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A GRACE Family of England
From C19th Essex, to Kent, Yorkshire, Derbyshire, Lancashire & C20th/C21st Greater Birmingham, Derby & Middlesex

- This is the August 2010 update of our family story -
as presented by Mark A. S. Grace, The Geneal Geologist

NEWS FLASH: Phase 1 of the GRACE Y-DNA Project has been successfully completed, confirming this GRACE family genetic haplotype !
NEWS FLASH: A surprising new discovery about the GRACE Family in Crewe, Cheshire !!

Part 1: Uncertain Origins and The Continuing Search for our Family Roots (1811-1836)

Part 2: The Early Days in Ramsgate, Kent (1836-1851)

Part 3: The New Life in Ashford, Kent (1851-1896)

Part 4: The Yorkshire Connection (1861-1877)

Part 5: The C19th/C20th Derbyshire Families

Part 6: The C20th Yorkshire Families

Part 7: The C20th Families of Greater Birmingham the West Midlands

Part 8: My Family Into the C21st

Part 1: Uncertain Origins and The Continuing Search for our Family Roots (1811-1836)

My GRACE family has indeterminate roots in the early C19th with the current head of the family tree determined as Jeremiah GRACE, my 3xGGF. By his own testament (census returns only) he believed he was born in Colchester, Essex c1811/1812. However, no baptismal records have been found in the Colchester or surrounding areas in Essex, no obvious parents or siblings within his life circle, and not since the C14th has the Colchester area been a focus for the GRACE surname.

His Old Testament name suggests Non-Conformist origins which necessitated a wider UK search (SE England), including adult baptisms into the early 1830's (relevant if Jeremiah was a Baptist, although his later life - marriage and children's names - do not support this). GRACE was also a name, like TEMPLE, PILGRIM or BISHOP, sometimes used to name church foundlings, therefore Jeremiah may have been an orphan, which may account for the complete lack of records. Since the early 1980's a near 30-year search has provided no paper clue to Jeremiah's origins. Sadly, no stories have been retained down any of the descendant GRACE family lines or families related through marriage, nor any photographs of him.

He may have not have known about his correct place and date of birth hence my search for any Jeremiah GRACE, baptised between 1800-1830, anywhere in the UK & Ireland (the latter country having a known concentration of that family name). There is no evidence to date (including Y-DNA) to connect this family with the noble Irish or Kilkenny families. All potential spelling variations are also of interest which include the English GRACE, GRACEY, GRACIE, GRACEY, GRAYES, GRAYS, GREYS & GRICE. The search for my surname roots, which started in 1981, goes on. Where the paper trail disappears new genetic genealogical techniques may add a new dimension. You can follow my genetic search and any results here.

Part 2: The Early Days in Ramsgate, Kent (1836-1851)

Jeremiah’s first official record is when he signed his marriage certificate, while Mary Ann BOWLES, his wife, just made her mark. There were no known family witnesses to the marriage to help identify relatives of Jeremiah. Mary Ann was the daughter of a Ramsgate boatman. They married in St. George’s church in Ramsgate, Kent. The two witnesses, Michael RYAN & Elizabeth REED, were perhaps no more than friends of the couple or professional witnesses. Investigations, in case they were possible GRACE relatives, have not demonstrated any relationship.

Jeremiah was a Coachpainter. How and when he arrived in Kent by 1836 remains a mystery. If he came from Essex, then it would likely to have been by boat across the Thames Estuary or via London. It is unknown whether he was apprenticed in his trade and is not found in any trade directories for the period. His title did not include "Master" or "Journeyman". It is unfortunate that Jeremiah & Mary Ann's marriage occurred just one year too early to benefit from family details appearing on marriage certificates as a result of the Act of General Registration in 1837. This has provided the biggest obstacle to the paper trail search. As a coachpainter, Jeremiah most likely worked for one of the small coachmaking firms in Ramsgate town. In Bagshaw's Directory of 1847 for Ramsgate, this would have been either George BURGESS of King Street (the street in which the GRACE family lived), or Robert PANTONY of Turner's Place.

William GRACE, their only son (my 2xGGF, and therefore the younger common genetic ancestor of our family tree), was born in 1840 at 2 Belleview Cottages, Ramsgate. One can only theorize that William, a common name of the day, may have been named after Jeremiah's father. The name William has occurred in most GRACE generations down to and including this webauthor's second son. The 1841 census shows the family still living at King Street, Ramsgate, but also with their first child Harriet Anne GRACE (1838). A mariner and his wife, William & Martha STEAD, were lodgers. In 1841, the census records ages to the nearest 5 years and whether born in or outside the county. Jeremiah was confirmed as being born outside of Kent and aged 30, placing his year of birth to 1811 +/- 4 years.

