WEEK 42

Mary Remmington holding daughter, Violet

Eliza Ann Jacobs, my second great grandmother, is the grandmother of my paternal grandmother, Violet Victoria Burton. Violet is the daughter of Mary Ann Remmington (daughter of Eliza Ann Jacobs)

I do not have the birth certificate for Eliza. However, I am in possession of a copy of her marriage certificate, death certificate and Census Returns which include her between 1871 and 1911 (with the exception of 1891).

I first found Eliza on the 1901 Census when she is living with her husband, James Remmington and four of their children (Mary, William, James and Roy) on Creek Road, March, Cambridgeshire. I have so far been unable to find Eliza and her family on the 1891 Census. But they can be found on the 1911 Census.

Creek Road

There was an Eliza Ann Jacobs born in the Chard registration district of Somerset during the October-November-December quarter of 1868 and there was also an Eliza Ann Jacobs born in the January-February-March quarter of 1871 in the North Witchford registration district of Cambridgeshire. Both had a father called William Jacobs and it is for this reason that some researchers have mixed the two up and merged them in error. We know that Eliza (wife of James Remmington) was born in Cambridgeshire from looking at the 1901 and 1911 Census Returns. My grandmother, Violet Burton who is still alive, also says that her grandmother, Eliza, was born in March, Cambridgeshire.

I believe that the 1871 North Witchford Eliza Ann Jacobs is the wife of James Remmington for the following reasons:-

– She is living on Creek Road, March, Cambridgeshire. March in Cambridgeshire comes under the North Witchford Registration district which would tie in with the 1871 birth registration entry.

– Boarding with Eliza and James on the 1901 Census is a 69 year old Robert Willmott. Robert is the second husband of Martha Hunter. Martha is Eliza’s grandmother but had died in 1894 hence why Robert is probably living with Eliza and family.

– Eliza married James Remmington in Saint John’s Church in March on 19th November 1888. There is a discrepancy in her age which is given as 19 when it should be 17. It is possible to surmise different reasons as to why her age was entered incorrectly. My personal theory is that Eliza and James did not want others to know the true difference in their ages.  The marriage was witnessed by Martha Newman. Martha Newman is the daughter of Caroline Head and Alexander Newman (married 1870). Caroline Head is the sister of Elizabeth Head who married William Jacobs. Eliza Ann Jacobs and Martha Newman are thus first cousins.

– Eliza’s age is given as 30 on the 1901 Census Return when she is married to James Remington. It is given as 40 on the 1911 Census Return. So, whilst there is a discrepancy on the marriage entry for Eliza, her age is consistently given on subsequent Census Returns as indicating an 1871 year of birth. Eliza always gives her county of birth as Cambridgeshire and not Somerset.

– Eliza’s death certificate states that she was 65 years old at age of death which would indicate a birth date of circa 1871.

Finally, it is important to note that whilst Eliza and James were living on Creek Road, March, I believe Eliza’s parents (William and Elizabeth) are living a short distance away on Nene Parade, March. Eliza is also with her parents on the 1871 and 1881 Census Returns (aged 3 months on the 1871 Census Return and 10 years on the 1881 Census Return) in March, Cambridgeshire.

Now, I will discuss the ‘other’ Eliza Ann Jacobs who some people believe married James Remmington.

As previously mentioned, the ‘other’ Eliza Ann Jacobs was born in 1868 and also has a father called William.

– I failed to find Eliza living with her family on the 1871, 1881 and 1891 Census Returns. However, she does appear on the 1901 Census where she is boarding in the home of a Frederick Hawker. Eliza’s birth place is given as Ilminster which comes under the registration district of Chard. Eliza appears to marry Frederick Hawker in 1902.

– On the 1911 Census, Eliza and Frederick are living in Ilminster and both state that they were born in Ilminster. Eliza declares her age as 42 which would tie with an 1868 birth date.

– There is a death of an Eliza A. Hawker in 1945 aged 76 in the registration district of Chard. This would tie in with a birth date 1868.

To conclude, I can find no evidence to suggest that the Eliza Ann Jacobs born in 1868 in Ilminster (Chard) went to March and married James Remington. The only similarity that the two people share (other than their names) is that they both have a father called William. But birth years, birth locations, Census Returns, marriage data and death data all point to the Eliza Ann Jacobs born in 1871 in the registration district of North Witchford as being the wife of James Remmington.