PALMER

The surname PALMER can be traced back to the time when pilgrims visited the Holy Lands. Bringing back a palm branch was regarded as proof that the person had actually made the journey.
The name is spread around England fairly evenly, whereas my line leads back to Inkpen, near Hungerford in Berkshire.
Sadly not many famous Palmers, Samuel Palmer (1805-81) was a landscape painter and etcher, and Daniel Palmer (1845-1913) the founder of chiropractory. Tom Palmer has recently been playing rugby for England (2010-11). Carlton Palmer played football for England in the 1980s
Huntley and Palmer biscuits were based in Reading, Berkshire, even though I have a great liking for custard creams I haven't been able to link my Palmers with the biscuit company.
I have an advert for Palmer Tyres made in Yorkshire in the early 20th century.

In 1881 PALMER was the 96th most common surname in the UK rising to 87 by 1998 (we are increasing!). The 1881 map shows that East Anglia, Leicestershire, Berkshire and Somerset contained the most Palmers by percentage. There were 1300 Palmers per 1000000 in 1881.

RENWICK

I believe that the surname RENWICK is named after a small village in (old) Cumberland just south of the Scottish borders in north west England. The "W" is not pronounced and the name may appear as Rennick on occasions. My Renwick line goes back to Andrew Renwick bn about 1710 in Renfrewshire, a few generations lived in the (now) Borders county of Roxbrugh in villages Ancrum, Ashkirk and Smailholm.
My gt gt grandfather was Alexander Renwick who was born on the 6th July 1815 in Smailholm, he was the son of Andrew Renwick (bn 15 Jun 1773 Ashkirk) and Jean Hamilton, they married on the 22 Nov 1796 in Melrose and appear to have at least 11 children, one son James bn 1813 upped and left Scotland for Toowoomba, Queensland in the 1860s with his family and I have traced and met a number of his descendants in Australia. My Alexander (with less ambition) went to Sunderland in the early 1840s.
Few famous Renwicks, David wrote "One foot in the grave" and "Jonathan Creek", Jim played rugby for Scotland in the 1970s. A James Renwick was the last person to be publicly executed in Edinburgh for his religious beliefs. He was a covenanter and died on 17th February 1688. My Australian relations are sure that James is "our" line. Descendants of James (bn 1813) in Toowoomba became rugby coaches at the Toowomba Boys' school and pictures of them appeared in old school books. James became a builder/architect and his family firm made their own bricks and a number of buildings remain to this day in the town.
The 1881 census shows that the majority of Renwicks could be found in Durham, Galashiels and Dumfries. Only 77 Renwicks per million of the population (1881) decreasing to 72 by 1998.

McCARTHY

The original Gaelic form of McCarthy was MacCarthaigh, it is a patronymic name meaning "son of Carthy".

Unfortunately for family historians, it is one of the most common Irish surnames especially in County Cork. James McCarthy bn abt 1844 came from Glenmire in County Cork, it is almost certain that he and his family emigrated to south Wales because of the potato famine. My McCarthys finished up in the Tredegar/Bedwellty area in the 1850s where they probably worked in the ironworks. James was an iron puddler in a number of censuses, a very dangerous job working with molten metal.

The 1881 census shows that McCarthys could be found mainly in South Wales reflecting the fact that they migrated from Southern Ireland. Quite a few could be found in Liverpool as well.

1881 shows that there were 288 McCarthys per million, this had almost doubled (564) by 1998.

HALL

The surname HALL was likely given to people who worked at the local manor during the middle ages. My Halls came from the Newcastle/Sunderland area of the north east of England. Hall is particularly common in the 1881 census and was much less common in the south west of the country.
The publicprofiler map of surname distribution lists HALL as the 19th most frequent surname in the UK(1881) with the north east of England containing the most per 1000000 (291).
The 1911 census lists 9934 Halls in Durham compared to just 661 in Cornwall, 824 in Devon and 681 in Somerset.
The fact that there were so many Halls in Durham in the 19th century probably means that any headway with my Halls will be very slow.

John Robson PALMER

Gerald and John Palmer pictured in Dagenham in the late 1920s.


