William Henry Pavey (1806 - 1880)

Born 13 Dec 1806 in Stoke Damerel, Devon, England, United Kingdom

Ancestors

Husband of Elizabeth (Ellacott) Pavey — married 7 Oct 1829 in Maker, Devon, England, United Kingdom

Descendants

Died 9 Nov 1880 at age 73 in Pancras, Middlesex, England, United Kingdom

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Biography

Summary

William Henry Pavey's ancestors had lived in East Devon since the 1500's. He was the first in his line to move away from Devon when he moved from Plymouth to London in about 1856. He was a man of many occupations: an Artist, a Dancing Master, a Boot and Shoe Maker, a Lodging-House Keeper, a Cabinet Maker, a Carpenter, a Wood Turner and a Blind Maker. He and his wife had twelve children who all survived to adulthood and married.

Early life

William was born on 13 December 1806 to Zechariah Pavey and his wife Mary (née Thorn) in Stoke Damerel, Devon. He was baptized on 17 April 1807 in Stoke Damerel.^[1] He was the couple's only child at that point, three previous children having died in infancy. He did have one half-brother, James Pavey, who was almost twenty at the time but may not have been living with them.

His father was a Mariner and may have had some connection with the navy at Devonport. We also know he was a freemason.

Stoke Damerel was a large parish that originally included Devonport. It seems likely that he was born in what is now Devonport since his mother was living at James St., Devonport in the parish of Stoke Damerel in 1841.

When he was two, his twin sisters Anna and Elizabeth were born on 17 February 1809 and baptized on 5 April 1809 in Stoke Damerel. Sadly they both died in infancy - Elizabeth at age 7 months (buried in Stoke Damerel on 29 September 1809) and Anna at age 14 months (buried in Stoke Damerel on 13 May 1810).

We don't know much about William's childhood. He would have been an only child growing up. He only had one grandparent alive when he was born - Leonard Pavey, father of Zechariah. Leonard was living in Offwell about 60 miles away and died in 1813 when William was six. We don't know if William had any contact with his half-brother and uncles and cousins in East Devon. We don't know if he had any schooling or an apprenticeship.

We have no further records of William or his parents until his marriage.

We do know a bit about what was happening with his uncles and cousins:

• Uncle Samuel was living in Cullompton from 1799 until his death in 1816. He was a Wheelwright. He had four children who survived to adulthood.
  • Cousin Joseph married in 1807 in North Curry, Somerset
    • His son, Charles, married in 1828 and emigrated to the U.S. in about 1832.
  • Cousin Leonard married in 1804. He was a Wheelwright in Cullompton and then a Coachbuilder in Taunton. He had no children.
  • Cousin Martha married in 1820 in Bishops's Hull, Somerset.
• Uncle William was a carpenter in Combe Raleigh. His wife died in 1786 and he died in 1791.
  • His son, cousin James, became a very successful Linen Draper and was in the City of London from 1811 until 1835.
• Uncle James was a Linen Draper in Staines, Middlesex. He married in 1794 and by 1805 he had seven children (so all older than William Henry).
  • His son, cousin John, was an accountant in Lambeth, London and married there in 1827.

Marriage, children and life in Plymouth

View from Mt. Edgecombe/Maker to Plymouth Dock Drawn by J.M.W. Turner about 1814

William married Elizabeth Ellacott on 7 October 1829 in Maker when he was 22 and she was about 21.^[2][3][4][5] Maker is on the other side of the Hamoaze (the estuary of the River Tamar) from Devonport and Plymouth and is now in Cornwall, but until 1844 it was part of Devon. They may have married here rather than in Plymouth because the bride was six months pregnant at the time. However the image says William was a Blind Maker and "sojourner of this parish" suggesting that he may have been temporarily living in Maker. Elizabeth's sister Jemima was a witness along with Henry Feather (a tailor originally from St Pancras).

Elizabeth Ellacott was the daughter of William Ellacott and Jemima (Lidstone) Ellacott. William Ellacott was a Boot Maker in Plymouth.

Their first child, Elizabeth Adelaide, was baptized less than three months later on 25 December 1829 in the parish of Plymouth St. Andrew. Plymouth was a single town, but for the purposes of records was split into two parishes: "St. Andrew" and "Charles the Martyr". On the baptism record William's "Quality, Trade or Profession" is listed as "Artist" and his abode as Plymouth.

Their second child, William Henry Jr, was baptized on 26 December 1831 in the parish of Plymouth St. Andrew also. William's trade was now "Dancing Master" and abode was Plymouth. Though, on the 1851 census record, William Henry Jr.'s place of birth is East Stonehouse.

Their third child, Frederick Archibald, was baptized on 25 December 1833, also in Plymouth St. Andrew. We can see a pattern here of their children being baptized at Christmas time. William's trade was "Blind Maker" and abode was "Union Street, Stonehouse". Union street was the main street connecting Devonport and Plymouth. It had been recently built. It was designed by architect John Foulston and laid out between 1812 and 1820 and seems to have been a mostly wealthy neighborhood at this time.

