Lois Edna REMINGTON

Notes:

I was born on a Tuesday.

My son Paul was born on my birthday in 1979. He was my best birthday present ever!

Lois married Richard Brahe Sorensen 16 Jun 1973, North Kingstown, RI. Richard (son of Paul Brahe Sorensen and Katherine Ann Nikolaisen) was born 25 Sep 1951, Minneapolis, MN. [Group Sheet]

1. Laura Katrine Sorensen was born 28 Jan 1976, Warwick, RI.
2. Benjamin Brahe Sorensen was born 7 Aug 1977, Warwick, RI.
3. Paul Norman Sorensen was born 1 May 1979, Warwick, RI.
4. Karla Marie Sorensen was born 15 Oct 1980, Warwick, RI.
5. Daniel Peter Sorensen was born 15 Oct 1980, Warwick, RI.

Notes:

I have two different copies of his birth certificate, one a card issued at Coventry, RI, and the other a paper from the RI Dept. of Health. I am told he was born on a Tuesday.

My dad Norman was born on the family farm off Knotty Oak Rd. in Coventry, RI. We have some pictures of the farm (see Remington section of the photo gallery, "Remington brothers together," at our web site). Tragically, the two-family farmhouse burned down when my dad was six years old. After this, his family moved into a shanty and stayed there for a while. Quoted below are some reminiscences from my dad Norman about his grandmother Angeretta (Whitford) Remington, about the big farmhouse, and about the fire there. They always believed the fire was set. The adjoining farm belonged to my dad's uncle, John Francis (we called him Uncle Fran), who kept cows there even when I was a child in the 1950s. We used to go blueberrying there, and I was afraid of being confronted face-to-face by a cow, which did actually happen once! In very recent years that property has passed out of our family, and part of it is now a new plat. One of the streets is Remington Farm Drive. On an old map, I've seen that another Remington may have owned that land adjacent to my great uncle.

About the farmhouse: "There were two front doors. The first one as one approached from the road led into a long hall way extending the width of the main section of the house. At the end was the door opening into the ell kitchen. Doors on the left were to my Grandmother's bedroom (used whenever she was with us) and to a downstairs bedroom. At a right angle to that was the door to the cellar stairs. The stairway to the upstairs rooms began near the door to the kitchen. From the right side of the hall were doors to the parlor (as it was called in those days) and the dining room.

"Grandma's bedroom windows were between the front doors. The second one was Aunt Velna's front door, which opened into a small entry, from which a door to the left led into her parlor.

"My grandmother [Angeretta] was a practical nurse, attending women about to give birth and for some time afterwards. Confinements lasted several days at that time. Between work opportunities she would be on the farm, sleeping in her room in our house, where the furnishings were hers. So my earliest memories are that she was with us from time to time. When she was there she was a great help to my mother. Later on she also worked as a housekeeper/cook. When I was in the second grade she kept house for a Mrs. Maynard (or Menard), who was legally blind. This was on Boston Street, Anthony, which is off the main street directly opposite the big mill.

"The fire destroyed the house December 27, 1924. It was discovered some time before daybreak, when my mother thought my father was trying to waken her. Later, she always said she thought it was an angel. Anyway, she smelled smoke, and woke my father. Our collie dog, Major, usually was in the kitchen overnight (no doubt, during cold weather), and he pushed open the door to the hall, again no doubt because of flames and heat. All of us were out of the house, and in my father's truck, in the big meadow across the driveway from the house, while it was still dark."

Dad enlisted at Providence, RI, on 29 Aug 1942, as a Private in the US Army. He was a resident of Providence, married, an insurance clerk with 2 years of college; height 74 inches and weight 158 lbs.

Norman married Edna Virginia BERRY 6 Sep 1941, Providence, RI. Edna (daughter of John Holland BERRY and Ellen COLEMAN) was born 25 Mar 1918, Providence, RI; died 20 Nov 2010, Warwick, Kent Co., RI; was buried 24 Nov 2010, Woodland Cemetery, Washington & Knotty Oak Sts., Coventry, RI. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

My Mom says:
Until I was about ten years old, the only heat we had as I remember was the kitchen stove. On Saturday nights we took our baths in a big tin tub such as we have in our back yard here. We had our hair washed and fine combed to see if we had acquired any critters during the week at school. My parents slept in a room off the kitchen, but the rest of us were upstairs in two bedrooms where there was no heat. I think we closed off the parlor most of the time. It was a very small house.

