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Woosters at the time of the Cholera epidemics in England - Part 2:
A story of a family tragedy, survival, and intrigue

By Mike White

A search on FreeBMD for all Wooster deaths (including variants in spelling) between Sep 1837 and Dec 1870 had shown a small but significant excess of Wooster deaths in the 3rd quarter of 1849, during the second cholera epidemic. Only two of these were in Buckinghamshire; Harriet Wooster, age 46, and Sarah Wooster, age 3, both deaths registered in Amersham [1, 2]. What was their story? When the GRO opened again after lockdown I ordered their death certificates, which led me to discover a family tragedy, and a story of survival, intrigue, and unanswered questions, not to mention the many variations of the name Wooster! This article is written in memory of Harriet and Sarah Wooster.

Harriot Wooster (nee Edwards) was the wife of William Woster. They were married by banns at Chalfont St Peter on the 30 August 1828 [3]. William's parents have not as yet been identified, so it is not known if he is linked to the Great Wooster Tree. At the time of their marriage, William was a bachelor and would have been about 22 years old while Harriot, a spinster, was a little older, aged about 25 years. They do not appear to have had any children until shortly before 30 August 1835 when there was an infant burial in Chalfont St Peter for Adelaide Woster, who may well have been their daughter [3]. A few years later, their son, William Woster, was baptised at Chalfont St Peter on the 8 Nov 1840 [3]. At the time of the 1841 Census (6 June) William was only 7 months old and Harriot's father, Thomas Edwards (age 75) was staying with them along with Joseph Green (age 8) [4]. A few years later, a daughter Sarah was baptised on 22 Mar 1846 [3]. The family were living in Gravel Hill, Chalfont St. Peter and William was working as a labourer.

In 1849, at the age of about 46, Harriot would have discovered that she was expecting another child, but then on the 1 June, when she was nearly 6 months pregnant, tragedy struck. Her husband William was "Accidentally killed by a waggon running against him". The death certificate for William Worster records that he died in Denham and the death was registered on the 30 June [5]. The delay being caused by the coroner's inquest as the informant was John Parton, Deputy Coroner, Beaconsfield, Bucks. Unfortunately, the inquest records for Buckinghamshire have not survived before the twentieth century and no newspaper report could be found relating to a fatal waggon accident. Interestingly, there is a report of a hay cart accident in Aylesbury at that time, but no casualties were mentioned [6].

Bucks Chronicle and Bucks Gazette - Aylesbury Saturday 02 June 1849

Was Joseph Green, who was staying with William and Harriot in the 1841 Census, related to Mr. Green in whose yard the accident occurred? Could William have been injured whilst trying to stop the cart and then taken home to Chalfont St Peter where his condition worsened before being taken to a doctor in nearby Denham where he died? William Woster was buried in Chalfont St Peter on 3 June 1849 age 44 [3].

Harriot was now a widow with two children to look after and was expecting in just over 3 months. Her son William, who was 8 years old, would perhaps have been able to help his mother, but by early August the cholera had spread to Buckinghamshire. During the last week of August Harriot began to suffer from diarrhoea, which soon spread to her 3-year-old daughter Sarah who died on 4 September in Chalfont St Peter. The death certificate for Sarah Wooster gives the cause of death as "diarrhoea 24 hours, Convulsions 7 hours, Certified". The informant present at the death was Mary Ann Archer; in the 1851 Census she is recorded as a nurse with a family in nearby Harefield [7]. The trauma of her daughter's death must have caused her to go into labour, but sadly the foetus had probably already died. Harriot continued in labour with diarrhoea for several days until she died on 13 September 1849. The death certificate, in the name of Harriet Wooster records the cause of death as "Exhaustion from diarrhoea 3 weeks, Childbirth 9 days, Infant being born dead and putrid, Certified". The informant was Maria Heath, her neighbour in Gravel Hill, who may have been nursing her during her labour and illness [4, 8]. Sarah Woster was buried on 5 September 1849 and her mother Harriet was buried on 16 September, both in Chalfont St Peter [3].

So what became of poor William, orphaned at the age of 8? Did he survive the cholera epidemic?

At the time of the 1851 Census, William Worster was a pauper in the workhouse at Amersham [9]. His age is given as 12, clearly acting a little older than his real age! The workhouse stood him in good stead, as by the 1861 Census William Woster was a lodger living at 18 Brighton Street, St Pancras, and working as a shoemaker [10]. The family of his future wife were living in another household at the same address! On the 23 April 1866 William Worcester of Brighton St., St Pancras, married Emma Ball at St Pancras Parish Chapel, Camden (11). About five years later, the 1871 census records the couple living at 11 St James Street, Islington (renamed in 1938 to Chantry Street [12]) with two children Alfred (age 4) and Harriett (1½ yrs) [13]. William was a boot maker and Emma was working as a dress maker.