The 1851 census in Kent showed the imminent relocation of the family from Ramsgate to Ashford. Jeremiah was lodging with other coachpainters at the home of beerhouse keeper George AUSTEN in New Rents on the Ashford 1851 census, while at Ramsgate, obviously taken on another day, Jeremiah was present with Mary Ann & children at 1 Belle Vue Hill (incorrectly listed as GOWER in the original Ramsgate Census Index). New Rents in Ashford still exists, however it has been completely modernised as a part of Ashford's modern pedestrian precinct. Modern buildings attempt to maintain the old character. The pub on the corner with Castle Street may have been the one run by George AUSTEN in 1851, although no name was given, and his beer house was almost certainly not the only one in New Rents at that time. By 1851 their remaining daughters were born in Ramsgate: Rosina GRACE (1841-45) - the only child apparently lost before reaching maturity. 6 shillings were paid for her '4 foot grave between L & M' at St. George’s Church, Ramsgate; Mary Ann Rebecca GRACE (1843); twins Martha GRACE & Elizabeth GRACE (1848); Ellen GRACE (1851); In 1842, the first rail links in Kent were being built and in 1847 the Carriage Works for SE Railways was established in Ashford. 1851 represented the start of boom time & Jeremiah was in the vanguard of the rapidly expanding railway coachbuilding business, no doubt leaving less profitable road carriage construction for an employer who could pay more. In 1872 carriage and wagon staff could expect a minimum wage of 15 shillings per week. By 1881, SER's works dominated Ashford town and many of the subsequent GRACE generations (including spouses and their offspring) were to be involved in the railways into the C20th.
	Above: Local street map of Ramsgate showing King Street (1849) King Street, Ramsgate (the inside top-left diagonal), was just down the hill from Belleview Cottages. Part of the old Belleview Cottages was named Belleview Avenue in the 1990's, with some old buildings and workshops backing onto Belleview Road (previously Belleview Place in 1849). The other part of Belleview Cottages has been demolished and in the 1990's was a group of garages attached to a modern block of flats. Belleview Road now stretches beyond Holy Trinity Church. The hill previously named Belleview Hill becomes the extended part of the Plains of Waterloo in Ramsgate. Below: New Rents, Ashford in 1991 (Photo: Mark GRACE)

---

Part 3: The New Life in Ashford, Kent (1851-1896)

The complete family arrived in Ashford probably sometime shortly after the 1851 census. The family were certainly in the town by 1857 when the eldest daughter, Harriet Anne GRACE, married. The 1861 census shows the family to be resident at Churchyard (St. Mary's), Ashford, by which time son William GRACE had left for Yorkshire (see Part 4). For the period 1871-96 the family were in Hemsted/Hempstead Terrace.

Jeremiah GRACE most likely worked at the Ashford Carriage Works painting coaches. A possible accident or illness left him with paralysis by the 1871 census. No accident report has been found. It is possible the chemicals used in paints at the time, including lead & solvents, could have caused an occupational health risk.

The Brief Story of Harriet Anne GRACE and her GIFFORD & KEALY descendants:

In October 1857 Harriet Anne GRACE married Francis Charles GIFFORD. Their first child Frances Rosina GIFFORD (Rosina Frances in GRO index & BC) was born in August 1858. Rosina Frances GIFFORD was living with the GRACE family from early on in Ashford (1861), and by 1881 had an illegitimate daughter Rosina Mabel GIFFORD born in June 1880. The GIFFORD parents had not been traced on any census as GIFFORD, however a plausible explanation for this is given below. They had left their daughter in the care of the grandparents as it appears that Frances was recorded as "deaf from birth" on the 1901 census. Harriet was a witness to sister Mary Ann Rebecca GRACE's wedding in 1863, which is the last date recorded for her. [Note: Another GIFFORD family tree (2008) has the couple with a second child Philip Henry GIFFORD born in Ramsgate in 1874, suggesting the family could have remained in the area throughout the whole period but somehow managed to evade all census returns up to 1911. According to this other researcher, this child too was farmed out to relatives, in this case on the GIFFORD side. However, there is another possible explanation for Harriet's daughter to be left with her grandparents.]

Before Harriet married GIFFORD, it appears that she also had an illegitimate child in 1856. This would not have been known without a single LDS baptism record for the 30^th March 1856 for Thomas Frederick GRACE (registered in Ashford as Frederick Thomas GRACE the same quarter). The story of Frederick, which was the name by which he was generally known, is continued below. However, for whatever reason, the GIFFORD marriage did not appear to last. In 1861, Harriet (of right age and place of birth) was recorded as the wife of Frederick WILKINSON, coachpainter, living in Rotherfield Greys, Oxfordshire. It is noted that no marriage for this couple has been found (and that she witnessed her sister's marriage as GIFFORD 2 years later), so she must have separated from GIFFORD, perhaps returning to a previous lover - It is possible that Frederick WILKINSON is the father of her 1856 son Frederick (same name), as he is also present on the 1861 census (as WILKINSON) born in Ashford. The couple also have a 5-month old son William WILKINSON. The story of the couple remains to be completed, as again, they are not found on 1871 or subsequent census.

Records indicate a Q1 1887 marriage for a Frances Rose GRACE in West Ashford to William COOPER of Gesling, Sussex. In 1891 they were living in Hemsted Street, Ashford. In 1901 Frances COOPER & her illegitimate daughter, as Rosina COOPER, were alone in West Street, South Manchester. Frances was given as married. William COOPER was found with another wife in 1901 Silvertown, West Ham, London (based on his age and unique place of birth). This seems to be a second and bigamous or common law marriage and that William had abandoned or separated from deaf Frances.

Rosina was married in Q2 1902 Camberwell, London to Charles James KEALY. In 1911, the KEALY family (6 surviving children from 7 in 9 years of marriage) were at 54 Cromwell St., West Gorton, Manchester, with her mother Frances present (still given as married 32 years - visitor, Domestic, having had 2 children, 1 of which was alive - her infirmity confirmed). The number of years married appears to cover the age of her daughter - a convenient untruth, and not the period of her relationship with William COOPER. Since she is not given widowed, she is suggesting her marriage is still valid. William & Ellen COOPER, on the other hand, are still in West Silvertown in 1911, having been married for 14 years (but no actual marriage confirmed).

The Story Frederick Thomas GRACE of Ashford & his GRACE Descendants in Crewe, Cheshire:

A single LDS baptism record for the 30^th March 1856 in Ashford, Kent, for a Thomas Frederick GRACE, the son of Harriet GRACE, is the only clue to a branch of the GRACE family that shares the same name, if not the Y-DNA. Their story is included here as a matter of completeness.

