Anne Elizabeth (Mason) Mears (1839 - 1897)

Born 23 May 1839 in St Mary, Marylebone, London, England

Ancestors

Wife of James Foster Mears — married 5 Sep 1858 in Parish Church, Bethnal Green, London, England

Descendants

Died 1897 at about age 57 in Mile End Old Town, London, England, United Kingdom

Biography

On 23rd May 1839, in Marylebone, London, Anne Elizabeth was born to her parents James Mason and Mary Harding.^[1] She lived In Marylebone, London. The same year she was born, there was a deadly cholera outbreak, which made people extremely ill and killed many across the whole of Europe. Maybe her family knew of someone who died of this dreadful disease.

When she was 12 years old in 1851, she might have lived in Limehouse with her parents and siblings. However, she was not listed in the 1851 England census with the rest of her family. This could have been a mistake, or she potentially could have gone into service to help her family earn money. She might even have been listed under another name.^[2]

In 1858, she got married to James Mears in Bethnal Green.^[3] In 1861, she lived with her husband and her first daughter, called Anne Elizabeth after herself.^[4] They also lived with a boarder called Emma Marshall, who was 18 years old. Her husband was a baker, and she doesn't seem to have an occupation, presumably to take care of her child, who was two years old at the time. Emma Marshall was a needle woman, who probably helped with money and taxes.

In 1871, she lived in St. George in the East, London.^[5] They lived at number 95, and her father doesn't appear to be in the census. Her mother is listed as the Head.

In 1875, the third Public Health Act was passed. Conditions in towns and cities finally began to get better, and networks of sewers are dug and water pipes are laid. Gas light becomes common even in the poorest homes. Anne Elizabeth's family would have most likely experienced some of these changes in the home, and their quality of life probably improved.

In 1881, she was living with eight children and her husband.^[6] Her eldest child Anne Elizabeth had moved out, and she lived with her eldest son Henry, Elizabeth, Ada, William, Alice, Hannah, Sarah, and her youngest child Mary Ann, who was one at the time. They lived in Marylebone, London, possibly at "St Anns Rd".

In the 1890's, the first underground train ran through London, and Anne and her family could have been there to witness it. The famous writer Lewis Carroll died, and in the very late 1890's the Boer War was fought in South Africa. Anne's family would have experienced all of these things, and maybe even had some connection with them.

In 1891, she was living with her husband and her youngest four children - Alice, Hannah, Sarah and Mary Ann.^[7] They ranged in ages 19 to 11. Her husband was 57, while she was 53. Even though her husband was old, he still worked as a baker, and would have provided locals with food and drinks. Her eldest child living in the home was Alice, and she was a cap maker, along with Hannah and Sarah, who was only 14. Mary Ann was still a scholar, and along with her mother was the only one who didn't work. The whole family would have tried to make as much money as possible, even if that meant working from the moment you become 12 or 13.

In 1897, Anne Elizabeth passed away in Mile End Old Town, when she was 59 years old.^[8]

Research Notes

• Note that Anne Elizabeth was not in the 1851 census with the rest of her family, and the record is under her sister's name - Mary Ann Mears.
• Research done on Ancestry and FamilySearch.

Sources

1. ↑ Birth Registration Index, 1837-2008," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:2N9K-9YV : 1 October 2014), Anne Elizabeth Mason, 1839; from "England & Wales Births, 1837-2006," database, findmypast (http://www.findmypast.com : 2012); citing Birth Registration, Marylebone, London, England, citing General Register Office, Southport, England.
2. ↑ "England and Wales Census, 1851," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:SGX5-P23 : 10 November 2017), Mary Ann Mason in household of James S Mason, Saint Anne Limehouse, Middlesex, England; citing Saint Anne Limehouse, Middlesex, England, p. 14, from "1851 England, Scotland and Wales census," database and images, findmypast (http://www.findmypast.com : n.d.); citing PRO HO 107, The National Archives of the UK, Kew, Surrey.
3. ↑ "England and Wales Marriage Registration Index, 1837-2005," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:2D7T-879 : 13 December 2014), Anne Mason, 1858; from “England & Wales Marriages, 1837-2005,” database, findmypast (http://www.findmypast.com : 2012); citing 1858, quarter 3, vol. 1C, p. 578, Bethnal Green, London, England, General Register Office, Southport, England.
4. ↑ "England and Wales Census, 1861," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q2ML-LMZK : 10 December 2017), Emma Marshall in household of James Mears, ..., London, Middlesex, England; from "1861 England, Scotland and Wales census," database and images, findmypast (http://www.findmypast.com : n.d.); citing PRO RG 9, The National Archives, Kew, Surrey.
5. ↑ Class: RG10; Piece: 531; Folio: 72; Page: 18; GSU roll: 823387 Ancestry.com. 1871 England Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2004. Original data: Census Returns of England and Wales, 1871. Kew, Surrey, England: The National Archives of the UK (TNA): Public Record Office (PRO), 1871. Data imaged from the National Archives, London, England.
6. ↑ "England and Wales Census, 1881," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q27S-5MHG : 8 December 2017), Ann Mears in household of James Mears, Mile End Old Town, London,Middlesex, England; from "1881 England, Scotland and Wales Census," database and images, findmypast (http://www.findmypast.com : n.d.); citing p. 23, Piece/Folio 486/50, The National Archives, Kew, Surrey; FHL microfilm 101,774,276.
7. ↑ "England and Wales Census, 1891," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QHSM-LW2 : 10 December 2017), Anne Mears in household of James Mears, Mile End Old Town, London, England; from "1891 England, Scotland and Wales census," database and images, findmypast (http://www.findmypast.com : n.d.); citing PRO RG 12, London county, subdistrict, The National Archives of the UK, Kew, Surrey.
8. ↑ "England and Wales Death Registration Index 1837-2007," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:2JY8-ZGG : 31 December 2014), Anne Mears, 1897; from "England & Wales Deaths, 1837-2006," database, findmypast (http://www.findmypast.com : 2012); citing Death, Mile End Old Town, London, England, General Register Office, Southport, England.

Acknowledgements

• This profile has been improved by a member of the England Project's Orphan Trail