Great x3 Aunt Sarah Ann Alfords (nee Mutters)

My Great x3 Aunt Sarah Ann (1857 - 1928) was a domestic servant, housewife, mother of eight, and an older sister of my Great Great Grandfather George Mutters (1865 - 1918).

Sarah Ann was born in Jul/Aug/Sep 1857, in Exton, Devon, to George Mutters (about 32), a farm labourer and sexton, and Anna Maria Mutters (nee Havill) (about 31), a lacemaker and housewife.

Sarah Ann was baptised on 27th September 1857, in nearby Woodbury.

Sarah Ann was the third of six children (three daughters and three sons):

• Mary Jane  1852 - after 1871  (at least 19 years old)
• Elizabeth Ann  1854 - 1856  (18 months old)
• Sarah Ann  1857 - 1928  (70 years old)
• John Thomas  1859 - after 1871  (at least 11 years old)
• William George  1862 - 1864  (15 - 18 months old)
• George  1868 - 1918  (52 years old)

In April 1856, just over a year before Sarah Ann was born, her older sister Elizabeth Ann passed away, aged only eighteen months, as a result of an accident in the home. Their mother Anna Maria had been washing; her attention was off her infant daughter for but a moment, but sadly within this moment little Elizabeth managed to pull the tub of boiling water over herself. She was severely scalded and passed away twenty-four hours later.

1861 Census:

In Jan/FebMar 1864, when Sarah was six, her younger brother William George also passed away young, aged only fifteen to eighteen months old.

In the late 1860's, the family moved from Exton to Woodbury.

1871 Census:

By the time of the 1871 Census, Sarah Ann's older sister Mary Jane had left home to live and work as a domestic servant in Exmouth. Sarah Ann would follow in her older sister's footsteps. We find her on the 1881 Census living with and working as a domestic servant for the Copp family, at 2 Bicton Place, Exmouth. Her employers are, the unusually named, Lorenzo Copp, a joiner, and his wife Lucy, a lodging house keeper.

1881 Census:

On 3rd September 1882, Sarah Ann (25), a domestic servant, married William Henry Alford (25), in Woodbury. William originally from the Isle of Wight. At the time of their marriage, he was a licensed hawker, but soon became a boatman for the coastguard, which he did for many years. At the wedding, Sarah Ann's father George acted as a witness.

On their marriage record and most of their children's birth and baptism records, their surname is given on Halford; however, on censuses it often appears as Alford.

Sarah Ann and William had eight children (three girls and five girls):

• Grace May  1885 -
• William Henry  1886 -
• Frederick John  1888 - 1889  (7 months old)
• Walter Leonard  1891 -
• Edward George  1892 -
• Emily Blanche (known as Blanche)  1894 -
• Edith Ethel  1896 -
• Ernest Charles  1900 - 1924 (24 years old)

By 1885, Sarah Ann and William had moved west along to coast to Shaldon. There their eldest two children, Grace and William, are baptised in 1885 and 1887; and their third child buried in 1889.

In 1889, Sarah Ann's third child, Frederick, sadly passed away, aged only seven months, in Shaldon. He was buried on 30th March 1889, in Shaldon.

By 1891, the family had moved from Devon all the way east to Dungeness, a coastal hamlet in Kent. There Sarah Ann's husband William worked as a boatman for the coastguard, and the family lived at the coast guard station.

1891 Census:

By 1892, the family had moved again - this time to Felpham, a village near Bognor Regis, in Sussex (now West Sussex).

When Sarah was in her early forties, her parents passed away. On 12th February 1896, her father George passed away, aged seventy, in Woodbury. He was buried the same day. About eighteen months later, in October or November 1897, her mother Anna Maria passed away, aged about seventy, also in Woodbury. Anna Maria was buried on 13th November 1897 in Woodbury.

By 1900, Sarah and her family had moved to Pett, a village near Hastings, Sussex (now East Sussex). Once more the family lived at the coast guard station.

