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England (Counties as in 1851-1901) => England => Northamptonshire => Topic started by: Chris1959 on Tuesday 04 November 14 04:09 GMT (UK)

Title: Smallman, Austin and Caroline (Northamptonshire)
Post by: Chris1959 on Tuesday 04 November 14 04:09 GMT (UK)
Hi all you fantastic people I have been trying to find some info on my husbands Great Grandparents Austin Smallman and Caroline Tattam (Northampton). Their marriage has been an impossibility according to the 1911 census they have been married 29 years but I cant find anything to prove this. I have just received an email from GRO saying they have found nothing. At least in 1911 the children are sons and daughters in 1901 they were all boarders and Caroline was a servant to Austin. Any help from you great people out there would be most appreciated. Thanks Chris  :)
Title: Re: Smallman, Austin and Caroline (Northamptonshire)
Post by: seahall on Tuesday 04 November 14 10:40 GMT (UK)
Hi Chris.

Welcome to Rootschat  :)

I can't even see his birth in the indexes maybe he didn't get registered
or had the same name as his father so was called by the name Austin.

Caroline was a dressmaker and then became a housekeeper.

As Caroline's surname was Tattam it seems as though the 6 children
on the 1901 are illegitimate?  not born in the Workhouse though.

Looking like yourself Chris I can not see any info that is relevant.

Sandy
Title: Re: Smallman, Austin and Caroline (Northamptonshire)
Post by: seahall on Tuesday 04 November 14 11:13 GMT (UK)
Just had another look around.

Her father is noted as Ebenezer Tatham at death and he and his wife
are buried in Billing Road Cemetery

Sandy
Title: Re: Smallman, Austin and Caroline (Northamptonshire)
Post by: suzard on Tuesday 04 November 14 12:14 GMT (UK)
Have you found the birth reg/bapt of any of the children?

Most of them when given the name Tattan/Tattam/tatham seem to have S as middle initial - for Smallman?

I have a theory!!!!

There is a marriage FreeBMD
Dec qtr 1879
Northampton
on same page
Caroline Eliza Tatham
Charles Cummings

then 1881 census
5 St James Square Northampton
Charles Cummings Head M 29 Shopman in Hardware shop Ashton under lyne
Caroline Cummings wife M 29 Dressmaker Northampton
John F Cummings son 5mths Northampton
plus 2 lodgers
RG11 1553 60 21

It looks like John F in 1891 is given Caroline's maiden name

Possibly Caroline left Charles Cummings and moved in with Austin Smallman and had children with him - maybe Charles died???

Maybe worth further research

Suz
Title: Re: Smallman, Austin and Caroline (Northamptonshire)
Post by: seahall on Tuesday 04 November 14 17:17 GMT (UK)
Information to go with suzard's.

Charles Cumming married Caroline Eliza Tatham on  17 Nov 1879 Kingsthorpe - St John the Baptist

Sandy
Title: Re: Smallman, Austin and Caroline (Northamptonshire)
Post by: seahall on Tuesday 04 November 14 17:35 GMT (UK)
There is also another possible child born to Charles and Caroline a
George Charles born in 1882 dies in 1883.

Maybe someone can look in Kingsthorpe and St. James Parish records to
see if there are any baptisms noted.

Sandy
Title: Re: Smallman, Austin and Caroline (Northamptonshire)
Post by: Chris1959 on Tuesday 04 November 14 23:28 GMT (UK)
Thank you so much Sandy and Suz, further to the info you found. I have a 1891 census RG12/1197 in which "Carrie" is Austins housekeeper, the children are all there as sons and daughters with Tattam as surname and S as a middle name living on Cyril St St Giles. Funny thing my husbands fathers name was Cyril, his Grandfather was Ebenezer who was 5 at the time. The RootsChat community is amazing!
Title: Re: Smallman, Austin and Caroline (Northamptonshire)
Post by: suzard on Wednesday 05 November 14 00:13 GMT (UK)
But have you found birth reg's for the children ???