Mom noted in her birthday book that she was born on a Monday.

Notes:

I have a copy of their marriage certificate. They were married three months before the attack on Pearl Harbor which brought America into World War II.

Dad & Mom were engaged on 27 Jan 1941.

Notes:

I have a photocopy of his original birth entry at Coventry, Book of Births for 1894, p. 98. His gravestone has been photographed.

Apparently Chester & Laura and family were not listed in the 1920 Federal Census, nor were their Whitford cousins who lived with them in the duplex farmhouse on Knotty Oak Rd., Coventry, RI.

However, in the 1925 Rhode Island Census they are on Hope Rd., Coventry.

This family farm, located on what is now Old Hope Lane, was called the Linden Farm in the old days, because the driveway was lined with beautiful linden trees. My grandfather kept a herd of cows and had a milk route. Their two-family farmhouse burned to the ground during the night on 27 Dec 1924, when my dad was six years old. Because the insurance had lapsed, my grandfather was not able to rebuild, so the family lived in a shanty on the property for a couple of years before moving away. This property has changed somewhat since the 1920s, but much of it remains the same -- the old stone walls, the pastures, and the lay of the land. A new house has been built in one of the pastures, the old barn has been replaced by a smaller one, and a couple of additional houses have been built along the driveway leading into the farm. It is now called Old Hope Farm.

In the 1930 Federal Census, the family is living at 365 Jackson Ave., Johnston, RI. In 1935 they were living at 1226 Plainfield St., Johnston.

In 1940 they were living at 24 Kilvert St. in Warwick, RI. Norman, Raymond, Chester, and Richard were living with their parents.

Chester married Laura Russel CHAFEE 28 Apr 1917, Coventry, Kent Co., RI. Laura (daughter of Frank Paine CHAFEE and Mary Elizabeth ANDREWS) was born 28 Apr 1899, Bristol, Bristol Co., RI; died 14 Mar 1975, Natick, Middlesex Co., MA; was buried , Woodland Cemetery, Washington & Knotty Oak Sts., Coventry, RI. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

I have very happy memories of my grandmother, which is one reason why I named my older daughter after her. We would often visit her on Heath Avenue in Warwick. Once I even got to spend the night with her. The next day we walked a couple of miles to the shopping center across from Aldrich Junior High. I wanted to buy some doll clothes, but she said, "I can make those for you, Dear." And she did -- beautiful ones, for our baby dolls and grown-up dolls. She did lovely embroidery, too, which she gave as gifts in the form of pillows, table and bed linens, and framed pictures. In later years, when she moved to Ashland, MA, we would usually ride up to see her on Sunday afternoons. After I learned to drive, one summer day I borrowed my dad's car and drove up there with my cousin Barbara, and we took her to the seashore for lunch. Another time I rolled her hair up for her. In the early 1970s, Rich and I would drop in on her, and get her talking about the old days. Once she got started, the stories followed one after another. She'd get out the photographs, laugh about this or that event, and often give her opinion in no uncertain terms. More than once she said she had married too young, on her 18th birthday. But I'm glad she did, because my dad was born a little over a year later, the first of six sons. What a life! I'm sure her marriage, and her whole life, had its ups and downs. At one point their farmhouse burned down, and the family had to move into a little shanty for a while. My grandparents certainly set an example of hard work and determination for generations to follow. While I never met my grandfather, I know he was proud of his children and grandchildren. My grandmother was very much a part of our family, and I only wish she had lived to be a part of the lives of my children, too.

I have copies of Laura's birth, marriage, and death certificates, plus a copy of the page from the 1900 Census at Bristol which shows her family when Laura was one year old. Also, her gravestone has been photographed.

The birth record at Bristol says she is the second child born to Frank & Mary Chafee.

Notes:

They were married on Laura's eighteenth birthday. Chester was 23.

