Are You Related...?
I thought that Tilley
had at least another three siblings whose details and descendants
were unknown, although that now seems unlikely. If all are
accounted for as shown on the family tree, then the only
remaining possibility is that Maud may have been married,
although I don't have any details of a spouse. If you can help,
please get in touch.
Checking the censuses is
a good way to find the family members. In the 1881 census the
main family lived at 170 Cheapside, Aston, Warwicks, while an
entry for Tilley (Matilda) and her father (using his stage name
Harry Ball) and brother Henry (Harry) has been located for 184
Lambeth road, Surrey. Her father William died in 1888 and in 1889
when his will went through probate, the family were resident at 3
Braithwaite Road, Sparbrook, in the City of Birmingham.
The next census in 1891
would doubtless show the complete family and hopefully the
younger children with Tilley's mother, Matilda. Unfortunately the
house was unoccupied in 1892, so it is possible that the family
had moved before then. That needs to be checked. Unfortunately it
doesn't have a national index like the 1881 census, so finding
the family entry might be difficult. Matilda may be entered under
the surname BALL used by the family in 1881, or under POWLES as
used in William's will, also in reference to Matilda. The 1901
census is due to be published on-line next January, so hopefully
that will be another source to use.
Another approach would
be to search the birth indexes for this period via copies
increasingly held by local records offices, family history
societies and the Local Family History Centres run by the Church
of Jesus Christ and Latterday Saints, which are in most large
towns & cities. These are available free of charge and
addresses are usually in telephone directories. I have tried
their International Genealogical Index (extracts of parish
records at many libraries and record offices, also on-line for
free at http://www.familysearch.org/) for baptisms, but without success. I will try
to look further once other research commitments are finished. In
the meantime, if anyone can assist, please do get in touch with
me via the email address on the home page.
For people wishing to
establish a family relationship with Tilley, or indeed her
husband or the BROUGHTON family, I will be very pleased to hear
from you and help you via the family details I currently hold
from similar approaches. If you would like your brief hearsay
information along with your name and email address printed here,
please let me know and I will gladly do this.
CONTACTS
Ron wrote to say
that he has a postcard with a note on it saying "Vesta Tilley.. relation to Gran SPENCER" and he is keen to establish the
connection. His mother was Edith
SPENCER born 1900 in Wolverhampton and her
parents were Walter SPENCER b 1873 and Caroline
Sarah (nee HILL) b 1871 both
from Wolverhampton. Further details are given about
Caroline's folk who were the BADLEY/BADDERLEY/BADDERLY and SHAW families from Dudley & Tipton.
Contact Ron at [email protected]
Aug 2004
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