Susanna Harris bn 1813

[sparrett]

There is a Thomas Wilcox Bapt 3 Feb 1802 Madeley, Parents JOHN/SUSANNAH

So his Parents may be 2 of the 3 witnesses to the 1825

Trish

I think this seems a much more likely woman as a witness than the young daughter.
If we are on the right track it would be interesting to know exactly where Fanny died.  Was she estranged from Thomas by 1833 when Sarah Ann was born? Or what?

Sue 

[Comberton]

Burials

Thomas Wilcox
Age 51 of Ironbridge
23rd March 1853 Madeley

Susannah Wilcox
Age 46 of Ironbridge
6th March 1861 Madeley

[trish1120]

Who knows Sue. Maybe Fanny was ok with it if she was unable to give Thomas children.
These are the mysteries of Family research!

[Katie Steele]

Thank you Sue and Trish,

It really is a mystery. I was thinking it was a more morbid thing, like a sordid affair hidden from the mother/wife. Especially with Reuben and Ann not living with them at time of the 41 census.

Fanny's age is a bit of mystery too, as her baptism is dated 1771, which right now I'm thinking may be transcribed 10 years out. She is daughter of Alexander Guest and Eleanor Palmer. I know I have the parents right as her first husband John Harris, is on the grave and she is mentioned. 

[Millmoor]

One observation re the marriage of Thomas Wilcox and Susanna is the geography. Other docs. all suggest Madeley/ Ironbridge but here we have  a marriage by licence  in Shifnal and residence in Oakengates. Why not marry in Madeley? There do not appear to be any prior connections to Shifnal.

Suggest you have a look at the 1841  census entry for the Hannah Stanway mentioned in previous posts
 Address The Lloyds Madeley
George Stanway 55
Hannah Stanway 50
Various other Stanways
Ann Harris 8

Might the above Ann Harris be Sarah Ann Harris Wilcox?

Also worth noting that Telford Libraries have free access to the Shropshire Parish Records on FindMyPast.

William

[Katie Steele]

Yes I did think that rather odd, but as it was not legal to marry your step daughter. They probably wanted to avoid Madeley.

I have already assumed Ann Harris and Sarah Ann Harris Wilcox to be the same person.

Thank you, I am aware of the free access... I just lack the time to visit. I aim to go one day during the Christmas holidays, as long as it is open. I will eventually subscribe to Ancestry/Findmypast again soon I just lack a personal laptop atm and have to rely on others.

Thank you everyone for your help with look ups etc

[sparrett]

Suggest you have a look at the 1841  census entry for the Hannah Stanway mentioned in previous posts
 Address The Lloyds Madeley
George Stanway 55
Hannah Stanway 50
Various other Stanways
Ann Harris 8

Might the above Ann Harris be Sarah Ann Harris Wilcox?

William

Trish mentioned this earlier

I've found Ann Harris with Hannah Stanway/Her Husband George ad their Family in 1841 Census but where is Reuben?
 

I would agree very likely the right child.
Sue

[JRMW]

Dear Katie

can I ask if you are the Steele Family tree on Ancestry? as I pick up changes and additions over time.

I can probably solve the conundrum for this as I have been researching this for the past 20 years. Susanna Harris is my great great great grandmother on the maternal side. The family from the 1840's were known as the Harris Wilcox's of Madeley/ Coalbrookdale another relation researched this 20 years ago and was curious to find why they were known as the Harris Wilcox's and I have the answer.

Yes Thomas Wilcox did in fact have three children with Susanna Harris and the three children were registered as Harris at birth in the household of Thomas Wilcox (there are other Thomas Wilcox in Dawley married to Eleanor so it can get confusing when researching and not taking transcription error into account). Downstream all acknowledged at Baptism by Thomas so he must have valued his relationship with Susanna. Reuben Thomas was the eldest, Peter next and then Sarah Ann. This is quite a tragic tale and one when you read the documents is its own Dickensian drama when you view from Victorian morals. on my branch Thomas and the next two generations don't live past their mid 50's and the tale of perceived hardship is interesting.

Thomas father John Wilcox was a barge owner and shop keeper marrying Susanna Williams and having thirteen Children. He loses the house etc to Sarah Derby who owns the freehold after going bankrupt think of England without the safety net of the welfare state and entrepreneurs seeking advantage. Thomas is a grocer and marries Fanny Harris nee Guest and takes in her Children. So yes its quite morbid from Victorian morality but at the time I don't think it was frowned on at that point in regency England anything went and he was not related to her. Thomas is a bit of a rake as he is mentioned several times in the bastardy courts as being the father of other children not acknowledged downstream. Thomas dies of paralysis of the brain (think stroke and the subsequent cardiovascular disease downstream in one of his branches- mine).

Reuben, Peter and Sarah by 1861 have lost both their parents and Susanna's will of 1861 states that she has no next of kin and all her's and Thomas assets are claimed by Eleanor Guest Hinsley wife of John Jones Hinsley and Edwin Alexander Harris. This is a statement that is interesting as Peter Harris Wilcox is indentured to John Jones Hinsley in 1859 and Reuben and Sarah Ann are still alive at this point and legally her next of kin.

Reuben goes on to be a faience maker and dies 1901 aged 61 in stoke on trent having being very unlucky in love (his wife is delicate and is of a nervous disposition) and leaving only one child.

Peter - my direct ancestor-becomes a painter glazier and plumber marries Susanna Boycott Hussey/Huzzey and has two children 1869 Rueben Thomas Harris wilcox who dies aged 12 and 1870 Edwin George Harris Wilcox (Great Grandfather). Susanna B H dies aged 20 and he then marries her sister Ann Eliza Boycott Hussey Susanna's sister and has a son Philip in 1872. Unfortunately Ann Eliza dies in 1874 and Peter marries again 1876 to Mary Somers. He then has six children. He goes bankrupt in about 1890 and dies in 1896 after his heart gives out from exhaustion. The business is inherited by Edwin also known as George Edwin and he goes on to make good with the business running a successful painters decorators and glaziers at 20 / 20a the Wharfage ironbridge / Coalbrookdale until 1927 when dies from a mastoid and meningitis caused by cholesteatoma. The business continues until the early 2000's when the wharfage is sold. The heart disease and cholesteatoma carried on to his children's generation and downstream. Edwin had three girls and three boys. I am descended from one of his girls.

Sarah Ann marries Enoch Morgan and dies in 1899 aged 68 after having  at least two children.

going back to Thomas his father was born in Madeley and was descended from William Willcocks of Alveley and he descended from the wilcoxe/Taillours of enville. I am currently curating the monster genealogy project started over 20 years ago and have quite a few documents that I can share at a later date.

If you have any questions please let me know

Kind regards Jamie

[Katie Steele]

Hi Jamie,

Thank you for your reply, I am the owner of the Steele Family tree on Ancestry.
Edwin Alexander Harris is my 3xG.Grandfather so I think that makes us 5th Cousins.

That is a wealth of information, Thank you. I had figured out the children were Thomas's but had yet to go into any more detail. I actually went for a walk down Ironbridge the other week and diverted to go find the grave of Peter and Edwin George.

Have you done much research on the Harris's? I hit a brick wall with the family when I first started my research 16 years ago. Gladly was able to break that down last year but have come to a halt again.

I'd love to know more on how and where you found out all that information. I've found my paternal side a lot easier to research in detail due to them being Farmers etc and frequently in the Newspapers however my maternal side were all miners and I have a few gaps as I can't find anymore records of them.

Katie