Francis Cable

CHAPTER VIII

The Cable Family – 1905 to 1911

1905 FRANK CABLE’S SON MARRIES
On June 7th 1905, FRANCIS HARRY CABLE the son of Frank Cable (now known as Brown) and Catherine Cable (née Feltham), marries ALICE LOUISA SMITH at St. Peter’s Church, West Hackney, London. St. Peter’s Church is located on De Beauvoir Road, in the south-west corner of Hackney parish, near the junction with Northchurch Terrace.

The church, which was built in 1841, is still standing and continues to be a place of worship.

Francis is 28 years old and a ‘Dairyman’ (interestingly the same trade as his father) and residing in the parish of Teddington – his bride, Alice is 32 year old.

Witnesses to the marriage are both members of the bride’s family, her father, ‘Nevill Herbert Smith’ and a ‘Lizzie Smith’ who probably is one of her sisters. In the section on the marriage certificate for Father’s name and surname, Alice’s father is confirmed as ‘Nevill Herbert Smith’, with the profession of ‘Warehouseman’.

1905 – Frank Harry Cable (Frank Cable/Brown’s son) marries Alice Louisa Smith

Against Francis Harry Cable’s father is written ‘Frank Harry Cable’ – ‘Dairyman’, But intriguingly, under the name ‘Frank Harry Cable’ appears to be written the word ‘dec’d’ – I believe this means ‘deceased’.

So here we have numerous questions which we cannot, and never will be able to answer……

1911 – FRANK CABLE’S SON
Around six years pass and we move onto the Census of 1911, taken on the night of Sunday 31st March. This records Francis Henry Cable, the son of Frank Cable and Catherine Feltham in a house at 19 Park Lane, Clissold Park N.

1911 Census – Frank Cable (the son of ‘Frank Brown’) with his wife Alice Louisa Cable and their two sons.

Frank Cable (Frank’s son) is recorded as being 32 years old and a ‘Visitor’ in the house of NEVILL HERBERT SMITH, a 63 year old Brace & Belt Maker. The census records Nevill Herbert’s family;  Mary Ann, aged 65 and  three adult children; Mary Ann aged 31, Herbert Nevill aged 29 and Lily Maud aged 22 years old and a German ‘Boarder’ with the surname of Kkraus, aged 20 years.

As recorded on his wedding certificate, Francis Cable’s occupation is ‘Dairyman’ with a place of birth of Battersea. With him in the house, also recorded as ‘visitors’ are his wife, Alice Louisa Cable, aged 41, (although her marriage status is left blank) and their two sons; Frank Nevill Cable and Harris Cable aged 5 and 3 respectively.  These two boys are the grandchildren of Frank Cable/Brown.

The name ‘Nevill’ is obviously a family name as it is the same name as the Head of this house (Alice’s father) and also the middle name of the head of household’s son Herbert (Alice’s brother). It is evident Frank is staying with his In-laws. Nevill and Mary Ann Smith are recorded on this Census, as having 6 children still living, 3 of whom are recorded here – at age 41 years; Alice Louisa Smith is possibly their oldest daughter, another of whom is likely to have been the ‘Lizzie Smith’ who was a witness at her wedding six years previously.

1911 – FRANK CABLE’S WIFE
This same census finds Frank Cable/Brown’s wife (aka Catherine Sarah Frederick Feltham) living at Island House, Malden Road, New Malden, Surrey. She is recorded as ‘Katherine Cable’, aged 69 years and the ‘mother’ to the head of the household Frederick Feltham aged 45, a Carpenter. On the original census record someone, in a different hand has incorrectly suffixed the words ‘in-law’ to the word ‘mother’.

1911 Census – Katherine Cable (the wife of ‘Frank Brown’) 

Also in the house are Frederick’s wife Ada Feltham, aged 44 and their Five children; Frederick A, aged 21, also  a Carpenter, Florence aged 20, Alice aged 16 years, Arthur, aged 12 and Marjorie aged 4 years old. One point of interest on this census is against Katherine Cable’s is the response to the question ‘How many children born alive to present marriage?’ In the column ‘Total Children born alive’ is written ‘2’. Children still Living – ‘1’. Children who have Died – ‘1’.

This leads us to the conclusion that Frank Cable and Catherine Sarah Frederick Feltham had two children, one of whom died prior to 1911.

