVolume: 3b Page: 443Source Information: FreeBMD. England & Wales, Civil Registration Birth Index, 1837-1915
1891 – Census
Joseph Samuel & Marionette's family now consisted of 5 children, living at 10 Henry Street, Luton. The transcript of the 1891 census return –
Name: Joseph Samuel FordGender: MaleAge: 31Relationship: HeadBirth Year: 1860Birth Place: BirminghamCivil Parish: LutonResidence Place: Luton, Luton, Bedfordshire, EnglandSub registration district: LutonED, Institution or Vessel: 22Piece: 1273Folio: 34Household Members: Name AgeJoseph Samuel Ford 31Marionette Ford 32Wallace Ford 8Algernon Percy Ford 6George Dicie Ford 4Rose Ellen Ford 2Stanley James Ford 2/12Source Information: Ancestry.com. 1891 England Census
1892 – Death of Rose Ellen Ford
Not for long was their daughter Rose Ellen Ford to be loved. At just three years old, she died from Measles and Bronchitis with her mother, Marianette by her side at home at 10 Henry Street, Luton on July 4, 1892.
1893 – Birth of Ella Ford
Joseph and Marionette's second daughter, born in Luton, was named Ella Ford.
1895 – Birth of Hilda Gladys Ford
Baby Hilda Gladys Ford was born towards the end of 1895 in Luton in Bedfordshire, making her the 7th child for Joseph Samuel Ford and Marianette, nee Kingham.
First name(s) HILDA GLADYSLast name FORDBirth year 1895Birth quarter 2Mother's maiden name KinghamDistrict LutonCounty BedfordshireCountry EnglandVolume 3BSource: England & Wales births 1837-2006 Transcription www.findmypast.com
1896 – Death of Hilda Gladys Ford
Sometime during 1896 the Ford family moved from Luton to Edmonton in Middlesex where their 1-year-old daughter Hilda Gladys Ford died.
First name(s) HILDA GLADYSLast name FORDGender FemaleBirth year 1896Age 1Death quarter 1Death year 1897District EdmontonCounty MiddlesexVolume 3APage 185Country EnglandCategory Birth, Marriage, Death & Parish RecordsSubcategory Civil Deaths & BurialsCollections from Great Britain, EnglandSource : England & Wales Deaths 1837-2007 www.findmypast.com
1897 – Birth of Herbert Cyril Ford
I don’t have the birth certificate for Herbert Cyril Ford, who was born early April 1897 in Edmonton, Middlesex.
Name: Herbert Cyril FordRegistration Year: 1897Registration Quarter: Apr-May-JunRegistration district: EdmontonInferred County: MiddlesexVolume: 3aPage: 353Source Information: FreeBMD. England & Wales, Civil Registration Birth Index, 1837-1915
1897 - More Baptisms
On April 9, 1897, the family trooped into the parish church of Saint Mark in Noel Park to have baby Herbert Cyril Ford baptised.
They returned a few days later on April 18 to baptise Stanley James Ford and Ella Ford. The family’s address at that time was 197 Gladstone Avenue in Noel Park.
1899 – Birth of son, Aubrey Reginald Ford
Another two years, and another son was born. Aubrey Reginald Ford was born in Noel Park. He was baptised at St. Mark’s Church in Noel Park on July 14, 1899, just before his death a month or two later.
Name: Aubrey Reginald FordGender: MaleRecord Type: BaptismBaptism Date: 14 Jul 1899Baptism Place: St Mark, Noel Park, Haringey, EnglandFather: Joseph Samuel FordMother: Marionette FordSource Information: Ancestry.com. London, England, Church of England Births and Baptisms, 1813-1917
Name: Aubrey Reginald FordEstimated Birth Year: abt 1899Registration Year: 1899Registration Quarter: Jul-Aug-SepAge at Death: 0Registration district: EdmontonInferred County: MiddlesexVolume: 3aPage: 278Source Information: FreeBMD. England & Wales, Civil Registration Death Index, 1837-1915
1901 – Census
In 1901 the family lived at 29 Pelham Road in Wood Green.
Name: Joseph FordAge: 41Estimated Birth Year: abt 1860Relation to Head: HeadGender: MaleSpouse: Marronette FordBirth Place: BirminghamCivil Parish: Wood GreenEcclesiastical parish: St MarkCounty/Island: MiddlesexCountry: EnglandRegistration district: EdmontonSub-registration district: TottenhamHousehold Members: Name AgeJoseph Ford 41Marronette Ford 42Wallace Ford 18Alganon Ford 16George Ford 14Stanley Ford 10Ella Ford 8Herbert Ford 4Source: Ancestry.com. 1901 England Census
A look at the original census document showed that Joseph Samuel Ford, aged 41 was working as a Brass Polisher. His children – Wallace was working as a Machinist / Printer; Algernon, working as a Meat Packet; George Dixie, employed as a Plumber’s Mate. The younger children, Stanley, Ella, and Herbert were still school children.
About 1903 - Family Portrait
Not long after the 1901 census, Marianette got her family dressed in their very best clothes, vests, ties, fob watches and shined shoes for the men, a ribbon in the hair of her only surviving daughter. Algernon even managed a flower in his buttonhole. My guess is that this studio portrait was taken about 1903 when my grandfather, George Dixie Ford was about 17 years old. Ella would have been about 10 years old.
Seated L to R: Marianette Ford, nee Kingham, Joseph Samuel Ford with had on the shoulder of Herbert Cyril Ford
Standing L to R: Stanley James Ford, George Dixie Ford, Wallace Ford, Algernon Percy Ford and Ella Ford
1909 – Electoral Record
This record showed that Joseph Samuel Ford was living at 6 Lymington Avenue, Wood Green in 1909.
