Rhoda Wilkinson 1816- 1878

 

Baptised 17/03/1816 at St. Mary the Virgin, Lindsell .D/P 110/ 1/3. Her parents were William Wilkinson,1780 – 1842, & Rebecca Chatters c.1780, who married in 1803. And her siblings were born between 1804 and 1825.

1836/7. Gives birth to Esther Wilkinson, but no baptism found in Lindsell or Stebbing for this child and it is before state reg. started in July 1837. Esther dies, stated age 23, in 1860. Very odd she is not baptised as the next child, William, is! Could she have been baptised in another parish? - never have a birthplace for her!.

1840.   William Wilkinson , born to Rhoda Wilkinson on 22/12/1840, she being in the baptism entry as ’ qualify Single woman, home Stebbing’, baptised 7/02/1841, Lindsell. But cannot find a state entry for this birth[ the nearest registered birth for a William Wilkinson in 'Dec' 1840 or 'Mar' 1841 is London But as two baptisms appear in Ancestry London baptisms for these births, they are not his. . Maybe she was away from Lindsell from 1837 -1841 and only returned just before William's baptism. But census entries for him say born Stebbing, but then his parents would never have told him if he were not!.  2012 conclusion is that she just did not register his birth! 

1841C. Rhoda Wilkenson, 25, living, with her parents & 2 seemingly illegitimate children, also her brother Joseph b. 1821, at Duck End , Stebbing. Miswritten as WilkEnson.  [Duck End is equidistant from Lindsell & Stebbing Churches] -all adult ages supposedly rounded down to the nearest 5 in 1841C

1842. Her father, William Wilkinson, dies [ in Stebbing]. Buried, aged 65, in Lindsell on 11/09/1842. This age should be 62 [ from date of his baptism]. But given he has been entered as 65 on the census and d.c.s are notoriously wrong with ages, this is our man. Have d.c..: she is the informant. Her mother, Rebecca, remarries in 1846 & dies 1858.

1844. Rhoda Wilkinson marries Ezekiel Turner on 20/10/1844 in Stebbing Church. Have m.c.MT1. Both given as full age. Parents William Turner & William Wilkinson[ not given as deceased! ], both ag. Labs., as is Ezekiel.  Witnesses Joseph Wilkinson ( Rhoda’s 23 yr. old brother), Susan Cannon & John Glasscook

William Wilkinson had been born to Rhoda on 22/12/1840. Baptised 7/02/1841 Lindsell.

Rhoda's life now mirrors that of her husband Ezekiel. .

So, with this 1844 marriage, William Wilkinson became the eldest sibling of these Turners. Esther, by now about 7, stayed a Wilkinson but no doubt lived with the family .

1844.  Joseph Turner b. 26/10/1844. Have b.c. Birth registered 20/11/1844 by Rhoda..Baptised 21/11/1844, Lindsell.[So, they have married 6 days before Joseph's stated birth! - see comment on Ezekiel's page]

1846.    John Turner b. 16/08/1846, baptised 8/11/1846, Lindsell.

1846. Her widowed mother, Rebecca Wilkinson, remarries in Gt. Bardfield - not digitised - to Willian Cowlen/Cowland.

1849. Abraham Turner b.11/01/1846. Baptised 18/02/1849, Lindsell. Buried, aged 15 months, 11/04/1850, Stebbing: this odd, why not Lindsell?, as Samuel was baptised there 3 months later. Also interesting that his death is on Ancestry Parish records!

1850. Samuel Turner b.20/06/1850. Baptised 21/07/1850, Lindsell.

1852. Alfred Turner b.07/09/1852. Baptised 22/03/1857, Congregational Chapel, Stebbing

1855. Shadrack Turner b.21/08/1855.Baptised 22/03/1857, Congregational Ch. Stebbing

1858. Sarah Turner b.13/01/1858. Baptised 21/03/1858, Congregational Chapel, Stebbing. . . .D/NC 43/5/2 or 3 - not on SEAX

1858. Nov 4th.. D/NC 43/5/1. Becomes a member of the Congregational Chapel, Mill Lane, Stebbing. This is 18mths after she has baptised 2 children, & 7 mths after the baptism of a third, there. But she had obviously split from the Lindsell Church around 1851-2 as Alfred & Shadrack were almost 5 & 2 when baptised in 1857.

1859. Rebecca Turner b.30/08/1859. Baptised 9/10/1859. Buried 31/03/1860, Con.Ch.,Stebbing.

1860.25/04/1860. Esther Ann Wilkinson dies of Brain Fever, 4 days, [ Burial record, same day, Cong. Church, Stebbing states 'dies of Jaundice' - seen in ERO] at Duck End, Stebbing, aged 23, daughter of Rhoda Wilkinson, now the wife of Ezekiel Turner, farm labourer. Informant was Eliza Gowers, also of Duck End. Have d.c. DW1 Investigate where Eliza Gowers living in 1861C.

1861. James Turner b.20/02/1861. Baptised 14/04/1861, Con.Ch.,Mill Lane, Stebbing

Family is complete with 9 children born, 2 of whom have died, to Rhoda & Ezekiel, plus William,1 840,[ nee Wilkinson] & Esther Wilkinson,1836-1860.. So Rhoda gave birth over 25 years, from aged 21 to aged 45 . No Census has survived from 1851.

1861Census.  Rhoda Turner, 45, with husband Ezekiel & 8 surviving children, living at Duck End, Stebbing. All down as born Stebbing.

1863.    Son William Turner marries in Stebbing , St. Mary the Virgen Church.

1867 Stebbing Sunday School Admission Book. Congregational. D/NC 43/5/1 - not on SEAX.

. . .May 7 . Sarah , parent Ezekiel, labourer, Duck End ... Then Left [ no notice] July 4 1875. . [From age 9 to 17 ]

. . Jun 15 . James , parent Ezekiel,. labourer, Duck End. . . .Left July 25 1875 . . . [From age 6 to 15]

So obviously the Congregational Church was using Sundays to educate children with moral guidance. Rhoda was not able to make the 12 yr old Shadrack attend!

1871Census. Rhoda Turner, 55, still living at Duck End Stebbing.

 So,  John, Sam, & Alfred have left home.

1878. Rhoda Turner dies, aged 63, wife of Ezekiel Turner farm laborer, on 1/3/1878, at Duck End Stebbing. Informant was Ezekiel Turner, widower of deceased, present at the death, his mark. Cause of death was Cardiac Disease. Have d.c. DT0.

She is not buried in Lindsell or Stebbing Parish Churches, so I assume she is buried in the Congregational Church for which no Burial records seem to have survived for the years 1870-1910. I visited the graveyard there in August 2008 as they were redeveloping the building [ retaining just its facade & roof] but found no Turner graves. The family were extremely poor and would have managed a small wooden cross, of which there were many, at best.

Congregational Graveyard August 2008

1881Census.   Her widowed husband, Ezekiel Turner, still living at Duck End, Stebbing.

1888. Her widowed husband, Ezekiel Turner, dies, 10 years after her, aged 78, Senile - Gangrene 6 months, 30/11/1888 at Gatehouse, Stebbing. Informant was Sarah Ann Lagdon, daughter, present at the death, Gatehouse, Stebbing. Have d.c.DT1. From this I am able to trace the children of Sarah, 1858, the youngest daughter of Ezekiel & Rhoda, through the 1881, 1891, 1901 & 1911Cs.

EARLIER WILKINSONS

Family Fan Chart