1911 – FRANK CABLE’S BROTHER HARRY
This Census also records details of Frank Cable younger brother Harry, his full sibling, their mother being SARAH COLLINSON. Harry is living at 1 Hornshay Place, Hatcham S E, London. His age is recorded as 48 years; he is an Engineers Labourer, born in Camberwell, London. Also in the house is his wife, Rose Cable, aged 53 years born in Sandgate, Kent. Harry and Rose have three children, Frank Cable’s nephews; Ernest Charles, aged 26 years, a sauce maker, Lillian, aged 23 years, a waitress and a second son, Sydney Arthur aged 21 years, employed as a Milk Carrier. The two younger children have a birthplace recorded as Deptford, London, Ernest records his birthplace as Lambeth.

1911 – FRANK’S HALF-BROTHER SAMUEL
This census also records Frank’s half-brother, Samuel J Cable now 60 years old, living with his wife and two grown-up daughters, Beatrice and Charlotte, aged 32 and 26 years old respectively and both shop assistants in Confectionery. The family continue to live at ‘77, Rosemary Road, Peckham’ as they have for at least the previous twenty years.

On this census it records Sarah as having seven children born alive, six of whom are still living, one having died.

1911 – FRANK’S HALF-BROTHER EDWIN
Frank’s paternal half-brother, Edwin, is again recorded in the Census, and as in 1871, 1881, 1891 and 1901, he remains at the Corporation Buildings in the St James area of Clerkenwell. Edwin and his family have been recorded as living at numbers 79, 162 and 25. In this Census he is living at number 48 but since the last census in 1901 his wife Harriet has died as he is now recorded as a ‘widower‘.

Sidney Cable, who at this time would have reached the age of 32 years, is not with the family – possibly married and living elsewhere.

1911 – FRANCIS CABLE – NOW KNOWN AS FRANK BROWN
So from the 1911 Census, taken on Sunday 2nd April, we know the whereabouts of Frank’s wife Katherine, his son Francis, his grandsons Horris and Frank Nevill Cable, his brother Harry, his half-brothers Samuel and Edwin – all with their own families. On that same Sunday night, Francis Cable cannot be found in the 19111 Census, now known as Frank Brown. He is with his ‘wife’ Polly are now living in Kingston in Surrey at 4 Fife Road. Frank is now a working as a ‘Photographer’ working at home from this same address. With them are five of their children; JOHN RICHARD aged 16 and an ‘Apprentice Electrician’, ELIZABETH aged 15 years whom is ‘Assisting the Business’, EDITH aged 13, DAISY aged 11 and FRANCIS JOSEPH aged 9 years all of whom are attending school. Their eldest daughter MAY, now aged 17 years, is recorded at Billesdon Lodge Farm in Leicestershire.

1911 Census – Polly & Frank Brown with family in Bournemouth

At the time of this Census in March 1901 Frank & Polly have been bigamously married for nearly eighteen years.

THE DEATH OF FRANCIS’ HALF-BROTHERS (Updated 3rd January 2023)

Records show the death of two of Francis Cable’s half-brothers; Edwin and Samuel, the sons of Francis’ father, Henry Isaac Cable from his marriage to Charlotte Richardson.

SAMUEL CABLE – Samuel Cable died on 6th Aug 1918 at the age of around 66 or 67 years and was buried in a Camberwell Old Cemetery in the London Borough of Southwark. His grave lies in Square 101, Grave 25377

EDWIN CABLE – Edwin Cable died in 1919, having reached the age of 81 years and was buried in a cemetery in Camden on 24th September 1919.

Should anyone wish to establish further details of Edwin’s death, a copy of his Death Certificate could be ordered online at a cost and also, for a small fee, a page scan from the Burial Register and a map of grave location from Deceased Online

END OF UPDATE

THE MARRIAGE, LIFE AND DEATH OF FRANCIS’ HALF-SISTER CHARLOTTE (Updated 4th January 2023)

Francis Cable had three half-sisters, two of whom I have discovered very little; Clara (born in March 1836) and Julia (born 1847 and who, at the age of 14 years was surviving a 3 month sentence for theft in Wandsworth Prison).