Notes:

John's birth record at Fall River identifies his parents as John H. and Eliza A.; father's occupation seaman; father's birthplace South Carolina; mother's birthplace Fall River. (Fall River Vol.123: Pg.108)

John's marriage record to Lillie E. Shippee names his parents as John Berry & Eliza A. Elsbree. (Attleborough Vol.352: Pg.83)

John was 52 when married in September of 1912, and 70 when he died. However, the marriage certificate gives his age as 59, and the gravestone appears to give his birth year as 1854. However, the official record for his second marriage in July 1884 gives his age as 24, more in agreement with the 1859 date as recorded at Fall River, MA.

In the 1870 Federal Census, census, he is age 10, and in 1875 he is 15. At the age of 15 he is listed as a jeweler on the census.

In 1880 he and Mabel are living in Providence; he is 20 and she is 16. John "works in jewelry.".

In 1900, John H. Berry and his third wife, Laura, are living at 222 Swan St. in Providence. With them is "Eliza Alison," John's widowed mother. John's occupation is given as "silversmith." According to census data, John & Laura have been married 3 years; and, at age 19, Laura has had three children, none of whom is still living.

In the 1910 Federal Census, John & Nellie are living at 10 Bowditch Place, Providence, with their two young daughters, Helen & Loretta. The census data states that they have been married four years, and that this is a second marriage for both. Grandma Allison, age 77, is in the home. John is a silversmith in a jewelry shop, and Nellie is a bench hand in a jewelry shop.

In actuality, they were officially married in 1912, and it was a fourth marriage for John, and a second marriage for Ellen. Apparently they had been together since 1906.

From my mom, Edna:
"Both my parents worked in making jewelry, and of course you know that until recently RI was the jewelry capital of the world. That bracelet I gave you once was made of yellow gold by my father as a gift for my mother. For graduation gifts for Helen and Loretta, he gave them watches with bands made by either himself or where he worked. He gave me a bracelet which I still have, though not for graduation, since he had died by then. He had made that also. Elsie had a pendant with a semi-precious stone."

At one time I thought maybe our grandparents had twins that died. John & Ellen Berry had boy/girl twins who were born 27 Oct 1923 in Providence. They both died two hours later. However, the death records for these infants show that the parents lived in Pawtucket and were born in Scotland. There is a another couple named John & Ellen Berry in the 1930 census, living childless in Pawtucket; according to the census data they were married c 1924.

John married Ellen COLEMAN 10 Sep 1912, Providence, RI. Ellen (daughter of Joseph COLEMAN and Elizabeth SLACK) was born 4 Apr 1877, Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, England; died 26 Oct 1953, Warwick, RI; was buried , North Burial Ground, Providence, RI. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

Place of birth / family residence at time of birth: 61 Plantation Street, Mansfield, Nottingham, England. She came to America when she was 17, arriving on 24 Oct 1894, along with sister Eliza and brother William. Her name on the passenger list is "Nellie Coleman."

Ellen died at home with her daughter Edna and family at 87 Darrow Drive, Warwick, RI, USA. According to the funeral booklet, she was age 76 y 6 m 22 d. The funeral was on Thursday, 29 October 1953, from 2 pm to 3:30 pm at the Juhlin-Pearson Funeral Home on Broad Street. The pastor was Joseph G. Bodie. Musical selections played were Nearer My God to Thee, Beautiful Isle of Somewhere, My Jesus I Love Thee, Rock of Ages, The City Foursquare, and Jesus Lover of My Soul. Bearers were Pasco Mitola, Wallace Powers, Norman C. Remington, and Richard Remington. Interment was at North Burial Ground, Providence, at 3:45 pm on the 29th.

Notation in my mom's birthday book: "Mother died 1953, Monday (Ellen Berry)"

According to the 1910 census, "Nellie" had 8 children of whom 3 were living at that time. I don't understand that. Did she have children who died in infancy, or were stillborn? It makes more sense if it refers to John's children; 8 born and 3 still living as far as I know. I suppose as she answered the census taker, she was referring to the family head in answering that question.

Notes:

I have a copy of his birth certificate from Warwick, RI (Warwick Births, 1850 - 1882, Vol. 2, p. 5); a copy of his official marriage record from the RI State Offices in Providence, as well as the original page from the Town of Coventry marriage record book, p. 89; and his death certificate from Cranston, RI.

The 1880 census lists John A. Remington as age 12 at that time. I have a copy of the page from the census showing his family.