Their fourth child, Jemima Ann (there are conflicting records as to whether her middle name was Ann, Anne or Anna), was baptized on 1 February 1835, still in Plymouth St Andrew. William's trade was "Shoe Maker" and abode was still "Union Street, Stonehouse". This suggests that William had learned the boot and shoe making skill from his father-in-law. The surname was misspelled "Peavy" on the baptism record.

Their fifth child, John Leonard, was baptized on 19 March 1837 in Plymouth St Andrew. William's trade was "Boot Maker" and abode was the same.

In the wider world, Queen Victoria became Queen on 20 June 1837, starting her 64 year reign.

William's sister-in-law, Jemima Ellacott, married James Dabb, a Tailor, on 7 August 1837 in Stoke Damerel and William was a witness (signed "W H Pavey").

Their sixth child, Marianne, was born sometime in the 3rd quarter of 1838. There is no record of her being baptized so it is not certain if she had a middle name (there is no mention of one on later records such as her marriage record). Note that civil birth registrations began on 1 July 1837 so there may have been a drop off in church baptisms after that.

In the 1839 Robson's Directory for East Stonehouse, William is listed as a Boot and Shoe Maker at 30 Union Street.^[6]

Also in 1839 Elizabeth's mother Jemima died and was buried on 15 January 1839. Her residence is given as 33 Buckwell Street.

Their seventh child, Isabella, was born sometime in the 3rd quarter of 1840. Like her sister Marianne there is no record of a baptism and no middle name.

In the 1841 census:

• William (35) and wife Elizabeth (33) were at Union Street in East Stonehouse with all of their children. William's trade was given as Boot Maker.^[7]
• William's mother Mary (Thorn) Pavey (68) was living at James Street in Stoke Damerel/Devonport.
• His father Zechariah Pavey (84) was in the workhouse in Axminster.
• Elizabeth's father William Ellacott (56) was living at Buckwell Street in Plymouth Charles the Martyr.

In 1842 William's father Zechariah died and was buried on 9 April 1842 in Stockland in an unmarked grave in an area reserved for people from the workhouse.

Their eighth child, Charles Allen, was born on 20 June 1842 and baptized on 23 March 1855 at Plymouth St Andrew. Their last five children were all baptized at the same time, some time after their births. The middle name Allen probably comes from his uncle John William Allen who his mother Elizabeth's younger sister, Mary Anne Ellacott, married in 1840 in London.

Their ninth child, Mary Eliza, was born on 15 July 1844 (and baptized on 23 March 1855).

Their tenth child, Julia Anne, was born on 30 May 1846 (and baptized on 23 March 1855).

In 1848 their eldest child, Elizabeth Adelaide, emigrated to Australia, arriving in New South Wales on 12 June 1848 on the ship Canton. She is listed on the passenger list as a House Maid and her religion as Church of England. She later married Charles Nicholson in 1850 in Sydney.

Their eleventh child, Fanny Frances, was born on 15 October 1848 (and baptized on 23 Mar 1855).

In August 1849 there was a major outbreak of cholera in the three towns. It doesn't appear to have affected anyone in the family unless it was the cause of William's mother's death.

William's mother Mary died on 27 October 1849 at the workhouse in Stoke Damerel and was buried on 30 October 1849. She was 77.

In the 1850 White's Directory for Stonehouse, William is listed as running a Lodging House at 15 Durnford Street.^[8] So, some time between 1841 and 1850, William switched from being a Boot Maker to a Lodging House Keeper. This may have been influenced by his sister-in-law Jemima who was a Lodging House Keeper in 1841 and 1850 at Union Terrace and in 1861 at 24 Clarendon Place.

In the 1851 census:

• William (44) and wife Elizabeth (43) were at 18 Clarendon Place, Plymouth St. Andrew. All their children except their oldest, Elizabeth Adelaide (in Australia), were with them. Williams's trade was "Lodging House Keeper".^[9] If this address was the lodging house then there were not many guests. Two other households were at the same address: Mary Stephen a 65 year old widowed annuitant; Frances Trist a 58 year old widow and "Lady" and her son, a student. Judging from the neighbors it was a well-off neighborhood. On one side was a captain of Royal Marines and the other side an Admiral's wife: Harriett Carman (the wife of John Surman Carden).
• Elizabeth's father (66) was still a widower living at 36 Buckwell St. with five lodgers.

In 1852 William was listed in a city directory of Plymouth and Stonehouse as a Lodging House Keeper at 18 Clarendon Place, Citadel Road.^[10]

Their twelfth and final child, Harry Alfred, was born on 18 July 1852 (and baptized on 23 March 1855).

As mentioned above their last five children were baptized on 23 March 1855. William's abode was Athenaeum Street, Plymouth St Andrew and his trade was "Lodging House Keeper".

