Looking for Clayton Family Early C20th

[MatthewJ]

Hello,

I am looking for information on my great-grandfather's parents, whom I haven't been able to locate on the censuses. My great-grandfather was born Stanley Clayton, on the 30th August 1905, at 45 Jamaica Street, Mile End Old Town. His birth was registered on the 9th of October of the same year, and he was baptised between these two events, at Christ Church in Jamaica Street on the 20th September. At all three dates the family were apparently living at 45 Jamaica Street. Stanley's parents were James and Minnie Clayton (Minnie née Nevard). James was a crane driver on the birth certificate, and is simply described as a 'driver' in the baptism record.

However, other than this record, I have not been able to find any record of the family. My grandmother has told me the story of the family, as Stanley understood it. Apparently James and Minnie had three children together. There were two sons, James and Stanley, and a daughter named Florence. Apparently James the father died in accident, in which he fell under a train (or so the story goes), and Minnie was left to raise the children on her own. At some point the children were taken into some kind of children's home, and didn't see their mother for years, although she did meet up with them all when they were adults.

I couldn't find any record of James and Minnie's marriage, but I knew that Minnie had remarried later, so I ordered that certificate, to get an idea of her age and father's name. At the time of the marriage (1922), she was 37 years old, and the marriage took place in Mile End Old Town. Her father's name is given as Charles Nevard, who was apparently a 'butcher (master)'. It also gives a middle-name of Florence. The certificate also states that she was a spinster, which explains why no marriage between she and James can be found. The date of birth that can be deduced from these details, and the father's name are a good match for a Minnie Florence Nevard from Lexden in Essex, which fits with other stories I have heard about her being raised in a Rural setting, probably in Suffolk (and Lexden isn't that far away from Suffolk).

However, I can still find no record of James Clayton, nor the other two children. I don't know where they lived with the exception of the period of the 30th of August until the 9th October 1905. Can anybody find anything that may be of help, or suggest where to look next?

Thanks,

Matthew

[CaroleW]

If you have the right Minnie - Nevard married Nevard married Nevard !!

Marriages September qtr 1890 

Elvina Nevard    Colchester  4a 734   
William Keningale Nevard    Colchester  4a 734

1891 census for Lexden Essex - all b Colchester Lexden except William

William Kenningale Nevard 48 carpenter b Boxted
Elvina   38
The following are shown as son/dtr of illiam
George K   14
Harry K 13
Mary Ann  12
Albert K   9
Robert K   8
James K  6

The following are shown as daughter/son in law which means stepchildren

Eliza   16
Albert   10
Ada   8
Minnie  6
RG12 Piece 1409 Folio 37 Page 16


1881 census  for Lexden

Charles Nevard 29 b Myland Essex - hay cutter
Elvina   29 b Lexden
Charles 9 b Myland
Eliza  7 b Lexden
Emily  8 b Lexden
RG11 Piece 1790 Folio 57 Page 18

Marriages March qtr 1872 
Charles Nevard    Colchester  4a 354   
Elvina Nevard   

1871 census for Mile End Colchester (not Myland) - all b Mile End except Elizabeth

Elijah Nevard 45 farmer
Elizabeth 47 b Colchester
Charles 22
Henry T   20
Elizabeth  19
Jane  16
Esther   13
Sarah 11
Walter E   9
Albert E  7
RG10 Piece 1686 Folio 81 Page 15 

[MatthewJ]

Hi CaroleW,

Thank you for your message. I did have a little look into this before. I found a (possibly) distant cousin, who was working on research on the Nevards that his late father had started. He had a lot of information, and also a photo of Elvina, but didn't know anything about what came of Elvina's Minnie. Elvina and William Keningale Nevard were first-cousins according to this gentleman's research. He descended from that second marriage, so he didn't know a great deal about Charles Nevard, although from the information he gave me, it would seem that he wasn't quite so closely related to Elvina as William Keningale was. It is funny though, Elvina ended up as 'Elivina Nevard, late Nevard, formerly Nevard', I suppose.

Matthew

[CaroleW]

Here is the 1861 for Elvina - West Ham Essex - all b Langham Essex except the lodger

Sarah Nevard 30 married - tailoress
Elkanah?? son 13 - see 1851 entry
Henrietta   11
Herbert 8
Elvina   5
Mary Alexander 48 lodger b Newmarket Herts
RG9 Piece 1057 Folio 116 Page 45

1851 for Langham - they are indexed as Neveard and are lodgers

Thomas Cole 61 b Suffolk Glassbrook
Amay Cole 50 b Suffolk
John Nevard 30 b Great Horsley Essex
Sarah   23 b Langham
Hannah  3 b Langham
Henrietta 7 Months b Langham
HO107 Piece 1782 Folio 761 Page 8

Marriages December qtr 1847   
Sarah Cole    Colchester  12 139   
John Nevard

[jorose]

http://www.1901censusonline.com/
 here Minnie is in West Ham (surname indexed as "Nerard")

freebmd.rootsweb.com shows that a James Clayton m. possibly Maria Tuffill in late 1901 in Mile End.   There seems to be a Maria Clayton in Mile End with a daughter Florence (b. 1902) in the 1911 census, no sign of James (she might have remarried in 1914 in Mile End).  This first marriage could explain why James and Minnie did not marry.

There is also a Florence b. 1906 and a James b. 1908 on freebmd - could these be Stanley's siblings? I can't find them or Stanley or Minnie on the 1911. Possibly they had already been separated by this time?

[MatthewJ]

Thank you both very much for your replies. Jorose, the 1901 Minnie Nevard is a very good find, the right age and the right place of birth. I searched for her on the 1901 census on another provider's website, and it was indexed with the same spelling on there, thank you for that. I see that her relation to the head of the household is 'sister'. I wondered whether she could have meant sister-in-law, so I had a look and there is an Ella (close to Ellen) Nevard marrying a Thomas Henry Hawkins (could be known as Harry), in Whitechapel in 1895 (coincides nicely with the age of the child in the 1901 census). I wonder if I were to view that document, whether the bride's father's name would be Charles. There doesn't appear to be a sister of Minnie named Ellen or Ella in the earlier census transcriptions that CaroleW posted though. Could that maybe be Eliza? What do we all think of that 1901 census entry? I can't see any better matches.

Thanks again,

Matthew

[MatthewJ]

Jorose, sorry I forgot to reply about the births you suggested may be Stanley's siblings (James and Florence). They could be the right people, although it is my nan's understanding that James was older than Stanley. Florence got married in the second quarter of 1933 in Stepney, but I don't know how old she was at the time.

Matthew

[MBathgate]

Don't know if this is applicable but I found 2 letters dated from 1915 in a trunk I own. They were hidden in the lining. They were both addressed to Sarah Gertrude Nevard who apparently went by "Gertie". She lived on Palmerston Rd in  Bowes Park. They are not love letters but sound more like they came from cousins or friends. There is a lot of discussion about family. I would be happy to photocopy them and email you the copies if you think there is a connection. One is dated May 11, 1915 and mentions the sinking of the Lusitania.