Frederick, as he was known, is never recorded with any of the Ashford GRACE family, so it is not known whether they were known to each other. Despite having a son, this didn't appear to stop Harriet marrying GIFFORD in 1857, although the marriage didn't appear to last long. In 1861, aged 5, Frederick was living with his mother in Oxfordshire, who was then the partner of Frederick WILKINSON, who may have been his biological father. While he hasn't yet been identified on the 1871 census, Frederick GRACE is still in Oxfordshire in 1881, with his new wife Francis BARNES, a child of the Northampton Workhouse, who he married a few weeks earlier in Banbury. Even though Frederick married as GRACE, he is recorded in the 1881 census as WILKINSON. The ages and places of birth clearly indicate this is the right couple. The name WILKINSON provided the first clue that it was an adopted name, which led to finding him and his mother in the WILKINSON household in 1861. He also has the profession of coachpainter, which is still his trade when residing in Coppenhall, Crewe (Nantwich Registration District) in 1891, the trade of his (adopted) father and that of his grandfather Jeremiah GRACE. Perhaps no coincidence. He had at least five children and died in Crewe in 1899. A summary of the Crewe family tree, who were probably connected to the railways as the other branches of the GRACE family, now follows.

• Frederick Thomas GRACE (1856-99) & Frances BARNES (1861-after 1911) married 1881 Banbury, Oxfordshire. Children:

  • Frederick GRACE (1883), Banbury. In 1911, he was living at home in Crewe with his widowed mother, aged 28, unmarried, a Tinsmith;

  • Francis Henry GRACE (1884-1948), Crewe. There are no recorded children or other records to determine whether he married Jane ELLIS or Daisy Annie WILLIAMS in Crewe in 1907;

  • Ernest Edwin GRACE (1887-1915), Crewe, married May LONGLEY in 1912 Huddersfield, Yorkshire. He was KIA while serving in France on 10^th July 1915, leaving behind a widow and 1 surviving child:

    • Winifred GRACE (1913-14), Huddersfield;

    • Ernest Edwin GRACE (1914-64), Huddersfield, who married Edith PHILLIPS in 1937 Bradford, Yorkshire;

  • Alice Mabel GRACE (1890), Crewe, who married Albert Edward ROWE in 1908 Crewe;

  • Albert Lewis GRACE (1896-1940), Crewe, married Hilda HOWARD in 1920 Crewe. Due to another GRACE=HOWARD marriage in the period, not all children may be correctly recorded (2 possible others omitted as registered in Chester):

    • Frederick Lewis GRACE (1921-87), Crewe, married Kathleen TALBOT in 1941 Crewe. Children in Crewe include:

      • Lewis GRACE (1941), married Jean BLOOD in 1960 Crewe. Children in Crewe:

        • Lewis W GRACE (1961), married Kim E ROBERTS locally. Children:

          • Benjamin William R GRACE (1986);

          • Liam Philip C GRACE (1988);

          • Lauren Allysha GRACE (1993);

        • Stephen W GRACE (1962);

        • Jayne B GRACE (1963) may have married Phillip M G HUGHES in 1997 South Cheshire;

        • Mandy L GRACE (1965) married Christopher R HODGE in 1991 in South Cheshire;

        • Lee Anthony GRACE (1970) married Melanie J PAWLEY in Aylesbury, Bucks., in 1996;

      • Frederick B GRACE (1946), married Thelma J BILLINGTON in 1966 Crewe. Children:

        • Karen Louise GRACE (1968);

        • Julie-Ann GRACE (1969), Chester, married Jonathan N ANKERS in 1994 in South Cheshire;

        • Anthony Brian GRACE (1973), may have married Amanda J ELGIE in 1993 Cleveland;

      • Jacqueline GRACE (1947-64);

    • Lilian M GRACE (1923), Crewe, married George L LANCASTER in 1942 Crewe;

    • Lawrence GRACE (1932), Crewe. Nothing more known;

If any Crewe relatives would like to get in touch to complete their story, please do so.

The Brief Story of Elizabeth GRACE and her ARTLETT descendants:

1880 was a year of illegitimate children for the family as one of the GRACE twins, Elizabeth GRACE, had a daughter Lily Josephine Barnard GRACE in May 1880 at 136 New Town, Ashford, the home of her sister Mary Ann Rebecca USHERWOOD. The birth did not occur at home, but Lily was on the 1881 census at Hemsted Terrace. No father was given on the birth certificate, but it is interesting to speculate from the name whether the father may have been a BARNARD. The 1881 census does reveal a family headed by a James BARNARD, a 28 year old upholsterer with his wife Lydia and three young sons as the only piece of circumstantial evidence.

Elizabeth later married Austen ARTLETT, a man 13 years her junior, in 1885 and had sons:

• Charles Frederick ARTLETT (1886-1965);

• Arthur ARTLETT (1888-1950);

• William Austen ARTLETT (1889-1929);

• unknown child ARTLETT (after 1890, d. before 1911 – confirmed by 1911 census)

The family lived in Ashford, then Maidstone (1891) before moving to Wandsworth, South London (1901). Charles married there in Q4 1910 and William Austen ARTLETT died there in Q4 1929 (aged 39). Austen died there Q3 1900 (aged 26) while Elizabeth survived until aged 82, dying in Q1 1930. Elizabeth ARTLETT was present in the1901 census in Battersea (St Andrew Parish) at 3 Corunna Terrace, confirmed as a widow, with sons Charles F ARTLETT (14) a warehouse clerk, Arthur ARTLETT (13) & William A ARTLETT (11). Also present was Elizabeth's daughter Lily, but not as GRACE (20), with occupation as Herb Packer. In 1911 at 183 Stewarts Road, Clapham, Elizabeth was present with Lily (30 years), Herb Packer, and William, a Grocer's Assistant. The census confirms Elizabeth had 4 children. Lily died unmarried 1936/37 in Lambeth, as an ARTLETT, confirming her adoption, formerly or otherwise.

