After my last post, I realised that I really should make an effort to post more regularly – but how to force myself to do it?
Last year, on Twitter, I kept noticing a hashtag #52ancestors – this was a challenge to genealogists to write about 52 of their ancestors in 52 weeks.
This has now finished, but they are starting again see here.
I will take up this challenge!
I will be blogging on Madders, not all my own, plus some of my other ancestors.
Optional themes are being given for each week’s ancestor – Week One is Fresh Start.
My first Ancestor has to be William Madder. The person who first got me interested in family history, over 40 years ago now.
William Charles Madder was born in Brooke in Norfolk and baptised there on 18th September 1815.
He died in Ipswich on Christmas Eve 1890.
A simple person to research, you might think. Most of his adult life spent in the period of Civil Registration and regular Censuses.
You would be wrong.
He never used the forename Charles, but was known as William, George or Benjamin. Apart from Madder, he also went by the surname Smith.
He had ten children and he moved from place to place, leaving descendants of various names scattered across Eastern England (and Canada).
His life can be tracked by the list of sources I have used to research him:
DATE | PLACE | EVENT | NAME USED |
18.9.1815 | Brooke, Norfolk | christened William Charles | |
20.3.1838 | Brome, Norfolk | married Louisa SPILLING | William Madder |
27.5.1839 | Topcroft Norfolk | Son William born (AKA Charles) | William Madder |
30.5.1840 | Thurton, Norfolk | Son Benjamin born | William Madder |
1841 | Thurton, Norfolk | Tailor, Age 20, Thurton Street, born in Norfolk (census) | William Madder |
12.6.1842 | Brooke, Norfolk | Mother died | |
19.5.1846 | Bergh Apton, Norfolk | Wife (Louisa) died | William Madder |
4.3.1851 | Norwich, Norfolk | Full age, Tailor, married Emily WANN | William Madder |
1851 | Bergh Apton, Norfolk | Tailor, Youngs Building, Father living with family, born Norfolk, Brook (census) | William Madder |
19.3.1853 | Heckingham, Norfolk | Father dies in workhouse | |
25.3.1853 | Brooke, Norfolk | Father buried | |
22.5.1853 | Bedingham, Norfolk | Son George William born (AKA William) | William Madder |
23.11.1854 | Brome, Norfolk | Son Henry born (AKA Harry Smith) | William Madder |
1.5.1857 | Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk | Son Thomas born (AKA Thomas Smith) | Benjamin Madder |
1858 | Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk | Beer retailer (directory) | Benjamin Madder |
1860 | Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, Out Northgate | Twin Daughters Martha & Mary, born & died | Benjamin Madder |
1861 | Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, Northgate Road, | Beer Seller, age 44, born Norfolk, Brooke (census) | Benjamin Madder |
1864 | Edgefield, Norfolk | Farmer and Tailor, North St. (directory) | George Madder |
15.8.1864 | Edgefield, Norfolk | Daughter Emily born | George Madder |
1870-1878 | Chelmsford, Essex | Tailor, Hill Cottages, Springfield (directories) | George Smith |
25.6.1870 | Chelmsford, Essex | Son Arthur Edward (SMITH) born | George Smith |
1871 | Chelmsford, Essex Springfield Hill | age 53, Tailor, born Norfolk, Broome (census) | George Smith |
1.2.1875 | Chelmsford, Essex | Son Henry married | George Madder |
8.6.1878 | Castleford, Yorkshire | Son Thomas married | George Smith |
29.4.1881 | Canada | Son George William married | |
1881 | Ipswich, Suffolk, 6 Freehold Terrace | age 66, Tailor, born Norfolk, Brooke (census) | William Madder |
1885 | Ipswich, Suffolk, 135 Spring St | Tailor (directory) | William Madder |
1888 | Ipswich, Suffolk, 246 Spring St | Tailor (directory) | William Madder |
24.12.1890 | Ipswich, Suffolk, 35 Stoke St, | Died, aged about 82, Wardrobe Dealer | William Madder |
27.12.1890 | Ipswich, Suffolk | Inquest | William Madder |
31.12.1890 | Ipswich, Suffolk | Buried, St. Mary, Stoke | William Madder |
13.4.1891 | Ipswich | Son George married | William Madder |
1891 | Ipswich, Suffolk, 246 Spring Rd, | Wife Emily, age 60, widow, Perchaser Wardrobes | |
9.7.1894 | Ipswich | Daughter Emily Isabel married | William Madder |
1901 | Ipswich, Suffolk, Woodbridge Rd, | Wife Emily, age 70, widow | |
15.10.1908 | Ipswich, Suffolk, St Johns Rd, | Death of wife (Emily) | William Madder |
You can read about William’s time in the Bury St Edmunds Beer House in my previous post about using on-line newspapers.
Next weeks theme is “King” and the post will be about one of my non-Madder ancestors.
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