My maternal g.grandmothers were Alice Catherine Brand and Alice Pemberton. My paternal g.grandmothers were Maria Collett and Selina Stanton Mumby.
G.Grandmother Alice Catherine Brand – was born in 1847 in Northampton, the eldest of 6 children. Her father was a hairdresser and parfumier and travelled the country doing hair for upper class ladies. Not surprisingly by the age of 4 was living with her aunt and uncle (a coachman) in Sussex. At age 14, she was living in Lincolnshire with another Uncle (a publican) working as a house servant. She married aged 20 to a baker, and moved to Manchester. She had 7 children, a boy dying aged 4 and a girl dying aged 5. Unfortunately, she died aged 53, leaving the other 5 children, one of whom died aged 15 the year after his mother. Her husband lived another 10 years.
G.Grandmother Alice Pemberton – was born in 1843 in Kingsley, Cheshire, the 6th of 11 children. Her father was a butcher and farmer. At 18 she was still living at home with 7 other siblings, despite the fact that her father had died the previous year. She married aged 28 a couple of years after her mother’s death, her husband being a butcher like her father. She had 6 children, 3 girls followed by 3 boys. Her husband died aged 45 and she carried on the butchery business until she died aged 65.
G.Grandmother Maria Collett – was born in 1843 in Halesworth, Suffolk, the third of 8 children. Not surprisingly, her father was an agricultural labourer. Sadly her mother died when she was about 18. She married aged 21 in Norfolk to a fisherman. They could both write and signed the register with their own names. By 1876 the family was living in Hull. They had at least 5 children that I’ve found so far, but sadly one died aged only 2. Before the 5th child was born, her husband had apparently died, but a few years later she had “remarried” another fisherman and had 3 more children. She lived to be 85, her second husband who was many years younger outliving her.
G.Grandmother Selina Stanton Mumby – was born in Hull in 1859 the youngest of 8 children. Her father was a cowkeeper at the time living at 71 Alfred Street. By 1871 the family had moved to 16 Alfred Street and her father was a Carter. The family were at the same address when she married in 1879, aged 20. Her new husband was a labourer at the time, but they could both write as they signed the register with their names, rather than a cross. Indeed her husband was a Marine Engineer at the time of his death. They had 6 children, 3 boys and 3 girls. Unfortunately, Selina’s husband died aged 35 when the youngest child was only 6 months old and she was left a widow to bring them up on her own. Sadly, Selina died aged 40 only 7 years later, leaving 6 orphaned children. Unfortunately I have no photographs of either Selina or her children, apart from some of one of her children, my grandfather as an adult, so I’ve put his posted his photograph.
Lizzie