Elizabeth's father, William Ellacott, died on 24 July 1860 aged 75. The executrix of his will was Mary Richards, a widow. She was living with him in 1841 but it is not clear what their relationship was.

Sometime between 1855 (when the last children were baptized) and 1858 when daughter Marianne married, the whole family left Plymouth and moved to St. Pancras in London. It was probably shortly after 1855.

It is interesting to look at old maps to see how much Plymouth changed while the family was living there. This map from 1820 is before many of the streets mentioned existed. This map from 1830 shows Plymouth and Stonehouse having no open space between them.

This marked up map, published in 1879, shows the locations mentioned in the events above.

Map of the "Three Towns" of Plymouth, East Stonehouse and Devonport.

Plymouth was heavily bombed during the second world war and then modernized after that so the area of Athenaeum St has changed completely in present day maps.

Life in London and children's marriages

The family moved to the Kentish Town area of London which was part of the parish of St. Pancras. It was a newly developed area. Country estates on the edge of London were being sold off for house building as the city expanded. The place they moved to had been part of the estate of Lord Southampton. See this map for the proposed development in 1840. It actually ended up being built as shown on this map from 1870.

On 26 October 1858 William's daughter Marianne married Reuben William Harper at St. Pancras Church in St. Pancras, London. The witnesses were William Henry Pavey and Elizabeth Pavey - the bride's parents. William Henry's profession was Cabinet Maker and the groom's profession was Railway Clerk. The bride's residence was Queens Crescent. So it seems that the family had moved to London by 1858.

On 25 May 1859 William's son Frederick Archibald married Eliza Hatt at St. Pancras Church in St Pancras, London. The Hatts were a family of photographers. William Henry Pavey was a witness, this could have been either Frederick's father or his older brother, the signature looks like his brother. The groom's sister Jemima Pavey was also a witness. The father's (William Henry's) profession was Cabinet Maker while his son Frederick Archibald's profession was Carpenter. Frederick Archibald's residence was Vicarage Court.

On 21 July 1859 William's son John Leonard married Jane Ritcher at Trinity Church in Marylebone, London. William Henry Pavey (Jr.) and Jemima Pavey were again witnesses. William Henry's profession was still Cabinet Maker while his son's profession was Turner. John Leonard's residence was Grove Street. It is not clear if Grove St. was in Marylebone. In modern day London there is a Grove Street in Deptford.

In the 1861 census:

• William Henry (age 54) was at 16 Queen's Crescent, Kentish Town, St. Pancras. He had probably been here since at least 1858 when daughter Marianne was married. His children Charles (age 18, "Turner in home"), Fanny (12) and Harry (8) were living at the same address. William Henry's profession was Cabinet Maker still.^[11]
• William Henry's wife, Elizabeth (age 53), was at 3 Albert Terrace, Kentish Town, St. Pancras, at the house of her daughter Marianne (22) and husband Reuben Harper (27) and their two sons: Arthur Frederick (age 1) and an unnamed son of under one month old. As far as I can tell that unnamed son did not live past infancy.
• William Henry Jr. (age 29) was living at 21 St. Pauls St., Cheltenham, Gloucestershire. He was a lodger and his profession was "Tailor's foreman". Judging from later records he may have been learning the trade of being a tailor. His future wife, Elizabeth Spill, was living less than a mile away on Montpelier Walk and was a Milliner's Assistant.
• Frederick Archibald (age 27) was at 6 Ranelagh Road, Paddington living with his wife Eliza (26) and daughter Alice (1). Frederick was a Carpenter.
• Jemima Ann (age 26) was a house maid at 5 Queens's Road, Marylebone.
• John Leonard (age 25) was at 20 Arlington Street, Regents Park, St. Pancras living with his wife Jane (28), and daughter Emilie Elizabeth. (1). John was a Turner, Jane was a dressmaker.
• Isabella (age 20) was a boarder at 2 William Street, Kentish Town, St. Pancras. She has no listed occupation.
• Mary Eliza (age 17) was a House Servant at 13 St. Anns Gardens, St. Pancras.
• Julia Anne (age 14) was missing in the census (but don't worry, she gets married in Camden 6 years later).
• Eldest daughter Elizabeth (age 31) was in Victoria, Australia. She and her husband Charles Nicholson had a son, Frederick Allen Nicholson, in Geelong in 1856.

On 24 October 1862 William Henry Jr. married Elizabeth Spill at St. Pancras Church. His profession was Tailor. His father's profession was still Cabinet Maker. The groom's residence was Prince of Wales Road. Sister Jemima was a witness. I have wondered how William Henry Jr became a tailor. One possible connection is that, when the family moved to Queen's Crescent when they first arrived in London they were living across the road from the Tailor's Institute which was housing for retired Tailors.

On 31 January 1864 Isabella married Frederick Richardson at St. Pancras Church. His profession was Commercial Clerk and her father's was Carpenter. The bride's residence was Prince of Wales Road.

