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TUTT & ELLENDER

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John Edward TUTT (1833 – 1900) and Margaret Ann ELLENDER (1837 – 1930)

Trigger Warning – Archaic terminology, war, infant mortality and suicide referenced

John Edward TUTT was baptised on 08-Sep-1833 in Smeeth, Kent, England to Stephen TUTT (1807 – 1870) and Ann [TUTT]. I am reworking the family lines whilst writing as now revisiting the branch having realised that had attributed the incorrect mother in error a very long time ago.

The issue is that there is a significant level of interrelatedness in the area, many DNA matches who connect to the family other ways that make it confusing and the names are repeated over and over in small areas. Also, think more records have become available since originally looking as able to find details that had not previously.

With more experience and understanding and with writing up this is helping me revisit those connections that seemed to be correct but clearly are not. Newly found is that a Stephen TUTT married Ann HAYWARD (TBA – TBA) on 08-Nov-1828 at Sellindge (also transcribed as Selling and Sellinge). Previously the names Ann DODD and Ann WOODLAND had been connected to those individuals noted as his children.

In the 1841 Census for a property in Smeeth, area seems to be Stone Hill, there is Stephen TUTT (30) working as an Ag Lab, Aaron TUTT (11), John TUTT (8), Sarah TUTT (5) and Alfred TUTT (2) along with separate household of Elizabeth HARRIS (20) employed as a female servant. The presumption therefore is that his first partner has died after having the children.

An Aaron TUTT (1829 – 1904) was baptised on 07-Mar-1830 in Selling, Kent, England to parents Stephen TUTT and Ann TUTT. An Anne TUTT (1832 – 1832) was baptised on 01-Apr-1832 in the same place to parents of the same names. Sadly on 07-Apr-1832 she was buried which would explain why not shown on the census.

Next came John being baptised in Smeeth in 1833. The two places are only a couple of miles apart. Sarah TUTT (1836 – TBA) was also baptised in Smeeth, Kent, England to the same couple it would appear. Alfred TUTT (1839 – 180) the next with baptism on 17-Feb-1839.

There is the death of an Anne TUTT in Q2 1841 under E.Ashford District 1 which does contain the parish of Smeeth. Have therefore acquired a digital image copy of the death which gives credence to this being the right person. On 20-Apr-1841 at Smeeth, Anne TUTT, 33 years, wife of a labourer with cause of death being given as decline.

Registered on 24-Apr-1841 by Anne YOUNG present at death, Stone Hill, Sellindge. This is potentially TB related 2 it seems and with seemingly no doctor involved this is presumably a neighbour who has made the diagnosis. Her location would imply she is a former neighbour and probable friend.

It seems that John’s father has quickly then married the female servant noted in the 1841 Census within the household. A Stephen TULT (note transcription issue) and Elizabeth HARRIS are on the same page listed as getting married in Q3 1841 in Elham District, Kent, England. It goes to show that where previously I would not have found this record with more experience able to combine the details from a couple of locations to make this logical conclusion.

A William TUTT (1844 – 1844) was baptised on 11-Feb-1844 in Smeeth, Kent, England with parents Stephen TUTT and Elizabeth TUTT. Sadly he died about a month later as was buried on 13-Mar-1844 in Smeeth, Kent, England. Then with the same details have Charles TUTT (1846 – 1869) baptised on 21-Sep-1846.

The 1851 Census finds the family in the place of Smeeth. Stephen TUTT (43) an Ag Lab, Elizabeth TUTT (31), Alfred TUTT (12), Charles TUTT (11) and late addition to the list John TUTT (19) who is also an Ag Lab. Sadly the following year Elizabeth died and was buried on 19-Sep-1852 leaving Stephen a second time widower at about 45.

Come 30-Jul-1854 he decides to try matrimony for a third time. This time he marries Ann WOODLAND (1818 – 1899) who is eleven years his junior. Now her mother is a HAYWARD and I have DNA matches that relate to generations further back on that line. The issue is name changes make it confusing so have HAYWARD, HEYWOOD and HAYWOOD for a start. There is also a WOODLAND family a few doors down from Stephen in the 1841 Census as well.

Another child comes into the family with Edwin TUTT (1856 – 1931) who is baptised on 21-Mar-1856 in Sellinge, Kent, England to parents Stephen TUTT and Ann. Now later on he ‘helpfully’ marries his cousin Louisa TUTT (1853 – 1940) so they share grandparents who are a set of my 5x Great Grandparents but her maternal great-grandparents are also my relations and a different set of 5x Great Grandparents.