John Robson Palmer was born on the 26th April 1919 at Esk House, Bowesfield, Stockton on Tees, the elder son of John Newman Palmer and Margaret McCarthy. Brother Gerald was born on the 17th November 1920 in Stockton but the family moved to Dagenham, Essex in the 1920s.


He joined the RAF in the late 1930s before conscription was introduced prior to WW2.


RAF service to follow.


John married Evelyn Lima Renwick on the 26th October 1946 at St Teresa's RC Church, Filton, Bristol. He married in RAF uniform, lance corporal, and was still in the force when his twins arrived in October 1947.
I have a letter dated 29th February 1948 from Evelyn to family friend Margaret Coombs, the family was in Dagenham and Evelyn was bemoaning the fact that John couldn't get a job at Ford's car factory. The family returned to Bristol where John managed to get a job at BAC, Bristol Aircraft Company, firstly living with Evelyn's parents at 311 Filton Avenue before moving to a council house in Queenshill Road, Knowle West. In 1951 the family moved to 173 Bishopthorpe Road, Horfield, a 3 bedroomed council house on a newly built estate.

John died on his twins' 17th birthday, October 8th 1964, he had driven to Stoke on Trent and back on work's business on the 7th and suffered a brain haemorrhage in the early hours of the 8th at Frenchay Hospital.

Evelyn Lima RENWICK

Born 23rd January 1922 at 41 Upton Road, Bedminster, South Bristol.

John Newman PALMER

John Newman Palmer with Steven Martin Palmer and Jennifer Margaret Palmer early 1948.

John Newman Palmer was born 23 Dec 1883 at 28 Broomfield Road, Swanscombe, Kent, a terraced house which still exists (2011). The 1891 census shows him as the fifth of eight children, his siblings were Thomas Henry (15, a general labourer), Louisa Kate (13), George Ernest (11), Emily Eliza (9), Alice Sylvia (5), Charles William(3) and Frank Edward (6 months). The address was given as 2 Wellard Cottages, Lascelles Terrace, Swanscombe. At 6 Wellard Cottages was the Bolton family, with 3 children who were cousins to the Palmers.

In 1901 John (17) was a domestic page in the city of London working for a bank manager and his family of 3 children, a cook and a maid also worked at the address. I imagine that his ambition may have been to become a butler. Until I purchased John's marriage certificate I hadn't known that he was previously married, he married Mary Elizabeth Squires on March 20th 1905 at the age of 21. He was described as a shopkeeper and his address as 153 Fulham Palace Road. Mary's age was given as 32, Mary died 15th March 1906 Death cert Carcinoma of the intestines (Bowel cancer). Her husband was the informant with the address given as 201 Fulham Palace Road, his job was "a plate cleaner at a club"

In 1911 John's occupation was given as a valet, he was living with his younger sister (Alice Sylvia Firth) who had married John Firth in Fulham in 1907, the address wasDaisy Cottage, Stanhope Road, Swanscombe. Alice went on to have 7 children and died 15 Jun 1955 in Swanscombe)

Margaret McCARTHY

Margaret McCarthy was born on the 24th November 1888 at 92 Lawson Street, Stockton on Tees.

The 1891 census has Margaret as the youngest of 6 children living at 92 Lawson Street with her parents and grandmother (Hannah Duggan (73)). Her siblings listed as James (19) a labourer at the ironworks, Hannah (18) a dressmaker, John (16) also at the ironworks, Mary Ellen (11) and Joseph (5).

In 1901 the family had moved to 2 Lorne Street in Stockton, Margaret's sister Hannah had moved out, sister Mary Ellen (21) was a school teacher, whilst John(26), James (29) were iron puddlers at the ironworks. Joseph (15) was a "marker in the shipyard".

In the 1911 census Margaret was a school teacher with Stockton Borough Council and living at 8 Eleanor Place with her parents.

Frederick RENWICK

Mum's dad was born 30 April 1881 just missing the 1881 census, he died in Haddiscoe, Norfolk 7th March 1955 where he was staying with Elsie May Flymen his step daughter. Elsie had married Stanley Wort in 1929, he died in 1936 and Elsie re-married a John CROUCHEN in 1938.

