susanna sadler
No birth or baptism record has been found for Susanna but her marriage record lists her birth year as 1826 while the 1851 census lists her birth year as 1829. The available records contain only one match for a birth in 1829 — on 25 March 1829, a daughter was born to Joseph Sadler and his wife Martha Sewell in Bethnal Green. The family were non-conformists, Wesleyans, and she was not baptised in the Anglican church but her birth was registered in the Protestant Dissenter’s Register of Births on 29 June 1837.
Her parent’s swore an oath confirming the details of her birth and it was confirmed by one witness, George Dowers of Assembly Row in Mile End. Susanna’s family was living at 3 Portugal Place off Cambridge Road in Bethnal Green and her father was working as a butcher. In 1841, James and Martha were still living on Cambridge Road along with their five daugthers: Susanna, Elizabeth, Emily, Selina and Ellen.
But this family connection is not confirmed on Susanna’s marriage certificate. She married Thomas Mallindine on 29 September 1845 at St Philip’s in Bethnal Green and the marriage register lists her father as George Sadler, a weaver. Joseph and Martha Sadler were living with daughters Selina and Ellen on Fieldgate Street in Whitechapel in 1851 and he was employed as a Master Butcher employing several men. It does not seem likely that Susanna was placed with other family members between 1841 and 1845 as her father would have earned an income that allowed him to support his family so it is strange that the information on her marriage record would contain incorrect information.
Susanna and Thomas had four children but only two survived infancy, Mary Ann born in 1849 and Joseph born in 1851. Sadly, Susanna died on 25 July 1854 at their home on Brick Lane and four years later, her two children were orphaned when Thomas died on 26 December 1858. There is no information on what happened to their children immediately after Thomas’ death but in 1861, their son Joseph was living with Stephen Sadler and his family at 115 Brick Lane in Bethnal Green. Joseph’s relationship to Stephen is listed as ’boarder’ but it appears there was a close family relationship.
Stephen Sadler was born on 11 December 1817 at Webb Square in Shoreditch to George Lewis Sadler and his wife Mary Rowe. Stephen was baptised at St Leonard in Shoreditch on 6 January 1818 and his father was listed as a lamplighter on the baptismal register. George was born on 28 December 1772 to George Lewis Senior and Sarah Sadler and baptised at St Matthew, Bethnal Green on 21 April 1773. He married Mary Rowe on 20 March 1809 at Christ Church Greyfriars in Newgate and baptism records have been found for three more children. Their first daughter, Rebecca was baptised at St Leonard in Shoreditch in 1812 followed by Joseph in 1815 and Tabitha in 1820.
George and Mary have not been located in any census records but their son Stephen was living at 46 Brick Lane in 1851 and working as a pastry cook. He married Mary Ann Dalby in 1854 but it does not appear that they had any children. Stephen and Mary appear in both the 1861 and 1871 censuses at 115 Brick Lane and in the latter, Stephen’s two nieces, Sarah and Mary, were also living with them. Stephen died on 23 November 1872 at his home at 115 Brick Lane and he was buried on 2 December at Victoria Park Cemetery. He left an estate valued at under £1000 to his wife Mary Ann.
No definitive information has been found to link Susanna to James and Martha Sadler, Stephen Sadler or his parents George and Mary but considering her son was raised by Stephen, there must have been a family connection.