However, of his third half-sister, CHARLOTTE (born 1841) new information is known thanks to the research of Mike Williams of Eastbourne, Sussex, who has created a Wainwright Family Tree on the Ancestry.com. Those of you who have access to that site should be able to view that tree by clicking on the link.

The Life of CHARLOTTE CABLE

What was already known…

Charlotte’s parents, Henry Isaac Cable and Charlotte Richardson, were married in the year 1835, toward the last years of the short reign of King William IV (r. 1830-1837). After they married the couple lived in Dock Head, a notorious slum, with vice, crime, and deplorable sanitation, next to the river in Bermondsey, which formed an island.

1841: Charlotte first appears on the Census of 1841, with a recorded age of 4 months. The Census was taken on the night of 6th June 1841 which places her month of birth around February of that year. At the time of her birth, her parents had two other children; Clara, aged 5 years and Edwin born in 1838

On the census the Cable family were recorded as living in St Olave Union, a Workhouse in Fashion Street, St John, Southwark.

1851: At the next Census, in 1851, the family were no longer living in the Workhouse and now resides at 21, Church Street, Rotherhithe. Charlotte is now 10 years old and in addition to siblings Clara and Edwin, she now a new sister, Julia and two new brothers, Walter aged 6 and a baby brother, Samuel who was recorded as being 5 months old. Charlotte’s father, Henry, is recorded as being a ‘Plumber‘.

1856: Around 1856, Henry’s wife Charlotte dies around the ages of 40 years old. Henry is now a 41 years widower with six children.

New information…

1861: In the 1861 Census, Charlotte, now aged 20, is recorded as a ‘Servant‘ in the household of Robert Hunter, and his wife, Anne, at 9, Champion Park, Camberwell.

He is a 55 year old Scottish ‘Ship Owner and Underwriter’.  Charlotte is one of 15 persons living at the address, which appears to be in a rather affluent area, certainly a far more affluent location that Charlotte experienced in her childhood, in the Workhouse and the slums of Dock Head.

Historical Footnote:

[Champion Park contained numerous new grand detached houses built in the 1850’s, such as the three-storey house shown on the right, which stood on the south side of Champion Park].

1862: In 1862, the year following the Census, Charlotte marries Thomas Wainwright, a recorded as a ‘Coachman‘, on 5th March of that year. As can be seen on the recorded below the father of the bride, is Henry Isaac Cable, ‘Plumber‘. He is also one of the witnesses.

The other witness is a ‘Sarah Cable’, this is likely to be Charlotte step-mother, formerly Sarah Collinson. Although as yet, I have not located a record of a marriage between Henry Isaac Cable and Sarah Collinson, accordingly they may have been only living as ‘Husband and Wife’, which was relatively common at those times.

Their residence at the time of the marriage is ‘Neate Street’. This is the location where Francis Cable (aka Frank Brown) was born in 1860, two years prior to this marriage.

1862: The first child of Thomas and Charlotte (formerly Cable) was born a few months after their wedding. The child was a son who they named Thomas Henry. His birth is record as being between July and September 1862 and was registered in the London district of Islington.

1867: The birth of a second child, another son who was named, Edwin Walter. His baptism took place on 5th May 1867 at the Church of St. Mary in Lambeth. At this time the family were recorded as living in Brook Street, Lambeth.

1869: A third child for Thomas and Charlotte in 1869, a daughter, who they named Lucy.

1871: The Census for that year records the family, Thomas and Charlotte Wainwright (née Cable), with their children; Thomas Henry, Edwin Walter and Lucy residing at ‘Marquis Stables’ in the parish of Islington St. Mary. Charlottes’ husband, previously recorded as a ‘Coachman‘ is now a ‘Cab and Fly Proprietor’

Historical Note.

[ A ‘Fly’ is, by definition, a vehicle that moves quickly. The Hansom cab is a ‘Fly’, a horse-drawn carriage designed and patented in 1834.

They sat two passengers (three if they squeezed in) and a driver who sat on a sprung seat behind the vehicle. The passengers could give their instructions to the driver through a trap door near the rear of the roof.

The fictional detective ‘Sherlock Holmes‘, was a frequent user of cabs of this type]

1872: As can be seen below the records shows the birth to a second daughter for Thomas and Charlotte, their fourth child, during the first three months of 1872. This girl was named Minnie Julia.

