Smithers Genealogy	13 February 2007
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view SMITHERS family tree view SMITHERS family summary view SMITHERS ancestor chart		Dr G.M.W.Mann. Baytrees Burnhams Rd, Lt.Bookham Surrey, U.K. KT23 3AU geoff.mann@btinternet.com
	2 Lavinia Jessie SMITHERS 1864-1922
	m Herbert Henry MANN 1886

Lavinia Jessie Smithers (known as Jessie) was born in 1864 in the Mile End Workhouse, the second illegitimate daughter of Elizabeth Smithers, a domestic servant. Elizabeth kept both daughters even though she applied for parish relief and was ordered to leave Mile End. In the census of 1871, Jessie was living with her mother and older sister in Brentford. Here she probably attended the well-regarded local British School for the poor supported by the Rothschild family.

Later that year, Jessie’s mother married an Irish soldier, Timothy Noonan, who was a student at the Royal Military School of Music at Whitton just 3 miles from Brentford. At present it seems probable that Jessie and Timothy met at Brentford so that Timothy was not Jessie’s father. However it remains possible that they had met before and that Jessie’s mother moved to Brentford to be near Timothy. The movements of Timothy’s regiment, the 13^th light infantry, in the period before Jessie’s birth should resolve the matter.

Timothy left the army in 1876 with the intention of residing near Brentford. For reasons as yet unknown, Jessie, her sister, her mother and Timothy, moved to the garrison town of Shoeburyness in Essex at some time between 1876 and 1879. At this time, Jessie witnessed the marriage of her sister to a soldier from the garrison.

Jessie became a domestic servant in Shoebury, possibly to the Glasscock family at Napier House in Shoebury High St. In the 1881 census, aged 16, however she was visiting the CHURCH family inside the Garrison, but was not their servant (perhaps it is significant that the Glasscocks had no servant at home on census night). George Glasscock, a son of the family the same age as Jessie, wrote to her in 1885 describing an explosion in the Garrison.

In 1886 Jessie married Herbert Henry Mann at Shoebury St Andrews just after her 22nd birthday and moved into a newly built house in Cambridge Rd S.Shoebury. Her first three children however were born in Elim cottage, her husband’s family home. Their last child Harold Robin was born in their own home, but he died before his first birthday and was buried at St Andrews Church. All her children were baptised by the Presbyterian Chaplain from Shoebury Garrison who had been a lodger at Napier House in 1881.

Later, the family moved to "Aintree" on the corner of West Rd and Church Rd, Shoebury and her ambitious husband started his successful firm of house builders in the nearby West Rd yard. Jessie continued her association with the Garrison by boarding army officers or their families in her home. Her two sons served in the first world war and afterwards, the eldest emigrated to Canada following the death of his wife. Her other son and daughter remained unmarried at home.

Along with her husband, Jessie became a prominent member of the Shoebury Primitive Methodist Church for many years. In 1921 she represented the Shoebury Sunday School at the Quarterly circuit meeting.

In 1922 aged 57, she had a heart attack (said to have occurred on a bus) and died at home, her husband present at her death.

Photographs of Lavinia Jessie taken during the earlier years of her marriage show an unsmiling, almost gaunt, young woman, perhaps indicative of her impoverished childhood. Later portraits however show a more rounded smiling face, again perhaps indicating the change in her fortunes in later life.

click the thumbnails to see enlarged photos of Jessie

	with the Mann family c1888
	with her family c1890-1900
	c1920?
	with her Sunday school class? c1900?

