Edward (34), Ada (34), Gertrude (1) and Edward Meredith (4) living at 3 Bath Cottages, Cecil Street Stourbridge. They have three singers lodging with them. 
Joseph and Ann Meredith are living alone at Bird’s Barn, Kingsley, Wolverley.

Hill

Alfred (61), Alice (56), Edward (21), Sidney Walter (16), Amy Maud (14), James Earnest (12) and Frances May (10) are living at Beehive Farm, Golden Cross Lane, Catshill near Bromsgrove. Alfred , Sidney Walter and Edward are listed as farm workers and then more specifically as ‘haulers’ working on their own account.

Sunter (and Marsh)

Charles Sunter (29) is living with his soon to be wife, Emma Marsh (17). She is pregnant. They are boarding with Emma’s parents John William Marsh (45) and a Lodging House Keeper, his wife Jane (46) and their other daughter Amy Dawson who is registered on the census as married, although her husband is not with her on this night. Charles is an unemployed ‘fireman, locomotive’.

Of Charles’s family Jane Ann Sunter, his mother is in the Middlesbrough Workhouse. She is 46, a widow and working as ‘relife (sic) foster mother’ helping to look after 12 boys aged from 5 to 15. Ironically she is not looking after her own children:

Joe Sunter (16) and Edward (13) are living at the Edgworth National Children’s home near Bolton. Joe is listed as an office boy – it is believed he went on to be editor of the Colne Times. Edward became a Congregationalist minister and died in 1964 near Halifax.

A third son, James (9) is living at Long Melford in Suffolk with watch maker Robert Henry Miles (55) and his wife of two years Unity (57). Robert’s son, Reginald Victor Miles (15), a post office messenger is also living with them, along with another boarder Albert Blake, also aged 9.  

Grace Elizabeth (26) married Alexander Crombie (45) in 1908. They are living with their one year old daughter Annie Rebecca at ‘Cottage rear f 89 High Street, Esplanade, Recar, Yorkshire’.

Of Dorothy (23), Gertrude (21) and Olive (20) there is no trace in the 1911 Census. There are possible records of a marriage of a Dorothy H Sunter in 1926 and Gertrude Sunter to John McKinnel in Stockton in 1923.

Jane Ann Sunter also had two step children from Joseph’s first marriage to Isabella.

William Sunter (38) is now living at Redcar at 3 North Terrace Coatham. He is a Labourer cycle manufacturer. He is boarding with 55 years old widow Margaret Graham and her son ‘Jn’ who is 25 and whose occupation is described as ‘slater house’ – possibly slaughter house?

A record of Hannah Sunter cannot be found on the 1911 census.

Which leaves further research questions: 

• Where were Fred’s uncle and aunt’s Meredith?
• Who is missing and where were they?

16 year old Joe Sunter and 13 year old Edward Sunter were living in the Edgworth National Children’s home in 1911 – which suggests the family was undergoing great poverty.  Their half brother, Charles, unemployed was in a lodging house in  Stockton, whilst Jane Anne Sunter, their mother was working in the Middlesbrough Workhouse.  Joe is listed as an office boy on the census…I believe he went on to become the editor of the Colne Times.

In 1911 Charle’s Sunter’s mother, Jane Ann Sunter, was working as a Relife (sic) Foster Mother for the Board of Guardians at 28 Childrens Workhouse Home Middlesbrough.  The rest of her family is not recorded with her, and indeed, I cannot find where they were living at this time, other than Charles.  On the night of the census Jane was working with the Foster mother and 14 boys are under their care.  Her employer is given as Middlesbrough Board of Guardians.  It is not clear whether Jane is working there of her own free will or of necessity.

For further information on Middlesbrough Workhouse  click here

For further information on Stockton Workhouse click here

The last published census in the UK is 1911. A quick search reveals Fred’s parents, Edward and Ada Keziah were living in Cecil Street , Stourbridge. But is a surprise.

On the night of the census three young females, all in their twenties were lodging with the family. Here is the entry:

• Edward Meredith, Head, Married 8 years, M, 34, Drayman, Staffordshire, Brierley Hill
  
• Ada Meredith, Wife, Married, F, 34, Worcestershire Hagley
• Edward Meredith, Son, M, 4, Worcestershire Stourbridge
• Gertrude Meredith, daughter, F, 1, Worcestershire Stourbridge
• Marguerite Mackenzie, visitor, single, F, 23, Singer, Edinburgh
• Florence Fookes, Visitor, Single, F, 22, Singer, London
• Cameron, Norah, Visitor, Single, F, 22, Singer, Scotland Pinger

But when I showed Fred the entry she was not surprised at all.

“My mother took in performers from the Vaudeville and Music Hall in Stourbridge – where the Odeon used to be” she said. The she seized on another bit of information that revealed the solution to a lifelong mystery.

“Ah Trudy must have been born in 1910, she would never tell me when she was born and I was never quite sure how old she was.”

The family are living at living at 3 Bath Cottage, Cecil Street. As Fred pointed out this was what to become 6 Cecil Street (1,2,3 Cecil Street renumbered 2,4,6 )where Jennifer was born. Fred and Lofty thought about naming her ‘Susan’, but then thought that having and name and address of “Susan Sunter, 6 Cecil Street, Stourbridge” might be taking alliteration a little too far. So Jennifer was chosen an alternative(after Auntie Jenny, Lofty’s sister?).

I remember Auntie Trudy really well. She went on and married Jack Witts and had Martin and Margaret.

Fred was surprised that I remember Uncle Edward (4 at the time of the census). I do remember going with Fred and Lofty to visit him in hospital one summers day. He was later to die of TB.

Edward married Winnie and lived in Bedworth. Winnie was a doting aunt and come to think, wasn’t Winnie who we got Lassie, the family pet from?
 

And here it is.  The 1911 Census entry for 14 West Row Stockton on Tees.

Whatever did we do before Google?  Now a Google Search confirms that Unicorn Yard and West Row were in the same place.  Google Earth shows that the location of this, and John’s birthplace in Brunswick Street are very close to each other.

Things to note:

1. The head of the household and lodging house keeper is John William Marsh.  His wife is Jane Marsh.  They have been married for 26 years and are aged 45 and 40 respectively.  These are my great grandparents.
2. Living with John and Jane are their surving two children (out of five) both daughters – Amy Dawson (25) and Emma Marsh (17).  Amy is an out of work servant.  She has been married for 6 years and has had three children, one of which has died.
3. There are 20 residents listed in the household – eight of whom are unemployed.  The list of trades seems to confirm the type of grim property it was.
4. The first of the boarders listed is Charles Sunter.  Can it be mere coincidence that he is first listed?  More likely there is already a relationship between Emma and Charles leading the family to list first.  Charles is a ‘fireman locomotive’, although out of work at the time of the census.  He is 29 years old and born in Howden Le Wear, County Durham.
5. Emma and Charles are my Grandparents.
6. The information suggests that John William Sunter is named after his grandfather, John William Marsh.