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| St. James Church, Didsbury, image credit Wikipedia |
William Richard Webb was born on June 5, 1859, in Chester, Cheshire, England, the (base born) son of
Sarah Webb (1842-1915).
He married
Elizabeth Dutton on February 5, 1881, in Didsbury, Lancashire, England.
When
Elizabeth Dutton was born in May 1859 in Cheshire, England, her father,
Edward, was 35, and her mother,
Mary (nee Jones), was 32.
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Elizabeth Dutton (top), William Richard and an
unknown person (bottom) |
Prior to marrying William Richard, Elizabeth had a daughter,
Lily Drusilla Dutton. The father of the child listed on the baptismal certificate is "Samuel Dutton".
It is unusual that A) I was unable to find no marriage record for Elizabeth and Samuel and B) Elizabeth and Samuel appear to have the same last name.
Records indicate that this is correct as Elizabeth's father was Edward Dutton. As well, Elizabeth is a "spinster" on her marriage certificate with William. An article on
FamilySearch.org suggests it was not uncommon for the parents of a child born out of wedlock to have two parents with the same last name listed on the birth or baptismal information:
A birth registered late by a woman may indicate that the child is illegitimate, particularly if a marriage cannot be found or if her husband's surname is the same as her own. In such cases the baptism of the child may reveal the true position and this should always be searched for.
All this evidence suggests that
Lily was born out of wedlock.
I have not been able to trace the Dutton family much further than
Elizabeth's parents, as
Dutton and
Jones were fairly common names in Cheshire.
When daughter
Lily married
Samuel Schofield she lists her maiden name as
Webb and has her step-father listed both as her father and a witness on her marriage registration. But the civil registration lists her name as "
Lily Drusilla D. Webb" presumably the "D" is for "Dutton."
Elizabeth and
William Richard married on February 5, 1881 at
St. James Church in Didsbury, Lancashire, England.
William's occupation is listed as "seaman." Witnesses to the marriage are listed as
Samuel Jones and
Emma Dutton (
Elizabeth's brother and his wife).
William and Elizabeth had eight children in the 12 years after they were married:
- Mary Elizabeth (Polly) Webb (1881-?)
- William Alfred Webb (1883-1951)
- John Henry Webb (April 2, 1885-February 8, 1888)
- Joseph Webb (April 26, 1886-February 8, 1888)
- James Edward Webb (1887-1982)
- Joseph Henry Webb (December 25, 1888-August 9, 1889)
- Alice Mabel Webb (1890-1972)
- Eleanor Webb (1893-?)
The 1881 census records indicate that
Elizabeth,
William and
Lily are living at
7 Bark Street in Hulme, Manchester, in the home of a
Samuel Dutton (Elizabeth's brother) and his wife Emma. Samuel's occupation is a labourer, Emma a Charwoman (or house cleaner), William a Porter and Elizabeth a laundress.
When
Mary Elizabeth (Polly) is baptized on February 4, 1882, in the
New St. George Church in Stalybridge, the register suggests that the family is living on
Ridge Hill Lane. She was born on November 28, 1881. I wasn't certain whether the baptismal registration was the correct one because her father's name is "Richard" - but her younger brother John Henry was baptized at the same church (and his information is certain because "Dutton" is listed as Elizabeth's maiden name), I think we can safely assume this is correct. (The address is slightly odd...other homes that they've lived in were not quite so...affluent as the Ridge Hill area appears to be).
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| Baptismal Register, New St. George Church, Stalybridge (image via Ancestry.com) |
On February 1, 1883,
William Alfred was born. William Jr. is baptized a few months later at St. Anne in Newton Heath. At this time, the family is living at
12 Munday Street near Pollard Street in Manchester (appears they moved a lot!) There isn't a home at that address anymore, Google Maps show several large apartment buildings being constructed there as far back as 2011.
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| Baptismal Register, St. Anne Newton Heath (image via Ancestry.com) |
In May 1885, we find
John Henry baptized at the same church as sister
Mary Elizabeth (Polly), but the family is now living at 56 Doner? Street. (I can't find a listing for Doner Street. but it may be Dover Street.)