1911 – Census
Another census and another house move. The 1911 census saw them living at 33 Pelham Road in Wood Green.
1916 – Death of Marianette Ford, nee Kingham
Marianette died on March 2, 1916, at 194 Boundary Road, Tottenham at the age of 57 years. She died from a combination of asthma and chronic bronchitis. Her daughter-in-law, Ethel May Ford, wife of Algernon Percy Ford, was with her at the time of her death and was the informant on the death certificate.
Marianette was given a pauper’s burial on March 7, 1916, in an unmarked plot at Tottenham Cemetery, White Hart Lane, Tottenham. Was the family so poor that between them they couldn’t raise enough money for a proper burial for their mother? Or did World War One and the serious economic hardships suffered at that time by the population generally prevent a better end for Marianette?
1916 – Death of Joseph Samuel Ford
Family lore has it that Joseph Samuel Ford came home to his family one day and announced that he was going to war. And according to my grandfather, George Dixie Ford, son of Joseph Samuel Ford and Marianette, that was the last the family ever saw of him.
But what is the truth?
Did Joseph Samuel Ford just move out of home and live somewhere else and the story about going to war was just to hide the ‘shame’ of the separation? Or is the story just that – a story handed down over generations to frustrate the history researcher? After years of fruitless searching through records for army and navy registrations for Joseph Samuel Ford, I determined that the family folklore was just that.
To reduce the timeline for Joseph Samuel Ford’s probable death -
· 1911 - I have determined that Joseph was living at 33 Pelham Road, Wood Green when the 1911 census was taken.
· 1912-1915 - Electoral Rolls show that Joseph Samuel continued to live at 33 Pelham Road, Wood Green until 1915.
· 1916 – When Marianette died on March 2, 1916, at her son’s house in Tottenham, she may have been just visiting or she may have moved there to live. Nevertheless, on her death certificate, she is noted as the wife of Joseph Samuel Ford with no indication that he has pre-deceased her, so I will assume he was still alive in March of 1916.
· 1916 – On November 13 at the marriage of Joseph’s son, Herbert Cyril Ford, Joseph Samuel Ford was noted as the father of the groom with the word ‘deceased’ in brackets. The same occurred on the marriage certificate of Stanley James Ford in January of 1917.
So, using this information, Joseph Samuel Ford probably died sometime between March and November in 1916.
Further searching revealed the following on Ancestry.com. This looked promising, with the right date of birth, age, and burial date.
Name: FordAge: 57Birth Date: abt 1859Burial Date: 6 Apr 1916Burial Place: London, EnglandReference Number: CTHC/01/118-122
The burial had taken place at the Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park, so I then checked the actual register for Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park and found a little more information about the burial –
1916# R1286Abbott 18ftApril 6FordAge 59
This extra information did not confirm that Joseph Samuel Ford was the incumbent of the burial site, so I sought clarification from the Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park people by email to The Friends of Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park -
Form Response Notification
The following form has been submitted from your website https://www.fothcp.org/:
Name : Nola KimEmail Address : nolakim1@outlook.comSubject : Burial InformationMessage : My great-grandfather was Joseph Samuel Ford, born 1859 in Birmingham, died about 1916, probably in Middlesex where he had lived in his latter years at various addresses. I found this on ancestry.com -Name: FordAge: 57Birth Date: abt 1859Burial Date: 6 Apr 1916Burial Place: London, EnglandReference Number: CTHC/01/118-122I checked the actual register and the information was -1916# R1286Abbott 18ftApril 6FordAge 59Is it possible to find a little more information on this burial please?Kind regards,Nola (Australia)
Their response –
So, even with not being to specifically prove that this is where my great-grandfather now lies (or at least where he originally was laid) I feel fairly sure this was Joseph Samuel Ford’s last resting place – and until and if further information becomes available, I am confident that this last piece of information closes his story.From: Angela Silvester <volunteer1@fothcp.org>Sent: Tuesday, 10 December 2019 9:53 PMTo: nolakim1@outlook.comCc: Michelle Lindson <michelle.lindson@fothcp.org>Subject: FW: Grave of Joseph Samuel FordDear NolaThank you for your enquiry. We can confirm that the grave no. you quote, R1286, is a public grave (public graves being indicated by an alphabetical prefix) located in what is now Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park, possibly in an area of the park now known as “The Dells” but it will be difficult or perhaps impossible to find the exact site. The reasons for this are:1) All accurate records relating to graves went to the London Metropolitan Archive (LMA) when the cemetery closed to burials in 1966 but even the LMA do not have records showing exactly where public graves are.2) Public graves are scattered in various “clusters” throughout the Park (30+ acres) and even where, as in this case, the approximate area is known, it is not always possible to find a particular grave.3) Public graves very often did not have a memorial stone erected, and even where memorials existed, they did not always record the names of all those buried at the site.4) Since the old cemetery closed to burials in 1966, the site owners (the Greater London Council between 1966 and 1985 and from 1985 to the present, the London Borough of Tower Hamlets – aka LBTH) have cleared many memorials, whether over public or private graves, to create open spaces and pathways.Then a further response from Tower Hamlets Cemetery -We can only say that the info you give in itself identifies the burial as being within (what is now) Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park and that grave R1286 is a public grave here, though exact site within the Park is difficult to define. Since my last email however, I’ve been told by our Park Manager, Ken Greenway, that any memorials in the area where this grave is located were cleared some time ago, so unfortunately my planned search would reveal nothing further anyway.It appears that if indeed Joseph Samuel Ford was buried in allotment R1286 at the Tower Hamlets Cemetery, he was buried in a public grave and even if a headstone had existed, both grave, remains and headstone have been cleared away to make way for open spaces. Also, as a public grave, the ’18 feet’ reference in the original record indicates the depth of the grave, as many bodies occupied the same grave.