In the UK Census of 1881, William Alexander aged 43 is head of household living with his wife Marie (40) and daughters Eliza Winifred (6) and Katherine (5) at The Lodge, Siddington, Gloucestershire. His occupation is listed as Ironmonger. Also living in the house is a teacher and two servants.
1901 UK Census shows Emily Alexander, as head o household (57) living at Brighton Villa, Cirencester with her sister, Elizabeth (55) and two servants Eliza Newman and Edith Shivers
1881 UK Census shows Henry Alexander, retired Ironmonger, (aged 72, born in Middlesex) as head of household living in Roman Villa New Road, Cirencester (need to check address) with his wife Catharine (aged 75, born in Wiltshire) , daughter Emily (aged 37 born in Cirencester) and Elizabeth (aged 35, born in Cirencester) and a domestic Emma Cottrell (aged 18).
1891 UK Census shows Henry Alexander (82) living at 66 Lewis Lane, Cirencester with his two daughters Emily (47) and Eiizabeth. (45) and two servants: Esther Newman and Edith Shivers
1851 UK Census shows Henry Alexander (aged 47) as head of household living in Cirencester with his wife Catharine (aged 45) five daughters: Martha Ann (15), Catharine (12), Mary (10), Emily (7), Elizabeth (5) and two sons, Henry (2) and Alfred (1). Also living in the house is Henry’s mother Ann (78) born in Derbyshire Wickington (?) and sister, Elizabeth (27) born Surrey, Remmington. Henry Alexander is listed as Ironmonger, Founder Tinman &Brazier Nail Manufacturer employing 17 men.
I must say I am so pleased to have finally solved the mystery of Katie. I have a photo album that belonged to our Great Uncle Nattie (Nathaniel King) who died in WWI. The dates of the photos range from 1903 to 1909, and there are several photos of Katie in this album. Katie’s last name was never listed and we could never find any relative with that name and now we know who she is. There aren’t any photos of Louisa, so I know nothing of her. I do have many of my great-grandmother’s (Maud) books, some of which were gifts and inscribed by the giver. I have those books packed away, but at some point I’ll go through them again and see if any are from Louisa.
I haven’t done any research about the family. Charles has done a little and sent me copies of birth/death/marriage certificates etc. Unfortunately, I never paid that much attention to what my mother had said about the family. I knew my grandmother, Gladys, the best of all and also knew Uncle Bertie a little. All their siblings had died long before I was born.
I do know a little about Poles. I have a drawing of Poles done in 1870. The house was torn down and rebuilt in 1891. My mother, who was born at there, had a number of loose photos of the house, but I have no idea when they were taken. Henry and Maud owned the house from 1913-23, so they had to have been taken sometime during those years. My cousin Charles stumbled upon Poles when he stayed at the Mariott Hanbury Manor a few years ago and discovered that it once was a house named Poles. I think the only change that HJK made to the house was to add the stable block and a 9-hole golf course. The house is immense!
Henry and Maud had 3 houses: the one in London at 139 Piccadilly, Poles and Graham House in Newmarket. Sometime in the early-mid 1920’s they consolidated the 3 households into one - Graham House. Uncle Bertie lived there until his death in 1971 and the house was sold not long after that.
I am the lone American of the cousins. My parents met in England during WWII and my mother moved to California after the war to marry my father. I have spent many a summer in England during my childhood, but have not been back since my mother died there in 1990. I now live in Arizona.
Laura Entwistle
