Smith Family

Jim Oliver has approached me with this plea for help. As someone who also has "Smith" in my family tree, I can sympathise with the size of his task.
If anyone can help Jim, contact me in the usual way (by email) and I'll put you in touch with Jim.

SC

I just came across your interesting site on Glemsford and would like to request any help that might be available to my family research.

My g-g-g grandfather Benjamin Smith, was born in Glemsford about 1783 and died between 1871-81. He married Elizabeth Wakeling (Playle) in 1819 in Stanstead. I believe they only had three children...Isabella, Elizabeth, and Alfred Henry.
It appears that both had previous marriages, so it's possible Benjamin had other children. I have a possible father, John Smith born in Glemsford about 1755.
The census for 1841-51-61 show them living in Great Yeldham.
I'm descended from Alfred, born at Stanstead in 1826, and Eliza Bigg through their son Edwin, born 1858. Edwin emigrated to Canada in 1883.

Alfred and Eliza's other children were Anna, Alfred, Oliver, and William. His wife Eliza was also born in Glemsford in 1824, daughter of Charles Bigg and Elizabeth.
Charles is probably the individual mentioned in your March post about the Jabez Copsey fire.

I'm searching for information on Benjamin's ancestors and would welcome contact from others researching the Smith and Bigg families.

110 Years Ago - a snapshot

Pursuing, yet again, the lives of ordinary Glemsford people, doing ordinary things, in ordinary ways, I ran across another set of entries in the Glemsford Infants School Logbook, for October/November 1898:

31st October
Of the three girls from the Girls' School, who were appointed "on trial" at the last Board Meeting, Laura Copsey only took up the duties for one week, not wishing to return; Pollie Playle has done fairly, and Constance Reeve well. The latter shows both aptitude and liking for the work, so far.

Nov 7/98 School Inspected

[signed] HWClaughton

Nov. 8. 1898 School visited during H. M. Inspector's visit yesterday, by Rev. H.Hall.
Constance Reeve was appointed on Nov. 1 (at the Board Meeting) Monitress, with a view to becoming probationer at the commencement of the next school year.

Nov. 11. 1898 The customary half holiday after the Head Inspector's visit, was granted for this, Friday afternoon. School was therefore closed at 12 o'clock, noon.

In those days, Schools could expect annual inspections, normally from the same Inspector year on year, and the financial security of the School and Head Teacher could depend on the outcome.

All three of the girls "on trial" as would-be teachers appear in the Census of 1901, and their entries make interesting reading compared with these career ambitions 3 years earlier!

Laura Copsey, who only stuck at it for a week, was the younger daughter of Cornelius and Hannah Copsey, who lived on Tye Green. In 1901, Laura's occupation is not mentioned, but her age is given as 16 - so: she was 13 at most when she decided teaching was not for her! Not that the work was unusual for the family. Her older sister Bessie was a "pupil teacher" in 1901, and Cornelius was "Attendant [sic] Officer and Caretaker".

Pollie Playle ("Polly" on the Census) lived, in 1901, on Fair Green, when she was 15. Having done "fairly" at the time of the 1898 Inspection, she seems not to have pursued the career either - no occupation is listed. She was living with her parents, William, a "Horse Hair Curler", and Sarah. Also at home were her brothers Walter (28) and Wallace (18) - a "School Teacher".

Wallace Playle is named on Glemsford's War Memorial. Although I have no precise details (nor absolute proof) at present, the Commonwealth War Graves Commission web site lists a Corporal Wallace Edward George Playle, of the London regiment (First Surrey Rifles) as one of the many without a known grave, having died 8 October 1916, and commemorated on the memorial at Thiepval. Since the birth registers for 1883 record the birth of Wallace Edward G. Playle in the Sudbury district, I strongly suspect this is Polly's brother. The Somme accounted for so many.

Constance Reeve was the daughter of Police inspector Robert Reeve and his wife Rachel. She had a sister Hilda and brothers Albert and Leslie. The family lived in the Police House on Fair Green. In line with what one might expect from such work, the family seem to have moved around. Robert was born in Blythburgh, his wife in Hengrave and the children in Whepstead. I find it particularly interesting that, in 1901, Constance was only 15, but was a School Teacher - Pupil.
So, when she'd been assessed as having aptitude for teaching, in 1898, she would not have been much more than 12 years old!

Ordinary people, ordinary lives, but fascinating.

Further details of Glemsford's Infant School are available here: http://www.glemsford.org.uk/school1.html

Steve Clarke, November 2008