Reeves, Mary Ena

Summary

Father: Edward REEVES
Mother: Fanny CROOK

Birth: 19 December 1854
Birth Source: Baptism

Death: 1904
Death Source: GRO Index

Spouse1: Harry CLEMENTS

Narrative

Mary Ena REEVES was the first child of Edward REEVES and his wife Fanny (nee CROOK). See Research Note 1 below.

According to her baptism, she was born on 19 December 1854. Her birth was registered during the first quarter of 1855 in the Southampton Registration District and her mother's maiden name was given as CROOK.

As Mary Enna (sic) REEVES, she was baptised on 17 April 1859, along side her second sister Ann REEVES, at the Parish Church of St Mary, Southampton. See Research Note 2 below.

On the 1861 census shows Mary REEVES appears in the household of her parents Edward and Fanny REEVES. They are living at 66 Melbourne Street in the St Mary’s area of Southampton. Mary is six years old (so born c1855) and was born in Southampton, Hampshire. Her sisters Matilda (age 4, born Southampton) and Ann (2, Southampton) along with three unrelated lodgers complete the household.

Mary's mother Fanny REEVES died during the fourth quarter of 1870.

Mary Ena REEVES has yet to be identified on the 1871 census.

• Her father Edward and younger sister Annie (sic) are living at 22 Longcroft Street, next door to her uncle Samuel Reeves and family at 21 Longcroft Street.
• Her four younger brothers were in the Southampton Poorhouse, which was adjacent to the Parish Church of St Mary, at the time of the 1871 census.
• Her sister Matilda REEVES was working as a Servant (in the household of George H & Julia PHILPS, no known relationship) on Avenue Road, Southampton.

As the oldest daughter, it is highly probably Mary Ena was also working in domestic service.

Maryenna (sic) REEVES and Harry CLEMENTS were married, after Banns, on 04 October 1874 at the the District Church of Hoddesdon, Hertfordshire. She was 19 years old, a spinster and gave her father's name as Edward REEVES and described him as being a Labourer. FreeBMD notes the marriage occurred during 4q1874 in the Ware Registration District and that the bride's name was Mary Anna (sic) REEVES. See Research Note 3 below. Their marriage was witnessed by George CLEMENTS and Elizabeth CLEMENTS.

Known children of Mary Ena CLEMENTS (nee REEVES) and Harry CLEMENTS are ...

1. Herbert Harry CLEMENTS, b.reg. 3q1875, Ware Reg.Dist.
2. Lilian Emily CLEMENTS, b.reg. 4q1876, Brentford Reg.Dist.
3. Charles CLEMENTS, b.reg. 1q1878, Brentford Reg.Dist.

The birth registration of each child notes their mother's maiden name as REEVES.

At the time of the 1881 census, Mary A (sic) CLEMENTS and her husband Harry are living in the Labourer's Arms on (The) Steyne in Action, Middlesex. She is 26 years old and was born in Southampton, Hampshire. Her husband Harry was 28 years old and born in Harlow, Essex and is described as a Beer Seller. Three children, Herbert H CLEMENTS (age 5, born Hoddesdon, Hertfordshire), Lillian E CLEMENTS (4, Acton, Middlesex) and Charles CLEMENTS (3, Acton, Middlesex) are living with them.

On the 1891 census, Mary E CLEMENTS and her husband Harry are again to be found at the Labourer’s Arms on The Steyne, Acton, Middlesex. The composition of the family is unchanged from the 1881 census. Mary is now 36 years old and again indicates she was born in Southampton, Hampshire.