We have a nice portrait of John Allen dressed in his best suit, with a boutonnierre pinned to his right lapel. Perhaps it was a graduation picture, or even a wedding picture, as he was married quite young the first time -- not yet nineteen. His brown hair is neatly parted in the center and combed with a slight wave to either side. He has light eyes, like his father's, and fine regular features in an oval face. I definitely see a bit of his looks in our family, especially my uncles and my dad's cousins. We never knew much about my Great-grandfather Remington; things were left unsaid. His first wife died young of consumption, after only 1 1/2 years of marriage, which must have brought him much grief. Perhaps he took up drinking to cope with the sorrow, and then couldn't get away from it, even after marrying Angeretta, with whom he had two fine sons. For some reason they separated. He died so young, only 28 years old, of some form of cancer, according to the death certificate. I guess the whole story will never be known, so we've left it in God's hands.

John married Angeretta Williams WHITFORD 10 Nov 1891, Coventry, Kent Co., RI. Angeretta (daughter of Charles Carmi WHITFORD and Harty Potter JOHNSON) was born 10 Nov 1870, West Greenwich, Kent Co., RI; died 12 Oct 1958, Warwick, Kent Co., RI; was buried , Woodland Cemetery, Coventry, RI. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

I have a photocopy of her original birth record in the official Book of Births for 1870 in the Town of West Greenwich, p. 20; a copy of the original marriage record from the official Book of Marriages for 1891 in the Town of Coventry, p. 89; a copy of the marriage certificate from the State Offices at Providence, RI; a copy of her death certificate from the State of Rhode Island; and a copy of the newspaper obituary. Her gravestone has been photographed.

Angeretta was a midwife.

I remember occasionally going to visit my Great-grandma Remington in a house on Knotty Oak Road in Coventry, RI, where she lived with "Aunt Ollie and Uncle Allen," who were actually my great aunt -- Angeretta's sister -- and her husband, Allen Hopkins. The older folks would sit around the living room and talk, while we children would sometimes sit and listen, and sometimes amuse ourselves by walking around -- but never upstairs, as I recall. There was a square metal grate in the floor between the living room and kitchen, through which the heat would blow from the basement furnace. Being a small child, I had to take a rather large step to walk, or rather jump, over this grate, and I was somehow worried that I might fall through!

Great-grandma Remington came to stay overnight with us once, and she slept in the room next to mine. When she was in the hospital with her final illness, I was allowed to go up to her hospital room to see her one last time. I was seven years old.

Aunt Ollie lived quite a few years longer, and died when I was sixteen. I have memories of going to her funeral. But the best memories are of the three generations of family sitting around that comfortable living room, where the older folks would talk in their gentle and pleasant voices.

Notes:

Frank's birth record is on a 3 x 5 card in a file cabinet in the Bristol Town Hall.

Frank & Mary's 50th wedding anniversary celebration was at Cousin Lida's house in Graniteville. (Lida Jenckes was Mary's niece.)

In the 1900 Federal Census, Frank & Mary "Chaffee" are living in Bristol, RI. With them are children Frank, 2, and Laura, 1.

In 1910, Frank & Mary E. "Chaffe" are living at Coventry, RI. In the household are: John 13, Frank 12, Laura 11, Ruth 9, Hattie 7, & Charles 4 months (?). Who is John? I think he may have been a child who died in infancy. Also, Hattie has already died by 1910. Perhaps the census taker listed all the children, past and present, born to the family.

In 1920, Frank P. & Mary E. Chafee are living at 357 Atlantic Ave. in the Longmeadow section of Warwick, RI. In the household are Ruth A., 19, and Charles A., 10. Frank is a foreman at the freighthouse. Daughter Ruth works as a jeweler in a factory.

In 1930 the family is at 632 Heights Ave. in the Riverview section of Warwick. Son Charles, 20, is the only one of the children still at home. Frank is a brakeman on the electric railway.

According to Frank's obituary, he moved to California only two months before he died (of metastic carcinoma). Formerly he had lived at 184 Potters Ave., Providence, RI, and had been a resident of Providence for 22 years. He was employed at the Davol Rubber Co. for 20 years.

I can remember seeing off my Great-grandfather and Great-grandmother Chafee on the train when they left Providence for California. I was just four years old.

