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.