On 12 June 1864 Mary Eliza married David Chaplin at the District Church of St. Peter in the parish of Stepney.  Both bride and groom were living at 31 King St., Cambridge Rd. The groom's occupation was House Decorator and the bride's father's was Cabinet Maker.

In the 1865 London Post Office directory William was listed as a Wood Turner living at 65 Prince of Wales Road in Kentish Town.^[12]

On 27 March 1866 Charles Allen married Esther Ayres at St. Pancras Church. His profession was wood turner and his father's was Blind Maker. The groom's residence was Prince of Wales Road. Witnesses were the groom's father William Henry and sister Jemima.

On 26 December 1867 Julia Anne married Henry Chantler at Holy Trinity, Haverstock Hill, Camden. Both bride and groom were residing at 65 Prince of Wales Road. The groom's occupation was Pianoforte Tuner, his father George Chantler was a Pianoforte Maker from Sussex who lived in Kentish Town. As you will see below, there were many connections between the Paveys and the Chantlers.  William Henry was still a Blind Maker. The witnesses were William Henry Pavey and Frances Pavey.

In October 1870 Harry Alfred married Amelia Elizabeth Littlemore in St. Pancras. There is no record of a church wedding so no further detail is available about the wedding.

In the 1871 Census:

• William Henry and wife Elizabeth were at 65 Prince of Wales Road, Kentish Town, St Pancras. Living with them were Fanny Frances (22), Isabella (30) who was now widowed and Isabella's daughter Emily Richardson (5). William Henry was a Blind Maker and Fanny and Isabella were Dressmakers.^[13]
• Harry Alfred (20) was at the same address but considered a separate household with his wife Amelia Elizabeth (21) and son Harry Alfred who was less than one month old. Harry was a Blind Maker like his father.
• William Henry Jr. (38) was living on the same street at 57 Prince of Wales Road with his wife Elizabeth and four children: William Henry (7), Walter Samuel (5), Annie Elizabeth (4, called Maria on census by mistake) and Florence Adeline (2). All the children were born in St Pancras. William Henry Jr. was a Master Tailor.
• Frederick Archibald (37) was living at 68 Douglas Street, St. Paul Deptford with his wife Eliza and four children: Alice Adeline (11),  Alfred Archibald (9), Beatrice Eliza (7) and Julia Elizabeth (5). Frederick was a Cabinet Maker like his father.
• Jemima Ann (35) was living at 10 Ashchurch Villa in Hammersmith where she was living with her uncle, John William Allen, a widowed Military Outfitter and his family. She has no occupation given.
• John Leonard (34) was living at 55 Union St. in Marylebone with his wife Jane and four children: Emily (10), Ernest (8), Jemima (5), Edwin (2). John's occupation was Wood Turner.
• Marianne (32) was living at 2 Weedington Rd. in Kentish Town, St. Pancras. (a 7 min. walk from 65 Prince of Wales Rd). She was living with husband Reuben Harper (37) and 3 children: Arthur (22), Sidney (8) and Minnie (6). Reuben was a Railway Clerk.
• Charles Allen (28) was living at 6 Anglers Lane in Kentish Town, St Pancras. He was living with wife Esther (29). Charles was a Wood Turner employing 1 man.
• Mary Eliza (26) was living at 43 Victoria Rd., Kentish Town with her husband David Chaplin (36) with 3 children: Albert (6), Blanch (4) and Percy (1). David was a Decorator.
• Julia (24) was living at Westgate, Chichester, Sussex with her husband Henry Chantler (23) and their daughter Lillian Julia (1). Henry was a Pianoforte Tuner.

On 14 June 1871 Jemima married John Greenfield at St. Paul's Church in Hammersmith. John Greenfield was described as a Widower Gentleman and the son of John Greenfield, an engineer. The bride's residence was given as Hammersmith (probably she was still living with her uncle). The groom was 20 years older than the bride and lived a couple of houses away from the bride's father. William Henry's occupation at the time was Turner.

On 26 December 1871 Fanny Frances married Thomas Edwin Chantler at St. Martin, Kentish Town, Camden. Thomas was he son of George Chantler and a Pianoforte Tuner and the brother of the Henry Chantler who married Fanny's older sister Julia. The bride was residing at 65 Prince of Wales Road while the groom was residing at 40 Dale Road. William Henry was now a Venetian Blind Maker and was a witness.

On 9 September 1872 Isabella (who was a widow) married John Smith Magenis at Battersea. John was a Book Seller. The bride's brother William Henry (Jr) and sister Mary Eliza were witnesses. The bride's residence was 4 York Terrace. William Henry was still a Venetian Blind Maker.

At this point all 12 of William Henry and Elizabeth's children were married.

