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I am trying to trace the parents of Frederick Speller (b1831). He only shows up twice in the official records:

(i) The 1891 census he is living with Emily Jane Speller (born in Billericay in Essex) and their son Thomas in Camberwell. It suggests that Frederick was born in Hackney.

(ii) A death record for Camberwell in 1893 listing his age as 62 and his full name as Frederick Eardley Speller.

I have come across multiple dead ends. There are other Frederick Speller's living in London with different birth years but their details dont match. Can anyone help? I am really very very stuck.

1891 for reference
SPELLER, Frederick Head Married M 60 1831 Furrier
Hackney
London VIEW
SPELLER, Emily J Wife Married F 49 1842 Fur Liner
Bellericay
Essex VIEW
SPELLER, Thomas Son M 8 1883
VIEW
RG number:
RG12 Piece:
479 Folio:
93 Page:
24

Registration District:
Camberwell Sub District:
Peckham Enumeration District:
32 Ecclesiastical Parish:
St Chrysostoms

Civil Parish:
Camberwell Municipal Borough:
Address:
35, Hardcastle Street, Camberwell, Peckham County:
London

1901
SPELLER, Thomas Son Single M 18 1883 Stationery Packer
Surrey VIEW
RG number:
RG13 Piece:
377 Folio:
96 Page:
36

Registration District:
St Saviour Southwark Sub District:
St Peter Walworth Enumeration District:
13 Ecclesiastical Parish:
All Saints

Civil Parish:
Newington Municipal Borough:
Address:
74, Smyrks Road, Newington County:
London

London, England, Marriages and Banns, 1754-1921
about Jane Mew<<<<Minor
Name: Jane Mew
Spouse Name: Frederick Speller <<Full age
Spouse Age: Full Age
Record Type: Marriage
Marriage Date: 13 Jul 1862
Parish: St Giles, Camberwell
County: Surrey
Borough: Southwark
Father Name: Joseph Mew
Spouse Father Name: William Speller

This looks like the same Fred as the marriage I posted

1861 England Census
about Frederick Speller
Name: Frederick Speller
Age: 21
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1840
Relation: Son
Father's name: William Speller
Mother's name: Elizabeth Speller
Gender: Male
Where born: Essex, England

Civil parish: Camberwell St Giles
Ecclesiastical parish: St Giles
County/Island: Surrey
Country: England


Registration district: Camberwell
Sub-registration district: Camberwell
ED, institution, or vessel: 1
Neighbors: View others on page
Household schedule number: 29
Piece: 378
Folio: 5
Page Number: 6
Household Members: Name Age
William Speller 53 <<Hay binder
Elizabeth Speller 52
Frederick Speller 21 <<Hay binder
James Speller 18

Are you sure about his dob?

1841
Name: Frederick Speller
Age: 1
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1840
Gender: Male
Where born: Essex, England

Civil parish: Great Burstead
Hundred: Barstable
County/Island: Essex
Country: England

Street Address:

Occupation: View image

Registration district: Billericay
Sub-registration district: Great Burstead
Neighbors: View others on page
Piece: 322
Book: 6
Folio: 25
Page Number: 18
Household Members: Name Age
William Speller 30 occupation Thatcher
Betsey Speller 30
William Speller 10
George Speller 10
Henry Speller 5
Emma Speller 4
Frederick Speller 1

Roy

1841 England Census
about Frederick Speller
Name: Frederick Speller
Age: 1
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1840
Gender: Male
Where born: Essex, England

Civil parish: Great Burstead
Hundred: Barstable
County/Island: Essex
Country: England

Registration district: Billericay
Sub-registration district: Great Burstead
Neighbors: View others on page
Piece: 322
Book: 6
Folio: 25
Page Number: 18
Household Members: Name Age
William Speller 30 <<<Thatcher
Betsey Speller 30
William Speller 10
George Speller 10
Henry Speller 5
Emma Speller 4
Frederick Speller 1

his birth maybe
England & Wales, FreeBMD Birth Index, 1837-1915 about Frederick Speller
Name: Frederick Speller
Date of Registration: Jul-Aug-Sep 1839
Registration district: Billericay
Inferred County: Essex
Volume: 12
Page: 8 (click to see others on page)

Hi guys, thanks for all the great responses. Is it normal for a person's age to be recorded up to 8 years incorrectly as this now suggests? Why would this be? The census result posted by Maddie for 1891 is definitely the one for my great-grandfather which infers an DOB of 1831 - the same as the death certificate.