I’m confused by it all even seeing it in the tree. So John’s parents Stephen TUTT and Ann HAYWARD are 3x Great-Grandparents and she is likely to be related further back as well. His second step-mother is also then a 3C 4R. Can’t find Elizabeth HARRIS’s origins more than she was born c1821 in Hurst 3 which is down towards Romney Marsh, Kent, England so could also easily be related.

Now having made some significant reallocation of mothers to the children of Stephen TUTT can look to continue the details regarding his son John, my 3x Great Grandfather. We know he was with his father in 1851 and in the latter part of 1855 married Margaret Ann ELLENDER (1837 – 1930).

Margaret was born Q3 1837 in Elham District to Robert ELLENDER (c1808 – 1887) and Sarah Jane HOGBEN (1811 – 1899). She was the third eldest of nine and the second girl to join the family. These two families came from Wingham and Lyminge areas of Kent so not far away and plausibly connected other ways as well.

John and Margaret have twelve children it seems –

  1. Elizabeth Jane TUTT (Jane) – bp 13-Apr-1856 Newington-Next-Hythe, Kent, England
  2. Julia Alice Maria TUTT – bp 19-Sep-1858 Folkestone, Kent, England
  3. Louisa Anne TUTT (Ann) – bp 18-Nov-1860 Christ Church, Folkestone, Kent, England
  4. Emily TUTT (Emma) – b Q1 1863 Folkestone, Kent, England
  5. Eleanor Amy TUTT (Amy) – b Q2 1863 East Ashford, Kent, England
  6. William Robert TUTT – b Q2 1865 Elham, Kent, England and d Q4 1866 Folkestone, Kent, England
  7. John Alfred TUTT – bp 31-Oct-1867 Christ Church, Folkestone, Kent, England (spent last two years of life in an asylum)
  8. James Edward TUTT – b Q3 1870 Folkestone, Kent, England and d Q1 1871 Folkestone, Kent, England
  9. Rose Ellen TUTT – bp 05-Jan-1873 Christ Church, Folkestone, Kent, England
  10. Arthur Thomas TUTT (Thomas) – b 22-Jun-1875 Folkestone, Kent, England
  11. Florence TUTT – b Q3 1877 Folkestone, Kent, England and d 26-Apr-1882 Folkestone, Kent, England
  12. Frederick George TUTT – b 12-Jun-1880 Folkestone, Kent, England

In the 1861 census the couple are found with the eldest three children and Margaret’s younger sister Elizabeth ELLENDER (1851 – 1923) called Lizzie as visitor. John’s birth here is described as Newington and at 24 he is an Lab Ag. Margaret’s age is given as 27 but they should be the other way round. The location is given of Canterbury Road in Folkestone and then 18* Bridge Street perhaps.

A decade on in 1871 and they are found, with some atrocious transcriptions of names, at 13 Darlington, Christ Church, Folkestone. He is listed as a labourer. The couple’s ages are now given as 36 and 33. Four children are under their roof – Julia, Emily, Eleanor (looking more like Lubia) and John. Their eldest, Elizabeth, married in 1873 and the next, Julia, in 1876.

In the 1881 return Elizabeth using moniker Jane is under their roof again but without her spouse. Can’t find him on that year’s census from quick review so perhaps on the road. They don’t have their first child until been married ten years, in mid-1883, and per the 1891 census he is a bricklayer’s labourer. However, it would be explained by finding him as a Private in the military on 1871 one so he was presumably away for much of their early relationship.

Seven other children of John and Margaret are there too including Louisa transcribed as Laura. The address is 4 Nelsons Place , Folkestone, Kent, England which is where Florence died 4 the following year. Next door is daughter Julia with her young family.

Louisa never married it seems but Emily did in 1884. Eleanor married in 1887 but died the following year aged just 25. Without looking into it don’t know cause but potentially childbirth related. Rose married in 1892, Arthur in 1901 and finally Frederick in 1904.

A Thomas TUTT (1901 – 1901) was born and sadly died soon after birth that is attributed to Florence as a half-sibling in the Find A Grave memorial but this should be nephew as the child of Arthur and his wife Margaret Ann MUNDAY (1879 – 1964).

Back to my 3x Great Grandparents and in the 1891 Census the couple are found at 36 Rossendale Street, Folkestone, Kent. Can’t find this as current location but there is a Rossendale Road. John, aged 58, is a Labourer Agricultural and Margaret, at 52, now has the occupation of Laundress. She employs her two daughters Louisa, now 28, and Rose, 18, as Laundress Assistants.