1901 Census:

Sometime the 1900's, in his late forties or early fifties, Sarah Ann's husband William retired from the coast guard. The 1911 Census is difficult to read, but it looks like he's become a 'grazier' - someone who rears or fattens cattle or sheep for market. Under his 'industry or service with which worker is connected' is written 'milkman or smallholder'. A newspaper article from 1911 tells how William was fined 1s for failing have his name painted on his milk cart.

From Sussex Agricultural Express of 7th April 1911:

By 1911, the family had moved to Rye Foreign, another village in Sussex (now East Sussex). They lived there on the unusually named Dumbwoman Lane.

1911 Census:

Sarah Ann's eldest son William served as a seaman in the royal navy in the First World War (service number 229011). He had enlisted back in 1904, aged eighteen, for a period of twelve years; however, he ended up serving for nearly twenty-two years, until 1926. William served on about twenty different ships. He character is repeatedly described as 'very good'; his ability improves from 'satisfactory' to 'superior'.

Sarah Ann'a fourth son Edward followed his older brother into the navy (service number K35118). He enlisted as a seaman in the summer of 1916, aged twenty-four, serving for three years, until 1919. His character is described as 'very good'; his ability is 'moderate'.

The brothers' service records give physical descriptions of Sarah Ann's sons as young men: though 5'6'' when he first enlisted, William grew to 5'10'', whilst Edward a little shorted at 5' 8 1/2'. Both had fresh complexions and brown hair. William's eyes were grey, and Edward's were bluish grey. I wonder if the young men had their mother and/or father's colouring.

In Oct/Nov/Dec 1924, when Sarah Ann was sixty-seven, her youngest son Ernest passed away, aged only twenty-four, in the district of Rye, Sussex.

In Jan/Feb/Mar 1928, Sarah Ann passed away, aged seventy, in the district of Rye, Sussex.

Great x3 Aunt Mary Jane Mutters

My Great x3 Aunt Mary Jane (1852 - after 1871) was a domestic servant, and the older sister of my Great Great Grandfather George Mutters (1865 - 1918).

Mary Jane was born in Jan/Feb/Mar 1852 in Woodbury, Devon, to George Mutters (about 27), a farm labourer and sexton, and Anna Maria Mutters (nee Havill) (about 26), a lacemaker and housewife. Anna Maria was about three and half to six and half months with Mary Jane, when she married George.

Mary Jane was baptised on 28th March 1852 in Woodbury Devon. At the time of Mary Jane's birth, the family lived on Broadway, a main road in Woodbury.

Mary Jane was the eldest of six children (three daughters and three sons):

• Mary Jane  1852 - after 1871  (at least 19 years old)
• Elizabeth Ann  1854 - 1856  (18 months old)
• Sarah Ann  1857 - 1928  (70 years old)
• John Thomas  1859 - after 1871  (at least 11 years old)
• William George  1862 - 1864  (15 - 18 months old)
• George  1868 - 1918  (52 years old)

1861 Census:

As a young woman, Mary Jane worked as a domestic servant for the Foster family, headed by grocer George Foster, on The Strand in Exmouth.

1871 Census:

Unfortunately, I cannot find any later records definitely related to Mary Jane. We leave her a young woman in domestic service, in Exmouth. Maybe researching her younger siblings will throw some light on Mary Jane's adult life.

Great Great Half Uncle Sidney 'Sid' Vernon

My Great Great Half Uncle Sid (1913 - 2004) was a farmery hide rounder, fish and chip shop owner, father of three, and a younger half brother of my Great Grandfather Walter Charles Vernon (1892 - 1965).

Sid was born 7th April 1913 in Whiddon Down, Devon, to Isaac 'Harry' Harwood Vernon (44), an agricultural labourer and farm carter, and Ellen Vernon (nee Tonkins) (37), a former domestic servant and now a housewife.

