Ethel Tallent / Leskovych (1908 - 1973)

Ethel Audrey Tallent is one of the “outlayers:” not a direct ancestor.  Her mother was a Watson – which is why she is included.  I was going to write a story about her mother, but seeing that my mother actually met Ethel, I’ve decided to write instead about Ethel.

Ethel Audrey Tallent, was born 15 April 1908, with the birth being registered in Hendon, Middlesex.  Hendon is 11 km northeast of London, and has been part of Greater London since 1965.  She had one sibling: an older brother named Robert Alfred Watson Tallent, who was born on 14 May 1903 in Lowestoft.  Her parents were Ellen (nee Watson) and Robert Tallent.

Ethel’s mother Ellen, or Nellie as she was known, was born on 13 July 1868.  She

married Robert Tallent in 1902 in Lowestoft, when she was 34 (and he was 35). Ellen had her first child the following year.  It may be common to have children in your late 30s at the beginning of the 21^st Century but was unusual a century before.  Ellen was about to turn 40 when Ethel was born!  Robert Tallent, Ethel’s father died in late 1912, when Ethel was four years old. 

Ethel and her brother, Robert, grew up in London with their mother, Ellen; Ethel spent her whole life in the London district. Ellen Tallent died when Ethel was 33.  At that time Ellen was living in Ipswich, Suffolk.  Ipswich is about 70 km from Lowestoft, and was where Ethel’s brother, Robert Tallent, lived with his wife and three children. 

Ethel corresponded with the Australian branch of the Watson family: exchanging letters with her cousin’s daughter, Clara Woolley, who was two years older than her.  They had a lot in common – well, they had two main things in common – they both married at about the age of 42 and they both had no children!  Ethel married Fidor Leskovych in 1950.  Fidor Leskovych, a Ukranian, had been forcibly moved to Germany as a farm labourer during World War II, and had sought refuge in Britain immediately after the war.

In 1965 Helen and Gary Hilton visited Ethel and Fidor at their home in Carbone Hill, Hatfield, Herforshire: about 30 km north of London. Fortunately they took a photo of the event!

Ethel Audrey Leskovych died in 1973, she was 64. 

Relationship to SNR = cousin of Great-great-grandmother

Susanna Whalley (1757 - 1827) and William Osborne (1754 - 1834)

Oulton, Suffolk is now a suburb of Lowestoft, but at the end of the 16^th Century it was a relatively large agricultural town surrounded by the waters of Lake Lothing and the river Waveney. Sometime between 1783 and 1788 a young couple moved to the area:  Susanna (nee Whalley) and William Osborne.

They were probably like lots of young families at that time in their lives – moving due to work opportunities, or for a change in lifestyle. Unfortunately, despite research, nothing of their life before this time is known - where they were born; where they had lived before the move; when they married; or exactly how many children they had when they arrived in Oulton!  We do know that they remained in Oulton for the rest of their lives.

Susanna and William Osborne baptised the following children in St Michael’s Church:

William – born 9 September 1788 and baptised on 14 September;

Edward – born 24 November 1790 and baptised on 28 November;

Hannah – born 12 April 1793 and baptised on 14 April;

Thomas – born on 18 December 1798 and baptised on 23 December; and

John -  baptised on 7 June 1801 (for some reason his date of birth wasn’t recorded!).

Sadly their 17 year old daughter, Elizabeth, who was born before they arrived in Oulton, died in early 1800 and was buried at St Michael’s cemetery on 19 January.

Over the years, their children grew up, married, had children of their own, and themselves moved away.

Susanna died in 1827 at the age of 70 and William died in 1834 at the age of 80.  They were both buried in the parish church – St Michael’s.  Ordinary lives…

[Relationship to SNR = Great-great-great-great-great-great grandparents]

Sarah Osborne - Watson

I really like the fact that my great-great grandmother wrote down information about her family.  It makes me think that I'm like her - she would have used a family history program, had it been available! I've already written a post about her - Clara Watson/Furnsby - but this post is about her mother!

Sarah Osborne was born on 12 August 1829 in Lowestoft. Her parents were Martha Gibbs and Thomas Osborne.

Martha and Thomas married on 25 April 1822 in Oulton, Norfolk.  They soon moved to Lowestoft and appear to have stayed there for the rest of their lives.  According to Parish records, they had six children baptised of which Sarah was their second eldest child. 

Sarah worked as a dressmaker.  Sarah had received a basic education as she could sign her own name at her wedding.  Her father, Thomas, died on 28 June 1853, age 54.

On 25 October 1859, Sarah Osborne married Alfred Watson at the Parish Church in Lowestoft witnessed by Sarah’s sister, Mary Ann and her husband George Clark.   Alfred was not a Suffolk native.  He was born in Brixton, Surrey on 19 March 1828, coming to Lowestoft in the 1850s.  He was a carpenter. He was also able to sign his name at his marriage to Sarah

Sarah had seven children: all the details of their births and deaths are known up to the early 1900s because Sarah’s daughter Clara Elizabeth wrote the information down, presumably so she wouldn’t forget!  Her children were:

·      Mary Ann – born 12 August 1860;

·      Clara Elizabeth – born 13 September 1861;

·      Emma Sarah – born on 18 March 1863, died on 13 April 1867;

·      Alfred Thomas - the only son and he also died young –born on 13 September 1864 and died on 13 January 1866;

·      Hannah – born 1 October 1866;

·      Ellen – born 13 July 1868; and

·      Frances – born 30 May 1871.

The names of children in families at this time would often follow a particular pattern.  Sarah and Alfred did not follow such a pattern.  Their first daughter was named after one of Sarah's sister - which was also Alfred's mother's name.  The second daughter's middle name was another of Sarah's sister's names.

With the exception of Emma, all Sarah’s children were baptised in St Peter's Lowestoft.  St Peter's was built in 1833.  Unfortunately in 1974 this large, stately, 140 year old church was demolished as the congregation had decreased to such a size as was unsustainable.  A block of units designed for elderly people were built on the site. It is not known why Emma was baptised at the Free Church, Lowestoft.

In the 1861 Census, Sarah, Albert and infant daughter Mary Ann were living in Raglan Street (the exact number in the street was not recorded).  Sarah's younger sister, Elizabeth, was living with the family at this time.  In 1871, Sarah, Albert and their four daughters were living at 57 Raglan Street. 

Sarah’s mother, Martha, died on 23 November 1878, aged 79.  Both Sarah’s parents are buried in the Churchyard of St Margaret’s, Lowestoft. Their names have not been recorded in a recent register, probably indicating that the headstone was part of the graveyard that was demolished when the Church was extended.

In 1881, the family was still living at 57 Raglan Street – with their five daughters.

By 1891, just Ellen was living with Sarah and Alfred, and they had moved to 13 Raglan Street: 

·      Mary Ann had married and lived in Lowestoft with her husband and three daughters;

·      Clara Elizabeth had married, emigrated to Australia with her husband and, in 1891, was about to have her third child;

·      Hannah had also married and was living in Lowestoft – she did not have any children; and

·      Frances – it is not known why she wasn’t with her family at the 1891 Census.  She died late in 1891 - on 21 December - age 20.

Sarah lived her whole life in Lowestoft.  She died on 22 February 1897 aged 68.  Her daughter Mary Ann died later that year, leaving three young daughters.  Alfred Watson died five years later on 11 June 1902 aged 74.  Both are buried in Lowestoft Cemetery.

Sarah Osborne - Watson

Relationship to SNR = Great, great, great, great grandmother