Frederick doesn't appear on the 1911 census, there is only one Frederick Renwick shown on the GRO records for 1880-83 and a Fred Renwick appears on the passenger list for the ship Lake Champlain which left Liverpool for Montreal on the 24th May 1904, with his age given as 23, this matches my Frederick. He is listed as a railway porter, was he one of the crew?

Lucy Lilian HALL

Mum's mum bn 12 April 1884.

Thomas PALMER and Sarah Ann BOLTON

Married 3 Oct 1874 at St. Mary's Church, Stone by Dartford in Kent.

James McCARTHY and Margaret SULLIVAN

James McCarthy was born in Glanmire, Cork, Southern Ireland about 1846, he married Margaret Sullivan on the 15th October 1870 at St Mary's Roman Catholic church, Stockton on Tees.
Margaret's birth name was Sullivan but married as Margaret DUGGAN. I have still not worked out whether Margaret's mother reverted to her maiden name after being widowed.
The 1911 census has the couple living in Stockton on Tees with youngest child Margaret (22), this census lists James' place of birth as Glanmire. The census also claims that the couple had 9 children of which just 5 were alive in 1911.
The 1881 census shows the couple living at 51 Lawson Street, four children James(9), Hannah (8), John (6) and Mary Ellen (1) shared the house with Hannah Duggan (mother in law) and John Duggan (brother in law, 37) and Cornelius Duggan (brother in law, 27).
By 1891 James and Margaret were at 92 Lawson Street with Margaret's mother and 6 children.

Andrew RENWICK and Caroline DAVIE

Andrew Renwick bn 1844 in Sunderland married Caroline Davie in Sculcoates, Hull on the 17 March 1877.

Joseph HALL and Selina HOWEY

A Joseph Hall born on th e 14th June 1841 fits the description on Joseph Hall in the censuses but I am not convinced I have found the correct one, especially as he changes his christian name and age in the censuses. No record of a marriage has been found nor the family in the 1881 census, the 1911 census says that the couple had been married 30 years, but son John was born in 1878.
Selina Howey was born on the 17th of October 1844 at Tyne Main and the birth was registered in Gateshead.
In 1891 the family was living at 5 Carley Road, Southwick, Sunderland.
Father and head of household was Alfred Hall (43) born Sunderland, occupation a mechanic at the marine works with wife Selina (47). The six children were John (13) born South Shields, with his 5 siblings all born in Southwick, Selina (10), twins Alfred and Lucy (6) Sarah (3) and Thomas (1).
Still living at 5 Carley Street in 1901, a terraced house in West Sunderland, Alfred was now Joseph! aged 50 and working at the engine works. Selina (50) had Alfred (16) and a glass maker's labourer as well as Sarah (14) and Thomas (10) at home.
The address of the family home was given as 6 Back Carley Street in 1911. Head was Alfred(!) a shipyard labourer with birth year given as 1851. Selina's age was given as 61, only Thomas (20) was at home and his occupation was a riveter presumably in the local shipyards.
Selina died at home on the 7th April 1912, son Alfred Edward Hall of 3 Cornhill Terrace was the informant and just to confuse me, Selina's husband was given as Alfred Edward Hall who presumably was still alive in 1912. Age at death given as 60 despite the fact that the 1911 census had her age as 61!
No death record for Joseph/Alfred Edward Hall has been found. No Alfred Hall births were found in Sunderland except for one bn Dec 1851, he is not mine as he appears in 1901 as a widower with his unmarried brother John Joseph Hall bn 1847.

George PALMER and Eliza ROSIER.

The ROSIER surname is believed to have come from France, when the Huguenots faced persecution they emigrated and many came to England. The 1881 census shows a large number of Rosiers in the Wiltshire/Berkshire area, in 1998 there was still a large number in that area.
In both the 1881 and 1998 surveys only 21 Rosiers per million population existed.
Eliza Rosier (bn 1827) had a niece Hannah Rosier (bn
6th October 1861) who married Lorenzo Edward Quelch who became Lord Mayor of Reading. He also found time, along with his brother, to organise strikes in the Bermondsey dockyards in the early 1900s, they belonged to the Social Democrats, the fore-runner to the Labour party.

