Mercy (Gridley) Towers (1843 - 1904)

Born 9 Jan 1843 in Richmond, Surrey, England

Ancestors

Wife of William Robert Towers — married 30 Oct 1859 (to 1904) in St Paul, Hammersmth, London, England

Descendants

Died 1904 at about age 60 in Mortlake, Surrey, England

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Biography

Mercy Gridley, daughter of Robert Gridley and his wife, Mary Pettifer, was born on the 9th of January 1843 and was baptised at St John in Richmond on the 5th of February. ^[1] Her father was a bricklayer and the family lived in Kew Rd. ^[2]

Mercy was not yet 17 when she married William Towers at St Paul, Hammersmith on the 30th of October 1859 though she claimed to be of full age. ^[3][4] For the first few years they too lived in Kew Rd. ^[5] but by 1871 they had moved to Bottom's Place with their growing family. ^[6] By 1881 there were ten children at home. ^[7]They had moved to Mortlake by 1891 and only had three teenagers at home. ^[8][9]

William and Mercy's eldest and unmarried daughter, Elizabeth, died in 1901 ^[10] and their son, Thomas, in 1902, his death being registered at Nantwich in Cheshire. ^[11]

Mercy died in 1904 aged 63 ^[12]and was buried at St Mary, Mortlake on the 2nd of April. ^[13]

Dna

Paternal relationship considered confident by autosomal dna match of 13.2cm over one segment between Sandra Barnett and Alan Sturgeon, her 4th cousin once removed,. These matches can be independently verified by via the Gedmatch Autosomal One-to-one Comparison tool. Their most-recent common ancestors are Robert Gridley and Mary Pettifer, the 4x great grandparents of Sandra Barnett and 3x great grandparents of Alan Sturgeon.

Sources

1. ↑ Baptismal record, St John, Richmond, Surrey (5 February 1843 Mercy Gridley born 9 January 1843 daughter of Robert Gridley and Mary) Viewed at Ancestry. Text only
2. ↑ 1851 Census of England
   NW Kew Rd, Richmond, Surrey, England

   First Name	Last Name	Relationship	Marital Status	Gender	Age	Occupation	Birth Place
   Robert	Gridley	Head	Married	Male	46	Bricklayer	Richmond, Surrey
   Mary	Gridley	Wife	Married	Female	46	-	Middleton, Northamptonshire
   William	Gridley	Son	Unmarried	Male	15	Journeyman bricklayer	Richmond, Surrey
   John	Gridley	Son	-	Male	11	Scholar	Richmond, Surrey
   Mercey	Gridley	Daughter	-	Female	8	Scholar	Richmond, Surrey
   Susan	Gridley	Daughter	-	Female	5	Scholar	Richmond, Surrey
   George	Stacey	Son-in-law	Married	Male	30	Journeyman baker	Surrey
   Martha	Stacey	Wife	Married	Female	25	Laundress	Richmond, Surrey

3. ↑ London, England, Church of England Marriages and Banns, 1754-1932 (St Paul, Hammersmith 30 October 1859 William Robert Towers bachelor of Hammersmith, bricklayer son of Solomon Towers bricklayer married Mercy Gridley spinster of full age of Hammersmith daughter of Robert Gridley, bricklayer)
4. ↑ England and Wales marriage index (Registered Kensington 1859 4th qu Mercy Gridley married William Robert Towers Vol 1a Page 32)
5. ↑ 1861 Census of England
   Kew Rd, Richmond, Surrey, England

   First Name	Last Name	Relationship	Marital Status	Gender	Age	Occupation	Birth Place
   William	Towers	Head	Married	Male	21	Bricklayer	Chelsea, Middlesex
   Mercy	Towers	Wife	Married	Female	20	-	Richmond, Surrey
   Elizabeth	Towers	Daughter	-	Female	1	-	Mortlake, Surrey
   William	Towers	Son	-	Male	3mo	-	Richmond, Surrey