Sid had four older half siblings (one half sister and three half brothers) - the children of his father Harry and his first wife Lucy James - :

• Edith Ellen  1891 - 1971  (79)
• Walter Charles  1892 - 1965  (73)
• William John 1894 - 1895 (1)
• Frank 1896 - 1897 (6 months)

And nine full siblings (seven brothers and two sisters):

• Frederick 'Fred' (born Tonkins, later Vernon)  1897 - 1915  (18)
• Mabel Ellen  1898 - 1993  (94)
• George  1900 - 1900  (0 - 3 months)
• George Henry  1901 - 1973  (71)
• Ernest Isaac  1904 - 1997  (93)
• Isaac Harry (went by Henry)  1906 - 1964  (58)
• William Harwood  1908 - 1972  (64)
• Florence Emily  1911 - 1993  (82)
• Sidney 'Sid'  1913 - 2004  (91)
• Percy  1915 - 2002  (86)

Around 1912 to 1915, the family lived at Turnpike Gate or Toll Bar House in Whiddon Down. A toll-house, which often had a gate across the turnpike road, was a cottage on which the charges for turnpike were often displayed. Sid and his younger brother Percy were both born at this house.

Sid was born with a clubbed foot. And was one of the first person in the South West to have a certain operation related to it. Due to his clubbed foot, he did not have to fight in the Second World War.

Sid was only a baby, when the First World began. His older half brother Walter and older brother Fred both served in the war. Whilst Walter, an experienced soldier, survived; teenage Fred was not so lucky. He was killed on Thursday 30th September 1915, during (or just after) the Battle of Loos, aged only eighteen. His name appears on the Men of Dunsford war memorial.

Later in life, Sid and Percy recalled the family lived between Bow and Down St Mary, around 1919. Sid remembered that, whilst the family lived there, their father would often send Florence and himself (about eight and six at the time) into Bow to get cider and tobacco for him.

By 1922, the family had moved to Westwood, between Exeter and Cullompton.

In Apr/May/Jun 1936, Sid (about 23) married Vera Louisa Hurved (18 or 19), in the district of Tiverton.

1939 Census:

I recall being told a story by my father: that in the Second World War, Sid's house (or the house next to it) was hit by a bomb. Sid survived, because he hid under the dining room table (which may well have been a Morrison shelter).

Sid and Vera had one surviving son:

• Roger J K  1948 -

Speaking with Roger in 2019, he sadly reported that his mother had alas suffered many miscarriages and/or stillbirths. For this reason, he was cherished by her the more.

Roger told us how, when was very young, Sid abandoned his wife and son, and soon sought a divorce. A shocked and saddened Vera was left to bring up their son, with support from her side of the family. Meeting my father and me in 2019, was the first time Roger had met any members of his father's side of the family.

Yet, when my father had done family research in the 1990's, the story he was told was that Roger's birth was the result of an affair, and that was why Sid sought a divorce. Speaking with Roger, getting his side of the story, and learning of his mother's soft-hearted personality, of her heartbreak at the break-up of her marriage, of her not remarrying but putting all her efforts into bringing up her one surviving child, of the sigma endured by her at being a divorced woman with a child; the Vernon side of the story seems the more unlikely and perhaps more of a cover up by Sid for his own actions.

Still that a divorce was granted meant there was deemed sufficient evidence of one or other party having committed adultery, cruelty, desertion (of at least two years) and/or having incurable insanity (such were the only reasons one could be granted a divorce before the Divorce Reform Act of 1969).

After his divorce, Sid soon remarried. In Oct/Nov/Dec 1951, Sid (38) married London-born Eva Fanny Midmore Hurcum (about 29), in Exeter.

Sid and Eva had two daughters:

• Linda W  1953 -
• Vanessa A  1961 -

Both daughters were born in Exeter, but the family at some point relocated to Exmouth. They lived there into old age.

At some point, Roger recalled the couple ran a fish and chip shop in the town, which he visited once or twice.