St Michael and All Angels ~ the Inkpen Parish church.



George Palmer was baptised on the 22 March 1825 in Inkpen son of Charles Palmer and Sarah Ball who married on the 2 November 1822 in Burghclere. George was one of nine children.
Eliza Rosier was baptised on the 16 September 1827 in Kintbury, daughter of Thomas Rosier and Elizabeth Murfot, Eliza was one of ten traced children.
George married Eliza on the 14th October 1847 at the Parish Church, Kintbury.
The 1851 census shows George (labourer) and Eliza living at Geat Common Inkpen with Thomas and Eliza (3).
Great Common is still the address for Eliza (32) in the 1861 census, with three boys Thomas (10) a ploughboy (left school?), George (7) and Charles (3). Eliza is a widow as George was killed by lightning on the 16 Jun 1857 coming home from work. He was sheltering under a tree with a Joseph Buxsey who was also killed. A double gravestone appears in the Inkpen Parish churchyard for the two farm workers.
By 1871 Eliza was living at Upper Green Inkpen with George (17), Charles (13) and Sylvia (4) for company.
1881 and Eliza is living with a daughter Sylvia (14), Eliza is a seamstress, Sylvia's birth certificate lists her as Sylvia Honey Eliza and no father listed (dob 10 Nov 1866). A neighbour was a William Honey, possibly Sylvia's father.
The 1891 census shows that Eliza (tailoress) is living at Great Common with her daughter Sylvi (24 and a dressmaker), Sylvia's husband Sidney Cooper, a shoeing smith apprentice, and two grandchildren Daisy Sylvia Morris Palmer (4) and Florence Edith Cooper 8 months old and born in Inkpen. Daisy died in July 1891. Sidney and Sylvia had a total of eight children.
In 1901 Eliza (74) was still living with daughter Sylvia (34) and her family, Eliza died on the 26th April 1907 in Bolney Court Lodge, Harpsden, Oxfordshire aged 78.
Her informant was Sylvia, whose address was given as Rose Cottage Dorney, near Windsor.

Henry BOLTON and Sarah Ann WOODWARD

Henry Bolton was born on the 30th March 1823 in Stone by Dartford, Kent son of William Bolton and Sarah Browning who married on the 1oth August 1815 in Wilmington, Kent [IGI]. I believe that Henry was one of eight children.
Sarah Ann Woodward was born in 1823 in Burnham Somerset, daughter of John Woodward and Ann Brown who married on the 10th April 1804 in East Brent Somerset. Sarah was one of ten children and it remains a mystery how she could have met and married someone from Kent.
They married on the 5th of August 1848 at the Parish Church, Stone by Dartford.
The 1851 census shows them to be living at Lamb Cliff, Stone with their first child Sarah Ann Bolton. Henry's occupation is listed as a labourer.
The 1861 census shows the addition of four children, Jane (9), Emily (7), Henry (4) and George (2), the address is Chalk Cliff, Stone and Henry is working in the local chalk pits as are quite a number of his neighbours.
10 years later the address has become Lamb Cliff again, 5 boys fill up the house, Henry (14), George (12), Thomas (8), William (5) and John (1).
Henry Bolton died on the 28th February 1880 in Swanscombe and Sarah Ann died 22 Jan 1887 in Swanscombe aged 63. Yet to find Sarah in 1881.

Michael McCARTHY

Michale McCarthy bn about 1810 in southern Ireland.

Daniel SULLIVAN and Johanna DONOVAN

Daniel bn 1817 Ireland and Johanna abt 1814 in Ireland.

