Family of Alfred Henry WALLACE and Sarah HEATH

Husband:	Alfred Henry WALLACE (1842-1877)
Wife:	Sarah HEATH (1844- )
Children:	Phil WALLACE ( - )
	Sarah WALLACE (1864- )
	Mary Ann WALLACE (1865- )
	Alfred WALLACE (1867- )
	Louisa Matilda WALLACE (1869-1928)
	Eliza Maria WALLACE (1870-1943)
	Martha Emily WALLACE (1873- )
	George Frederick WALLACE (1874- )
	Selina WALLACE (1877- )
Marriage	5 Aug 1862	St. Marys Church, Lambeth

Husband: Alfred Henry WALLACE

Name:	Alfred Henry WALLACE
Sex:	Male
Father:	Joseph WALLACE (1801-1891)
Mother:	Mary REYNOLDS (1801-1871)
Birth	9 Mar 1842	St Mary, Whitechapel
Christening	9 Mar 1842 (age 0)	St Mary, Whitechapel, Stepney
Occupation	1862 (age 19-20)	-; Carver and Fitter
Census	1871 (age 28-29)	1 Boundary Row
Occupation	1877 (age 34-35)	-; Picture frame maker
Death	10 Jun 1877 (age 35)	Shoreham, Sussex

Wife: Sarah HEATH

Name:	Sarah HEATH
Sex:	Female
Father:	William HEATH (1815- )
Mother:	Maria Catherine SHEERT(?) (1820- )
Birth	15 Nov 1844	St Olaves, Southwark, Surrey
Christening	11 Dec 1844 (age 0)	St John, Bermondsey
Census	1881 (age 36-37)	191 Waterloo Road

Child 1: Phil WALLACE

Name:	Phil WALLACE
Sex:	Male

Child 2: Sarah WALLACE

Name:	Sarah WALLACE
Sex:	Female
Birth	1864

Child 3: Mary Ann WALLACE

Name:	Mary Ann WALLACE
Sex:	Female
Spouse:	Henry PEACHEY ( - )
Birth	1865	Nunhead

Child 4: Alfred WALLACE

Name:	Alfred WALLACE
Sex:	Female
Birth	1867	ChristChurch, Southwark

Child 5: Louisa Matilda WALLACE

Child 6: Eliza Maria WALLACE

Name:	Eliza Maria WALLACE
Sex:	Female
Spouse:	George William PUGH ( - )
Birth	1870	Christchurch, Southwark
Christening	25 Dec 1870 (age 0)	Christ Church Southwark
Death	1943 (age 72-73)
Burial		Edmonton Cemetary

Child 7: Martha Emily WALLACE

Name:	Martha Emily WALLACE
Sex:	Female
Birth	1873	St Saviour's, Southwark
Christening	26 Jan 1873 (age 0)	Christ Church, Southwark

Child 8: George Frederick WALLACE

Name:	George Frederick WALLACE
Sex:	Male
Birth	1874	St Saviour's, Southwark
Christening	30 Aug 1874 (age 0)	Christ Church, Southwark

Child 9: Selina WALLACE

Name:	Selina WALLACE
Sex:	Female
Birth	1877

Note on Husband: Alfred Henry WALLACE - shared note

1. Every family has its story of lost wealth in some previous generation, and mum's family believed that the Wallaces were the rich ancestors. The story as given to her was that Alfred Wallace had left home with all the money and then died mysteriously at Beachy Head.

 

2. A more reliable account of his death through drowning in a pond when drunk can be found in the Brighton Gazette of June 14, 1877 and the Brighton Herald of June 16, 1877. His brother-in-law William Heath says that Alfred Wallace had left home 7 weeks previously taking about £90 with him. Alfred had 'given way to intemperance especially during the last two years'. He had been known to leave home before, taking large sums of money with him and returning home when he had spent it all.

 

3. The newspaper report says that at the time of his death he was married with 8 children and living at 158 Blackfriars Road, London. It gives his age as 40 but the IGI seems to have a record of his christening in 1842. His age in the 1871 census is given as 29, which confirms the birth date of 1842. I have searched the PRO Index for his birth from 1837 - 1842 inclusive without success, and clearly Mum never found his birth certificate either (but maybe she was looking for something nearer 1837).

 

There is an entry in the 1861 census which shows Alfred living in Chelsea with only his brother Charles. See transcript of census record at www.familychest.co.uk/History/Data/Cen61_003.htm

 

4. Note that we have a slight problem with the 8th child (see note 3) since there are only 7 in the 1881 census. There was an Alfred present in the 1871 census but missing in 1881. We also need to fit in 'Uncle Phil' somewhere, and there is no mention of him either in 1881. But if both Alfred and Phil are included, that would make 9 children.