Frank died at 1506 Imperial Ave., Jacumba, CA.

Frank married Mary Elizabeth ANDREWS 17 Jul 1896, Bristol, Bristol Co., RI. Mary (daughter of William ANDREWS and Eliza Jane EDWARDS) was born 13 Nov 1870, Lymansville, North Providence, RI; died 20 Mar 1959, Sunland, CA; was buried 23 Mar 1959, Mt. Hope Cemetery, 3751 Market St., San Diego, CA. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

She was "Mamie" to Great-grandpa Chafee.

Mary was born in Lymansville, North Providence, which is now part of Pawtucket. Her original birth record is at the Pawtucket City Hall.

Her address at the time of her death was 9645 Green Verdugo Rd., Sunland, CA. According to a notation on the funeral memorial, Mary's grave is in Section 1, Div. 8, Lot 116.

My dad, Norman, saved many of the letters she wrote to my family when she lived in California in the mid-1950s. In one of them she writes: "Everything seems queer to me here in the West. It's lovely up here in these mountains though -- I only wish Grandpa could have lived long enough for the Lord to heal him -- and he take a little comfort in his old age. I am quite alone here in this house -- Frankie's trailer is quite near (and they look after me and do all my errands) so I don't have to leave the place. I am lonely at times -- and wish things could have been different. But God's spirit is here and in me. Bless his name. I am trying to be contented. It's the best all around -- for not any of my children could take the burden of me like Frankie."

She tells how Frank took her with him to Arizona for a fishing trip on the Colorado River. She writes: "It was some trip (but part of it was rough) and some of it was lovely -- would like to have had all my people here to enjoy it with me. Love to you all and God's blessings on you, Grandma Chafee" [this was a couple of months after her husband died]

In another letter, she says: "Laura writes -- she must have looked like Lois when she was a little girl. (Not quite) She was very light -- with hair very sunny and fine." In another letter she says something similar: "Laura thinks she must have looked like Lois (when she was little) (not quite) she had a look like her dad (even then) where the blue eyes come from (is away back -- so Grandma Chafee says -- in the Chafee family) as Grandma Chafee was a Monrow, with brown eyes -- and Grandpa Chafee's eyes were a dark grey, like Aunt Lena's. Well that's all I can remember about it. The blue eyes didn't come from the Andrews either (my father's were a light grey -- not blue -- so it will remain a mystery I guess). Love to all of you -- God's blessings on you all. Grandma Chafee"

Notes:

In Sarah's birth record at New Bedford, MA, John's birthplace is given as North Carolina.

However, Eliza Virginia's birth record says he was born in Horntown, VA.

In the 1855 MA State Census, John H. Berry 27 VA seaman and Eliza Berry 22 MA are living in New Bedford.

In the Federal Census of 1860, John H. Berry is 29, his wife Eliza is 25, daughter Sarah M. M. is 2, and son John is 6 months. John H. Berry is a seaman, and his birthplace is given as South Carolina. The family is living in Ward 6, Fall River, Bristol Co., MA.

In 1863, John H. Berry 40 VA mariner is on a Civil War Draft Registration List from Fall River. I think it's he, but the age should be closer to 30, not 40.

In the 1865 RI State Census, the family is in Ward 5, District 73, Providence: John H. Berry 33 SC mariner, Eliza A. 30 MA, Sarah M. 8 MA, John H. Jr 5 MA, and Eliza V. 3 mos.

In the Federal Census on 5 Apr or Aug 1870, John H. Berry 38 and Eliza A. Berry 33 are living in Ward 5, Providence with their children Sarah 13, John H. 10, and Eliza V. 5. A young man, Charles Iakeray (?), is boarding with them. John's occupation is given as "whaler." Again, his birthplace is given as South Carolina, but his marriage certificate and ship's crew list both say he was born in Sandy Hill, MD. Perhaps his parents lived in both places at various times. The family is living near John W. & Mehitable Butts, ages 64 & 60. Could they be related to Eliza? (According to a genealogy at Rootsweb, this is John Wood Butts & Mehitable Wentworth.)

At one time, Providence was a port for 9 whaling ships (https://www.gutenberg.org/files/55152/55152-h/55152-h.htm).

