Thomas and Isabella Miller Noak Hill Essex

[dred46]

I have only just found RootsChat, and I would be grateful for any help with my search for Thomas Miller and his wife Isabella. They lived, with their family, for many years in Noak Hill Essex where Thomas was an agricultural labourer. On the census reports, he gives his birthplace variously as Navestock, Stapleford or Romford. There is a record for the death of Thomas in Romford in 1873 (aged 69). I have even less information for Isabella.  So I would very much like to find anything relating to this couple (my 3rd Great Grandparents) and the area in which they lived.
Thanks!

[Pennines]

I just wondered if you knew that there is an excellent website for researching Essex ancestors. It is a subscription site -- but you can purchase short periods. It is soley related to Essex and has brilliant resources such as Parish Registers etc. Just have a look at it -- I am sure you will be tempted!

http://seax.essexcc.gov.uk/EssexAncestors.aspx

[suzard]

there is a tree online which has this marriage
Thomas Miller & Isabella Robinson 9 Feb 1827 Romford

May be worth checking out

Suz

[dred46]

Great. Thanks very much for the tip. Looks like a site to be investigated.

[old rowley]

Hi Dred46, welcome to Rootschat. I deal with the history of Noak Hill near Romford and have had a quick look in some of my files and the Millers pop up in them from at least 1841 to 1900. I will go through them properly and will post what I have for you here.

OR.

[old rowley]

Having now had time to go through my files properly I have extracted the following information for you to follow up on. If you need information on the others that I have mentioned please let me know.

The earliest mention that I have of Miller’s in the Noak Hill area on my Noak Hill Name Database is for a burial held at St Edward’s Church in the Market Place Romford for a Abraham Miller of Noak Hill  which was held on 10th September 1760.

The next one that I have is for a Sarah Miller who was born circa 1720 possibly in the district of South Weald (which is only a two and a bit mile walk from Noak Hill) who was  a widow  of Hare Street (Romford/Romford Common but I need to mention that the present day Noak Hill Road was also referred to as Hare Street on a couple of documents that I have seen whereas the present day Main Road Gidea Park is also known as Hare Street by some). There is a will dated 13th August 1779 which was held by the Registry of the Prerogative Court of Canterbury for Sarah which was proved on 8th February 1780……This Sarah Miller was the daughter of James Combers (more likely to be Cumbers) and she was buried in the same grave as him and her husband M. Miller at St Peter’s Church, South Weald Essex (her will requests that this was done). Sarah Miller died in February 1780. Her father had died in 1736.

From there I have a mention of a Thomas Miller residing in a property owned by Henry William Watkins, which consisted of a cottage & garden, on the following dates; 13th May 1840.  4th April 1844.  1st January 1846. 20th October 1848. & 4th April 1850. Each date represents when the Poor Rate was collected from each ward of the parish, in this case the property fell into the Noak Hill Ward of the Parish of Romford.

Thomas  Miller and his wife Isabella are shown living in Noak Hill on the 1841 census along with their children, Thomas, Fanny, Charles, John and Edward all of whom are noted as being born within the county of Essex. Out of these children I think that I have located a marriage for Fanny  and also have Edward, Thomas and their brother William (not shown on the 1841 census) cropping up in different sources that I have.

Thomas Miller, born c1805 died in 1873 and was buried at St Thomas’ Chapel of Ease, Church Road Noak Hill near Romford on 1st January 1874 at the time of his death he was residing in Noak Hill and his age given at death is noted as 69. Isabella Miller, born c1807 is also buried at St Thomas’ Chapel of Ease, Church Road Noak Hill near Romford. She was buried on 4th September 1882 and was residing in Noak Hill at the time of her death. Her age given at death was 75. Unfortunately I know of no head stone for either Thomas or Isabella.

For a general feel of how Noak Hill was when the Millers where in the hamlet you might want to look at  www.friendsofdagnampark.org.uk  although the website deals predominantly with Dagnam Park, a large country estate that once stood in the area, it drew its workers from the nearby hamlet of Noak Hill and Romford Common.

OR

[dred46]

This is  great. Thank you so much for the help, it is really appreciated. I look forward to finding out more about Thomas and Isabella and their family.  Thanks again for the help.

[MichRich]

I am also researching the Miller family of Romford.  In particular Abraham Miller and Sarah Combers.  I have a subscription to Essex Ancestors and have looked through the records of St Edward the Confessor.  I can't find a marriage for Isabella and Thomas (I have double checked the above date, and checked surrounding years), but I have found one baptism -

27 July 1828 Thomas William, son of Thomas and Isabella Miller, Labourer.

I have checked to 1846 and there are no other baptisms for this couple in St Edward the Confessor's registers.

As far as I can tell, there is no relationship between your Thomas and Isabella Miller and Abraham and Sarah Miller, but I can't find a baptism for Abraham either, so I can't rule it out.  There is definitely no direct relationship.

[MichRich]

OldRowley - Just in case you want to add to your database:

Abraham Miller, of Romford, married Sarah Combers, of North Weald, at St Benet, Paul's Wharf, London on 11 May 1731.  Sarah was the daughter of James and Sarah Combers of South Weald.  She was born on 8 Sep 1711 and baptised at St Peter, South Weald on 18 Sep 1711.  She died in Romford and was buried at St Peter, South Weald on 13 Feb 1780.  They had three children that I know of:

Abraham Miller, baptised 10 Sep 1734 at St Edward the Confessor, Romford.  He was buried at St Peter, South Weald on 28 Apr 1761.  He does not appear to have married and left everything to his Mother in his Will.

Sarah Miller, baptised 28 Aug 1732 at St Edward the Confessor, Romford. Buried at St Peter, South Weald 4 Jan 1735.

Edwin Miller, baptised 27 Nov 1733 at St Edward the Confessor, Romford.  I haven't yet found out what happened to him, but he was not mentioned in his Mother's Will, so assume he had died by 1780.

I haven't been able to find a baptism for Abraham Miller, husband of Sarah.

Sarah's Will mentioned:

John Miller - Marshallman of Greyhound Alley, St Mary Axe
William Miller - Son of Sexton Miller
Ann Smith - Dau of Sexton Miller
John Paul - Nephew, and son of John Paul, Labourer
Mrs Mary Nelson
James Combers - Son of John Combers of South Weald
Elizabeth and Mary Bunting - Dau of Robert Bunting of Noak Hill (my ancestors)
Elizabeth Bunting - Wife of Robert Bunting (mother of above)
Richard Skare - Son of Richard Skare, Publican of Hare Street
Sarah Boone - Widow of Navestock
William Miller - Son of John Miller

Sexton Miller married Mary Jeneaway at St Clement Danes on 12 Mar 1726.

Abraham Miller (Snr) seems to be the son of Robert Miller, as I am assuming Sexton was his brother and Sexton's apprenticeship papers mention that his father was Robert Miller of Romford.

James Combers, Father of Sarah, was buried at St Peter, South Weald on 2 Oct 1736.  He died on 26 Sep 1736 and was born about 1666.

That's about as far as I've got with this family.  I am interested in them because Sarah Miller left property to my ancestor, Elizabeth Bunting (dau of Robert Bunting and Elizabeth Beard) and I know of no relationship between the Millers, Combers, Bunting or Beard, except that Abraham Miller was a witness at the marriage of Robert Bunting and Elizabeth Beard.