1872/3: Another daughter arrived in late 1872 or 1873, she was called Emma M. Their fifth child.

The timing of this birth needs some thought… . On a latter Census, taken on 5th April 1891 Emma’s age is recorded as 19 years. To be recorded as 19 years old on 5th April 1891 her date of birth could be any date between 4th April 1872 and 6th April 1873. However as her mother Charlotte gave birth to Minnie Julia in the first three months of 1872, it is likely Emma was born towards the end of 1872 or more probable, early in 1873.

1876: The information on Ancestry.com from Mr Williams shows another daughter being born on 25th August 1876, her named was Clara and was apparently known as Clara ‘Toots’ Wainwright.

1880: Another daughter arrives in 1880, Eva Maude Mary. The records show she was born in the months July, August or September. Mr. William’s family tree has the date as 10th July 1880.

1881: Strangely, neither I, or Mr William’s Wainwright Family Tree on Ancestry.com, could a record of the family on the 1881 Census be found, which was taken on 3rd April 1881.

Although one of their sons, 19 year old Thomas is recorded as being a ‘servant‘ in the household of Mary A. Saddington at 15 Highbury Park, Islington

1891: In the Census of 1891, taken on 5th April of that year, the family are recorded as living at 1 Askells Mews, Islington, London. Present are Thomas, age 51 years and with an occupation of ‘Cab Driver / Groom’, Charlotte, aged 49 years, with only one of their children present, their daughter Emma, aged 19 years.

At the time of this Census the appropriate ages of their other children would have been; Thomas Henry (29), Edwin Walter (24), Lucy (22), Minnie (19), Clara ‘Toots’ (15) and Eva Maude (10). Of these children, the only surprise is that 10 year old Eva is not with the family.

Their son Thomas is recorded on the 1891 Census in Bethnal Green. London. He is now married. His wife’s name is Louisa.

1892: Assumedly unknown to Charlotte and the rest of her family, her half-brother, Francis Cable, using the name Frank Brown, marries Mary Jane (Polly( Shellaker) on 10th October 1892 at the Finkin Street Methodist Chapel in the Lincolnshire market town of Grantham, England.

1899: Charlotte’s son, Thomas, who was recorded as being a 19 year old servant on the 1881 Census and  as a married man in 1891, dies on 15 Highbury Park at the age of 36 years.

1900: Another of Charlotte’s children apparently dies the following year as Mr William Wainwright Family Tree on Ancestry.com shown the death of Emma at the age of around 28 years.

1901: The Census, taken on 31st March 1901, records Charlotte living with her husband Thomas at 234, Blackstock Road, Islington at the ages of 59 and 60 years respectively.

NB – They are living next door to their 30 years old daughter Maude, her husband and their numerous children.

1911: At the next Census taken on 2nd April 1911, records Charlotte (aged 70) and her husband Thomas (71 years) at the home of her 30 years old daughter Maude who is now married to Robert Odendahl, (a Germany national who is a British subject). The couple have two sons, Robert and Eric living with them at this time.

The address is 630, Kings Road, Fulham. I believe the house can be seen on Google Maps. From the appearance of the house I consider it would have be built pre-1911 and would therefore be the house in which they lived at the time of this Census.

The record also shows, at that time Charlotte had been married to Thomas Wainwright for 49 year and confirmed she had 8 children; Thomas, Clara, Edwin, Walter, Julia, Samuel, Emma, Emma and Maude, 6 of her children are living and 2 have died.

1821: Charlotte’s husband Thomas Wainwright dies in January 1921 at the age of 81 years. He was buried on 31st January 1921. His abode at time of death is recorded as 43, Sutton Grove, Carshalton.

1832: Charlotte herself dies in the latter half of 1826 at the age of 91 years and was buried on 27th October 1932. Her address at the time of her death was also 43, Sutton Grove, Carshalton. Carshalton is a village, in south London, England, within the London Borough of Sutton.

Charlotte Wainwright (née Cable) 1841-1932

The daughter of Henry Isaac Cable and Charlotte Richardson, half-sister to Francis Cable (aka Frank Brown).

A life which started in a notorious slum in ‘Dickensian’ London and possibly a Workhouse.

END OF UPDATE

Next Page: Moving on to 1933 and a Wedding takes place

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