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Perkins/Watkins fairytale or not?

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ProfilePosted byOptionsPost Date

JaneyCanuck

JaneyCanuck Report 29 Sep 2009 18:09

You're stating the obvious. ;)

It's why we've been ">>>"ing the shoemaker bit!

WayneTracey

WayneTracey Report 29 Sep 2009 18:10

The statement that goes with the L in W list is as such...

"document does not include information about the women who served in the Queen's Household in non-waiting capacities, such as Queen Victoria's lady attendant (Baroness Lehzen), the Queen's personal maids (dressers and wardrobe maids), and the various housekeepers, housemaids, cleaners, seamstresses, laundresses (including body linen laundress and linen women), and the like."

It's possible the ancestor was a maid for Queen Victoria and not actually a 'Lady in Waiting' and the very job title has been embelished over the years?


Tracey x

JaneyCanuck

JaneyCanuck Report 29 Sep 2009 18:11

Two Caroline Perkins deaths in Devizes reg dist:


Deaths Mar 1859
Perkins Caroline Devizes 5a 70

Deaths Dec 1861
Perkins Caroline Devizes 5a 52



Thing is, with George Perkins and Caroline, it's pretty difficult to see any possible connection with the Court of St James or whatever it was called. ;)


Oh, Tracey - I'd meant to say that too - it's equally if not more likely, if there is any truth to it, that she was a scullery maid!

WayneTracey

WayneTracey Report 29 Sep 2009 18:20

Does seem that way!

It appears on reading up, only the lower noble ranks were allowed the privelidge of being in such close proximity to the Queen.

Maybe the embelishing and just pure generalisation of the job gave her the title over time?

Tracey x

FannyByGaslight

FannyByGaslight Report 29 Sep 2009 18:26

There is every possibility that it is George and Caroline going on a possible marriage ref.

Marriages Sep 1840 (>99%)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Brown Caroline Sophia Shoreditch 2 347
PERKINS George Shoreditch 2 347


Alfred charles Watkins/Perkins daughter,my friends grandmothers name was Alice Sophia.

FannyByGaslight

FannyByGaslight Report 29 Sep 2009 18:31

Got to feed everyone ,,back later.

FannyByGaslight

FannyByGaslight Report 29 Sep 2009 18:36

But first..

London, England, Marriages and Banns, 1754-1921
about George Perkins <<<shoemaker
Name: George Perkins
Age: Full Age
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1840
Spouse Name: Caroline Sophia Brown <<<servant
Spouse Age: Full Age
Record Type: Marriage
Event Date: 27 Sep 1840
Parish: St Leonard Shoreditch
County: London
Borough: Hackney
Father Name: George Perkins <<shoemaker
Spouse Father Name: Thos Brown <<smith

JaneyCanuck

JaneyCanuck Report 29 Sep 2009 19:04

They married in Shoreditch. Now there's an interesting turnup. Verrrry interesting. Married and ran off home (George's) to Bromham?

>>> edit >>> Viv >>>

In 1851, the census record for Caroline at Ancestry gives place of birth as "Brentford, Wiltshire".

The image says "Middlesex Brentford" clear as day. You need to fix it, and also add her full birth name. You never know what might come of such fixes!

And the index I don't have access to at Ancestry has:

London, England, Births and Baptisms, 1813-1906
UK Parish Records
Name: Caroline Sophia Brown
Mother: Jane Brown
Father: Thomas Brown
Birth: date - city, Middlesex


I was just going to say - if you want to get tangential at all, this is George's brother Edwin from the 1841:

1861 in Bromham:

Edwin Perkins 39 - cordwainer = shoemaker
Alfred Perkins 11 (I read it as 16 maybe; listed before James)
James Perkins 13
Stephen Wakeley 18

1851 in Bromham:

Edwin Perkins 30
Alfred Perkins 7
James Perkins 4
William Giles 73
Elizabeth Giles 46

They both had sons Alfred.


Of George and Caroline's children in the 1851:

George Perkins 4
Charles Perkins 2
Edwin Perkins 1 Mo

no trace that I can see.


In 1871 in Chippenham, Edwin's son James who was 4 in 1851:

James Perkins 23 - born Bromham, coachman (domestic)
Mary A Perkins 30
Caroline H Perkins 2 months


Just for good measure, Alfred and Eliza in 1881

Name: Alfred C. Watkins
Spouse: Harriet
Birth: abt 1853 - Devizes, Wiltshire, England
Residence: 1881 - Aston, Warwickshire, England

Name: Eliza J. Watkins (servant)
Birth: abt 1857 - Devizes, Wiltshire, England
Residence: 1881 - Edgbaston, Warwickshire, England

Dea

Dea Report 29 Sep 2009 20:15

Gawdd Viv!!!!

You have been feding them for nearly two hours now - You must have been starving them for days !!!!!!!!! (tee hee!)

Have to go off line now but will catch up tomorrow.

Best wishes,

Dea x

FannyByGaslight

FannyByGaslight Report 29 Sep 2009 20:36

How many children of George and Caroline do we have?

George
Charles
Edwin
Alfred
Eliza
Frank
Caroline.

Any more?
The mother of Alfred was supposed to have 6 ,I girl and 5 boys,Ok we have 7 but 2 girls,caroline and and charles could well have died ,I dont really see 2 Charles in the same family,so named after the deceased brother.
We are missing 1,Fred! the only other name of a sibling besides Eliza in G.aunts writings,but may have been confused with Frank?

