elizabeth mallindine + john brand
Elizabeth was born about 1829 but no birth or baptism record have been found nor does she appear in the 1841 or 1851 census but she is linked to Isaac Mallindine and Amelia Blackstone through the information on her marriage certificate which lists her father as Isaac, a weaver.
She married John Brand on 27 March 1853 at St Dunstan in Stepney with Elizabeth Brand, John’s mother, and Samuel Tabourdeux as witnesses. Elizabeth and John were both living in Clare Hall Gardens in Stepney — near the present day site of Stepney Green — but neither of them lived there when the 1851 census was taken two years before. John was living with his parents, Elizabeth and John Brand, at 8 Elizabeth Place in Whitechapel and working as a Fancy Braider but when they married, his occupation was listed as a Lace Manufacturer.
Their daughter Elizabeth was born in Bethnal Green in the early months of 1854 followed by son Thomas who was born on 16 November 1855. Son John was born in the summer of 1858 but died several months later. Thomas was baptised at St Matthias on 28 November 1858 and his late baptism may have been in response to John’s death. When Thomas was baptised, they were living at 15 Charles Street in the parish of All Saints, Stepney and John was working as a Braid Manufacturer.
Elizabeth and John were still on Charles Street in 1861 along with their two young children and two boarders, Samuel and Elizabeth Taburnure and although the spelling is different, it could be the same Samuel that appeared as a witness at their wedding. On 15 February 1862, Elizabeth gave birth to Caroline at the family home and their new daughter was baptised at St Matthew in Bethnal Green on 9 March.
Eliza was born on 28 December 1864 and when she was baptised at St Matthias one month later, John was working as ‘Traveller’. They had a second son they named John who was born on 30 January 1867 at 15 Charles Street and baptised at St Matthias on 24 February.
In 1871, they were enumerated at 15 Charles Street with their five surviving children and John was working as a Stationer rather than a Traveller or a Braid Maker. Their seventeen year old daughter Elizabeth was working as a Pastry Cook in a shop, fifteen year old Thomas was a Cloth Dresser, nine year old Caroline was in school, and the two youngest children were at home. Later that year, Eliza died aged just six years and five years later, son Thomas died in Whitechapel at the age of 20.
In 1881, John, Elizabeth and their fourteen year old son John were living at 43 Viaduct Street in Bethnal Green. John had returned to work as a Braid Maker and son John was a Toy Maker. There is a possible match for their eldest daughter Elizabeth as a Visitor to the Hands family at 2 Robinson Road in Bethnal Green and employed as a Confectioner’s Assistant. Elizabeth married Arthur John Ruthe on 26 May 1885 at St Augustine in Haggerston. Arthur was born in Stepney in 1856 to Maurice Ruthe and Emma Pitcher; his father was a Draper and when they married, Arthur was working as a Hosier on Brick Lane. Elizabeth’s address was given as 47 York Street but with mulitple streets with this name, she could have been living in Mile End Old Town, Bethnal Green or Shoreditch. In 1891, they were living at 186 Brick Lane where Arthur was working as a Draper and also in the household were three boarders, all Draper’s Assistants, who most likely worked for Arthur. But Elizabeth died later that year and it does not appear that they had any children during their six years of marriage.
Caroline was working as a domestic servant for the Seear family at 4 Gore Road in Hackney in 1881. On 8 December 1889, she married Henry Swash at Christ Church in Spitalfields. Henry was born in St Luke in 1861 to Robert Swash and Louisa Day and when he married Caroline, he was working as a Mechanic. They were both living at 2 John Street off Hanbury Street and Caroline listed her father’s occupation as a Publican.
Two years later, John appeared in the 1891 census at 34 Keeton’s Road in Bermondsey as a Beer House Keeper. Elizabeth was also listed as a Beer House Keeper, twenty-four year old son John was a Barman, and they employed on domestic servant, fourteen year old Emma Ostearn. According to the Pub History web site, the public house was known as the Hilmerton Arms and by 1895, the licensee was Joseph Brand. John may have been forced to give up the license due to poor health as he died the following year in Southwark.
Their son John had married Emma Bryant on 18 February 1892 at St Mary Magdelen in Bermondsey and they went on to have ten children.
Elizabeth has not been found in the 1901 census but her daughter Caroline and her family were living at 34 Keeton’s Road but the pub was being run by Frederick Hallett and Caroline’s husband Henry was working as a Porter. Elizabeth died in the spring of 1901 at the age of 80.
By 1898, John and his wife Emma left south London and briefly settled in Walthamstow before returning to Bethnal Green the following year; in 1901, they were living at 6 Tent Street along with children Lilian Emma, Florence Caroline, Ellen Maud, and John Walter — who died shortly after the census was taken. Their first child, Emma, was born in Bermondsey in 1892 but died shortly after birth.
They were living at 4 Southampton Terrace in 1911 where John worked as a Stationer’s Porter. Their sixteen year old daughter Lilian Emma was working as a Baster in the clothing trade but Florence and Ellen were still attending school. John and Emma had five more children since the previous census: Caroline Rose, George Herbert, Agnes Elizabeth, Herbert Henry, and Arthur John. But John died in 1920 and Emma two years later leaving four children under the age of eighteen and as yet, no record of what happened to them has been found.
John’s sister Caroline had died in 1914 and her husband Henry died two years later. Caroline and Henry had three daughters: Agnes Lily born in 1891, Elizabeth Emma in 1893, and Eliza Maud who was born and died in 1897. In the 1911 census, Lily Florence, born in 1910, appears as another daughter but based on Caroline’s age at the time, it is more likely that Lily was the daughter of either Agnes or Elizabeth. Lily’s birth registration does not list her mother’s maiden name which is often an indication that the maiden name and birth name were the same.
Agnes Swash married Charles Stephen Merrett and they had three sons before Charles’ death in 1918. She married a second time to George Richard Birks in 1922 and they had one son. Elizabeth Swash married Henry John Black at St James, Bermondsey on 16 April 1916 and they had seven children. Lily Florence Swash does not appear in any available records with Agnes or Elizabeth.