Alexander RENWICK and Mary STEVENSON

Alexander Renwick was baptised on the 6th July 1815 in Smailholm, Roxburgh in the Borders region of southern Scotland. He moved to Sunderland and his occupation was listed as a miller on his marriage certificate, he married Mary Stevenson on 3rd January 1842 at the Parish Church, Sunderland.
1851 census finds the married couple at 11 Grays Buildings, Sunderland, Alexander is a miller and they have 4 children.
Mary Ellen (9), Jane (7), Andrew (5) and Thomas (1).
10 years later and the family had moved to Stanhope Street in the Bishopwearmouth area of Sunderland, Mary Ellen has moved out, Jane (17) is a dressmaker, Andrew (16) is a ship carpenter apprentice and Thomas (12) is an apprentice to a plumber.
Alexander's occupation is listed as a "flower maker", surely FLOUR!!!!
1871 census had the family at Collier Row Bishopwearmouth Alexander's age given as 56, Mary (53) with Mary Ellen (28) and Andrew (25) still at home. Thomas had married Elizabeth BOYES in 1869 going on to have eight children.
Alexander died on the 10th June 1876, Mary died after 1871 but I haven't traced her death yet but I cannot find her on the 1881 census.
Mary Stevenson's father was Thomas and her mother appears to be Elizabeth CHILTON, they married on the 15 Nov 1819 in Sunderland [IGI], I cannot be certain, but this Thomas and Elizabeth pairing fits all the details I have found.

Joseph DAVIE

Father of Caroline DAVIE, Joseph was in the Royal Navy on Caroline's marriage certificate in 1877.From contacts on genesreunited I am pretty sure that the Joseph Davie born 30 April 1815 in Bridport Dorset is my Joseph.

Joseph was the eldest of 11 children born to Joseph Davie, bn 22 July 1793 near Bridport and Hannah Budden, they married on the 6th April 1814 in Bridport. The family moved from Bridport to Alverstoke by 1828 where their 4 youngest children were born.

At least 3 of Joseph's brothers were also coast guards.

In 1881 Joseph (aged 67) was at Brook coastguard station on the Isle of Wight staying with his son George Alfred Davie as one of 5 coastguards. George was born in 1846 in Courtmacsherry in southern Ireland, this fact makes me believe that Joseph was a coastguard in southern Ireland, possible married an Irish girl and fathered at least 3 children.

Joseph married a widow (Alice Caroline Miller nee RAVENSCROFT) at St Pater Mottistone on the Isle of Wight, he died in 1899 in Lymington.

Thomas Davie born 1828 in Alverstoke (Joseph's brother) was also a coastguard but became a grocer with his son in the High Street, Freshwater.

John HALL and Elizabeth SCORFIELD

Married 30 Jul 1827 in Whitby North Yorkshire.
Could be father of Joseph HALL

George HOWEY and Selina CARTLIDGE

George Howey was baptised in Gateshead on the 10th July 1808 he married Selina Cartlidge on the 6th May 1827 at St. Mary, Gateshead.

From IGI records and censuses I believe that they had 10 children.

George died aged 61 at Beehive Lane, West Sunderland on the 29 Oct 1869 and Selina died aged 67 at the Hilton Road workhouse on the 13th December 1875.

1841 census has the family living at Salt Meadows, Gateshead with 6 children:

George bn 1828, Catherine 1830, Mary 1832, Richard 1834, Elizabeth 1836 and Isaac 1839.
George had the middle name Cartlidge and was baptised 7 Feb 1828, Isaac Cartlidge Howey was baptised on the 27th March 1839.
1851 census finds the family in 34 Burleigh Street Sunderland, George is listed as a potter, all the family, now 9 children with Mary having moved out.
George (23, a potter), Catherine (23), Richard (16 and a blacksmith), Elizabeth (14), Isaack (sic) aged 12, John (10), Selina (7), Thoma (sic) aged 4 and Jane aged 2. Jane was born in Sundeland but the rest were listed as born in Newcastle.
In the 1861 census George (an earthenware painter) and Selina were living in a private house, Gascoigne Place, Southwick on Wear, west of Sunderland.
Young Selina (occ: Warehousewoman and pottery) was living at home with two siblings, John (aged 15 and a shipwright) and Jane aged 12.
By 1871 George had died and widow Selina was living at The Pineapple Inn, George Street Sunderland with her daughter (Elizabeth) who had married Caephas/Caffeas BOOKER in Sunderland in 1858 and 3 children Charlotte Booker (bn Dec 1858), Mary Elizabeth Booker (bn Mar 1862) and Frederick George Howey Booker (bnSep 1864) were at the same address.