Death

Eight years later William Henry died in St. Pancras on 9 November 1880 (aged 73).^[14] His son John Leonard was living at 65 Prince of Wales Road at this time and on 11 November 1880 John Leonard Pavey purchased Plot 1, Camden Area in St. Pancras and Islington Cemetery for his grave (this is actually in East Finchley, about 5 miles from where they lived).^[15] He was buried there on 15 November 1880.^[16] This burial was to be on "Chapel non-conformist ground" because he did not wish to be buried on church grounds. The same grave was later used for an additional five family members. Here is a photo of the headstone:

Gravestone of William Henry Pavey and five other family members

The inscription reads:

Sacred to the Memory of
William Henry Pavey died 9 Nov 1880 Age 75
"The race appointed I have run, the combats over, the prize I have won,
and now my witness is on high, and now my records in the sky"
Also wife Elizabeth died 2 Sep 1885 Age 78
Jemima Ann Greenfield died 13 Nov 1904 Age 70
Harold Alfred Pavey died 5 Jan 1914 Age 61
Harold Gilbert Pavey killed battlefield 11 Aug 1915 Age 28
Amelia Eliz Pavey died 16 Mar 1938 Age 88

In the 1881 census:

• Elizabeth (78) was living at 1A Albany Rd., Camberwell with Charles Allen (38) and his wife Esther (38), who never had children. Their nephew, Sidney Harper (18) the son of Marianne and Reuben was also living with them. Charles was a Picture Frame Maker employing 1 lad and Sidney was a Picture Frame Maker (possibly the "lad").
• William Henry Pavey Jr. (49) and his wife Elizabeth (46) were living at 111 Mortimer Rd., Hackney with their children: Walter (15), Annie (14), Florence (12), Frank (9) and Charles Frederick (4). William was a Tailor and Walter was an Errand Boy.
• Frederick Pavey (48) (still a Cabinet Maker) and his wife Eliza (47) were living at 7 Chippenham Rd., Paddington with 3 children and 1 grand-child plus a servant and cook. Children are: Alice (21), Alfred (19) and his wife and Jane (24) and Beatrice (17). Alfred and Jane's son Frederick (1). Alice was a single mother with daughter Kate Florence (4). Their daughter Julia Elizabeth (14) was living with the Kelly family at 42 Chippenham Rd (a greengrocers shop) as a servant (possibly helping with their young children). Her sisters Beatrice and Alice both married sons of this family.
• Jemima (47) and her husband John Greenfield (66) were living at 68 Prince of Wales Road in Kentish Town with their son George Percy (9). John was an Engineer.
• John Leonard (44) was living at 65 Prince of Wales Road (where his parents used to live). He was alone with a lodger. His occupation was Picture Frame Maker. His wife Jane (51) was living at 7 College St. in Chelsea with daughter Emily (20). His daughter Jemima (15) was a servant at 73 Charlotte St, Marylebone. His son Ernest Leonard (19) appears to have joined the circus - when he married in 1885 he was a Circus Rider in Berne, Switzerland. I can't find any record of son Edwin Laughton (11) although he shows up in later records.
• Marianne (42) and husband Reuben Harper (47) were living at 23 Leighton Rd in Kentish Town with daughters Minnie (16) and Jessie (5). Reuben was still a Railway Clerk and his father, also Reuben (70), was living with them. Their oldest son, Arthur Frederick (21) had just married.
• Isabella (40) was not recorded on the census. She may have already emigrated to New Zealand with her husband John Smith Magenis. It is not known where her daughter Emily Richardson (15) was or whether she was still living (it is quite a common name).
• Mary Eliza (36) and her husband David Chaplin (47) were still living at 43 Victoria Road in Kentish Town with four children: Albert (15), Blanche (14), Percy (12) and Ernest (1). David was now a Paper Hanger.
• Julia (34) and her husband Henry Chantler (33) were living in Rumbolds Wyke, Sussex with daughter Lillian Julia (11). Henry was still a Pianoforte Tuner.
• Fanny Frances (32) and her husband Thomas Chantler (30) were living at 73 North Street, Clapham with son Albert Edwin (6). Thomas was a Pianoforte Tuner and Organist.
• Harry Alfred (28) and his wife Amelia Elizabeth (30) were living at 367 Kentish Town Rd., Kentish Town with 3 children: Mary (8), Harry A. (3), Amelia A. (1). They were living at the same address as Amelia's parents and three of her sisters. Harry was a Picture Frame Maker and so was Amelia's father John Littlemore. Harry's family had one domestic servant.
• Frederick Allen Nicholson (25), the son of eldest daughter Elizabeth, had moved from Australia to Auckland, New Zealand and married Lavinia Maria Jackson. He was a Bootmaker like his great-grandfather William Ellacott. They already had two children (William and Elizabeth's first great-grandchildren). It is not known where eldest daughter Elizabeth was living at this point.

Elizabeth (wife of William Henry) died on 2 September 1885 (aged 77) in Camberwell, she was probably still living with her son Charles Allen at that time.

