Great x3 Uncle Silas Vernon

My Great x3 Uncle Silas (1862 - 1933) was a inn servant, labourer, coal press maker, overlooker, yardsman on a farm, clayhole worker at brick works, debtor, father of seven, and an older brother of my Great Great Grandfather Isaac 'Harry' Harwood Vernon (1869 - 1934).

Silas was born in Jan/Feb/Mar 1862, in the district of Torrington, Devon, to William Vernon (about 33), an agricultural labourer, and Martha Vernon (nee Dyment) (about 29), a housewife.

Silas was the fifth of twelve children (five daughters and seven sons)

• Susan  1854 - 1930  (75 years old)
• Thomas  1857 - 1916  (about 59 years old)
• William 'Robert' Robert  1859 - 1939  (about 80 years old)
• Sarah Ann  1860 - 1901  (about 40 years old)
• Silas  1862 - 1933  (71 years old)
• Mary 'Jane' Jane  1864 -
• Arthur John  1865 -
• Isaac 'Harry' Harwood  1869 - 1934  (65 years old)
• Martha  1871 -
• Louisa  1872 - 1874  (16 months old)
• Samuel 'Sam' Reuben  1875 -
• Ernest  1878 - 1903  (25 years old)

1871 Census:

As a teenager, Silas lived with and worked for the Spreadbury family, headed by innkeeper William Spreadbury, at the Yeo Vale Hotel, an inn in Lapford, as a general inn servant. At the time of the 1881 Census, Silas was the only live-in servant.

1881 Census:

Following in the footsteps of his older brother Thomas, Silas moved up to Wales, as a young man.

On 2nd October 1887, Silas (25), a labourer, married Welsh Ann Evans (about 19), in Llangyfelach, a village a little north of Swansea, Wales. At the time, both parties resided in Graig Trewyddfa, Swansea. Neither bride nor groom was able to sign their marriage certificate, leaving only their marks, implying they could not write. 

Silas and Ann had seven children (four daughters, two sons and one unknown):

• Martha Ann  1890 -  
• Margaret Jane  1892 - 
• Susannah  1894 -  
• ????  possibly born between 1895 - 1898 and passed away before 1901
• Frederick 'Freddy' William  1899 -  
• Mary Elizabeth  1902 - 
• David Thomas  1904 -

The 1911 Census confirms Silas and Ann had seven children - six still alive at the time of the census. I am struggling to find the name of that child, who must have passed away young, as: the family moved around a bit, I can only find evidence of one their children's baptisms, and the child does not appear on any census. It seems most likely they were either the couple's first child, born at the beginning of their marriage, between 1887 and 1889, and passing away before the 1891 Census; or in the five year gap between the births of siblings Susannah and Freddy, between 1894 and 1899, meaning they could have been born anywhere between Manchester (where Susannah was born) and Devon (where Freddy was born), and passed away before the 1901 Census; or were the youngest child, born after David in 1904, and passed away before the 1911 Census.

Having looked a little more, it seems more likely they were born between Susannah in 1894 in Manchester and Freddy in 1899 in Morchard Bishop, Devon. The child may not have lived long enough to be named, and Silas and Ann may have not even registered their birth; yet when asked how many children had been born living for the 1911 Census, they remembered that lost child. 

The couple's eldest two children, Martha and Margaret, were born in their mother's native Swansea. The young family moved briefly from Wales to Manchester, where daughter Susannah was born in 1894, before moving down to Silas' native Devon by 1900, where son Frederick was born and where the family can be found on the 1901 Census. However, by 1902, they had moved back up to Swansea - where children Mary and David were born, and where the family can still be found on the 1911 Census.

Silas' occupation changed as the family moved around: when he married in 1887, he was simply described a labourer; on the 1891 Census he was a coal press maker in Swansea; at the time of daughter Susannah's 1894 baptism, he was an overlooker in Manchester; by the 1901 Census he was a yardsman on a farm in Devon; then by the 1911 Census, a clayhole worker at a brick works in Swansea.

1891 Census:

The 1891 Census mistakenly gives Silas' wife's name as Eleanor. I have corrected it to Ann. I feel I can confidently do this as there is no other evidence of his having a wife called Eleanor; and the only record of marriage for a Silas Vernon (as his name is rare, it is literally the only one) is for his marriage to Ann.

The 1891 and 1911 Censuses also reveal Ann was bilingual - she was able to speak both Welsh and English. But the children were brought up to only speak English.

Swansea Prison records show Silas struggled with debt. There was three incidents - in 1893, 1905 and 1911 - which brought him to the attention of the law, two of which resulted in time in prison.

Unfortunately the 1893 record is damaged, but he would have served so many days imprisonment or have had to have paid a fine - considering his crime was debt, it seems unlikely he would have been able to pay an additional fine, meaning he likely served time in prison. The common length for such crimes was fourteen days. Indeed the dates match this: his 'date of discharge' is given as 2nd October 1893, and underneath is written 'sentence to reckon from date of arrest viz 19th September 1893'.

Was it debt and prison that made Silas and his family decide to leave Swansea for Manchester in 1893/1894?

By 1905, Silas was back in Swansea and back in debt. Now there were three commitments occurring twice on 2nd May and once on 20th June, to which the sentence was three lots of fourteen days imprisonment (forty-two days in all) or to pay three separate fines of £1 9d, 13s 1d and 8s 7d (amounting to £2 2s 6d). Again he appears to have gone to prison, rather than have been able to pay the fine. His release date is given as 17th September 1905, implying he entered prison on or about 6th July (if my maths if right and if he served his forty-two days).

In 1911, it seems Silas was finally able to pay the fine, though again charged with debt, rather than go once more to prison. His sentence was again fourteen days imprisonment or pay a fine of - it appears to say - '26/3'. Now I'm no expert of old money: should that be read as 26s 3d? But there's twenty shillings in a pound, so wouldn't they have put £1 6s 3d, if that was the case? Either way, Silas paid the fine promptly on 12th September 1911 - the day after he was arrested.

Silas' prison records give us a brief physical description of him. He was about 5'3'' or 5'4''. In 1893, his hair was dark, but by 1905 it had turned grey. His shifting religion is also listed: in 1893, he was Baptist, by 1905 he had changed to Salvation Army, and by 1911 was Church of England.

1901 Census:

The South Wales Daily Post of 9th June 1909 reports that Silas, amongst many others, was fined (in his case 7s 6d) for drunkenness.

1911 Census:

In Oct/Nov/Dec 1921, when Silas was fifty-nine, his wife Ann passed away, aged about fifty-three, in Swansea. A year and a half later, Silas remarried. In Apr/May/Jun 1923, Silas (61) married Elizabeth A Brown, in Swansea.

In Oct/Nov/Dec 1933, Silas passed away, aged seventy-one, in Swansea.