The Brief Story of Mary Ann Rebecca GRACE and her USHERWOOD & FREED descendants:

Daughter Mary Ann Rebecca GRACE, present in 1851 & 1861 (as Mary Ann, a 17 year old servant) married 21 year-old Ashford railway fireman Barnes Usherwood SNELLING on Christmas Day 1863. A number of SNELLING children are registered in West Ashford in the period following the marriage which include William Thomas Usherwood SNELLING (Q4 1864) & Ernest Usherwood SNELLING (Q2 1870). The family were in Tunbridge Wells in 1871 with children William Thomas SNELLING (6), Barnes SNELLING (4, born Folkestone, Kent), and Ernest SNELLING (10m). Sometime after the 1872 birth of Ellen Usherwood SNELLING in Tunbridge the family apparently disappear from the BMD. However, they are found again in 1881 and subsequent census back in Ashford, at 136 New Town just as USHERWOOD. This change may have coincided with their return to Ashford and can be explained by Barnes Usherwood SNELLING registered in 1842, and baptised Brenchley, Kent, with only given parent as Flora SNELLING. His parents, Barnes USHERWOOD & Flora SNELLING married later in 1844 in Brenchley. His initial illegitimacy accounts for the subsequent name change. In 1861 he was lodging in Ashford with another Fireman and recorded as Burnes USHERWOOD. He was Usherwood SNELLING for his marriage and all family records (including children) until sometime after 1872.

Barnes USHERWOOD (1842) died in Ashford aged 74 in 1917. Mary Ann Rebecca USHERWOOD followed him, aged 81 in 1925. Their subsequent family are listed below, heavily involved in the railway business in Ashford (including data from the 1911 census, where they were living at 31 Lower Denmark Road. Census confirms 47 years of marriage and only four children, with grand-daughter Ella FREED, 19, of Ashford, Drapery Shop Assistant, present):

• William Thomas USHERWOOD (1864, Railway Lamp Maker), m. Francis (Fanny) SWAFFER Q2 1885, Ashford. Their Ashford children, based on 1891 (Willesborough, Kent) & 1901 census at 29 Lower Denmark Road, Ashford are listed below. The family were still in Ashford in 1911:

  • William Ernest USHERWOOD (Q4 1885);

  • Frederick George USHERWOOD (Q2 1888);

  • Albert Edward USHERWOOD (Q3 1895), m. Dorothy FREED (possible cousin?) in 1919 Lewisham:

    • Bertram James USHERWOOD (1921);

• Barnes USHERWOOD (1866, Folkestone, Locomotive Fitter), m. Annie JONES Q4 1886, Ashford. Their Ashford children, based on the 1901 census at 50 Kent Avenue, Ashford were:

  • Ellen Alice USHERWOOD (Q2 1887);

  • Barnes USHERWOOD (Q2 1889);
    Private 14589 Barnes USHERWOOD, 2^nd Battalion, Grenadier Guards. Formerly 3^rd Battalion, The Buffs (East Kent Regiment). Died Monday 9^th November 1914 aged 25 years. Born Ashford. Enlisted Maidstone. Son of Barnes and Annie USHERWOOD of 50 Kent Avenue, Ashford, Kent. Barnes has no known grave. His name appears on the Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial, Leper, Belgium. Panel reference 9 and 11. There is also a private family memorial to Barnes on his brothers grave (John J USHERWOOD) which is located in the Old Ashford Cemetery, Canterbury Road, Ashford. Barnes was a Grocer in Ashford before joining the regular army on 14^th January 1910 at Caterham in Surrey. He transferred to the army reserve on 14^th January 1913 having completed three years service. He was mobilised on 5^th August 1914 following the outbreak of war. The "Kentish Express" newspaper states that Barnes was struck by shrapnel whilst sitting down. He was immediately taken to no. 3 Field Ambulance but died before he arrived there. It is unclear why he has no known grave - his burial was probably unrecorded. Barnes' best friend in the Grenadier Guards was another Ashford man – Walter CURTIES, also KIA.

  • Ernest William USHERWOOD (Q1 1891), in 1915 list of serving men: Private, Canadian Forces;

  • Jehu (John) Jones USHERWOOD (1893), in 1915 list of serving men: AB, HMS Newcastle, RN;
    Able Seaman J/5648 Jehu (John) Jones USHERWOOD. H.M.S “Newcastle”, Royal Navy. Died of Tuberculosis (TB) on 27^th January 1916 aged 22 years. Born 18^th December 1893 Ashford, Kent. Son of Barnes and Annie USHERWOOD of 50, Kent Avenue, Ashford, Kent. Buried locally in the Old Ashford Cemetery, Canterbury Road, Ashford on 31^st January 1916. John died at 50, Kent Avenue, Ashford. John’s brother’s name, Barnes, appears on his grave, probably because Barnes has no known grave. Jehu’s name also appears on the Centrepiece war memorial plaque, Bank Street, Ashford. He attended that church with his brother before the outbreak of war. He joined the Royal Navy on 18^th December 1911 at Chatham. He was immediately posted to HMS “Ganges” as a Boy 2^nd Class and went onto serve in the following ships – "Impregnable" (1910), "Berwick" (1911), "Bulwark" (1911), "Natal" (1911). He was sent to Gibraltar on 23^rd October 1912 and remained there until 4^th December 1912. On 5^th December 1912 he was posted to HMS "Newcastle" and he remained with that ship until 9^th April 1914. On the 11 November 1914 he was invalided out of the navy with Tuberculosis of the lungs. Upon leaving the navy John returned to Ashford where he died shortly afterwards.

