Emma Jane Read born c1844 Salisbury, Wiltshire.

[brionne]

1871 Emma Read Female age 17 Pauper Inmate Maid of all work born Shaftesbury Dorset.
        Union Workhouse Shaston St James Shaftesbury.Dorset.
         RG  no 1968, page 43.

The supposed grandparents James and Caroline Read 1871 Compton Hut Compton Chamberlayne,Wilts situated on the Shaftesbury road.[Emma is not with them]

Believe Emma is in Shaftesbury Workhouse in 1871,in spite of being entered as born Shaftesbury.

Did your couple go out to NZ with a Methodist group from South Wilts,believe the church is still there,might me worth contacting them to ask what records they may have.Some Wilts churches have not let all their records go to Chippenham Archives     Brionne.

[stikybeak]

Hi Brionne

Thank you for taking the time to look at this. I also have this for Emma in 1871:

England and Wales Census, 1871
Name Emma Read
Event Type Census
Event Date 1871
Event Place Kensington, London, Middlesex, England
Enumeration District 14
Gender Female
Age 18
Marital Status Unmarried
Occupation Kitchen Maid
Relationship to Head of Household Servant
Birth Year (Estimated) 1853
Birthplace Compton, Wiltshire
Entry Number 24
Affiliate Image Identifier GBC/1871/0034/0037

With this one being in Middlesex I did wonder whether she had met George in that area as his family were from Hillingdon Heath/Cowley.

Just a thought.
Y

[brionne]

Yes,Believe now you are correct.
Interested to know how Emma and George managed to sail to New Zealand, imagine they would have needed some sponsorship of some kind,sometimes employers helped or a church. Poor Emma must have had a pretty grim early life,obtaining a servants post in Kensington must have been her saving grace so to speak. See my PM.