They were in london town ,they go to Wiltshire,and end up in Hereford at some point ,just as G aunt says.

Seems to be the family to me.

Down to certs now I guess to cement it all.

I would like to thank one and all on behalf of my friend for disproving, or pretty well,the fairy tale.
Or should that be NOT thank?

Eliza ran a sweet shop in "lozelles rd "in later years with her husband,the name appears on census,so that puts more credence to G.aunts writing,such a shame it was all a fairytale after all but I expect you are right and she was just a scullery maid really,although Eliza apparently always said her mother was a lady,so it probably came from that wording.

Still it begs the question,,why the name change?

JaneyCanuck

JaneyCanuck Report 29 Sep 2009 20:41

Check my edit in the post above re Caroline Sophia Brown of Brentford.

I don't think we've disproved anything yet.

What was George Perkins of Bromham, Wiltshire doing marrying in Shoreditch?

FannyByGaslight

FannyByGaslight Report 29 Sep 2009 21:01

If there is no truth to any of it ,,why the name change ,,is what I wonder.
Going to check your edit.

FannyByGaslight

FannyByGaslight Report 29 Sep 2009 21:12

I will "fix "the 1851 entry as instructed ma'am,have been fixing her "Other" side as I went along also,thats been fun too!

Oh dear ,oh dear,just realised that on her marriage Caroline couldnt write,signed with her mark.
George could write.

Witnesses,Thomas Brown and Lucy jane Dickins

*********************************************************************

Name: Caroline Sophia Brown
Record Type: Baptism
Date: 25 Feb 1821
Father's Name: Thomas Brown
Mother's Name: Jane Brown
Parish: Saint Mary, West Twyford
Borough: Ealing
County: Middlesex

FannyByGaslight

FannyByGaslight Report 29 Sep 2009 21:17

Dea,,I have to talk to them SOMETIMES, so I use feeding time to do it.LOL.

Thats all the furries and none furries included!

JaneyCanuck

JaneyCanuck Report 29 Sep 2009 21:45

So many reasons people had for name changes. Mine was the son of a Viscount's brother, remember. Really, he had deserted rather than be fodder for the Afghanistan adventure 130 years ago (I'm very glad); why the name in question I still don't know, except that it was his sister's middle name and she adopted it too.

If we could find the slightest trace of them (or the earlier kids) in 1861 it would be really nice. I have tried everything - given names, surnames, places of birth, likely places of residence - to no avail at all.

The children went into the institutions as Perkins before 1861, and were Watkins by 1871. Where was George Perkins / John Watkins in 1861? I think we can work on the assumption Caroline died before 1861. Other than that ...

FannyByGaslight

FannyByGaslight Report 29 Sep 2009 21:54

Carolines sophias death must be the dec 1861 that you posted as baby Caroline was born early 1861 and in the workhouse also.
So Caroline sophia is missing on 1861 census also?

JaneyCanuck

JaneyCanuck Report 29 Sep 2009 22:09

Ah, okay. Baby Caroline born just before 1861 census, mother Caroline likely dies later same year.

Leaving: mother Caroline should be in 1861 somewhere.

Ha.

Any chance the parents were in a workhouse and listed only by initials?

Caroline one could imagine, if she were disabled by childbirth or such. But why would an apparently able-bodied shoemaker be in an institution one census and not the next? (My grx3 grfather was in the workhouse in Mere, Wiltshire, by 1851, was there in 1861, and died there, presumably, in 1869.)

... I just had a great theory, that it was all the other way around -- she ran away and became the housekeeper to Viscount Templeton (Virct Templetown), Irish peer (just like the Moncks!) ... but that one is already his housekeeper (Visconnt Templetour) in 1851 ... blast ...

JaneyCanuck

JaneyCanuck Report 29 Sep 2009 22:24

You don't suppose??? And then George changed his name so he could marry ...


1861

Name: Caroline Williams
Age: 41
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1820
Relation: Patient
Gender: Female
Where born: St Maryletone, London, England

Civil parish: Devizes St James
County/Island: Wiltshire
>>> where the children are in 1861.

ED, institution, or vessel: County Lunatic Asylum


She shows as unmarried dressmaker ...

FannyByGaslight

FannyByGaslight Report 29 Sep 2009 22:26

The G,aunt writes that upon the death of the first wife in childbirth the shoemaker was distraught,took to the drink and wandered the roads of wiltshire and Herefordshire,for a while with Alfred Charles in tow,Alfred recounted this it would seem ,but remember he was only a child,so may have thought that mother had died in childbirth ,but she was in the workhouse as you say under initials only,just dying later of complications from childbirth maybe.


Then Ann came along and turned out to be a fairy stepmother,got them out of the workhouse and made a home for them even taking in washing to help feed and clothe them.
Alfred is said to have looked back on life after mother died "with horror"and was loathe to speak of it,but he and Eliza were "devoted"to each other.

But where did all the rest of the children go?

Back to reality now Viv,,,giving up for this night ,but will look some more on the next days eve.

FannyByGaslight

FannyByGaslight Report 29 Sep 2009 22:31

May be so Janey,but I cant find a marriage for Ann and george/john/perkins/watkins.
And why not just live in sin,they lived far from any family,so who would know the difference?