  • Charles Leslie USHERWOOD (Q4 1897);

• Ernest USHERWOOD (1870, Brass Turner), m. Kate WATERS Q2 1893, Ashford. In 1901 they were at 35 Torrington Road, Ashford, with one child. They were still in Ashford in 1911:

  • Mary USHERWOOD (c1894);

• Ellen Alice USHERWOOD (1872), m. Frank William FREED Q2 1891, Ashford. In 1911, the family were recorded in Battle, Sussex;
  Sapper 534619 (2000) Reginald FREED. 491^st Field Company, Royal Engineers (Transport). Died 25^th October 1918 aged 20 years. Enlisted St Leonards-on-Sea, Sussex. Resided Hollington, Hastings, Sussex. Son of Frank and Ellen Alice FREED of 36, Beulah Road, Walthamstow, London. Grandson of Barnes USHERWOOD (senior) of Ashford, Kent. Buried Rocquigny-Equancourt Road British Cemetery, Manancourt, France. Grave reference XIII.A.13. His name also appears on the grave of Barnes USHERWOOD in the Old Ashford Cemetery, Canterbury Road, Ashford, Kent.

[Seeking contact with any related Ashford USHERWOOD or Sussex FREED families for more information on any known GRACE family history, particularly any photographs that may include Ashford GRACE family members. A younger brother of Barnes USHERWOOD (1842), Thomas, is now known to have emigrated to the US after his UK marriage and settled in Syracuse, New York. Subsequent family also in Canada.]

The Brief Story of Martha GRACE:

In 1871 the GRACE family had a lodger, Benjamin HOLE (17), a Factory Labourer, while in 1891 there was only the widowed Mary Ann GRACE [midwife, sick] & daughter Martha GRACE. Also resident was a Daisy BRETT (8) a Nurse child & Scholar. Unmarried Martha GRACE stayed on to look after her mother until Mary Ann's death in 1896. The future of 52-year old Martha beyond her appearance in Ashford as an unmarried laundress in 1911 is unclear – there are no clear death records that match. In 1901 she was still living in 17 Hemstead Terrace, Ashford working from home, however it was interesting to note that the head of house was now William JARVIS (27), his wife Daisy (formerly BRETT) who married Q2 1900 and their 1-year old daughter Ellen. While there is no known blood relationship (to be investigated) with Daisy or William, Martha has the relationship of "aunt" - probably an honorific. Daisy appears to be registered Q4 1882 in Lambeth. Martha is recorded aged 62 in West Ashford in 1911 at 17 Godinton Road, Head, single, alone (laundress, on own account).

[Seeking more information on the history of Martha GRACE & Daisy JARVIS after 1911, and whether Martha may be Daisy's mother.]

The Brief Story of Ellen GRACE and her SWEETMAN descendants:

Youngest child Ellen GRACE married George Thomas SWEETMAN in June 1875 in Ashford. She was already carrying their first child at the time of their wedding and they went on to produce a large family:

• George John Bertram SWEETMAN (1875), m. 1901;
  Civilian War Dead - Ashford: Killed 26.10.1942 aged 67, h/o Isabel Rebecca of 6 Eastern Avenue, Ashford, as the result of the bombing of the Southern Railway Works.

• Helen Violet Grace SWEETMAN (1877), m. 1895 = William HILLS;

• Edward William J. SWEETMAN (1879);

  • George SWEETMAN (1906-98);

    • Josephine SWEETMAN (1946) - GenesReunited contact.

• Alice Maud Elizabeth SWEETMAN (1880);

• Frederick Ernest SWEETMAN (1881), m. 1903 at Lewes;

• Alfred Harold SWEETMAN (1882) - Garden Labourer in 1911 (at home);

• Arthur Reginald SWEETMAN (1884) - General Labourer in 1911 (at home);

• Maud Isabel SWEETMAN (1885), m. 1908 = Edward James KNIGHT;

• Charles Herbert SWEETMAN (1886) - Engine Painter Loco Dept Railway Company in 1911 (at home);

• Henry Ernest SWEETMAN (1889) - Engine Painter Loco Dept Railway Company in 1911 (at home);

The SWEETMAN family lived near the GRACEs, just around the corner in Hemsted Street. The 1911 census taken at 25 Park Road, Ashford, confirmed 35 years of marriage (4 sons still at home) with only 8 children mentioned having been born to the marriage. Descendants of this family live in Ashford today. Possible photos of Ellen, George T. SWEETMAN and the GRACEs are sought if they have survived in the family.

The history of Jeremiah & Mary Ann's only son, William GRACE (my 2xGGF), follows.

Part 4: The Yorkshire Connection (1861-1877)

By 1878 the family were in the Shardlow registration district of Derby. Maud Martha died in 1878 followed by her sister Florence Ellen a year later. The surviving new Derby children were:

• Edith Mary GRACE (1879);

• Frederick George GRACE (1883);

• Walter Bertie GRACE (1885);

In addition to the first born child in 1867, all the couple's other daughters died young: Florence Ellen GRACE in 1879, Maud Martha GRACE in 1878 & Edith Mary GRACE in 1898.

Part 5: The C19th/C20th Derbyshire Families

The Brief Story of Ernest Sanders GRACE and his descendants:

The eldest son of William & Lottie, Ernest Sanders GRACE ("Sanders GRACE I" *) married Sarah Jane SHEPHERD (aka Jane) in Derby in 1891. In the 1911 census, Ernest & Sarah registered 19 years of marriage and 5 children born alive, 3 of whom had died by this date.

* Family note on the "Sanders GRACE" tradition (1869-1991): For some sons in the GRACE family this tradition remains to this day, even after more than 130 years, having roots back to the marriage of William & Lottie. It is unclear whether the naming at first was done to help satisfy disgruntled relatives after an alleged opposed marriage. Within the GRACE family there lies a legend of promises to the "Sanders Fortune" from elderly spinsters within the SANDERS family, through the naming of sons with Sanders. SANDERS family research has shown that the "fortune", if it ever existed, was probably long spent by the early C20th. Yet this tradition survives to my own offspring (the eighth in the tree). It remains an indicator of the love match that created this family tree, and long may it continue to exist !

