The census in England is a strange thing. The question that was asked when taking the census was “who slept here last night?”. As you can well imagine, this information can lead researchers on a wild goose chase, when what we are looking for is establishing a trail of where our ancestors lived their lives.  What happens is, if a person actually lives in place “A” but has travelled to visit family or friends in place “B” and the census in place “B” takes place while they are visiting, then they are named and counted in place “B”. Of course they could also be in place “A” on the day of the census count as well and get named and counted there as well. Or, more horrifically, they might not be counted in either place.

 

Alfred Edmund William, born 1847, is found in 1851, the next available census.  Quite sadly, after the death of Alfred’s (the older) wife, it appears that even though he (dad) had 6 living siblings, 5 of which were sisters, and a living father, none of them were the caretakers of Alfred (the younger).  Rather he had spent the night with another family. At the age of 3, a little boy with a very big name, was living with the  Thomas and May West family.  Not the Mae West……  

 

1850 father Alfred gets remarried to one Elizabeth Payne – a widow with a daughter who is 3 years older than  A.E.W. Dorrell. This new family is not found (yet) on the England 1851 census. Just A.E.W. Dorrell with the West family – Thomas, a gardener by trade.

The 1861 England census shows Alfred and his new wife Elizabeth – with no children, his or hers, living with them – but they sure do have a servant.  What a life – a servant but no responsibility of either of their children. Yup – you can freely read in my “judgement” of this situation.

 

The next time we see A.E.W. Dorrell is 20 years later, 1871.  This is the struggle with genealogy.  Sometimes years are missing.  Sometimes, years later you find the missing years.  I have not found these 20 years just yet – but I am hopeful. This time, on the 1871 census, A.E.W., who is now 24,  is living as a lodger in someone’s household…the interesting thing is his step sister is living in the same household.This is strange to me… but who know?

 His trade is a shoe clicker.  

 

A boot and shoe clicker is the person who cuts the uppers for boots or shoes from a skin of leather or piece of man-made material (usually from a bulk-roll). This includes all components of the upper, including linings, facings, stiffeners, reinforcements for eyelets and zip-protectors.

 

 

Suffice it to say, little Alfred Edmund William grew up. And left the nest.  Actually, he left the country. In fact, he came to America. As a shoe cutter. Showed up in Brooklyn, NY where eventually his English self married an Irish woman, Margaret Kennedy,  from Belfast. Her story on another day.

 

 

The Brooklyn, NY Dorrell family grew to two plus four – but it is during the early life of their first two children, sons, that we get a glimpse into the relationship between Alfred Edmund William and his father Alfred.  This glimpse comes in the form of letters from the elder – to the younger.  The memory is one sided – just the letters from Alfred, the father.

 

I am in possession of 9 letters. For a genealogist – this is a treasure chest of information. Things are told in these letters – mundane, daily things – that no one would have known to pass down in verbal history.  Nuances of relationship. Death facts. Illness facts. Geographical facts. Historical facts. A virtual gold mine.

 

But greater than the history they provide – they provide a part of a story of a man and his son. His feelings in his old age. His desires for his grown child and the grandchildren he will never meet or know. A story that read on the surface is knowledge, but when read within context is heartbreaking.

 

I do not know when Alfred immigrated – he is squarely in England in 1871 and equally present in Brooklyn, NY in 1879.  A short 3 years later, at 35,he is married to his Irish lass, Maggie Kennedy.  In ‘84 and ‘89 their first two children are born.  Boys.  William Hanna and Alfred Edmund. I guess all Maggie needed to say was “Alfred, Edmund, William and one of her “men” would respond!

 

My one sided correspondence begins in April, 1889 and ends June, 1891. These letters answer very few of my questions of the childhood of Alfred Edmund William. But they do provide a glimpse into what life was like for his father living in London in the late 1890’s and the young Brooklyn family.

 

I hope your boy has recovered from his troublesome attack of Whooping Cough it generally  lasts a very long time.

 

In In one of your letters you name having sent over a photo of your second boy, but it has not reached me, you sent two of the first one quite a baby the other a cabinet one where he is standing on some grass and flowers, with his hand upon the stump of a large tree, which I think must be a very good one. I mean likeness of the other must now I feel be lost.

 

I received your letter of the 10th Inst.d posted on the 11th last Saturday but I am sorry to say as yet there has not reached me any photos of the dear children in a former letter you asked me if I had not received some of your second boy Alfred but I have no had more than an early one of Willie, he is sitting on a sofa with his left hand at his side and his feet with boots on stretched out and he is in a white dress. The other is taken when standing with his left hand upon a block where there are flowers strewed upon it has a loosely. With a black band around his waist and cuffs and a large lace collar. A nice picture it is my sisters were very pleased with it.  It was at their house in the drawing room for some months. These two are all that I have received at any time so I hope these last also have not been lost.

 

I am sorry to hear Willie suffers so much with his teeth, do not give him or Alfred too many sweets it is bad

 

The post has just brought your letter dated Dec 3rd. I am glad to hear so good an account of the baby.  I thought if I was asked, advise a little more time to pass, before having any more Photos taken as children change so much.

 

Based on these snippets, I can tell my grandfather, Willie, had whooping cough, he had a difficult time with his teeth (one can deduce that this is probably referring to cavities as Willie would be about 5), and that his parents were excited to have photo’s taken of their children because “grandpa” suggests that since children change quickly, the doting parents might allow more time to pass between having, what must have been, expensive photo’s taken.

 

Grandparents never change!  We always have suggestions!

 

Here is one of the pictures of Willie that is referred to in these letters.

As I look at these physical items of life that happened before me, I am amazed that I actually have these in my possession more than 125 years later.  I am grateful that my grandfather’s sister kept these things – and many more – for the duration of her 88 years and that I have the privilege of inheriting them.  I love that I can piece together a life for my first generation American clan – and watch as they faced the challenges of being a family – away from their family – and prospering as well as they could with the resources set before them.

 

What ultimately happened to this young American family created by the English Alfred Edmund William Dorrell and the Irish Margaret Kennedy and their eventual 4 four children?  What was the final word from Alfred the older?  

Stay tuned….