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| Baptismal Register, St. Anne Newton Heath (image via Ancestry.com) |
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| Baptismal Register, St. John the Divine, Pemberton (image via Ancestry.com) |
I first discovered that John Henry died without knowing about his other brothers. When reviewing the information for this article, I became aware that John Henry and Joseph died on the same day. Not only that, but five children under the age of two were all buried on February 9, 1888, in Pemberton (still Goose Green as listed in James' baptismal information).
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| Burial Register, St. John the Divine, Pemberton (image via Ancestry.com) |
I ordered the death certificate for
John Henry and discovered the cause of death was listed as "measles". Given the closeness of their deaths, and the fact that three other children in the same physical vicinity all died within a few days span, I suspect that the cause of all of their deaths was measles. A disease that is completely preventable today through the use of vaccination. But back then, it could be a death sentence, especially as a child without a fully developed immune system.
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| Death Certificate, John Henry Webb |
The address on the death certificate, 1 School Terrace, Goose Green, Pemberton. is not found on modern GoogleMaps (
Goose Green is still there, but there's no trace of School Terrace). William Richard was present for the death of his son. His job is listed as "Colliery Brakesman". A brakesman attends to the winding engine, which moves the cage up and down the pit shaft, to allow workmen to go down the pit and allows both coal and workmen to come to the surface. So...basically an elevator operator.
In a February 4, 1888 report from the Medical Officer in the neighbouring town of Aspull, Dr. Smith, in the
Wigan Observer and Digital Advertiser suggests, "The epidemic of measles is gradually subsiding in the localities previously reported," suggesting that there was indeed an outbreak of measles around the time of the children's deaths.
The report further suggests that the council was concerned as the overall death rate for the city was "enormous" and efforts were continuing to stem outbreaks. Circulars were provided to all homes in the district "giving certain cautions and directions to mothers who had children suffering from measles and more particularly as to the treatment the patients should receive." It was the opinion of the medical officer that mothers in the district were treating the disease to lightly.
The
Wigan Observer and District Advertiser dated February 11, 1888 reported that an outbreak of small-pox had been reported in Goose Green. The medical officer, Dr. Hartley, denied that there was an outbreak. I have to wonder if the report was wrong and it was actually multiple cases of measles.
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| Wigan Observer and District Advertiser, February 11, 1888 (image credit: findmypast.com) |
On Christmas Day ten months after
Joseph and
John Henry died, another son,
Joseph Henry was born (named, it appears, for his two lost brothers). He was also baptized at Pemberton's St. John the Divine, and the family appears to be living at 25 Sarginson Street in Newtown, Pemberton, Cheshire (I can't find this street on Google Maps).
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| Baptismal Register, St. John the Divine, Wigan (image via Ancestry.com) |
Unfortunately, little
Joseph Henry died too, at age 7 months on August 9, 1889.
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| Burial Register, St. John the Divine, Pemberton (image via Ancestry.com) |
On October 19, 1890,
Alice is baptized at St. John the Divine. The family is living on Sarginson Street. Her date of birth isn't recorded.
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| Baptismal Register, St. John the Divine, Wigan (image via Ancestry.com) |
We find the family on the 1891 census living still living on Sarginson Street, Newton, Lancashire with
Lily, Mary Elizabeth, William, James and
Alice.
William is an Ironworker.
In 1893,
Eleanor is born. There is no record of her baptism at any of the churches previously visited - I discovered her birth after finding her Canadian marriage record.
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| (from left) William Alfred, James, Eleanor and William Richard |
In 1901, we find
Elizabeth, Alice, and
Eleanor at
11 Princes' Drive in Sale, Cheshire, England. Where the rest of the family is at this point is unknown.
Lily and
Mary Elizabeth have married by this point, but where are
William Richard,
William Alfred, and
James?