Ernest & Sarah's other children Ernest John GRACE (1893) and William Sanders GRACE ("Sanders GRACE II") (1894-1993) were born in Lancaster. In 1901 the family were at 22 Edith Street in St Luke's Parish, Lancaster. Ernest was still a Railway Coach Builder. Other children born to the couple: Mabel GRACE (1896-98), Frank GRACE (1899-99) & Reginald GRACE (1905-5). In 1911, Ernest (42, Railway Coach Builder), Jane (40), Ernest Junior (18, Railway Coach Finisher), William (16, Time Keeper Office Boy) & Charlotte (his widowed mother) were living at 98 Regent Street, Smethwick, Birmingham.

As a result of the closing of the Lancaster Railway Carriage & Wagon Company's works in Caton Road in 1908, over 2000 men were unemployed. In 1902 the Metropolitan Amalgamated Railway Carriage & Wagon Co. Ltd., was established and work was centralised in Saltley, Birmingham, resulting in the closure of LCWW six years later. The GRACE coachbuilders were amongst those who found work in Birmingham.

Sarah Jane GRACE died of TB aged 45. Her death was registered in Kings Norton, the RD for Smethwick, in 1915. Ernest Sanders GRACE remarried to a Mabel G M LANGE at St. George's, Hannover Square, London in 1919. The birth of a Mabel Delia E LANGE was registered at W Derby in 1895. Ernest was more than twice her age. There are no known children from this union.

Ernest John GRACE, a coachbuilder, was married in 1915 at Kings Norton, Birmingham to Daisy E STONE (1896-1992). The couple had three daughters Mabel Bollen GRACE (1916-1985, m. Reginald W G RANNER in 1938 Smethwick Kings Norton), Kathleen M GRACE (1920, m. Bernard COLLEY in 1940 Smethwick) & Ann GRACE (1934, m. Thomas G CLARKE in 1955).

William Sanders GRACE (1894-1993) married Evelyn May DAWES (1897-1995) in 1917 Smethwick, West Midlands. Billy worked as an engineer at the Austin Motor Company. Their only child Vera Evelyn GRACE (Q3 1918) died aged 18. The couple were resident in a retirement home in Portsea, near Portsmouth, Hampshire in 1990 and died there in their late 90's.

The "ES GRACE branch" died out as there were no surviving male heirs.

The Brief Story of William Henry GRACE and his descendants:

Second son William Henry GRACE (my GGF) married Susannah BRADLEY in Derby in November 1893. Bill & Sue followed the family of Bill's older brother to Lancaster. In the early C20th this family also came to reside in the Birmingham area. Their children prior to 1911 were born in Lancaster. The 1911 census confirms the couple had 9 children by this date in 18 years of marriage, providing a hereto unknown child since 3 of the 9 had died:

• unknown child GRACE (n. >1893, d. <1911, based on 1911 census);

• Nellie GRACE (1896);

• William Sanders GRACE ("Sanders GRACE III") (1897) my grandfather;

• John Frederick GRACE (1899);

• Walter GRACE (1901-2);

• Marion GRACE (1902);

• Doris May GRACE (1904-7);

• Harold GRACE (1908);

• Edith GRACE (1910);

• Nora GRACE (1913-14, B'ham);

• Eric GRACE (1914, B'ham);

See Part 7, for the continuation of this story as there have been plenty of male heirs to continue to "WH GRACE branch".

The Brief Story of Charles Edward GRACE and his descendants:

Third son Charles Edward GRACE married Mary Ann HOLLOWAY (aka Polly) in late 1895 at Derby. Charles worked on the railways whereas Polly was a station barmaid. The newly weds moved to work on the railways at Skipton in Yorkshire and founded the second Yorkshire GRACE family for the C20th. See Part 6, for the continuation of this story, although the "CE GRACE Branch" did not provide any surviving male heirs.

The Brief Story of Frederick George GRACE and his descendants:

Fourth son Frederick George GRACE was also a Derby coachbuilder, being apprenticed there, where he reportedly worked on the refurbishment of Queen Victoria's railway coach. He died in 1966. He married Sarah Ann WITHEY in Derby in 1905, and worked for a short-time at the Lancaster carriage works before it closed. The family moved to Smethwick, where they lived at 11 Piddock Road, apparently backing on to Billy & Evelyn GRACE in Regent Street. In 1911, the family were living in the same street as his brother Ernest, at 10 Regent Street. The census confirmed 6 years of marriage, 4 children, with one having died by this date. Sarah Ann died in 1918 of TB. Their children included:

• Dorothy Maud GRACE (1906), "Dolly" m. Fred HERBERT in 1932 & was living in Smethwick until the 1980's;

• Phyllis Ada GRACE (1907-33), m. Arthur Norman BAGGOTT in 1930 Smethwick. No issue. After her death Arthur remarried Kathleen F WALKER in 1936 West Bromwich;

• unknown child GRACE (between 1905 & 1911, according to 1911 census - probably in period 1908-1910);

• Walter Frederick GRACE (1911) married Edith E. MORRIS in Q1 1931 Reading:

  • Brian Walter GRACE registered in Q3 1930 in Reading, married Beryl J KEAR (1933 Wales) in Ealing RD, Middlesex in 1954. Descendant families in Frimley area of Surrey:

    • Paul S GRACE (1957), m. Sharon BOWEN in 1979 Ealing RD:

      • Andrew Paul GRACE (1983);

      • Kylie Nicole GRACE (1986);

    • Jeffrey B GRACE (1960);

    • Russell J GRACE (1963), m. Nicola A DALEY (1961) in 1990 in Ealing RD:

      • Joshua George GRACE (1993);

      • Harry Edward GRACE (1999);