In 1898 Charles Booth created a set of maps showing poverty levels in London. They are quite fascinating to browse. Below is a section showing the area of Kentish Town/St. Pancras where William Henry and his family lived. The map below shows some of the addresses mentioned above. It appears that none of the family lived in poor areas. The map used the 1869 Ordnance Survey 1:2500 map series as the base so it should be fairly accurate to the 1861-1871 period:

Map showing locations the family lived in Kentish Town

Research Notes

Exact date of birth

The baptism shows exact birth date.

Exact date of death

Exact date of death 9 November 1880 is from gravestone.

Possible NPE

There is some evidence to suggest that Zechariah was not William's biological father. It is not conclusive. Here are some points of evidence.

yDNA testing

Rob Pavey took a y-DNA test giving a yDNA Haplogroup of E-M35 on FamilyTreeDNA. Other matches imply that his finer detail haplogroup is M-81. M. Pavey - a descendent of Leonard Pavey (abt.1728-aft.1813) via William's cousin James Pavey (bef.1781-1860) also took a yDNA test at FamilyTreeDNA and had a haplogroup of R-M269. This shows that we do not share a common paternal ancestor in modern times. So either:

1. The research suggesting that they are both descended from Leonard Pavey is incorrect.
2. William is not the biological son of Zechariah
3. There is a different NPE somewhere in either branch.

From Autosomal DNA we know that there are many matches between Rob Pavey and other descendents of multiple children of the couple William Henry Pavey and Elizabeth Ellacott. While it is theoretically possible that these are all biologically descended only from Elizabeth and not William that seems highly unlikely since they had many children and there are matches with the descendants of many of the children. So the preponderance of the evidence suggests that Rob Pavey is a biological descendant of William Henry Pavey.

Going back to yDNA, there is a Peavey/Peverel/Pavely surname group on FTDNA. The great majority of the members have the haplogroup R-M269. This would suggest that the yDNA test from M. Pavey is more likely descended from Leonard Pavey than are William Henry Pavey and his descendants.

Evidence from records

Obviously the baptism record says that Zechariah was the father and Mary Thorn the mother. To search for any evidence in the records is hard. One would have to took for evidence that either Zechariah suspected that William Henry was not his child or that the biological father had some detectable influence on Mary or William Henry.

Zechariah was a Mariner and the couple were living close to the Royal Navy dockyard at Devonport. That could have meant long absences for Zechariah and not particularly strict chaperoning for Mary.

The couple 6 children and all the others died in infancy. That might be an indication that their genes were not conducive to surviving children.

Zechariah and Mary have been living separately at the end of their lives. In the 1841 census Mary was still in Stoke Damerel/Devonport while Zechariah was in the workhouse in Axminster. That could suggest that they had separated.

Looking at the life of William Henry, he does seem to have had more wealth or advantage than one would expect given his parents. That might suggest some help from a biological father.

Possible alternate parentage

The strongest evidence would be if male line descendants of William Henry were found to have a close yDNA match with non-Paveys. So far, this has not happened. Rob Pavey is the only known Pavey descendant to have taken a yDNA test (Y-111 at ftdna). The M-81 haplogroup is known as the "Berber" haplogroup. This suggests that an ancestor of William Henry was from Morocco or thereabouts. However, that could be from thousands of years ago. No North African ethnicity shows up in the autosomal DNA test on Ancestry for Rob Pavey. One close-ish match is with the surname Penner. These Penner matches are descended from Mennonites.

It is also possible that autosomal DNA could find some otherwise unexplained matches. However, this is not likely to pan out given the number of generations involved and the fact that the biological father could be from anywhere since Plymouth was a port city.

Other evidence could be from non-DNA sources. A few possible leads have been considered.

Many of the descendants of William Henry Pavey have a middle name of Allen. Elizabeth Ellacott's sister married a John William Allen. Could the connect suggest that William Henry's father was an Allen? Or was the Allen family important in some other way? However, no Allen DNA match connections have been found.

How did they have 12 children?

Elizabeth Ellacott was born about January 1808 (she was baptized 8 Jan 1808).

The table below shows her age when she had each of her children and the gap in months between the births.

Thoughts on why the family moved from Plymouth to London

The big move in their life was from Plymouth to London. We can't know why they moved by we can look for family connections that could have contributed. There was also a general move of the population towards London at that time.

Elizabeth Ellacott's sister Mary Anne

Mary Anne Ellacott (1815-1863) married John William Allen (1814-1900) in St. George, Hanover Square, London in 1840. We don't have any record of how they met, whether Mary Anne traveled to London or they met in Plymouth. John was a Military Outfitter so he may have been visiting Plymouth. John became fairly wealthy. He was a Trunk Maker and later a Portmanteaux Maker. His father was a Haberdasher and John was given the freedom of the city by right of paternity through the Haberdashers guild.