I think I may have found Charles Cummings living in Birmingham 1891 with "wife" Annie and a few children

Suz
Title: Re: Smallman, Austin and Caroline (Northamptonshire)
Post by: Chris1959 on Wednesday 05 November 14 03:22 GMT (UK)
Hi Suz, talk about timing I have just received Caroline's B/C, Austin's D/C and Ebenezer's B+D/C. Ebenezer s B/C has him named Ebenezer William Smallman with Caroline's surname Tattam and no father. So I guess they probably weren't married! Interestingly as well I've just Google mapped and All Saints is a 6 minute walk to St Giles and Cyril St and St James are only a 17 min walk. All is possible. Wish there were still some relative alive! I actually met my husbands aunt on 2 occasions (the informant noted on Ebenezer's D/C) when she visited Australia, but had never thought I might be doing this one day!
Title: Re: Smallman, Austin and Caroline (Northamptonshire)
Post by: suzard on Wednesday 05 November 14 11:01 GMT (UK)
If you can it may be a good idea to send for the marriage cert for Caroline Eliza and Charles Cummings -that would confirm/deny it was the same Caroline.

Also it may be worth looking for Charles Cummings death reg and then see if maybe caroline made her relationship legal after that

One in my family lived with a chap had 7 children with him and then married him when the children were all grown and married - and his wife had died!!!

Suz
Title: Re: Smallman, Austin and Caroline (Northamptonshire)
Post by: mgeneas on Wednesday 05 November 14 18:58 GMT (UK)
Here are details for the marriage

Charles   CUMMINGS   otp, full age, bachelor, bill poster, father John, fruiterer   
Caroline Eliza   TATHAM   otp, full age, spinster, father Ebenezer, bill poster   
1879   15-Nov   at Kingsthorpe
Title: Re: Smallman, Austin and Caroline (Northamptonshire)
Post by: seahall on Thursday 06 November 14 19:22 GMT (UK)
As we have the correct family I will list the Burials I found.

Billing Road Cemetery

Ebenezer Tatham, Aged 67, Court 1 House 3, Commercial Street, died 16th September 1884
buried September 18th 1884 in grave 12818

Eliza Tattam, Aged 85, 13, Commercial Street, died 29th December 1900
buried January 2nd 1901 in grave 3995

Sandy



Title: Re: Smallman, Austin and Caroline (Northamptonshire)
Post by: seahall on Thursday 06 November 14 19:27 GMT (UK)
Billing Road Cemetery

Austin Smallman, Aged 70, 109 Lower Thrift Street, died 28th January 1927
buried February 2nd 1927 in grave 5938

Caroline Eliza Smallman, Aged 94, 109 Lower Thrift Street, died 22nd March 1946
buried March 27th 1946 in grave 5938

Sandy
Title: Re: Smallman, Austin and Caroline (Northamptonshire)
Post by: Chris1959 on Friday 07 November 14 03:49 GMT (UK)
Hi Sandy thank you so much for the information. Are you close to the cemetery? Do you know if there are still stones standing for my husbands relatives? I'm still left wondering whether Caroline and Austin married or if Caroline just took Austin's name! Thanks Chris
Title: Re: Smallman, Austin and Caroline (Northamptonshire)
Post by: seahall on Friday 07 November 14 12:18 GMT (UK)
Hi Chris.

I do have a list of remaining stones in the Cemetery and I am afraid as
it got bombed in the war a lot of stones were hit, and many over the years
removed.

Their names do not appear on it, sorry.

Sandy
Title: Re: Smallman, Austin and Caroline (Northamptonshire)
Post by: seahall on Friday 07 November 14 12:22 GMT (UK)
It does not seem as though Austin and Caroline married in Northampton.

My own gt gt grandparents had children together in 1851 onwards and did not
marry until years later as suzard has said it sometimes happened.

Alot of folk said they were married and just lived as man and wife, in a lot
of cases they could not afford to.

If you have any children's marriages of Austin and Caroline from Freebmd let me know
and I can see if I have any info for them.

Sandy
Title: Re: Smallman, Austin and Caroline (Northamptonshire)
Post by: Chris1959 on Saturday 08 November 14 08:01 GMT (UK)
Hi Sandy,
Ebenezer William is my husbands Grandfather I have his Birth Cert. 22nd Jan 1886 his mother is Caroline Eliza Tattam living at 49 Cyril St Northampton. No father recorded.

Ebenezer's Marriage Cert. to Hilda Catherine Astley at St Mary's RC Church of Warwick on 2nd Aug 1915, states Austin Smallman Painter and Decorator as his father. In the presence of Arthur and Lorrie/Louie Bailey, Ebenezer's sister and brother in law.
Hope that makes sense.

Thanks Chris