• Reginald GRACE (1913) m. Linda Ellen WILLIAMS in 1937 (d. 1945). Reginald remarried to Rose GRIFFITHS in 1947, appear to have had a child John GRACE (1949, according to BMD - nothing more known). The child of RG & Linda was:

  • Reginald Barry GRACE (1937) m. Christina Maureen KELLY in 1959. Children:

    • Karen Angela GRACE (Q3 1960, Birmingham);

    • Robert Roy GRACE (Q2 1961, Birmingham) living near Minden, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany (c2008), with wife Gudrun HARMENING (m. 1992). Children:

      • Michelle GRACE (1993);

    • Mark Andrew GRACE (Q1 1963), registered Melton Mowbray, LEI., m. Angela J LYSTER in 1989. Children:

      • Kelly Christine GRACE (twin 1989-89);

      • Jade Josephine GRACE (twin 1989);

      • Shannon Kira GRACE (1990);

• Wilfred GRACE (1917-97) m. Rose COOK in 1938:

  • Dorothy GRACE (1939-2008), m. Sydney WASHBROOK in 1959, Smethwick;

  • Wilfred Derek GRACE (1941-2003), m. Betty FULLWOOD in 1962;

    • Annette GRACE (1964), m. Mark FISHER in 1993;

    • Suzanne GRACE (1966), m. Robert J THOMPSON in 1988;

    • Alison GRACE (1968), m. Malcolm FLETCHER in 1998;

  • Patricia GRACE (1943), m. Phillip GODFREY in 1963, Smethwick;

The "FG GRACE branch" has up to 10 surviving male heirs who may compare their haplotype with the Jeremiah/William genetic lineage, if they wish. Please refer to study.

The Brief Story of Walter Bertie GRACE and his descendants:

Fifth son Walter Bertie GRACE (1885) became the Postmaster at Holbrook near Derby. He married Phyllis FOULK (aged about 17) in Derby in 1909. The family were recorded in Holbrook in the 1911 census, married 2 years with 2 children born alive and still living. Their children and descendants are:

• Doris GRACE (1909), m. John Thomas HOWE in 1934. In 1984 Doris HOWE published 'The Story of Holbrook' and around the same period was known to be the holder of the GRACE Family Bible detailing the family at least back to Ramsgate, however the book is believed to have lost its cover. The HOWE side of the family have some GRACE related memorabilia including the SANDERS sales poster of 1872 (the sale of the gunmaking business in Oakham), a hand-drawn family tree back to Ramsgate (unfortunately no records or stories of the elusive Jeremiah) and Charlotte's gold watch;

• Frederick GRACE (1910; m. Dorothy Verona ALTON in 1935; children:

  • Judith Mary GRACE (1938), m. John MELROSE in 1964;

  • Robert Frederick GRACE (1941-2001), m. Jennifer HALL - Children:

    • Lisa Victoria GRACE (1973);

    • Robert Patrick GRACE (1976);

  • Anthony Ernest GRACE (1944); m. Jane E WHEATLEY. No children;

• Edith Eleanor GRACE (1917-97), m. Joseph Richard BROWN in 1941;

• Olive GRACE (1920-2005), m. Howard OLDKNOW in 1941;

• Ernest GRACE (1922), m. Ada LANDER in 1951. Child:

  • Christopher GRACE (1953);

• Ronald GRACE (1925-92) = Jean SPENCER in 1950; children:

  • Peter Ronald GRACE (1951), m. Rosemarie Susan HUNT (Sue) in 1971. Children:

    • Leanne GRACE (1976), m. Christopher J BENSON in 1991;

      • Jake GRACE;

  • Richard John GRACE (1952); m. Noella K BOOT in 1973 Children:

    • Gideon Marcus GRACE (1976) m. Kadriye DURAKLI (1972) of Cyprus in 2002. Children:

      • Krimson Mubel DURAKLI-GRACE (2006 Surrey);

      • Denton Tevfik DURAKLI-GRACE (2008 Surrey);

    • Kellie Emma GRACE (1977) & Simon WILLIAMS. Child:

      • Emily GRACE (2008 Chester);

  • Andrew Charles GRACE (1959) m. (1) Jacqueline WEBB in 1979. Children:

    • Mark GRACE (1977);

    • Emily GRACE (1980), m. Wayne HALL in 2003;

      • Matthew GRACE (c2006);

    • Martin Andrew EDWARDS (2006) by partner Linda EDWARDS;

  • Martin James GRACE (1965) m. Julia S MORRIS in 2003. Children (pre-marriage):

    • Holly Ann-Marie GRACE (1999);

    • Katy Jane GRACE (2002);

• Rosalie GRACE (1932), m. John CLARKE in 1954.

The "WB GRACE branch" has many surviving male heirs who may compare their haplotype with the Jeremiah/William genetic lineage, if they wish. Please refer to study.

Part 6: The C20th Yorkshire Families

The Skipton family of Charles Edward & Polly GRACE were recorded in 1911 at 10 Duckett Street. The census return gave 16 years of marriage with 4 children, all alive (William, below, being discounted, so presumably died shortly after birth, even though no death record exists). Their family consisted of:

• Harry Sanders GRACE ("Sanders GRACE IV") (1897-1974);

• Gladys Elizabeth GRACE (1900-74);

• William GRACE (1906);

• Mabel GRACE (1908-95 );

• Mary GRACE (1910-70);

Harry Sanders GRACE (1897) had married Sarah WHITHAM in 1922 when their son Alan Sanders GRACE ("Sanders GRACE V") was born. This is the couple's only known child. Alan went on to marry Avril M INGHAM in 1953 Skipton. There was no issue from this marriage and therefore the "HS GRACE branch" died out with Alan's death in 1986. Avril M GRACE remarried to Jack BECK in 1989 and moved to Cyprus.