EVENTS

age DATE LS HM

EVENT

17Dec1864 2Apr1871 6 Aug1871 6 28Mar1876 11 ? 3Apr1881 16 25Jny1884 19 28Dec1886 22 25 7Oct1887 22 25 18Dec1888 23 26 19Apr1890 25 28 27Jan1891 26 29 5Apr1891 26 29 24Sep1891 27 30 19Aug1892 27 30 31Mar1901 36 39 23May1919 54 57 1921 56 59 18Mar1922 57 60

born in Mile End Workhouse at Brentford with her mother and sister mother married Timothy NOONAN at Brentford Timothy discharged from the army with a pension became a domestic servant in Shoebury, possibly to the Glasscock family visited the CHURCH family in Shoebury Garrison mother died at Shoeburyness married Herbert Henry MANN at S Shoebury parish church son Herbert Henry born at Elim Cottages; baptised 20Nov1887 in Garrison church dau Dora Jessie born son Wilfred born; baptised 25May1890 in the Garrison church dau Dora Jessie baptised in the Garrison Church with husband and 3 children at 4 Cambridge Cottages, Shoeburyness son Harold Robin born son Harold Robin buried at S Shoebury parish church with husband, 3 children and lodgers at “Aintree” on corner of West and Church Rd, Shoebury eldest son emigrated to Canada represented the Sunday School at the Methodist Circuit meeting Lavinia Jessie died of heart failure

PRINCIPAL RECORDS

b=born m=married d=died

C=Christened B=Buried

BIRTH

the 1891 census shows Lavinia born about 1864 in Mile End; the unusual name identifies the following certificate:

b 17Dec1864 Lavinia, girl, at Mile End Workhouse; mother: Elizabeth SMITHERS

r 28Dec1864 at Mile End Old Town, Eastern, MDX by Elizabeth x SMITHERS of Mile End Workhouse

MARRIAGE

certificate:

m 28Dec1886 at St Andrews parish church, S Shoebury

Herbert Henry MANN bch, 25, carpenter of S Shoebury, & Lavinia Jessica SMITHERS spr, 22, of S Shoebury;

fathers: Henry MANN, market gardener; James SMITHERS, [no occupation stated]

wit: Thomas FISHER, Henrietta FISHER, W W MANN, B HALLUM

[Lavinia’s birth certificate shows that she was illegitimate; James SMITHERS was her grandfather’s name]

[Henrietta FISHER was Herbert’s sister; W W MANN (Walter Wenden) was his brother; HALLUM was a work colleague]

DESCENDANTS

from Family Bible:

b 7Oct1887 Herbert Henry at South Shoebury

b 18Dec1888 Dora Jessie at South Shoebury

b 19Apr1890 Wilfred at South Shoebury

b 24Sep1891 Harold Robin at South Shoebury; d7Aug1892 at South Shoebury

baptismal certificates (baptised at Shoebury by Hugh DRENNAN, Presbyterian Army Chaplain)

C 20Nov1887 b 7Oct1887 Herbert Henry s Herbert Henry & Jessie MANN carpenter

C 25May1890 b 19Apr1890 Wilfrid s Herbert Henry & Jessie MANN carpenter

C 27Jan1891 b 18Dec1888 Dora Jessie d Herbert & Jessie MANN carpenter

C 8Nov1891 b 24Sep1891 Harold Robin s Herbert & Jessie MANN carpenter

birth certificates:

Herbert Henry MANN boy B 7Oct1887 at Elim Cottages, South Shoebury

fa Herbert Henry MANN, carpenter; mo Lavinia Jessie MANN formerly SMITHERS

r 15Nov1887 at Great Wakering, Rochford, ESS by Herbert Henry MANN, father, of Elim Cottages, S.Shoebury,

Wilfrid MANN boy B 19Apr1890 at Elim Cottages, South Shoebury

fa Herbert Henry MANN, carpenter (master); mo Lavinia Jessie MANN formerly SMITHERS

r 3Jun1890 at Great Wakering, Rochford, ESS by Lavinia Jessie MANN, mother, of South Shoebury,

from S.Shoebury parish register:

