Louisa Drusilla Crofts b.1862 :: which family?

[dtcoulson]

Hi experts,

In the mid 1800s, two Crofts brothers married two Jarmain sisters.

Albert Finney Crofts 1825 married Priscilla Laura Jarmain 1829 in Camberwell in 1847.

Alfred Boyle Crofts 1826 married Naomi Jane Jarmain 1832 in Surrey in 1849.


So, along comes a daughter, Louisa Drusilla Crofts, born Hackney 1862.
Mother's maiden name is Jarmain, according to GRO.

But which Crofts-Jarmain family was she born into?

I can't find her in 1871 or 1881. She does not seem to be at home with either set of parents.

She marries in 1884, in Gloucester to William Henry Hemming.

There are irregularities with the children of both families.
Several of them disappear from view in childhood but reappear as adults.
One family seems to have no children for the first twenty years
while the other seems to have a lot.

Thx
-DC

[mckha489]

You might have to buy the digital image of the birth £3 from the GRO
Or the marriage (more expensive)

[Kay99]

Could this be the family in 1871 (with Louisa) with the wifes surname and a few more mistakes 

Living at Athlestan Road, St Mary, Poplar, London

William   Jarmain   Head 1824   Traveller   Chelsea, Middlesex, England
Priscilla   Jarmain   Wife 40   Walworth, Surrey, England
Alfred   Jarmain   Son 17 Clerk   Walworth, Surrey, England
Julia   Jarmain   Daughter 13   Islington, Middlesex, England
Alice   Jarmain   Daughter 11   Islington, Middlesex, England
Louisa   Jarmain   Daughter 9   Islington, Middlesex, England
Samuel   Jarmain   Son   7 Islington, Middlesex, England
Grace   Jarmain   Daughter 1   Islington, Middlesex, England
John   Dyer   Boarder 38 Deptford, Kent, England

[Kay99]

The two children born on post 1861 on the 1871 census ?

 CROFTS, HERBERT  SAMUEL      JARMAIN     
GRO Ref: 1864  D Quarter in HACKNEY  Volume 01B  Page 393

 CROFTS, PRISCILLA  GRACE      JARMAIN     
GRO Ref: 1869  S Quarter in ISLINGTON  Volume 01B  Page 342

[Eyesee]

If you have access to Ancestry, an image of the William Henry HEMMING/Louisa CROFTS marriage is on there. Should name her father so you can see which one she belongs to.

Ian C

Added:
There are a few trees on Ancestry as well that have her parents.

[dtcoulson]

Could this be the family in 1871 with the wifes surname and a few more mistakes 

Living at Athlestan Road, St Mary, Poplar, London

William   Jarmain   Head 1824   Traveller   Chelsea, Middlesex, England
Priscilla   Jarmain   Wife 40   Walworth, Surrey, England
Alfred   Jarmain   Son 17 Clerk   Walworth, Surrey, England
Julia   Jarmain   Daughter 13   Islington, Middlesex, England
Alice   Jarmain   Daughter 11   Islington, Middlesex, England
Louisa   Jarmain   Daughter 9   Islington, Middlesex, England
Samuel   Jarmain   Son   7 Islington, Middlesex, England
Grace   Jarmain   Daughter 1   Islington, Middlesex, England
John   Dyer   Boarder 38 Deptford, Kent, England

Oh, this is suddenly getting very strange. Comparing forenames and birth years these are indeed Priscilla and her children from Mr Crofts but they have changed surname from Crofts to Jarmain! And Priscilla's husband has changed from Albert Finney Crofts 1824 to William Jarmain, born the same year, and same birthplace too as I recall. This appears to be a case of a fellow hiding his identity after a bad business deal. I think I have seen an instance of this before. A 'traveller' could be a smuggler for example. I think one of their children got caught smuggling in the 1890s and did time in prison.

A have access to Ancestry but not a paid membership presently as I'm trying to limit expenses on this hobby. Thanks for the reference to the photo.

Since Louisa is among the renamed children I think it is a certainty that she is part of that family by birth, and that is the end of that question.

But something further I am curious about: the younger Crofts-Jarmain couple, Alfred & Naomi, had a son Albert Edward in 1849, the year they married, and a daughter Augusta in 1871. That's a long stretch between siblings. The usual explanation for gaps in the birth sequence is to assume one or more deaths at birth that went unrecorded. This, however, is a 22-year gap. That's a lot of failed pregnancies! Is it possible something else has happened to this family? My guess is that the younger child is adopted and that the gap reflects an inability to conceive or bear children as the result of an incident after the birth of the first child in 1849.

-dc

[amondg]

Albert Edward reg. 1849 Lambeth is with Albert and Priscilla in 1861, in 1851 he is age 2 with
 grand parents Samuel and Maria Crofts in Camberwell.


There is an Albert Edward Crofts married Sarah Fanny Brind 18 August 1870 Parish Church Hackney
His father Albert Finney Crofts - Jeweller
Her father William Darby Brind - Captain

Witness A F Crofts ( Alfred Frederick his brother?) and Amelia Kate Brind.

So not the son of Alfred and Naomi.

[amondg]

If possible get the birth certificate of Augusta Bertha Crofts reg 1871 Camberwell  she may well be their niece and tenth child of Albert and Priscilla.

They had no children for 22 years .

[amondg]

Children of Albert and Priscilla Crofts nee Jarmain

Albert Edward 1849 reg. Lambeth
Arthur Thomas 1851 reg. Lambeth died 1854 buried 19 March
Alfred Frederick 1853 reg. St Mary Newington
Louisa Priscilla 1856 reg. Islington  buried 9 November 1856 age 0
Julia Naomi reg.  1858 Islington
Alice Maud reg. 1860 Islington
Louisa Druscilla 1862 reg. Hackney
Herbert Samuel reg. 1864 Hackney
Priscilla Grace reg. 1869 Islington
*Possible Augusta Bertha reg. 1871 Camberwell  mother's maiden name Jarmain