This story starts with an Augustus Barnet who lived in Blandford Forum in Dorset his profession was a Bootmaker he lived with his parents at 31, Salisbury Street he was born in 1844. Augustus's Father James was also a bootmaker and mother was Mary Ann Pike who was born in Wiltshire they married in December 1842. According to the 1861 census Augustus had two brothers William who was 17. and Joseph who was 25 years old and married to Edith they had two children Mary and Anna
Around 1865 Augustus met a Mary Ann Rogers born 1845 at St Pauls in Bristol. They married in 1868 in Bath, maybe he met her on a visit to his grandparents just my imagination running wild. there is a record of Augustus James marrying Ann Rogers in December 1868 in Bath
Augustus then moved with his wife to London and in 1871 lived at St Pancras in 4,Albion Street that is now called Balfe Street with two other families, by this time William was 3 and Augustus was 3 months old, the first two of their 8 children, eventualy they moved to 58, Shipton Street Hackney the family were living there in 1881 by then they had seven sons William b.1868 Augustus b.1870, Charles b.1872, Thomas b. 1874, Alfred b. 1876, James b. 1878, Joseph b. 1880. In the 1891 census there is an Ellen Barnett entered as a daughter aged 7, living with James and the mum and dad at 4,Talavera Place, there is no mention of Joseph who would have been 11 years old, maybe he died, i did find an entry in the BDM of a Joseph died aged 3, in December 1883 in Shoreditch.
In the 1891 census Alfred is at a place called Gladstone School Philanthropic Farm School Clay Lane Reigate Surrey
it was a reformatory, I will try to find out how he managed to get himself there
James was my Grandfather he met a girl by the name of Sarah Ann Bodley who worked as a cigar roller with her sister Polly, Alfred, James's brother was a manager at a cigar making factory in East London i wonder if that is how James met his future wife,
James must have left home at an early age because he was in the South African War and left the army around 1903.
This is the time i think James would have met Sarah and when he took her to meet his parents maybe in 1905 they did not like the idea that she wasn't jewish and he never saw his family again.
Sarah lived in Dora Street Mile End not far from the cigar factory
James and Sarah were married in September 1909 and they had three daughters Alice in 1909 Amelia in 1912 and Florence in 1915 they were living in Bonnington Street just of the Old Kent Road then moved to 87, Astbury Road in Peckham
James went to work in the gas works in Old Kent Road London untill he was either called up or rejoined in 1910 becomming a Sergent in The Kings Royal Rifle Corp he died in 1916 in the first world war at a place called De Ville Woods in France
His name is on the memorial below at Thiepval |
