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England (Counties as in 1851-1901) => England => London and Middlesex => Topic started by: peakoverload on Tuesday 14 January 25 15:15 GMT (UK)
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I've hit a brick wall in regards to my 3x GG and GM as whilst I have found his death in 1867, both seem to entirely disappear from the 1861 census and I can't find anything about her before she married or after her husband died.
John Leach was born 11/08/1816 in Shoreditch and for most of his life lived in and around the Kings Cross / Islington area, in particular Swan Yard in Islington, Holywell Lane, Shoreditch, Rodney Street, Kings Cross, Charles Street, Kings Cross and Crescent Street, Kings Cross. During this time he worked as a Harness Maker and later as an Army Accoutrement Maker.
He married on 29/04/1834 at St. Leonards Church, Shoreditch a Louisa Spencer who was born in Derbyshire.
He died in 1867 and was buried 18/03/1867 at Saint James, Swain Lane, St Pancras.
Louisa Spencer was born c1813 in Derbyshire and I have her and her husband on the 1841 and 1851 census's but that's it.
Between them they had 5 children:
John Leach b 17/07/1834 Islington d 04/01/1890
Louisa Ann Leach b 08/03/1837 St Pancras
Henry Leach b 17/11/1840 St Pancras
Charles Leach b 08/06/1843 St Pancras d 1874
William Leach b 10/12/1846 St Pancras d either 1852 or 1858
I have John and Louisa in St Pancras
1841 Census: HO107/685 Book: 5/ 31 p 59
1851 Census: HO107/ 1493/685 p 81
I can't find either on the 1861 Census. Nor can I find a death for Louisa or a second marriage for her nor can I find a convincing second marriage for John so I think he possibly died before her.
Does anyone have better sleuthing skills than me?
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Have you got John Leach's death certificate to see who the informant was and the address where he died? That might help place the family in 1861.
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On Ancestry one of the trees has Louisa
dying oops sorry, buried on 28 January 1892. Her address given as Union Home, Fetcham, Surrey (I guess that was a workhouse) aged 79. That would fit in with her dob, so you might find her in 1871 in Surrey, if not in 1861. If it is her, she didn't remarry after her husband's death.
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I do have his death certificate but the informer isn't anyone I've been able to trace, it's a Matilda Akers.
Thank you for the lead on Louisa, I shall take a look at that next. Much appreciated.
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I don't think the Louisa in the Union Home, Fetcham is the same person as that Louisa was born in Fetcham and looks like she was married to a Stephen Leach.
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Have you eliminated this one
Death
LEACH, LOUISA age 53
GRO Reference: 1865 March Quarter in PANCRAS Volume 01B Page 111
Possible burial from deceased online :-\
Leach , Louisa
Burial date 26 February 1865
Location Camden
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Have you eliminated this one
Death
LEACH, LOUISA age 53
GRO Reference: 1865 March Quarter in PANCRAS Volume 01B Page 111
Thank you for this. Literally just found this as you posted and have ordered the digital image from GRO and it is 100% her. It says she was the wife of John Leach a Harness Maker.
At least I can definitely say when she died. Odd that I cannot find either on the 1861 census. I'm guessing it's been mistranscribed or something.
Thank you both for your help.
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There were several areas in London missing in 1861. Does the death certificate give an address
https://www.findmypast.co.uk/articles/census-for-england-wales-and-scotland-missing-pieces
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The address on the death certificate is 2 Westow Street, Camden Town. I wonder if that would have fallen under Islington East, which I see from your link is missing?
Thank you for the link BTW. That's very useful. I didn't realise so much had been lost.
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I don't think the Louisa in the Union Home, Fetcham is the same person as that Louisa was born in Fetcham and looks like she was married to a Stephen Leach.
Just goes to show how careful you have to be on checking what's on Ancestry, especially as some of the other details were correct.
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Camden Town appears to come under Pancras
https://www.ukbmd.org.uk/reg/districts/pancras.html
I did wonder about Islington as you had mentioned it in the places John had worked
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Hmm, things have gotten more complicated.
