My Leedham Antecedents

1861 – CENSUS – EMMA COLEMAN

There is only one record for an ‘Emma Coleman‘ who was born in Leicester in 1847. (There are others close to that year, e.g. 1849, who live in one of the Leicestershire villages but this in the only record for an Emma Coleman who was born c.1847 and lives in the the centre of Leicester)

On Ancestry.com the surname is recorded as ‘Calman’ but on reviewing the actual record it appears to be ‘Colman’. This person is living in the Parish of St. Margarets, a neighbouring parish to St. Marys and a mere 20 minutes walk from where her future husband was living in that same year.

Emma, who is 14 year old and has an occupation of a ‘Shoe Binder‘, is living with her 40 year old widowed mother, Charlotte, who was born around 1821. Her occupation appears to be ‘Chairwoman’ but that needs clarification.

Within the house are also Emma’s two brothers and two lodgers, widow with her 6 year old son. I have not yet identified the location of their house. It appears to be ‘7 Yard No 1’, which, based on other entries on the Census is near Woodboy Street, this is in area bounded by Belgrave Gate to the west, Humberstone Gate to the south and the line of the old Midland Railway to the east.

[table]
Road /Street, Name,Relationship,Marriage Status, Age,Occupation, Where Born
7 Yard No 1,Charlotte Coleman,Head, Widow,40, Chairwoman?, “Leicester”
,Henry Coleman,Son, Unmarried,16, Shoe Maker, “Leicester”
,EMMA COLEMAN,Daughter, Unmarried,14, Shoe Binder, “Leicester”
,James Coleman,Son, Unmarried,9, Scholar, “Leicester”
, Sarah Saxton, Lodger, Widow,30,Seamstress,”Huntingdonshire Sawtry”
, William Saxton, Son, “”,4,Scholar,”Leicester Normanton”
[/table]

LEICESTER RECORDS OFFICE: Get street map of Woodboy Street c. 1851/61 to locate the ‘yard’

1851 – CENSUS – EMMA COLEMAN

Within the 1851 Census, which was taken on the night of 30th March of that year, Emma is recorded, age 4, together with JOHN COLEMAN and mother CHARLOTTE and Emma’s six siblings. Their home is at 47 Woodboy Street, Leicester in the Parish of St Martins.

However, in this Census, Emma and her brother, Henry both have the surname of WRIGHT but are recorded as ‘Daughter’ and ‘Son’ respectively in the column that marks the relationship to the head of the household, John Coleman. Not sure what this is telling me at present as in the Census 10 years later in 1861 they are both recorded with the surname of Coleman. Details of their marriage is below but that only adds to the confusion …

• Henry (Wright/Coleman) was born in 1845 the same years as John’s first wife Emma died.
• Intially I thought Emma might have died in childbirth whilst delivering Henry but if so, why would Henry have a surname of ‘Wright’ and not ‘Coleman’?
• Emma (Wright/Coleman) was born in 1847, which was three years BEFORE John Coleman and Charlotte Wright married (see below) on 17th June 1850

My thinking, for which I have no definite evidence on some points, is as follows…

• John Coleman marries Mary Wright on 25th December 1830 (Fact!)
• John and Mary have three children together, all obviously with the surname Coleman; George (born c.1831), Mary (born c.1837) and John (born c.1842) (Facts!)

• Sometime between 1842 and 1845 John leaves his wife, Mary Wright and lives with Charlotte as his ‘common law wife’. (Supposition)

• In 1845, although not married to John, Charlotte gives birth to John’s son Henry. (Supposition)
• John’s first, and currently his legal wife, Emma, dies in the same year of 1845.  (Fact!)
• In 1847, although not married to John, Charlotte gives birth to John’s daughter Charlotte. (Fact!)

• In 1850 John and Emma marry on 17th June 1850, (Fact!)
• On 1851 Census (below) both Henry and Emma are recorded with the surname of ‘Wright‘ but are recorded as ‘son‘ and ‘daughter‘ of John Coleman, the Head of the household
• In 1852, as recorded on the Census of 1861, Charlotte gives birth to John’s son James.
• On the 1861 Census, now that John and Charlotte are legally married, the three children; Henry, Emma and James, are now recorded with a surname of ‘Coleman’.

NB. John Coleman was born in Hinckley,

[table]
Road /Street, Name,Relationship,Marriage Status, Age,Occupation, Where Born
47 Woodboy Street,John Coleman,Head, Married,38, Frame Knitter, “Leicestershire Hinckley”
,Charlotte Coleman,Wife, Married,31, Cannot decipher, “Leicester”
,George Coleman,Son, Unmarried,20, Frame Knitter, “Leicester”
,Mary Coleman,Daughter, Unmarried,14, Cannot decipher, “Leicester”
,James Coleman,Son, “”,9, Scholar, “Leicester”
,Henry Wright,Son, “”,6, Scholar, “Leicester”
,EMMA WRIGHT,Daughter, “”,4, Scholar, “Leicester”
[/table]

A MARRIAGE

Below is a record of a marriage of JOHN COLEMAN and CHARLOTTE WRIGHT on the 17th June 1850 at St Margarets Church in Leicester. The bridegroom is 38, is a Widower and residence is Woodboy Street, Leicester. The bride 30 years old, a ‘Spinster’ and lived in Gower Street at the time of the marriage.

This wedding took place AFTER the birth of all their children, who were born in a ten year period between 1837 and 1847.

Obviously as John Coleman is recorded as a widower, he was previously married. There is a record of a wedding between a John Coleman and Mary Wright on 25th December 1830 at St. Nicholas Church, Leicester when the bridegroom would have been 18 years old. The bride was ‘Mary Wright‘ – the same surname as his second wife??

I have also found a record of the death of Mary Coleman (née WRIGHT), wife of John Coleman, in 1845, so the dates are beginning to make more sense.

LEICESTER RECORDS OFFICE: Check Parish Records for St. Nicholas parish

The story so far – a summary of the family 

Click on the image to enlarge…

Next Page: Harry’s Maternal Grandparents – John Samuel Curtis and his wife Mary Ann