Who lived at "Oaklands" - Croydon area?

[Jamez]

David

Posted in Croydon 1 Sept 1880 & 22 Dec 1885

[dawnsh]

Just a reminder to use the personal message system to exchange email addresses 

[Chris Doran]

The Stevenson monument at Queen's Road Cemetery can be seen here (Curtis) and here (Sarah}, including David's photographs of the inscriptions mentioning Oaklands, Thornton Heath.

In Kelly's 1902 London Southern Suburbs Directory, there as a Mrs Stevenson at 450 London Rd, between Winterbourne Rd and Warwick Rd, as is the present Oaklands Rd. Croydon Local Studies may have more information, possibly even a photo.

[LizzieL]

The third address (the one on the pink envelope - bottom one of the pair) looks like a different handwriting, the way the r in Thornton is written is quite different.

[Jamez]

Chris

Thank you for the info and links.  All much appreciated.  I have re-sized the three images.

James

[LizzieL]

I've found you Major Thornton in 1871. He and his family are living in Dover. His name is Charles Edmund (not Edward). He has two children only identified by their initials CAA daughter born abt 1864 and EWT son. Looking at FreeBMD the daughter is Cornelia Amanda Augusta reg Q3 1863 Derby and the son is Edmund W T reg Q3 1866 Dover. (annoyingly this was after the BMD index changed to give only middle initials). Cornelia is still with the Major in in 1881, Edmund isn't. The wife identified as E A Thornton isn't with them in 1881 either although the Major says he is married not widowed. I can't find a marriage for them, but the wife is born in the East Indies, so maybe married abroad.

So far we have assumed that Mr Stevenson is writing these illustrated letters, but could it be the son? Writing to his father from a boarding school called Oaklands?

[LizzieL]

Found the son in 1881, he is at boarding school, but in Hove, at a school called the Wick in Furze Hill. Long way to go to Croydon to post a letter.
So that theory doesn't run.

[LizzieL]

Some more background on the Major. 1871 census says he was born Marylebone. Best match on baptism from Ancestry is Charles Edmund son of William Thomas and Hannah Isabella Cornelia Thornton born 14 Feb 1825 and bapt  on & March 1831 at  St Marylebone. Also bapt on same day is his sister Eveline Blanche born 26 Aug 1828. Their address is Clarence Terrace, father's occupation looks like "Esqr" which I guess is short for esquire. 
So year of birth and place match. Mother has Cornelia in her name like the Major's daughter and the social class seems consistent.

Daughter Cornelia Amanda Augusta was born on 19 Sep 1863, bapt 20 Oct 1863 at Christ church, Derby. Parents Charles Edmund and mother Eliza Amanda Thornton.
The son's full name is Edmund William Tankerville Thornton bapt Dover 19 Sep 1866 (big sister's birthday). Same parents.

[LizzieL]

Looks like Eliza Amanda Thornton died in 1872 and the Major remarried Maria Butt Chapman Pole in 1873. There is a daughter on 1881 census age 3 - probably Catherine Isabella. The Major diesd in 1888 at Hove. He left over 26K. Probate to his widow.

Now where was she in 1881?

There is a mention of another residence in Lancashire - Kirkland Hall in the probate record, so maybe there?