By 1881 the Census record shows that William was still a boot maker and his wife Emma was still a dress maker. They were now living at 62 Clarendon Street, St Pancras with four children: Alfred an errand boy (age 14), Harriett (age 11), James (age 8), and Emma (age 4) [14].

A search of the GRO index with Ball as the mother's maiden name, shows that they had at least 11 children; Alfred William (1866-), Alice (1868-1868), Harriett Emma (1869-), Louisa (1871-1872), James (1872-), William (1874-1874), Rosina (1875-), Emma (1876-), Florence (1878-1879), William (1880-1880), and William (1881-1882), although the GRO Death index shows that many of them died as infants. Baptism records, with dates of birth, confirm that William and Emma are the parents of all the children, except William b.1880 for which no baptism record could be found. All the baptised children were baptised at the church of St Silas, Penton Street, Islington, except for Alice who was baptised in the parish of St Pancras[15a-15i and 16].

Having survived the cholera, William was fortunate in that he probably received training or an apprenticeship during his time in the workhouse to become a boot maker and would now appear to be happily married with several children. However, life was still hard for William and Emma and it must have been heart breaking for them to have lost 6 children in their infancy. The infant mortality rate (the number of children out of 1000 born who died before their first birthday) at this time was still quite high (about 144 in Islington in 1881) [17], but William and Emma seemed to have suffered more than others. Having had two sons, Alfred and James, they were determined to name their next son William after his father. It was surprising therefore to discover that less than a year after the birth of their third William (born 18 June 1881), William emigrated to the United States with some of his children, arriving in New York on 12 April 1882 [18]. Furthermore, Emma was expecting another child who would have been conceived around mid-February 1882, before her husband William had departed.

Antonio Jacobsen - Portrait of the steamship Schiedam in choppy seas - 1878

The passenger list reveals that William Worcester, a Merchant, age 41 arrived in New York on 12 April 1882 on the steam-sailing ship Schiedam, along with Alfred 11yrs, Harriett 9 yrs, and James 4 yrs [18]. According to the dates of birth recorded in the baptismal records, the children ought to have been 15 yrs, 12 yrs and 9 yrs, respectively. However, the fare for young children (e.g. less than 12 years) was much less than for an older child, so William may well have lied about the ages of Alfred and Harriett, but it would have been obvious that James (age 9 yrs) was not 4 years old! Perhaps the person writing the passenger list recorded the age incorrectly or perhaps another of William's children, either Rosina (b.18 Apr 1875) or Emma Worcester (b.15 Jul 1876), also emigrate to the United States with their father but was missed off the passenger list.

The 1900 US Census record reveals that a Rosina Worcester, born in England Apr 1875, was living in Eliot Street, Denver, Colorado and working as a servant [19]. However, the year of immigration is recorded as 1880. No other Rosina Worcester was found in the GRO Index of births around 1875 so she is probably the daughter of William and Emma. However, Rosina could not be found in the 1881 Census for England and no death or burial record was found prior to this census. However, she had a cousin, Rosina Feuillade/ Fenillade age 4 (the daughter of Emma's sister, who is also named Rosina), living at the same address in another household [14, 20] so, with three Rosinas, the enumerator may have been confused, which led to the omission of Rosina Worcester from the census record; but, if she did emigrate in 1880, before her father, who did she travel with? On the other hand, if she did emigrate to the US with her father in 1882, she would only have been 7 years old, so when completing the US Census in 1900 she may not have remembered the exact year of immigration.

No US records were found for William's daughter Emma Worcester (b. 15 Jul 1876), but no record could be found for her in the 1891 Census for England. She next appears in the records on 21 Jun 1896 in Fulham, London, when she married Ralph Henry Jarvis, a butcher journeyman, age 24 yrs, so it seems likely that she did not emigrate with her father [21]. The Marriage certificate records that Emma's father, William Worcester, a Bootmaker journeyman, was deceased, and the witnesses were H. Saunders and E. Saunders. Was Emma's father actually dead or had she ostracized him? There is a record on Find a Grave for a Wm. Worcester, born 8 Oct 1840, died 16 Aug 1907, and buried in Fairview Cemetery, Goff, Nemaha County, Kansas, USA; Lot 142, Grave 4, Section D. However, the memorial page attributing this record to the William Worcester born in England may not be correct.