They had seven children together. In 1851 they were living with the six eldest children on Goldhawk Road on the border of Hammersmith and Shepard's Bush. It appears that this house was part of a new section of housing called Ashchurch Park Villas. In 1861 they were still in Hammersmith and probably at the same address but it was now described as Ashchurch Villa. They were with their four youngest children and at this point had three servants living with them.

In 1871 John William was a widower, still a Military Outfitter and still at Ashchurch Villa. His eldest son John Ellacott Allen was an Army Outfitter and his niece Jemima Pavey was living with them (it was this fact that led to the discovery that Mary Anne Ellacott had married John William Allen). They still had three live-in servants: a Cook, a Housemaid and a Nurse (some of John's grandchildren were living there).

In 1881 John William was living at 300 Goldhawk Road with only his eldest son John and two servants. He was still a Military Outfitter but his son had no occupation. In 1891 they were still at the same address and both described as Portmanteau makers.

John William died in 1900, leaving 44822 pounds to his sons John and Edward, both described as gentlemen. When son John Ellacott Allen died in Eastbourne in 1932 he left effects of 73541 pounds.  So it seems that this family was well off and were probably doing pretty well at the point that William Henry Pavey and family decided to move to London.

Several of the descendants of William Henry Pavey have "Allen" as a middle name. This may be because of this family connection.

William Henry's uncle James Pavey

This James Pavey was a draper in Staines. He had 7 children and was living in Lambeth, London when he died. Several of his children were there when William Henry and family moved to London.

William Henry Pavey's first cousin James Pavey

James Pavey (1781-1860) was orphaned at a young age and moved to London and became a successful Draper. He had moved to Reading by 1841 which is before William Henry's family moved to London. It is not known if he had any contact with William Henry.

Henry Feather

Henry Feather (1803-1882) was a witness at William Henry Pavey's marriage. It is an unusual name and it is possible to track him. He was baptised in St. Pancras in 1804 and moved to Plymouth before 1839. He was a tailor and the son of a tailor. He could have had an influence on William's family moving to St. Pancras and also on William Henry Pavey Jr becoming a tailor. In 1841 Henry was living next door to William Ellacott (William Henry Pavey's father-in-law).

Henry Feather was both a tailor and an outfitter. So there could have been some connection between him and John William Allen (1814-1900) who married Elizabeth Ellacott's sister Mary Anne.

Addresses where the family lived

30 Union Street, Stonehouse

William Henry Pavey lived at 30 Union Street between at least 1833 and 1841. This location became the Two Trees Pub in modern times. It is not known if the street number from 1841 exactly matches the current one. This building now has a blue plaque commemorating William Friese Greene who opened a photographic shop and studio on this site in 1880.

15 Durnford Street, Stonehouse

The National Archives has a record that suggests that a wine merchant leased this property from Richard, Earl of Mount Edgcumbe in 1838 : https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/59283312-df40-4873-b76c-f2dfa5261fd1

William Henry was running a lodging house there in 1850.

16 Queen's Crescent, Kentish Town

The family was there from at least 1858-1861.

The street still exists. This street address on modern day Google maps points to what was the Tailor's Benevolent Institution. It is possible that number 16 was opposite this in 1861 but that would mean that the even and odd numbers where on the same side of the street?

It could be possible to narrow down where the house was on the street by looking at the street names next to this street on the 1861 census. Before 2 Queens Crescent we have 19 Charles Place. Charles Place no longer exists. One source says it was off Prince of Wales Road and became Prince of Wales Terrace by 1870 (which no longer exists either, it used to mirror Malden Crescent in thus forming a triangle on the south side of Prince of Wales Road). After 16 Queens Crescent we have what looks like 1 Little Charles Place and then number 2 and 3 of that street. After number 8 Little Charles Place we have "1 Victoria Crescent British Queen" which is presumably the name of a pub. Victoria Crescent is not shown on the O.S. map from 1895. This photo shows Prince of Wales Crescent looking towards Prince of Wales Road. This photo shows Queens Crescent further away from Prince of Wales Road (looking from Malden Road).

It seems that this area was still being developed in 1861 and things were changing a lot. In 1840-1 Charles Fitzroy (1804-72), the third Baron Southampton sold off his estate for development. It almost seems like what is Malden Crescent in the 1870 map was called Queen's Crescent originally. But that is speculation. There is some info on street renaming here.

The current best guess is that 16 Queens Crescent was at the Prince of Wales Road end of the present Queens Crescent and opposite the Tailor's Benevolent Institution. Photo of the Institute here.