The death certificate for John Leach confirms he was a harness maker, which I know to be correct. It gives an address which, whilst the street is not one I've seen before, is in the area of Somers Town, St. Pancras and I know he moved around a lot within that area and Shoreditch. It gives his age as 52 meaning he was born 1814/15 (he died 09/03/1867) and this matches ages recorded on the 1841 and 1851 census. However, the only baptism I could find for him was in 1816 and gives his d.o.b. as 11/08/1816 (baptised 22/09/1816). It's quite possible the baptism is wrong but the church was where he got married which is why I thought it might be the one.
Anyway, I've just found his probate record. This confirms the date of death and the address that is on the death certificate. However, it says his wife is Elizabeth not Louisa. Louisa was still alive at the time of John's death and when she dies it says on her death certificate that she was the wife of John Foster, Harness Maker. I cannot find another marriage for John to an Elizabeth in a time frame that would match or one where his occupation matches.
What makes it more confusing is that one of his children, my 3xGG, was also called John Leach (lets call him Junior) and he too was a harness maker but he moved south of the river to Newington and later, Camberwell. His baptism says his parents were John and Louisa and that his father was a harness maker. His address is given as Rodney Street which is just up the road from Kings Cross.
So I know Junior lived near Kings Cross, his parents where John and Louisa and John was a harness maker. I've got John and Louisa on the 1841 and 1851 census with their 5 children all of whoms baptisms confirm the parents names and occupations and show the family moved around the Kings Cross area a fair bit.
The death certificate matches name, occupation, age (according to the census) but doesn't mention the wife's name. Just says that the informer is a Matilda Akers who isn't someone I know of in the tree. But the probate record, which matches the date and address of the death certificate, gives a different name for his wife????
I know that the name John Leach isn't rare and there would have been loads of harness makers living and working in that area but could there really be two John Leaches of the same age living in the same area, doing the same job but married to different people and only one, the one married to Louisa, shows up on any Census and yet both disappear from the 1861 census???
I can't work out which info is wrong. If the death certificate is wrong then why isn't there census, marriage or baptism records for john and Elizabeth. If the death certificate is correct then who is Elizabeth?
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The person registering his death was probably guessing at his age. They would not have had to provide any evidence of it.
What year was the probate entry
What was the address on the death certificate, sorry if it has already been given here
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Probate was 28/03/1867. It gives his address as 6 Middlesex Street, Somers Town and says that Elizabeth is the widow and also lives at the same address and is the sole executrix.
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Louisa died 2 years earlier so could not have been the widow named on that probate
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He remarried Elizabeth Nuttall in 1866 - Image on Ancestry
His father William Leach occ Harness Maker
Elizabeth was a widow
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He remarried Elizabeth Nuttall in 1866 - Image on Ancestry
His father William Leach occ Harness Maker
Elizabeth was a widow
Aha! Excellent, thank you so much. Well that means the baptism I have for him is wrong as I thought his parents were Samual and Hannah Ann Tyler. Unfortunately that means that the next 4 generations I have is also wrong. LOL. Oh well, it's not the first time I've had to cut off entire limbs from the tree and it won't be the last.
Really appreciate the help.
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Death
LEACH, LOUISA age 53
GRO Reference: 1865 March Quarter in PANCRAS Volume 01B Page 111
The address on the death certificate is 2 Westow Street, Camden Town
John Leach is in the 1865 rate book at 2 Weston Street.
Name crossed through.
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QHV-V38P-FSMM-P
If we had an index, and he was the main occupier, then we could see at what address he might have been living in 1861!
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John Leach at 2 Weston Street in the October 1863 rate book
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSJ9-8W31
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John Leach at 2 Weston Street in the October 1862 rate book
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QHV-N3ZK-BGWX
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Drum roll...
October 1861 rate book
George Moss at 2 Weston Street
He is crossed out, and replaced by Jno Leach!
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QHV-V38L-79HV-6
Back in October 1860 John Thos Alexander Kirby is listed
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QHV-V38P-F5QW
So it looks like John arrived there either in very late 1861, or during 1862.
Too late for the census. Can't check for number two specifically, but which maybe is around about piece 118 folio 60?
Fascinating stuff!