My mom, Edna, at one time thought her grandfather John was born in North Carolina. I haven't been able to positively determine where he was born. However, the birth record of my grandfather, John Holland Berry, says that his father John H. Berry was a seaman, born in South Carolina. This agrees with the census information.

Notice in Fall River Daily News 29 July 1871 shows that John died before daughter Jennie died: "In Providence, 28th, Jennie, daughter of Eliza A. and the late John H. Berry, aged 6 years, 4 months and 20 days"

John probably died at sea. This needs more research to confirm. It is clear that he died sometime between the 1870 Federal Census and the time of his daughter's death as reported on 29 July 1871, noted above.

By 1875 Eliza Berry is a widow, still living in Providence, along with daughter Sarah 18, son John H. 15 (a jeweler), and granddaughter Ada (illegitimate). Eliza later remarries, to Leon Allison.

"I found a reference in an old book called 'Old Somerset on the Eastern Shore of Maryland,' by Torrence, which said Sandy Hill was 10 miles south of Snow Hill, MD . . . Snow Hill is at the head of navigation on the Pocomoke River, so a few hundred years ago when ship travel was the norm, folks could get from the Virginia Counties on the Eastern Shore up to Snow Hill fairly easy." (from M. K. Miles, compiler of Miles Files Version 7 on the Eastern Shore Public Library Web Site)

"Abstract of Protections granted to American Seamen at the Port of New York, during the 1st Qtr of 1844: 25 Jan 1844, John Berry age 16, height 5'5", light complexion, nativity: Chincoteague Virginia

Horntown, VA, is on the VA Eastern Shore near Chincoteague Bay. Horntown Road leads there from Rt. 13.

Sandy Hill, MD, being about 10 miles south of Snow Hill, must be over the border from Horntown into MD, about adjacent to Purnell Bay or Parker Bay.

Sandy Hill is now known as Girdletree, according to some records. Girdletree is on Rt. 12 in MD, just north of Horntown, VA.

The property owned by John's grandfather James Berry was in Accomack County, VA, east of US Rt. 13 between Mappsville and Temperanceville.

John H. Berry is on numerous whaling crew lists for New Bedford; at least two of these give his residence/birthplace as Sandy Hill, MD. He was 5'7" tall with brown hair and florid (reddish or flushed) complexion.

John married Eliza Ann ELSBREE 19 Sep 1853, New Bedford, Bristol Co., MA. Eliza (daughter of Benjamin ELSBREE and Hannah BUTTS) was born 5 Nov 1832, Fall River, Bristol Co., MA; died 4 Jan 1913, Providence, RI; was buried , Oakland Cemetery, Cranston, RI. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

In the 1875 RI Census, Eliza A. Berry is a widow aged 43, still living in Providence, along with daughter Sarah 18, son John H. 15 (a jeweler), and granddaughter Ada (illegitimate). They are living on Colwell St., near Plane.

In 1880, Leon & Eliza Allison are living in District 48 in Providence. Clara Allison, age 32, is in the household. Probably she is Leon's daughter from his previous marriage.

In 1900, Eliza Alison is widowed and living on Swan St. in Providence with her son John H. Berry and his third wife, Laura.

In the 1910 Federal Census, Eliza A. Allison is age 77, living at 10 Bowditch Place, Providence, RI, with her son John, his wife Nellie, and their two young daughters, Helen & Loretta.

According to the death record, Eliza Allison died at age 81 (OS Page 24:225).

See notes for Ephraim Elsbree, Sr., for alternate spellings of the surname.

Notes:

In their marriage record of 1853, both John & Eliza were identified as residents of New Bedford. It was a first marriage for both. John's birthplace is given as Sandy Hill, MD; his occupation is given as mariner. John's parents are named as John and Maria; Eliza's father is named as Benjamin Elsbree (no mother named). (New Bedford Vol.69: Pg.129)

Notes:

The death record on the Ancestry CD of Rhode Island records says his next of kin (probably parents) were William & Annie Coleman. However, it is possible that these names referred to his son, William, and his second wife, Annie.

He may have been born in either Hucknall-Under-Huthwaite or Sutton-in-Ashfield. It is not clear to me where the family was at the taking of the 1851 census -- whether they had already moved to Sutton or not. They were at Sutton-in-Ashfield by 1861. The 1891 census gives his birthplace as Sutton-in-Ashfield.

