John VERNELL #1, of London and area, Solicitor's clerk, ~1866 to 1908

In the quest to sort out the John VERNELL's, I've named them John VERNELL #1 through #4. The most recent is #1, the oldest (so far) is #4. There is one in each generation of the VERNELL family.

The 1901 Census

In 1901, John VERNELL and his wife Mary Ann lived at 71 Ranelagh Road, East Ham, Essex. According to the census, he was a 35-year-old Solicitor's Clerk, and she his wife.

Mary Ann, who are you?

The GRO Marriage Index has a John VERNELL marrying Mary Ann CHAUNDY in the last quarter of 1897. But, no Mary Ann CHAUNDYs have come tumbling out of the birth index nor any of the censuses from 1871 to 1891. Although the 1901 census says she was born in Bloomsbury, Middlesex, the greater concentration of CHAUNDYs seems to be in Oxfordshire.

John and Mary Ann refuse to be found, John in 1891 census, and Mary Ann at all!

I may need to get the marriage certificate for this couple if I want to track Mary Ann back before 1897. But John in 1891? Probably a mistranscription, and I may never find him.

In the meantime, let's have a look at 71 Ranelagh Road, East Ham.



Here's a link to a nice little map of the community of East Ham, mentioning some of the history (Anne BOLEYN included), and some of the local points of interest. It's on a website called ExploringEastLondon.co.uk.

The VERNELL family history story so far starts here:

Family History Stories: Ancestors: The VERNELLs were silk manufacturers in Spitalfields in the early 1800s

The most recent part was here:

Family History Stories: Sorting out the various John VERNELLs

Up next: John VERNELL #1 and Queen Victoria's timeline.






Clickable map of 71 Ranelagh Road, East Ham, in 2010 (Google Maps)


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