The above picture, created with the help of AI (using her natural features), is of William Maxted's daughter Florence Maxted who is my great grandmother. She was born in Eastleigh and would by marriage move to the Essex seaside town of Dovercourt.
This is the result of my challenge to find out where our Maxted descendants, a family that originated in the little Kent village of Pluckley (but who had at some point relocated into London, some later ending up in the Hampshire town of Eastleigh), had got to by the time of the 1921 census. Why did they leave the countryside, from what was reputed to be the most haunted village in England? The family was lured to the big city by work opportunities in the railway sector. For the same reasons they later relocated to Eastleigh, for the train works having also moved there.
FLORENCE MAXTED - WILLIAM MAXTED - CHARLES MAXTED - GEORGE MAXTED - EDWARD MAXTED
My great great grandfather William Maxted
William Maxted and his family lived in Eastleigh at 162 Market Street. William, who was 58 years old, worked as a boilermaker for the railway. His Irish wife Maria (my great great grandmother), age 59, had for the first time revealed that she was born in Cork, despite having always on other census's said her birth place was north from there in Westmeath. Three children were living at home still and one grandchild. Son William (junior), age 30, born in Dartmouth in Devon, worked as a general labourer for the railway, daughter Norah, aged 21, was at home with an illegitimate baby in her care, also named Norah, and son Henry Charles, aged 28, was said to be a soldier, and then for not having actually spent that night at home got crossed out. Actually Charles was far from home staying with his married sister Florence and her husband Percy at the Essex seaside.
Market Street, Eastleigh, in 1909
The children of William Maxted and his Irish wife Mary née Dolan were Sarah Kathleen, William John, Mary Jane, Florence Maria, Henry Charles, and Lilial Norah
William Maxteds married daughter Mary Jane Brown
Mary Jane, aged 28, born in Sunderland up north, was just living a little further along the road from her parents at 174 Market Street, Eastleigh, with her husband, 33 year old Lionel Brown. Lionel worked as a platers assistant on the railway, and they had with them their three young children Ivy, Myrtle and Lionel. Mary Jane was known for naming all her daughters after plants and flowers.
William Maxteds married daughter Florence Spencer & his son Charles Henry (not at home in Eastleigh after all)
Williams grown up children Florence and Charles were together at Florence's new family home in Essex, at 2 Bridge Cottages, Parkestone, on the edge of Dovercourt, which was where Florences husband Percy Spencer was from. Percy was 37 years old, considerably older than Florence and worked as a ships cook for the railway at Parkestone Quay. Florence, who was 12 years younger than him, was 25. Two little children they had so far, one being 3 year old Eileen (my red haired nanny), who had been born at Market Street in Eastleigh, and baby Victor John (Johnny), born in Dover. Henry Charles Maxted, Florences brother, was at the time staying with the family, while working as a temporary postman in Harwich.
The Bridge Cottages of Parkestone in 1921
Another AI created picture of Florence Maxted
The brothers and sisters of William Maxted, born to Charles and Sarah Maxted, were Sarah, Charles Henry, Edward Daniel, John Edward, Henry, Emma, Frederick, Jane, and Matilda. A further three children were born to Charles's second wife Mary Ann, they being George, Elizabeth, and Edward.
William Maxted's brother Charles Henry Maxted
Charles was by 1921 a widower with two daughters still at home, Alice and Lily. Their address was 138 High Street, Eastleigh, in Hampshire. Charles was 69 years old, working as a riveter on the railway. Daughter Alice, aged 26, kept house, and daughter Lily, age 19, worked in the preparation of tobacco leaf at the British American Tobacco Company on Ellbert Road, in Southampton.
High Street, Eastleigh
William Maxteds nephew Walter Maxted (son of Charles Henry Maxted)
Walter Charles Maxted, the grown up son of Charles Henry Maxted, born in Brighton, lived with his large family on the Isle of Wight, on Milton Road in Cowes. Both he and his wife Emma stated on the census that their mothers were dead. Walter Charles was out of work, having formerly worked as a plater, boiler maker and ship builder at the Vicks Works for William White & Son. His teenage lads Walter, William and George were doing a similar range of work at the Medina Dock. From the children's birthplaces it can be seen that they lived in Poplar in London, and then Southampton, before moving to the Isle of Wight.
William Maxteds niece Ethel Randelshoper (daughter of Charles Henry Maxted)
Ethels unusual surname was for her having married a German, Sebastien Randelshoper, who was from Geisenfeld near Munich. The couple lived with their two young children Sebastian and Dorothy at 23 Vaughan Road in Lambeth, London, before which they had lived in Stockwell. Sebastien worked at the Abrahamson shop/restaurant at 49 Whitechapel Road.