Contemporaries in Plymouth

William Eastman Palmer was a photographer who lived on both James St in Devonport and Union St in Stonehouse at or around the same time as William Henry. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Eastman_Palmer_%26_Sons#William_Eastman_Palmer

Sources

1. ↑ Baptism: "Devon Baptisms"
   Archive: Plymouth & West Devon Record Office; Reference: 166/9; Page: 68
   FindMyPast Image - FindMyPast Transcription (accessed 21 December 2023)
   1807 April 17 "William Henry, Son of Zechariah and Mary Pavey. Born 13 Dec 1806"
2. ↑ Marriage: "England, Cornwall, Maker, bishop's transcripts, 1596-1874"
   Images courtesy of Devon County Council. Film # 005751652, Page 117 of 408.
   FamilySearch Image (accessed 27 May 2021)
3. ↑ Marriage: "England Marriages, 1538–1973 ", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:N2C6-LXH : 12 March 2020), Name: William Henry Pavey; Spouse: Elizabeth Ellacott; Place: Maker, Cornwall, England; Date: 7 Oct 1829 (accessed 28 June 2020)
4. ↑ Marriage Index: "England, Cornwall Parish Registers, 1538-2010," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HT-65MN-4Q?cc=1769414&wc=3CBH-82Q%3A138123201%2C139902501%2C139905101 : 14 April 2015), Cornwall > Maker > Index of marriages, 1630-1837 > image 70 of 92; Cornwall Records Office, Truro. This index is not very useful. It says an Ellacott married in Maker in 1829. So did a Pavey. And an Ellacott was a witness (accessed 28 June 2020)
5. ↑ Marriage: "Cornwall Online Parish Clerks Database"
   Marriages database, Maker
   Cornwall OPC (accessed 22 December 2023)
   Wayback Machine link
   William Henry Pavey marriage to Elizabeth Ellacott on 7 Oct 1829 in Maker, Cornwall, England.
6. ↑ 1839 Directory: "Robson's 1839 Directory of the Western Counties (Member LE Compendium)", Free Ancestry Image "Pavey, Wm. H. Boot & Shoemaker. 30 Union St." (accessed 28 June 2020)
7. ↑ 1841 Census: "England and Wales Census, 1841," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MQTV-YYP : 23 May 2019), William Pavey, East Stonehouse, Devon, England, United Kingdom; from "1841 England, Scotland and Wales census," database and images, findmypast (http://www.findmypast.com : n.d.); citing PRO HO 107, The National Archives, Kew, Surrey. Free Ancestry Image (accessed 28 June 2020)
8. ↑ 1850 Directory: "1850 White's Directory of Devonshire", Free Ancestry Image LODGING HOUSES "Pavey, Wm. Hy. 15 Durnford St." (accessed 28 June 2020)
9. ↑ 1851 Census: "England and Wales Census, 1851," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:SG14-ZD9 : 12 September 2019), William Henry Pavey, St Andrew, Devon, England; citing St Andrew, Devon, England, p. 18, 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. Free Ancestry Image (accessed 28 June 2020)
10. ↑ 1852 Directory: "1852 Directory of Plymouth, Stonehouse; Publisher: F. Brendon" Free Ancestry Image (accessed 28 June 2020)
11. ↑ 1861 Census: Ancestry.com. 1861 England Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2005. Original data: Census Returns of England and Wales, 1861. Kew, Surrey, England: The National Archives of the UK (TNA): Public Record Office (PRO), 1861. Data imaged from The National Archives, London, England. Class: RG 9; Piece: 122; Folio: 40; Page: 11; GSU roll: 542577 Search: Middlesex > St Pancras > Kentish Town > District 17 > Image 12 of 91. Accessed on ancestry.com, June 2020.
    • View Ancestry Record 8767 #5010158 (requires subscription).
    • View free Ancestry Sharing Image.
12. ↑ 1865 Directory: "London, England, City Directories, 1736-1943"
    London Metropolitan Archives; London, England; London City Directories
    Ancestry Sharing Link Ancestry Record 61265 #6659381 (accessed 23 September 2021)
    Name: William Hy. Pavey; Residence Date: 1865; Street Address: 65 Prince of Wales road; Residence Place: London, England; Occupation: Wood Turner.
13. ↑ 1871 Census: 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. The National Archives; Kew, London, England; 1871 England Census; Class: RG10; Piece: 240; Folio: 13; Page: 20; GSU roll: 824907 Search: London > St Pancras > Kentish Town > 18a > Image 21 of 73. Accessed on ancestry.com, 28 June 2020.
    • View Ancestry Record 7619 #4576314 (requires subscription).
    • View free Ancestry Sharing Image.
14. ↑ Death: England & Wales General Register Office, GRO Online Index - Death (https://www.gro.gov.uk/gro/content : accessed 28 June 2020), database entry for PAVEY, WILLIAM HENRY Age 73 GRO Reference: 1880 D Quarter in PANCRAS Volume 01B Page 107.
15. ↑ Burial plot details: Personal experience from Marion (Pavey) Potter who used to visit the grave and who examined the records book at the cemetery. Her father, Ralph Allan Pavey (1914-1992), was present for the last burial in the grave (his grandmother Amelia Elizabeth (Littlemore) Pavey (1849-1938)). Story shared 28 April 2020.
16. ↑ Burial: "Deceased Online: The central database for UK burials and cremations".
    Deceased Online file 1433178 (accessed 18 July 2016).