In the 1871 census, Joseph & Elizabeth are living at 26 Union St., Mansfield, with Elizabeth's parents, Gilbert & Ann Slack. Daughter Ann is 6 months old.

The UK 1881 census shows this family living at 1 Alfred Ct., Mansfield, Nottingham, England. Joseph is listed as the 33-year-old head of the household. His occupation is given as a "fruiterer." Elizabeth Coleman is listed as his 33-year-old wife. The children are listed as:
Ann 10
John 8
Eliza 6
Ellen 4
William 1month
(birthplace of all the children is given as Mansfield)

Also listed is William Haslam, a 19-year-old servant (a carter).

In 1891 they were at 12 Stockwell Gate, Mansfield (Fishmonger's Shop). Ann is not with them; Florence is listed as Clara; also in the household is Elizabeth Slack 18, servant (probably niece). Nearby, at 19 Chandlers Ct., is Elizabeth's widowed sister, Sarah Adcock, age 47.

In the 1910 US Census, Joseph, age 63, and his (second or third?) wife, Annie, age 36, are living at 78 Oak St., Providence, RI. They are renting there. The census says he immigrated to America in 1895, but did not become a US citizen. Also, they have been married about 4 years, and both can read and write.

Joseph married Elizabeth SLACK 11 Jul 1870, St. John's Church, Mansfield, Notts, England. Elizabeth (daughter of Gilbert SLACK and Ann MARSHALL) was born Abt 23 May 1847, Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, England; died 13 Sep 1893, Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, England; was buried 15 Sep 1893, Mansfield Cemetery, Nottinghamshire, England. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

From the GRO index: the only Elizabeth Coleman death in Mansfield 1891 to 1894 was Elizabeth Coleman, aged 46, September 1893, Mansfield, vol 7b page 64.

From the Bristol Mercury, no. 14149, Friday 15 September 1893: "CHOLERA EPIDEMIC. The wife of a fishmonger and fruiterer named COLEMAN living at Mansfield, Notts died of cholera yesterday morning within twenty hours of being attacked. It is not known yet whether the disease was of the Asiatic type. The case has been reported to the Local Government Board." (from Alan Battams)

Elizabeth Coleman was buried on the 15th September 1892 [1893?] in Mansfield Cemetery in Grave No: 5695 in the Traditional Section. Also in the Grave was John Joseph Coleman who was buried on the 13th March 1899, Emily Annie Lack was buried on the 2nd November 1903 and Horace Coleman on the 8th June 1917.

About Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, ancestral home of the Slack family:

Domesday Book 1086: in Mansfield and outliers Skegby and Sutton (in Ashfield), King Edward had 3 c (which means that it is ploughed by 1 plough and 8 oxen) and 6 bovarts (as much land as a ox can plough in one year) of land taxable. Land for 9 ploughs. The King has 2 ploughs in lordship, 5 freemen with 3 bovarts, of his land; 35 villagers and 20 smallholders with 19

Notes:

Joseph Coleman and Elizabeth Slack were married on July 11, 1870, at St. John's Church, Mansfield, Nottingham. Joseph's occupation is given as a frame work knitter; Elizabeth's is spinster. Witnesses on the certificate were John Adcock and Sarah Adcock. Sarah (b. 1843) was Elizabeth's sister, and John was Sarah's wife; they married April 16, 1865, also at St. John's.

Notes on St. John's Anglican Church taken from "A History of The Parish Church of Saint John the Evangelist" by E. W. Mellors: The church was erected in 1855/56. The building consists of a chancel, nave, two side aisles, and an 80-foot tower. The spire is about 100 feel high. Mansfield stone was used in the main building, and Ancaster stone for the spire. The foundation stone was laid by the Bishop of Lincoln on 6th Jan 1855, and the church was consecrated 29th July 1856. The seating accommodates 1,000 people. The lovely east window illustrates scenes from the life of Our Lord. Its cost was defrayed by the congregation and friends, and it was put in position in 1870. The organ was placed in the church in 1865, and restored in 1897. It is an excellent example of tone and workmanship.

I have visited this church and photographed it. There is a friendly and vital Christian community worshipping there now, as of 2004.