John junior did not marry and is recorded as an imbecile 5 from this census return until his death. Obviously this terminology would not be acceptable today. Census returns included the notation for this from 1871 but at 3 nothing is stated for him and described as a scholar in the 1881 document. Only now at 22 is it noted so perhaps an accident or illness affected him severely over the intervening decade.

Also, under their roof is 16 year old Thomas who is working as a Butcher’s Assistant whilst Frederick at 11 is still a scholar and so is nephew Robert H. ELLENDER (1883 – 1916). It seems that his parents are Margaret’s youngest brother and his wife who most likely died in childbirth based on the time period recorded. His father remarried a few years later and went on to have another seven children with new spouse after five with first so perhaps he had been looked after by other family members from his early days.

Robert himself then went on to get married, have children but sadly took his own life. He has joined the military but this occurred whilst he was back for a weekend visit. The newspaper article regarding this has being added to the Find A Grave memorial 6 for him.

John died on 21-Oct-1900 aged 67 but Margaret lived another thirty years until 29-Jul-1930. She must have had a very hard time of it during this period. Of the twelve children born to them they had already lost four before her husband passed away.

The 1901 Census has her age as 64 and she is still employed as a Laundress. Daughter Louisa also has that occupation and John is again listed as Imbecile. Frederick and her nephew Robert are both still under the roof and working as Horse Driver / Carriers it seems.

Both Frederick and Robert married in the next few years then eldest daughter Elizabeth died aged 51 in 1907. Margaret presumably got to an age and point that felt unable to care for John with just Louisa’s assistance or perhaps his difficulties got worse and so arranged for him to go into an asylum in 1909 where he lived for another couple of years.

In the 1911 Census it is just Margaret, aged 74, and Louise aged 39. They are found at 69 Sidney Street, Folkestone and both still working as Laundresses. In this she states eleven children born alive with seven still living but know there were definitely twelve offspring. Would agree that seven are still going at this date.

But then at the beginning of 1913 Julia died, at 54, and then the death of Robert must have been very difficult to deal with as he could easily have been a de facto son who had lived with her family almost since his birth. A couple of grandchildren were born but also died young which is very sad and Emily went in 1918 as well.

The 1921 Census has some inaccuracies on ages of her children but at 84 and 11 months Margaret is now retired. Louisa is still there but joining them are Rose with her husband and a son. The girls are described as undertaking home duties whilst Rose’s husband is out of work. He is described as step son in the return which is a common replacement when meaning son-in-law. Another grandchild is there as well, one of Julia’s sons. He is 23 and working for the East Kent Road Car Company.

Louisa went in 1923 but Margaret’s then three surviving children Rose, Arthur and Frederick did outlive her and all lasted until the 1950s. Where you may just think ancestors lived their lives and worked until they died when working through the documents in detail you come to realise and appreciate how much families helped each other out during times of hardship and loss.

What have not even focused on is the fact Margaret and those that survived of her direct line lived through the Great War and must have been very scary during that period. They would also be very concerned about other family and friends locally let alone those fighting abroad. One event in Folkestone alone killed 10 men, 28 women, 25 children and injured over 100 7 from a single bomb fell in May 1917.

John and Margaret were parents to twelve and grandparents to 27 from just six of those. A large number of the grandchildren survived and went on to have families of their own with some spreading their wings and not only moving out of Kent but also know some ended up in Canada.

Footnotes –

References to be provided for evidence at a later date but most research has been done using Ancestry, FreeBMD and Google Maps.

  1. UK BMD, East Ashford Registration District – https://www.ukbmd.org.uk/reg/districts/east%20ashford.html ↩︎
  2. Genes Reunited, cause of death on death cert – https://www.genesreunited.co.za/boards/board/genealogy_chat/thread/1103403 ↩︎
  3. British History Online [BHO], Hurst – https://www.british-history.ac.uk/survey-kent/vol8/pp327-331 ↩︎
  4. Find A Grave, Florence Tutt – https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/205765445/florence-tutt ↩︎
  5. St Ives 100 Years Ago, Imbeciles, idiots and lunatics – https://stives100yearsago.blogspot.com/2021/12/imbeciles-iunatics-and-idiots.html ↩︎
  6. Find A Grave, Robert Hugh Ellender – https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/70974893/robert-hugh-ellender ↩︎
  7. Folkestone & Hythe District Council, Our WW1 history – https://www.folkestone-hythe.gov.uk/community/history-ww1 ↩︎
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