William Maxteds sister Matilda Hunt and brother Henry Maxted
Two of William Maxteds siblings Matilda and Henry, who like him had been born in Lambeth, were still in their place of birth, living together at 36 Mawby Street. Henry Maxted, aged 60, worked as a crane attendant for the railway at Nine Elms. Matilda's husband, Henry Hunt, worked for an engineering firm, Beck & Co, at 130 Great Suffolk Street in Southwark. Two of Matilda's daughters, Lily and Rose, were typists for a cycle/motor factory and her other daughter Annie was the checker for a wholesale drug store.
Nine Elms railway crane, such as was operated by Henry Maxted
Living right next door at 35 Mawby Street was Matilda's newly married daughter Matilda Emma Watts, age 28, with her husband Walter Henry Watts, age 32. Matilda Emma was pregnant at that time with her daughter Dora Matilda. Walter was out of work, his last employment having been at the Woolwich Arsenal.
Matilda's other newly married daughter, Maud Pain, age 25, lived very close too at 32 Mawby Street, her husband Philip Pain being a goods porter for the railway at Nine Elms.
William Maxteds niece Eleanor Rose Pratt, daughter of his deceased sister Sarah
William's older sister Sarah had already died way back in 1890 and her daughter Eleanor Rose, age 45, had upon marrying Henry Pratt left London for a new life in Luton. There they lived with their many children at 42 Kimpton Road. Henry worked as a boring machinist for Vauxhall Motors, their son Henry being a painter for the same company, and their daughter Rose being an envelope maker for Waterlow stationers.
Eleanors son and husband worked in car manufacture at Vauxhall Motors in Luton
William Maxteds nephews John Edward and William Henry, sons of his deceased brother John Edward Maxted
John Edward Maxteds wife, Elizabeth, when she became a widow, remarried to George Palk, a coal porter from Devon. By 1921 the two sons had their own families. John Edward Junior was aged 34, working as a dispatch assistant for a biscuit manufacturer. He lived at 30 Hamble Street, Fulham, in London, with his wife Helena, two young daughters Ivy and Elsie, and a couple of lodgers, John and Emily Bees.
Some of a variety of themed biscuit tins from the Marfalane Biscuit maker whom brothers John and William Maxted both worked for
The other son William Maxted, age 32, was packing biscuits, working for the same company as his brother John, the Marfarlane Biscuit bakers on Townmead Road, Fulham. William lived at 25 Hugon Road with his wife Annie and their son 6 year old son William John.
William Maxteds brother Fredrick Maxted
Frederick Maxted, aged 55, was working as an armourer of rifles, pistols and machine guns at the Admiralty supply depot in Plymouth. He and his family lived at 22 Brandon Road, Laira, Plymouth.
William Maxteds sister Jane Smith
Jane was another of the family who had moved to Eastleigh, along with her husband Charles Stephen Smith, who worked as an engine fitter for the railway. They lived with their many children at 69 Nutbeem Road. Sons Charles and Albert were also working as engine fitters for the railway and son Robert was working as a van boy for the local bakers Briny and Sons.
William Maxteds cousin Jane Poulton
Ok, unravelling connections, going as far back as William Maxteds father, Charles Maxted, he had a brother Edward Maxted, and it was Jane Poulton who was Edwards great granddaughter. By 1921 Jane, aged 34, was already a widow, her husband Alfred George Poulton having died a few years earlier fighting in the Second World War at Poziéres in France. She was therefore now raising alone three children: George, Jane and Francis, in her home at 161 Bremerton Street in Islington. A lodger was staying in her home, giving at least a little of money for necessities, this being Florence Adams, who did kitchen work at a nearby coffee house. Jane junior, when grown up, would marry Arthur Ceconi, the son of an Italian ice cream seller.
William Maxteds cousins the Arnell sisters
Uncle Edward's granddaughters Jane Selina, Mary Ann and Minnie Arnell were living with their father, their mother Harriet née Maxted having died, at 77 Lofting Road, Islington. Jane's middle name of Selina was in honour of Great Aunt Selina Maxted who had travelled to America and back and had been a single mother of two daughters. The sisters father Charles, as an aging widower, was working as a lavatory attendant for the council. The three sisters, although aged 43, 37 and 33 had never married. Jane Selina was keeping house for everyone and the others Molly and Minnie worked as feeders of cattle packing machines for Joseph Thorley Limited at Kings Cross.
Sisters Molly and Minnie Arnell worked as food packers in the animal feed business of Joseph Thorley at Kings Cross
William Maxteds cousin Emma Gough
Emma Gough was the granddaughter of Williams uncle John Maxted, who in 1921 can be seen with her children Violet, Dorothy, Marjorie and Lawrence at 102 Elborough Street, Wandsworth. Violet, aged 18, had been working as a typist for an electrical engineering company, although was for now out of work, and 14 year old Dorothy was full time working as a dressmaker.
Elborough Street, Wandsworth, home to the Gough family