The known histories of the remaining children (courtesy of Karen DAVIS & Janet HUDSON) and their descendant families are:

• Gladys Edith GRACE (1900; GRO index) aka Gladys Elizabeth GRACE (family) married Thomas MASON, a railway porter in 1921; Two sons:

  • Kenneth Ireland MASON (who married 3 times);

  • Gordon MASON (descendant families are MASON & EVANS);

• Mabel GRACE (1908) married Clifford HUDSON. Children:

  • Barry Clayton HUDSON (1931);

  • Georgina Grace HUDSON (1936; m. William HAZELDEN and had 4 daughters Belinda HAZELDEN (1958; m. UREVIA of Trinidad), Beverley HAZELDEN (1959), Victoria HAZELDEN (1966) & Alexandra HAZELDEN (1971));

  • Clifford Eastwood HUDSON (1938). Family living in Lancaster in 1949.

• Mary GRACE (1910) married Arthur KNOWLES. Daughter:

  • Patricia KNOWLES (1937) m. Robert DAVIS and had daughters Karen DAVIS, Lindsey DAVIS & son Craig DAVIS.

Charles Edward GRACE appears in an October 1966 edition of the "Craven Herald & Pioneer", unfortunately the photocopies I have are too poor to reproduce. On Friday 21st October 1966 a photo entitled "Railway staff, 1900" was loaned by Charles to the paper, which showed "Skipton Railway Station at the turn of the century, and the employees...." Charles was one of the 14 pictured. Also that week a picture of Charles appeared along with an article entitled "Mr. Charles Grace 95, Not Out...former railwayman still likes cricket".

Part 7: The C20th Families of Greater Birmingham & the West Midlands

The family of Bill & Sue GRACE arrived in the West Midlands after the closure of the Lancaster coachworks to provide the foundation for an extensive Birmingham area clan:

• Nellie GRACE (1896-1993), a laundry seamstress, married gardener Selwyn James DAVIS. Their son Derek DAVIS was an architect and living in the Isle of Wight in the C20th.

• John Frederick (Jack) GRACE (1899) first married Wilhelmina GUNN in Chorlton, Lancs., in 1924 but she died of TB and without issue. Jack then married Phyllis Eleanor DOHERTY in 1929, Birmingham. They had two children:

  • Brian John GRACE (1930) married Beryl Margaret WILLIAMS in 1954 and had children:

    • David Brian GRACE (1960). David has at least one child Nicole Diane GRACE (1982) by his wife Glynis M JACKSON (a divorcee with 3 children). David apparently remarried in 2000 to Nicola M WILDMAN. No further information is known, including whether there are any genetic GRACE sons to David;

    • Diane Margaret GRACE (1963);

  • Carolyn Mary GRACE (1940-95), married Brian Frederick WRAGG in 1961 and had two children Kathryn Mary WRAGG (1962 - GenesReunited) & Lawrence Brian WRAGG (1966).

• Walter GRACE (1901-2);

• Marion GRACE (1902), an office clerk, secretly married Leonard HOLMES in 1924. No issue;

• Doris May GRACE (1904-7);

• Edith GRACE (1910) married Thomas Arthur FISHER in 1931. FISHER and FERREDAY families and their descendants live in the Birmingham area.

• Nora GRACE (1913-14);

If any descendants read this then I would be delighted to discuss their family branches and connected stories.

Part 8: My Family Into the C21st

Mark Anthony Sanders GRACE (1959): I am a petroleum geologist by training, who in 1981 emigrated to work with Statoil in Bergen, Norway, after 18 months with an oilfield service company working in the North Sea. In 1988 I first set eyes on my future wife Felicity Ann O'NEILL (1962, Co. Cork, Ireland) at Moscow Airport. We were both on the way to an adventure holiday in Madagascar. We were married the following year. My career with various oil companies has taken the family from Norway to London, Dubai, Scotland, Kuwait and currently resident in Geneva, Switzerland, where I work as Exploration Manager with ShaMaran Petroleum.

This branch of the GRACE family line remains in the hands of our sons Paul Sanders GRACE ("Sanders GRACE VIII") (1991) - named after my late father & Alexander William GRACE (1993) - named as a "son of Sander" and after my 2xGGF William GRACE, the genetically-proven head of this family tree. Both were born in Gravesend, Kent. Perhaps we can expect to see a successful succession of the family name by 2020?

This GRACE story is in memory of my father, Anthony Paul Sanders Grace (1932-79), who, as an only child orphaned at the age of 7, had always intended to research his roots, but never lived long enough to learn the family history. That story, prior to 1811, remains hidden in the family Y-DNA, perhaps to be revealed through genetic genealogy.

You can follow the GRACE family tree on Ancestry (Email me for an invitation) or Genes Reunited.

More about the GRACE family name

The Connection to the GRACE Family in Crewe, Cheshire

GRACE Y-DNA study

After many years of trying to find a volunteer, one of my most distant cousins, a third cousin and direct descendant of one of the other sons of William GRACE, kindly submitted his DNA for testing. The close match confirmed in April 2010), provided the necessary proof of the GRACE family haplotype for all GRACE genetic males in this tree, i.e. our Most Recent Common Ancestor (MRCA), William GRACE (1840) and thereby Jeremiah GRACE, being his only son. This will allow us to take the genetic hunt for our family origins outside the known family tree, since we can both be sure of our paternal lineage. Any other GRACE male is welcome to compare his own Y-DNA with that established by these 2 tests. I recommend the FTDNA 67-marker test for service, support and results compatibility.

My 3C and I match except at DYS576 in 66 out of 67 markers. DYS576 is fast mutator (may change from father to son, for example), where we differ by one count. Mutations may occur both up and down, however statistics suggest that the difference between us most likely occurred down his line as his count is only recorded in 6% of similar genetic records, compared to 26% for mine. This may be confirmed if other cousins on his line are tested, but it would be of academic interest only. The main task of proving this GRACE family haplotype is completed.

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