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| 11 Princes' Drive, Sale, Cheshire, England (image via Google Maps) |
There is a census entry in the 1901 England Census that lists a
William Richard Webb, James Edward and
William are his sons. The William on the census matches ours in terms of name, age (42 at the time of the census) and location (Cheshire) BUT - William's wife is listed as Ada Webb (25) and the ages listed for James Edward (13 when he should be 18) and William (4 when he should be 14) are not explainable as just an error. WR's job is listed as a private enquiry [sic] agent, which is not one of the jobs we've seen listed for him previously, but his title seems to have changed frequently. It is possible this is the same family and
William Richard and
Elizabeth had a marital breakdown for a period, but it's suspect. The family's address is
31 Andrew Street, Manchester.
After
Eleanor's birth, the family start moving abroad.
Elizabeth's daughter
Lily appears to be the only member of the family who remained in England.
According to her son
Herbert Grant's birth registration,
Mary Elizabeth (Polly) married in England in 1896. I haven't found a marriage record, but I'm reasonably certain this isn't correct, as she would have only been 14 at the time. According to the same record, her first son is born in December, 1898 in Kingston, Ontario. Polly is a witness to her sister Lily's wedding
in England in May of 1899. The family appears back in Canada again, on the 1920 census, in London, Ontario.
Herbert Grant's birth registration is completed in 1926 from Florida and the family was in Virginia, USA by 1935, and she appears to have stayed there. Several of the dates and locations don't make a lot of sense for
Polly.
All of the younger children emigrated to Canada in the early part of the twentieth century.
William Richard and
Elizabeth came with
James, Alice and
Eleanor (Nellie) between 1903-1904 (no emigration records have been located, but later Canadian censuses indicate that this was the date they arrived).
William Alfred came later in 1910 with his wife Louie and son
William.
William Richard,
Elizabeth and
Alice are living with a lodger,
William Taylor on the 1911 Census (mistranscribed as Richard "Wedd").
William Richard's occupation is a detective.
William Taylor is an apprentice. They are living at 85 Wellington Street North (which has since been replaced by a large apartment building).
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| 1911 Canadian Census (image via Ancestry.com) |
We also find
William Alfred and his family and
James and his family living adjacent on Wellington Street North across the street from
William Richard.
William Alfred, Louie and son
William are living with Louie's sister Amelia and her future husband Joseph Gregory at number 84. (And, Louie and Amelia's sister May is living at number 80.)
James and
Sarah are with son
James at 86.
Eleanor's location in 1911 is unknown.
On the 1921 Canadian census
Elizabeth and
Richard are still at number 85 with several people: William E. Taylor (b. 1897), now listed as the couple's adopted son (a relative has confirmed that William (Bill) Taylor was the godfather of one of James Webb's daughters),
Effie Dake (b. 1886) listed as William's widowed Scottish cousin (turns out she's William Richard's cousin James Dyke's widow), and a border named Frederick Rotta. Now
Nellie is at number 84 with her partner James Stephen and daughter
Eleanor and
William's family has moved to number 89 with wife Louie and their two sons.
William died on July 19, 1942, in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, at the age of 83.
Elizabeth died a year and a half later on December 23, 1943, in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, at the age of 84.
Elizabeth's death certificate suggests she was living at
51 Douglas Street, Hamilton with daughter Alice. Elizabeth's father is "Edwin" here and not "Edward" as listed on her marriage certificate. Without further evidence, we can't know which is correct, although I should think that the former is likely more reliable. I was unable to locate any obituary which might provide more information.
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| Death Certificate, Elizabeth (Dutton) Webb (image via Ancestry.com) |
The couple are buried in Woodland Cemetery in Hamilton, Section 20S Part 1. The information suggests "The record suggests "Section 20, Lot 17 (west-centre grave) Elizabeth Dutton WEBB of 51 Douglas Street, Hamilton purchased this 30-square-foot, single grave in July 1942. There are two burials at this grave." The stone reads "WEBB, mother, Elizabeth DUTTON, 1859-1943, father, William R., 1859-1941."
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