 

5. I have a copy of his death certificate which describes him as a Picture Frame Maker. A transcription of the death certificate can be seen at www.familychest.co.uk/History/Data/DthAW_01.htm.

A transcription of the certificate for his marriage to Sarah Heath can be seen at www.familychest.co.uk/History/Data/MarWH_01.htm

 

6. Mum has a story from somewhere that the business was in Blackfriars Road and that the site was later known as 'Pascalls' - or maybe was very close to Pascalls. She mentions a newspaper report of a robbery of the business on 3rd September 1878 (and notes that it was alongside an account of the sinking of the Princess Alice). This would imply that the business was substantial enough to continue after his death. She has also described the business as 'Glass beveller and picture frame maker' which matches better with the business of the (supposed ?) son Phil. Mum has a London street directory from 1872 which lists No. 96 Blackfriars Road as 'Alfred Wallace, Picture Frame maker'. A similar directory for 1877 has a similar entry at 158 Blackfriars Road (no mention of him at either No. 96 or No. 100).

 

7. Mum has found details of a lease in the Southwark Archives Library (Ref 243).

It is between Henry Renny Henderson of The Grove, Hythe, Southampton and Alfred Walace (sic) of 158 Blackfriars Road, St George the Martyr, Southwark. The lease is for the property at 100 Blackfriars Road at a rent of £100 (per annum ?) for 21 years. The lease was dated 30th September 1876. ( Mum's notes end with 'B.R.A. 1013'. I don't know what this means.) (Presumably this was a lease on his business premises ? )

 

8. At the time of the 1871 census he lived at 1 Boundary Row. Mum has a photocopy of the census pages. His profession is Picture Frame Maker and his birthplace is given as Whitechapel, Middlesex. As well as his wife Sarah and the 5 children born before 1871, there is also William Heath (father-in-law), Eliza Heath and Jane Heath - both sisters in law and both with the occupation 'Collar seamer' (?)).

 

9. I have checked the National Probate Index for 1877/8 - nothing found.

 

10. In the 1851 census he is aged 9, living in the family of his father Joseph Wallace. See transcript at www.familychest.co.uk/History/Data/Cen51_001.htm

 

In the 1861 census there is a record of an Alfred Wallace aged 20 living at 33 Godfrey Street, Chelsea, with place of birth given as Stepney. He is down as the Head of household with the only other obvious relative being a brother Charles Wallace aged 21, born in Whitefield, Middlesex. Their professions are Fire Wood Cutter (!) and Billposter respectively. Also in the household is Mary Wallace, aged 60, Tailoress, born Aldgate. This could well be his mother, but she is described as a lodger. The final member of the family is Maria, aged 30, Dressmaker, b. Stepney. She is described as "daughter", which can only mean Mary's daugher - ie. the sister of Alfred and Charles.

 

11. Aunt Louie (ie. Louisa Hilary b.1919) has a more fanciful story. It says that the Wallace family were rich and came from Scotland. One of the males in the family was silly enough to marry a chambermaid and was disinherited (and presumably came to London).

 

12. Note that it seems impossible to find the civil registration of the birth of Alfred Wallace. The church record of his christening at St. Mary Whitechapel confirms that his mother's name is Mary.

Note on Wife: Sarah HEATH - shared note

1. Married Alfred Wallace in 1862, who died in 1877.

 

2. Married John Redford (Typefounder) in 1880.

 

4. I have a copy of a birth certificate for Sarah Heath dated 1844. Mum thinks that there might be a mistake, since the 1881 census implies that she was born in 1842. I accept it as valid, but the evidence is thin. ie. This birth certificate gives her parents as William + Maria. If we follow this up then we obtain a brother William, which matches up with the guy who gave evidece at the inquest of Alfred Wallace. A transcription of this birth certificate can be seen at www.familychest.co.uk/History/Data/BthSH_01.htm

 

5. Mum presumably obtained the names of all the children from this census, but there is a lot of disagreement between this and the christening records as to which children did or didn't have middle names. Maybe her second husband was the one who answered the questions and wasn't too hot on the details. This might account for the discrepancy of ages in note 4.

 

6. I have a copy of her marriage certificate to Alfred Wallace in 1862. This describes her as a minor. The address of one or other or both is given as High Street, Lambeth.

 

7. All her children born between 1869 and 1875 were christened at Christ Church, Southwark, and entries can be found in the IGI on the internet. For the earlier and later children the IGI search yields no results. Presumably they were in a different parish which has not yet been indexed.

 

8. See the notes on her husband Alfred Wallace regarding the children Alfred and Phil.

 

9. The 1881 census shws her living with John Redford and 7 of her children at 191 Waterloo Road. See census transcript at www.familychest.co.uk/History/Data/Cen81_005.htm