6. ↑ 1871 Census of England
   9 Bottoms Place, Richmond, Surrey, England

   First Name	Last Name	Relationship	Marital Status	Gender	Age	Occupation	Birth Place
   William	Towers	Head	Married	Male	32	Bricklayer	Chelsea, Middlesex
   Mercy	Towers	Wife	Married	Female	28	-	Richmond, Surrey
   Elizabeth	Towers	Daughter	Unmarried	Female	11	-	Mortlake, Surrey
   William R	Towers	Son	Unmarried	Male	10	-	Richmond, Surrey
   Henry	Towers	Son	Unmarried	Male	7	-	Richmond, Surrey
   George	Towers	Son	Unmarried	Male	6	-	Richmond, Surrey
   Edwin	Towers	Son	Unmarried	Male	5	-	Richmond, Surrey
   James H	Towers	Son	Unmarried	Male	2	-	Richmond, Surrey
   Thomas	Towers	Son	Unmarried	Male	9mo	-	Richmond, Surrey

7. ↑ 1881 Census of England
   3 1/2 George St, Battersea, Surrey, England

   First Name	Last Name	Relationship	Marital Status	Gender	Age	Occupation	Birth Place
   William	Towers	Head	Married	Male	42	Bricklayer	Chelsea, Middlesex
   Mercy	Towers	Wife	Married	Female	39	-	Richmond, Surrey
   William R	Towers	Son	Unmarried	Male	20	Bricklayer	Richmond, Surrey
   George	Towers	Son	Unmarried	Male	18	?	Richmond, Surrey
   Henry	Towers	Son	Unmarried	Male	16	Bricklayer	Richmond, Surrey
   Edwin	Towers	Son	Unmarried	Male	14	-	Richmond, Surrey
   Thomas	Towers	Son	Unmarried	Male	13	Scholar	Richmond, Surrey
   Jim H	Towers	Son	Unmarried	Male	11	Scholar	Richmond, Surrey
   Arthur	Towers	Son	Unmarried	Male	9	Scholar	Richmond, Surrey
   Harriet	Towers	Daughter	-	Female	7	Scholar	Richmond, Surrey
   Walter	Towers	Son	Unmarried	Male	6	Scholar	Richmond, Surrey
   Sarah A	Towers	Daughter	-	Female	4	Scholar	Richmond, Surrey

8. ↑ 1891 Census of England
   ?, Mortlake, Surrey, England

   First Name	Last Name	Relationship	Marital Status	Gender	Age	Occupation	Birth Place
   William	Towers	Head	Married	Male	52	Bricklayer	Chelsea, Middlesex
   Mercy	Towers	Wife	Married	Female	49	-	Richmond, Surrey
   Harriet	Towers	Daughter	-	Female	18	Domestic servant	Richmond, Surrey
   Arthur	Towers	Son	Unmarried	Male	17	-	Richmond, Surrey
   Walter	Towers	Son	Unmarried	Male	16	Gardener	Richmond, Surrey

9. ↑ 1901 Census of England
   ?, Mortlake, Surrey, England

   First Name	Last Name	Relationship	Marital Status	Gender	Age	Occupation	Birth Place
   William	Towers	Head	Married	Male	61	Bricklayer	Chelsea, Middlesex
   Mercy	Towers	Wife	Married	Female	59	-	Richmond, Surrey
   Arthur	Towers	Son	Single	Male	29	?	Richmond, Surrey
   Sarah A	Towers	Daughter	Single	Female	24	Domestic	Richmond, Surrey
   William R	Towers	Grandson	Single	Male	3days	-	Richmond, Surrey

10. ↑ England and Wales death index (Registered Surrey 1901 1st qu Elizabeth Towers aged 41)
11. ↑ England and Wales death index (Registered Nantwich, Cheshire 1902 4th qu Thomas Towers age 34 Vol 8a Page 218)
12. ↑ England and Wales death index (Registered Richmond 1904 1st qu Mercy Towers aged 63 Vol 2a Page 323)
13. ↑ Surrey, England, Church of England Burials, 1813-1997 (St Mary, Mortlake 2 April 1904 Mercy Towers of 23 Victoria Rd, Mortlake aged 63)