By the time of the 1901 census Maryena (sic) CLEMENTS is head of household, living at 40 Myrtle Road, Acton, Middlesex. She is 46 years old (b c1855) and claims birth in Southampton, Hampshire. She is a widow (the death of her husband Harry CLEMENTS was registered during 4q1893 in Brentford RD) and she is living on her own means. The household includes her widowed daughter Lilian FAITHFULL (nee CLEMENTS) (age 24, born Acton, MDX) and granddaughter Florence FAITHFULL (age 2, born Acton, MDX)

Mary Ena has NOT been identified on the 1911 census. She is not with her daughter Lilian Emily (now Mrs Walter Henry SPEED) who was then living in Brighton, Sussex. It is possible she remarried, but it is more probable that she is the Maryena CLEMENTS whose death was registered during the fourth quarter of 1904 in Brentford Reg.Dist. She was 49 years old, so born around 1855; a good match for our Mary Enn CLEMENTS (nee REEVES). There is a GRO Probate Registry Entry in 1904 (page 97) for Maryena CLEMENTS of 40 Myrtle Road, Acton, Middlesex who died on 07 November 1904. Probate was granted to James Walter LLOYD who was the husband of Harry CLEMENTS's younger sister Ellen Sarah CLEMENTS .

Research Notes

(1) Our subject Mary Ena REEVES is often confused with her half cousin Mary Ann REEVES.     Mary Ann REEVES is the second child of Samuel REEVES and Mary (nee HARRISON.

Edward REEVES, Mary Ena's father and Samuel REEVES, Mary Ann's father, were half brothers; both sons of Elizabeth REEVES (nee OTWAY).

Mary Ann was baptised on 14 December 1851 at the Parish church of St Mary, Southampton, Hampshire, when her parents were clearly identified as Samuel & Mary. FamilySearch - Baptism Parish Register transcript - Mary Ann REEVES

The parents of our subject Mary Ena REEVES were clearly stated as Edward & Fanny REEVES when she was baptised and her father was clearly named as Edward REEVES when she was married. As noted above, on all census returns Mary Ena is highly consistent about her age, placing her birth around 1855, not 1851.

(2) It is not known why Mary Ena was baptised along side her second sister Ann REEVES in April 1859. It is possible she wasn't baptised shortly after her birth because Mary Ena's parents had married only a few weeks earlier on 1 October 1854 and perhaps they didn't want to draw too much attention to the birth of thier first child so soon after their marriage. But that then leaves the question as to why Mary Ena wasn't baptised along side her first sister Matilda REEVES in January 1857.

(3) The FreeBMD Index, based on images from the old GRO Indices, correctly reports her name as Mary Anna, so the transcription error must have occurred prior to when that print-set (not hand-written or typed) page was created. An image from the Marriage Register of the District Church at Hoddesdon, Hertfordshire is available at FamilySearch. Entry 204 on page 102 of the Marriage Register includes Maryenna's signature. The fifth letter of her name partially overwrites the tail of the letter "y" in her husband's Harry's name, but it is identical in shape to the second & third letters of her surname ("e") and does NOT match the second & eighth letter of her first name ("a").

Sources

Birth:        GRO Index   -   1855, March quarter, Southampton Registration District
Baptism:   FamilySearch   -   https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NBJP-T4D
Marriage:   FamilySearch   -   https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NVHJ-95J - transcription
                    FamilySearch   -   https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QSQ-G9N8-K7RD - image Pages 102 & 103
Death:      GRO Index of Deaths
                    GRO Probate Index

1861 Census: RG9, Piece 0674, Folio 176 reverse, Page 22, Schedule 102
1871 Census:
1881 Census: RG11, Piece 1353, Folio 110 reverse, Page 38, Schedule 253
1891 Census: RG12, Piece 1035, Folio 123 reverse, Page 28, Schedule 180 and continues Folio 124 face, Page 29
1901 Census: RG13, Piece 1202, Folio 154 reverse, Page 50, Schedule 371
1911 Census:

1857 Baptism - Sister Matilda Reeves     -   FamilySearch   -   https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QGQ2-2581
1859 Baptism - Sister Ann Reeves   -   FamilySearch   -   https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:J7CG-BT5
1871 Census - Father Edward Reeves   -   RG10, Piece 1188, Folio 106 reverse, Page 26, Schedule 150
1871 Census - Uncle Samuel Reeves     -   RG10, Piece 1188, Folio 107 face, Page 27, Schedule 152
1871 Census - Sister Matilda Reeves   -   RG10, Piece 1187, Folio 8 reverse, Page 10, Schedule 47
1911 Census - Daughter Lilian Emily Speed   -   RG14, Piece 5121, RD 079, SD 02, ED 01 Schedule 088