Can we be reasonably certain that this is the same Frederick Speller as suggested by Ginnie and Porkie Pie? Is there any way that I can check this?

Thanks for all of your great help!

Hi folks I don't think that it is the same

Frederick Speller as married to Jane Mew. Even though it is the same area. When I have serached the census records I can see that there is a Frederick Speller (born circa 1840) married to a Jane Speller. But at the same time there is a Frederick Speller shown as being married to a Mary Speller. It is the Mary Speller that I know is correct. In the 1871 census Mary is shown as living with the Paxton family in London with her children.

I really continue to be a bit stuck.

OK lets start again. Who were Freds children, how have you got back to him?

England & Wales, FreeBMD Birth Index, 1837-1915 about Emily Jane Speller
Name: Emily Jane Speller
Date of Registration: Oct-Nov-Dec 1841
Registration district: Billericay
Inferred County: Essex
Volume: 12
Page: 6 (click to see others on page)

Is this Emily's birth?

Okay, my Father is David Frank Speller. He was born in Bromley in 1941. His Father was Frank Victor Speller born in 1915 and was the youngest in his family. His father was Henry Speller born c1870 and married to Caroline Hughes. I have found them listed in the 1911 census.

My father David Frank Speller tells me he used to visit his grandfather Henry who was from the Peckham/Camberwell area. Henry had been a soldier and fought with Lord Roberts - that was what my family have told me.

Frank Victor Speller (my grandad) always said that his own grandfather was a Furrier. This matches the census record for 1891 which shows Frederick Speller (furrier) (born 1831) married to Emily Speller living with their youngest son Thomas. When I checked the 1871 census I found Emily Speller with her sons lodging with the Paxton family - her sons at the time are Charles Speller (b1863), Arthur Speller (b1865) and Henry Speller (b1870).

here for info

1871
PAXTON, George Head M 40 1831 Middlesex VIEW
PAXTON, Mary Wife F 31 1840 Buckinghamshire VIEW
PAXTON, Emily Daughter F 8 1863 Middlesex VIEW
PAXTON, Adelaide Daughter F 4 1867 Middlesex VIEW
PAXTON, James Son M 2 1869 Middlesex VIEW
SPELLER, Emily Visitor F 29 1842 Middlesex VIEW
SPELLER, Charles Visitor M 8 1863 Middlesex VIEW
SPELLER, Arthur Visitor M 6 1865 Middlesex VIEW
SPELLER, Henry Visitor M 1 1870 Middlesex VIEW
RG number:
RG10 Piece:
729 Folio:
13 Page:
25

Registration District:
Camberwell Sub District:
Enumeration District:
20 Ecclesiastical Parish:

Civil Parish:
St Giles Camberwell Municipal Borough:
Address:
Thornhill Square, St Giles Camberwell County:
London, Surrey

hope this is not a spanner in the works but he be connected to the frederick eardley death you found
1911

SPELLER, Charles Eardly Head Married
18 years M 47 1864 Gas Meter Maker Holborn London Resident VIEW
SPELLER, Elizabeth Wife Married F 58 1853 Elton Aberdeenshire Resident VIEW
SPELLER, Elizabeth Daughter Single F 23 1888 Compositor Newburgh Aberdeenshire VIEW
RG number:
RG14 Piece:
7358 Reference:
RG14PN7358 RG78PN357 RD132 SD5 ED8 SN215

Registration District:
Edmonton Sub District:
Edmonton Enumeration District:
8 Parish:
Edmonton

Address:
68 Fairfield Road Edmonton County:
Middlesex

Hi Maddie,

Thanks for all your much appreciated help.

