My Family

Matters

Frederick is an elusive customer! I cannot find him in the 1851 census. Then, in 1861, he was described as a widower when living with his mother - but no marriage seems to be registered. Finally, he had a liaison with Selina Harriet Ulrich and as a result, between 1874 and 1879, he had three children. Again, this marriage does not appear to be recorded. When two of his children married, they gave their surname as Dear.

Now, back to what I do know. Like his father, Frederick was a silversmith - in 1875 he stated that his profession was a silver polisher. He was living at Pond Cottage, Lea Bridge with his mother in 1861 and then, after her death, he was head of the household at the cottage with his siblings in 1871.

Frederick died aged 50 in the spring of 1880. The following year, Selina Dear was living at 6 Williams Cottages, Stamford Hill, Hackney and described herself as a widow. She was a charwoman and was caring for her two youngest children - her daughter (Selina Emma Dear) was with Frederick’s brother William Sidney Dear and his family - indeed when Selina junior married in 1898, William was a witness.

Meanwhile, Selina senior probably married the Blackburn, Lancs. stationer and newsagent, Thomas Greenwood at Halifax in the spring of 1890, only to be widowed again by 1901.

Emma spent most of her life around cows and the Lea Bridge area - except in 1871 when, on census night , she was found visiting the home of the recently bereaved, John Bruce (35, goldsmith).

Emma, then 44 years old, eventually married the cow-keeper, Thomas James Ellis, in the summer of 1878 and the couple settled at Dairy Cottage, Lea Bridge Road. Although childless, they cared for Emma’s nephew, Sidney Charles Dear (probably the son of Emma’s brother, Alfred) for at least ten years.

In 1891, the household had moved a little eastwards and were at 41 Melford Road, West Ham where Thomas worked as a dairyman, like Emma’s brother, Alfred.

Thomas died in early 1892 and was followed by Emma in the summer of 1898.

Matilda was another Dear girl who took an age to don a wedding dress. Until the summer of 1873, she lived with her mother and then her brothers and sister at Pond Cottage, Lea Bridge. Then, she married Charles Bradford Mayston.

Charles is an absorbing subject. In 1861, he was the servant of a fund-holder. Ten years later and the fund-holder had passed on and Charles was a ‘gentleman with property’. No prizes for guessing the source of his new-found wealth. Charles and Matilda’s brother, William Dear, had met and later bought the leases for six houses at Middlesex Wharf along the River Lea in 1869. No doubt Matilda met Charles as a result of her brother, William’s, business dealings.

After their marriage the couple lived at ??? and had a son, Charles Ranger Mayston who was born in the summer of 1875.

An article appeared in YFT (Issue 93) which described John Green’s life. To read this, use the following links:

                     John Green page one

                     John Green page two

                     John Green page three

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