B 19Aug1892 Harold Robin MANN age 10m of S Shoebury

DEATH

d 18Mar1922 Lavinia Jessie MANN female 57, wife of Herbert Henry MANN, carpenter (master) at Aintree, Church Rd, Shoeburyness

of cardiac failure

r 18Mar1922 at Great Wakering, Rochford, ESS by H.H MANN, widower of deceased, of Aintree, Church Rd, Shoeburyness pad

d 10Jan1928 Herbert Henry MANN male 66, builder and contractor, at Aintree, Church Rd, Shoeburyness, of cardiac failure

r 10Jan1928 at Great Wakering, Rochford, ESS by W MANN, son, of Aintree, Church Rd Shoeburyness

CENSUS

1871 Brentford MDX Alley British School RG10/1318 f164

Elizabeth SMITHERS he wid 32 dress maker Hounslow MDX

Eliza Mary Ann SMITHERS da 12 dress maker Mile End MDX

Jese Leine(sic)SMITHERS da 6 Mile End MDX

1881 Shoeburyness ESS Garrison RG11/1772 f118

Henry CHURCH he mar 34 1847 soldier foreman of works (E-pts) Newbury Berks

Harriet CHURCH wi mar 38 1843 Herne Bay

Henry Thos CHURCH so 7 1874 scholar Shoeburyness

Alfred Chas CHURCH so 5 1876 scholar Shoeburyness

Harriet CHURCH da 1 1880 Shoeburyness

Arthur J CHURCH so 6m 1880 Shoeburyness

Sivinia J SMITHERS vi unm 16 1865 domestic servant Hackney

NOTE:Sivinia=Lavinia; not sure she was visiting CHURCH family as no lines between successive families

1891 South Shoebury ESS, 4 Cambridge Cottages RG12/1394 f88

Herbert H MANN he mar 29 1861 carpenter Sutton, ESS

Lavinia J MANN wi mar 26 1864 Mile End, London

Herbert H MANN so 3 1887 Shoeburyness

Dora J MANN da 2 1889 Shoeburyness

Wilfred MANN so 11m 1890 Shoeburyness

1901 Shoeburyness ESS, Aintree, West Rd RG13/1686 f26

Herbert H MANN he mar 39 1862 carpenter worker Sutton, ESS

Jessie L MANN wi mar 36 1865 London

Herbert H MANN so 13 1888 Shoeburyness ESS

Dora J MANN da 12 1889 Shoeburyness ESS

Wiilfred MANN so 10 1891 Shoeburyness ESS

Elizabeth E FINCH bo sin 29 1872 nurse domestic Shoreham Sussex

Aphra J TYNDALL bo sin 17 1884 Ireland

Muriel B L TYNDALL bo 15 1886 Ascension Island W.African colony[?]

George H TYNDALL bo 7 1894 Gosport

Madeline M TYNDALL bo 4 1897 Gosport

Katherine a H TYNDALL bo 2 1899 Southsea

OTHER CENSUS

1881 South Shoebury, 3 John St RG11/1772 f62 p15.

Timothy NOONAN he mar 44 1837 laborer (Chelsea Pensioner) Tiperary Ireland

Elizabeth NOONAN wi mar 42 1839 Hounslow MDX [Lavinia’s mother]

\\

Joseph FOSTER he mar 29 1852 Corporal Royal Engineers Sheffield YKS

Elizabeth FOSTER wi mar 22 1859 London MDX [Lavinia’s sister]

Elizabeth FOSTER da unm 6m 1880 Shoeburyness

1881 South Shoebury, Napier Place RG11/1772 f64 p19

George GLASSCOCK he mar 39 1842 plumber painter etc Southend ESS

Eliza GLASSCOCK wi mar 39 1842 Prittlewell ESS

George W GLASSCOCK so unm 16 1865 Shoebury ESS

Frd J GLASSCOCK so 13 1868 scholar Shoebury

Priscilla P GLASSCOCK da 8 1873 scholar Shoebury

Priscilla BRAYBROOK au 69 1812 formerly housekeeper soithend ESS

John PAWSEY ne unm 17 1864 apprentice plumber Prittlewell ESS

Hugh DRENNAN lo unm 52 1829 army chaplain Scotland

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