Charles must definitely be the son of Frederick Eardly Speller then. It matches the age of Charles Speller found in the 1871 census when Charles is shown as being 8 and living with his mother Emily and brothers as visitors with the Paxton family.

This raises several questions for me. Eardly seems like an unusual name so where does it originate from? Why does Frederick not appear as being born in 1831 in earlier census data? Could he have been in the army like his son Henry? Could this explain it? Where next? :-P

London, England, Marriages and Banns, 1754-1921
about Henry Speller <<<Groom?
Name: Henry Speller
Age: 28
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1870
Spouse Name: Caroline Hughes
Spouse Age: 24
Record Type: Marriage
Marriage Date: 31 Jul 1898
Parish: St Jude, Peckham
County: Surrey
Borough: Southwark
Father Name: Frederick Speller Deceased....Farrier
Spouse Father Name: Robert Hughes Deceased...Porter

Something is not adding up with Henry' father Fred. What keeps popping up is George Speller......hmmmm

Ginny,

Thanks for your continued help on this. The marriage record that you have is definitely the right one. My grandfather always said that his dad Henry was married to a Caroline Hughes. The only thing incorrect about the marriage record is that Frederick is a Furrier and not a Farrier. But this could be simply a transcription error.

The fact that the Frederick Speller is listed as being deceased on Henry's marriage cert makes sense since Frederick Eardly Speller died in 1893:

Name Frederick Eardley Speller
Year of Registration 1893
Quarter of Registration Jan-Feb-Mar
Registration District Camberwell
Registration County London
Age at Death: 62
Volume Number 1D
Volume Page 591

mmmm... solving this mystery is causing me sleepless nights lol. You say that George keeps popping up - where is this?

This bloke is a nightmare! Is this Emily in 1911?

SPELLER, Emily Jane Head Widow F 68 1843 Silk Hand Billbrickie Essex VIEW

RG number:
RG14 Piece:
1831 Reference:
RG14PN1831 RG78PN65 RD23 SD5 ED13 SN76

Registration District:
Southwark Sub District:
Newington South Enumeration District:
13 Parish:
St Mary Newington

Address:
30 Bagshot St Walworth County:
London


This is very odd. When I searched for Emily Jane with no surname entered, this came up!


Births Dec 1841
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Speller Emily Jane Billericay 12 6


And then this


1891 England Census
about Emily J Speller
Name: Emily J Speller
Age: 49
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1842
Relation: Wife
Spouse's Name: Frederick Speller
Gender: Female
Where born: Bellericay, Essex, England <<<<<<<<<<

Civil parish: Camberwell
Ecclesiastical parish: St Chrysostom
Town: Peckham
County/Island: London
Country: England


Registration district: Camberwell
Sub-registration district: Peckham
ED, institution, or vessel: 32
Neighbors: View others on page
Piece: 479
Folio: 93
Page Number: 24
Household Members: Name Age
Frederick Speller 60
Emily J Speller 49
Thomas Speller 8

And this looks like her with the name switched the other way

1851 England Census
about Jane E Speller
Name: Jane E Speller
Age: 9
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1842
Relation: Visitor
Gender: F (Female)
Where born: Great Burstead, Essex, England

Civil parish: Stock
County/Island: Essex
Country: England


Registration district: Chelmsford
Sub-registration district: Ingatestone
ED, institution, or vessel: 7d
Neighbors: View others on page
Household schedule number: 4
Piece: 1775
Folio: 130
Page Number: 1
Household Members: Name Age
George Collins 36
Lydia Collins 28
James Collins 8
Emma Collins 1
Ellen Collins 9 MO
Jane E Speller 9