Charles Newnham (1838-?)

Charles Newnham is one of my mystery people. He was born in Chatham, Kent and baptised at St Mary the Virgin, Chatham on 9th December 1838. He appears in the 1841 and 1851 Census living in Woolwich with his parents, John and Frances Newnham. After that there is no sign of him. I have checked later censuses, army and navy records, passenger lists, and marriage records, and local burial registers without success. There are some possible matches in the death records but in different parts of Kent and no obvious connection to him. If you have him in your family tree I would be very interested to hear from you.

Ruby Lilian Adeline Newnham (1917-2012)

My dear mother passed away on 21st August, aged 95. Her ashes have been interred in her parents' grave in Gillingham, Kent. Please remember her in your prayers.

Frances Mezaler Mallery (c1811-1899)

Further information has recently come to light which seems to settle the spelling of Frances Mallery's middle name.

On this day ... 16th June

Baptism: 1681 Sarah Blackwen, Shearsby, Leicestershire (6x great great-aunt)
1833 Harriet Brown, Stalbridge, Dorset (2nd cousin 3x removed)

1886 Sidney Arthur Dorrington, Christ Church, East Greenwich, Kent (1st cousin 2x removed)

Marriage: 1909 Alfred James Smythe & Ethel May Meehan, Christ Church, East Greenwich, Kent (2nd cousin 3x removed)

Death: 1924 Alfred James Tuck, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada (great-aunt's husband)

Hannah Harris (c1810-1849) & Jacob Silverstone (1790-1878)

My 2x great-grandmother, Hannah Harris, was born about 1810. She married Jacob Silverstone (born Warsaw, Poland in 1790), probably in London, some time before 1833 when she gave birth to the first of three girls: Frances, to be followed in 1835 (app) by Ellen and in 1837 by Rosa.

Those Places Thursday - Mulbarton, Norfolk

St Mary Magdalen, Mulbarton

Birth place of John Tillett (1834-1905). His father, Thomas Tillett (1800-1855), was a miller here in the 1830s.

Reuben Newnham (1855-1922)

Reuben Newnham (1855-1922) in 1905

There is long-standing story in the Newnham family that Reuben was either Jewish or had Jewish connections.

On this day ... 12 May

Birth: 1797 Elizabeth Fancy, Hampreston, Dorset (1st Cousin, 4x removed)

Baptism: 1822 George Langton, Cosby, Leicestershire (2x great great-uncle)

Miscellaneous: 1865 Jacob Silverstone took part in the procession for the laying of the corner stone at the new K K Bene Yeshurun Temple in Cincinnati, Ohio (2x great grandfather)
1902 William Henry Sydney Langton was discharged from Hertford Workhouse "To service with Mr H C Wiltsher", a greengrocer trading as Wiltsher & Son at 1 Hertingfordbury Road, Hertford. (great-uncle)

Y-DNA

About 3 years ago I had my Y-DNA tested with GeneTree. I had no idea whether the results would be useful but it was something I wanted to have done.

Simon Levy (c1760-1827)

Simon, my 3x great grandfather, is a "work in progress", particularly as a definite birth date has not yet been established. He died on 30th Jan 1827 at No 13 Charles Street (now renamed Soho Street), a short street which runs from Oxford Street to Soho Square. He was buried in the Brompton Jewish Cemetery at Queen Elm on the Fulham Road.

On this day ... 2nd May

Born: 1890 Daisy Emma Dorrington (1st cousin 2x removed), Greenwich, Kent;

Baptised: 1819 Robert Stone (2nd cousin 3x removed), Portland, Dorset;

1819 William Langton (2x great grandfather), Cosby, Leicestershire;

1855 Frederick James Walker (1st cousin 4x removed), Greenwich, Kent;

1860 Emma Catherine Porter (great-great aunt), Greenwich, Kent;

Married: 1871 Alfred Hugh Syndercombe and Elizabeth Sarah Jager, Greenwich, Kent

Died: 1867 Milcah Levi (1st cousin 4x removed), Islington, Middlesex;

1888 Jane Fancy (nee Rodd) (2x great grandmother), Portland, Dorset

Buried: 1739 Rebecca Attwooll (1st cousin 6 times removed), Portland, Dorset

John Hale Pearson & Julia Browne

John Hale Pearson (died 18 March 1880) and Julia Pearson, nee Browne (died 22 November 1879), Wreningham, Norfolk

Have you seen ... Stephen Walker?

Modern Stowage, from the tower of St Nicholas Church

My Stephen Walker first appears in Deptford in 1805, married to Elizabeth. Between 1805 and 1818 Stephen and Elizabeth had 6 children baptised at St Nicholas Church: Eliza (1805), Ellis (1807), Robert (1810 - buried 1811), Ann Maria (1812), James Robert (1815) and Frederick William (1818). Stephen died in 1833 and the burial register records his age as 62 thus putting his birth around 1771.

Frances Merzaler Mallery (c1811-1899)

Frances Merzaler Mallery is believed to have been born in 1811 but since no baptism record has so far been located this date is based on the evidence of her entries in the Census for 1841 to 1891. What is more certain is that she was born in Springfield, Essex. 

John Edmund Joseph Newnham (1811-1894)

My 2x great-grandfather was born in Chatham, Kent on 9 Feb 1811 and baptised at St Mary the Virgin, Chatham on 17th March 1811. His parents were William Henry James Newnham and Anne Newnham (nee Newnham). John Edmund (or Edward) Joseph Newnham was the third child and he had 4 sisters and 6 brothers.

David Jacobs (1862-1899)

David Jacobs, my grandfather, was born on 6th October 1862 in Brighton, Sussex. His parents were Henry Jacobs and Ellen Silverstone and his birth was recorded in the Birth Register of the Great Synagogue in London but I have not been able to find a Civil Registration Birth Certificate for him.

Welcome ....

to this blog about my family. I have called it "Jacobs of London and other families ..." because my paternal family has lived in London from the mid-18th century and the rest of my family comes from - well - all over the place! I don't propose to blog every day but only when I want to share something interesting. I will introduce members of my family who have an interesting story to tell and I will post pictures of the places with which they were associated. This will also be the place to share my problems and puzzles.

To get things started, here is a picture of the Phoenix Theatre in Phoenix Street, off Charing Cross Road. This site has very strong links to my family but the story starts well before the theatre was built. But that story is for another day.