William Smith b 1844

[Greaves]

William SMITH was born on 24 March 1844 at Brunswick Court in Tottenham.

His father was also called William SMITH, who was a market gardener, who if the 1851 census is to be believed was born in Hertfordshire in 1802.

His mother was Charlotte SMITH. She was born Charlotte HART and married a Charles GAME, who was transported to Australia for a petty crime in 1834. She subsequently married William SMITH in 1843 in Stoke Newington.

Charlotte had 9 children. Five with Charles Game: Eliza (1823), Mary (1825), Charles (1827), Charlotte (1829) and Emma (c1834). The first four are well documented, but I can't find anything on Emma's birth. She then had four children with William Smith: Lucy (1838), Sarah (1839), Jane (1841) and William (1844).

I am interested in clarifying three areas:

(1) Anything about William Smith (Snr) prior to his appearance with Charlotte in the 1841 census.

(2) Anything about the birth of Emma GAME, who seems to have been born in 1834 around the time of her father's transportation.

(3) Anything about William Smith (Jnr) following his appearance in the 1851 census.

[Milliepede]

The first four are well documented, but I can't find anything on Emma's birth.

The name sounds familiar.  What record(s) do you have her on? 

Where were the other Game children born? 

[Greaves]

The first four children with Charles Game were born in Tottenham/Edmonton. Emma was according to census information born in Stoke Newington, though I can't find any baptism record and it was before BMD registration

When Charles was transported in 1834, the family moved to Hackney, where Charlotte met William Smith. The four Smith children were born in Hackney. The children from the first marriage ended up in Edmonton Workhouse.

I have most records for the two families, the only missing areas are the three I pointed out, namely nothing on Emma's birth, nothing on William (Snr) prior to 1841, especially with regard to his birth in Hertfordshire, and finally absolutely zilch o William (Jnr) post 1851.

Just to confuse matters, note that Lucy Smith married a gun smith also named William Smith, who worked at Enfield Small Arms and lived in Tottenham. In the early days, I confused Lucy's husband with her brother. But I am now clear, that all the post 1851 records I have relate to the husband rather than the brother.

The other problem is that the records for the area the family were living in 1861 (Wellington Street, Hackney) have not survived and are not included in the 1861 census. Consequently I have not been able to locate the SMITHs in the 1861 census. William SMITH (Jnr) would have been 17 in 1861 and possibly still living in the family home.

William SMITH (Snr) died in 1855. Charlotte remarried yet again, this time to David DYER.

[softly softly]

I noticed that Charles was a coachman on several of children’s baptisms. Did he have a brother John born c1803 who was also a coachman. This John appears in 1841 census in lower Edmonton with wife Ann and children and a possible mother Sarah born c1761

SS

[CaroleW]

Emma was born just as William was deported - 1834 - which may (or may not) be the reason for no baptismal record

[Tall Al]

Hi,

I take it you are aware that Emma Game married Thomas William Kirkham on 14 Dec 1858 at St Lukes, Islington (Father shown as Charles Game) and that the 1861 census for them is on Ancestry shown as Emma Curklan age 26 born Newington. She is shown age 7 in the 1841 census.

There are trees on Ancestry you could view if you so wished - they show Emma died in 1904 at Barnet Middlesex.

Alan

[Greaves]

Yes, I know what happened to her after she left the workhouse. It’s her birth details that remain a mystery. Finding some workhouse records would be helpful.

The two Williams are a problem. The early years for William Snr remain unknown. And nothing is known for William Jnr after 1851.

[Tall Al]

Hi,

Free Reg has a list of numerous William Smith baptisms (with a father William Smith) in Hertfordshire around 1802, so it may be very difficult to identify the correct one.

I was hoping that there might have been a naming pattern from the children's names, but it is difficult to be certain

Alan

[jomcd967]

If the naming convention has any influence, then there is this possibility….
William Smith, baptised 10 Jan 1802, in Layston Hertfordshire, base born son of Lucy Smith…?

Jo