When my father began conducting his own family tree research in the 1990's, he paid a visit, along with my mother and myself as a baby, to his Great Half Uncle. A photograph taken that day, of myself as a baby held by an elderly Sid was the only photograph we had of him; but talking to Roger and learning he didn't have a single photograph of his father, and his earnestly asking if we had one, of course my father and I agreed he should have it.

My parents, my sister and myself moved to Exmouth in the summer of 2003. Along with our childminder, and the other minded kids, my sister and I would daily walk down the hill, on which an elderly Sid and Eva lived, on our way to primary school. As I walked, I would often look to the house.

In Oct/Nov/Dec 2004, Sid passed away, aged ninety-one, in Exmouth.

Great Great Uncle Charles 'Charlie' George Mutters

My Great Great Uncle Charlie (1892 - 1970) was a mason, bricklayer, and father of one.

Charles 'Charlie' George Mutters was born on 11th April 1892, in Woodbury, Devon, to George Mutters (26), a mason and bricklayer, and Emma Mutters (nee Brealey) (37), a dressmaker.

Charlie was baptised on 12th June 1892 in Woodbury.

Charlie was the fourth of seven children (4 daughters and 3 sons):

• Charlotte Irene  1888 - 1890 (1 year)
• Henry George  1889 - 1889 (0 - 3 months)
• Lily Emmeline  1890 - 1970 (79 years)
• Charles 'Charlie' George  1892 - 1970 (78 years)
• Violet Grace  1894 - 1953 (58 years)
• Anna/Anne  1896 - 1896 (0 - 3 months)
• William 'Willie' George  1898 - 1910 (11 years)

Charlie, along with his brothers, was given the middle name of George, presumably after his father.

A few years before Charlie was born, his eldest siblings, Charlotte and Henry, passed away as infants.

Charlie and his surviving siblings all attended Woodbury Church of England Primary School. Charlie began attending the school on the 21st February 1896, aged three, nearly four.

In Apr/May/Jun 1896, when Charlie was about four, his youngest sister Anna/Anne passed away, aged only zero to three months, in Woodbury.

1901 Census:

As a teenager, Charlie followed in his father's footsteps and worked as a mason's labourer.

In 1907, along with his younger sister Violet, Charlie attended evening school in Woodbury.

On 12th March 1910, when Charles was seventeen, her youngest brother Willie passed away, aged only eleven in Woodbury.

1911 Census:

Charlie would have been twenty-two when the first world war began, but I cannot find record of him serving in the war.

On 20th April 1918, when Charles was twenty-six, his father George passed away, aged fifty-two. Though he passed away in Wales, he was buried in his native Woodbury.

In Oct/Nov/Dec 1923, Charlie (31), a mason and bricklayer, married Florence Putt (33) in the district of St Thomas, Devon.

Charlie and Florence had one son:

• Horace G  1925 -

It seems Charlie and his family lived at Globe Hill in Woodbury till his mother Emma's death in 1924. On 9th May 1924, when Charlie was thirty-two, Emma passed away. She was buried alongside her husband. According to the electoral registers, Charlie then moved from Woodbury to 2 Johnson's Place in Withycombe Raleigh (now part of Exmouth) in 1925. A year later, he moved to 12 Claremont Terrace in Exmouth.

In 1927, Charlie and Florence can be found living at 65 Rosebery Road in the Colonies (land reclaimed from the sea in the 19th century) in Exmouth. In 1928, they moved to 45 Phear Avenue, also in Exmouth, where it seems they stayed for some years - they can still be found there eleven years later on the 1939 Census.

1939 Census:

When the census was taken, Charlie was 'seeking work', meaning the sole income was that of his fourteen-year-old son Horace, who worked as a shop assistant.

Alas I known little of Charlie's later life, other than its close. In Oct/Nov/Dec 1970, Charlie passed away aged seventy-eight, in the district of Devon Central.