The other children of William recorded on the passenger arrivals list are all found in the US Census records. The 1885 Kansas State census shows that William Wooster (widow, age 45), Alfred (age 18), and Harriett (age 15) were living in the town of Seneca, Nemaha County, Kansas [22].

By 1900 William Worester (sic) was living with his son James and his family in the nearby town of Harrison [23]. James is recorded as born in England in Oct 1874 and the year of immigration as 1882. He was a farmer married to Julie Ann with two children, James (age 4) and William (age 3). In the same year, Alfred, a plasterer, was living in the town of Harrison, Kossuth County, Iowa, with his wife Mary and four children: Ethel (age 8), Lola (age 6), Hazel (age 4), and Grace (age 2) [24]. Alfred's date of birth is recorded as Aug 1866 and the year of immigration as 1879. There are more records to explore relating to William's many descendants in the United States.

Coming back to events in England, the third William of William and Emma's children, died age 14 months on 27 Aug 1882 at 25 Huntsworth Terrace, Marylebone. The death certificate gives the cause of death as tuberculosis and diarrhoea. The informant was his mother Emma Worcester and the father was William Worcester, Boot maker [25].

Later that year, on 11 Nov 1882, William's wife Emma, still living at 25 Huntsworth Terrace, gave birth to a baby boy, David Alexander [26]. The birth certificate records the father as William Worcester, Boot maker, and the informant is the mother, E. Worcester. What happened to William's wife Emma and their son David Alexander?

David married Elizabeth Emily Cook on 12 March 1911 at St Johns, East Dulwich [27]. Their address at the time of marriage was 11 Lordship Lane, probably a flat above a shop. The witnesses were David's sister, Emma Javis and her husband, Ralph Henry Jarvis. David signs his name as David Alexander Worcester otherwise Saunders. This was a helpful clue which led to the discovery of David and his sister Emma in the 1891 Census with the surname Saunders, 'adopted' children of Harry and Emma Saunders and living at 11 Parr St, Shoreditch, London [28]. Harry and Emma Saunders were witnesses at the marriage of their 'adopted' child Emma Worcester to Ralph Henry Jarvis on 21 June 1896 [21]. Later, in the 1901 Census, David Saunders, Brother in Law, is staying with Ralph H. Jarvis and his wife Emma at 10a Coimbra, St Anns, Wandsworth [29].

At the time of the 1911 Census, only a few weeks after their marriage, David Alexander Worcester (otherwise Saunders), a boot repairer, and his wife Elizabeth Emily, had moved a short distance to 39 East Dulwich Grove [30]. Later that year Elizabeth gave birth to a baby daughter, Rose Lucy, born 6 December. She was baptised 17 March 1912 at St John the Evangelist Parish, East Dulwich and the family were still living at the same address [31].

Medal Card records show that a David Alexander Worcester served in the Welsh Regiment in WW1 (Regtl. No. 51557), but no service record was found [32, 33]. By the time of the 1921 Census, David and his family had made another short hop to nearby 31 Constance Road with only 2 rooms - probably a bedroom, kitchen and bathroom (bathrooms were not included in the number of rooms in the 1921 Census) [34]. The road was renamed St Francis Road in 1969 as it led to the St Francis Hospital, which was originally the Constance Road Workhouse [35]. David and his wife Elizabeth were feeling the serious effect of the 1920-21 recession. Unemployment had climbed to 23.4% by May 1921 and David was struggling to find work. The 1921 Census suggests that he was having to travel from East Dulwich across London to Kentish Town where he worked for F. J. Westaway as a boot repairer at 18 Fortess Road for just 3 days a week. The Post Office directory for 1915 gives the location of the shop as almost opposite the Tally Ho pub at 9 Fortess Road; perhaps David had the odd beer there on payday! His wife Elizabeth was bringing in a little extra income by 'charring' 2 half-days a week for Mrs Scott, the wife of a surgeon living in a large house with 9 rooms at 91 Herne Hill, about a 25-minute walk away [36]. With more time on his hands, David appears to have become adept at solving crossword puzzles. In 1926 at the end of May shortly after the General Strike, David won 2 Guineas when his solution to crossword No 73 in Reynold's Illustrated News was the first correct one opened [37]. The average wage for Boot Repairers was less than 75s per week [38], so his prize money would have come in handy. Reynold's News was a Sunday paper and cost 2d and may well have been obtained from his wife's employer as a perk!

The Tally Ho Pub, 9 Fortess Road, London, NW5

David and Elizabeth Worcester only appear to have had the one child, a daughter Rose Lucy, so this is the end of the male Worcester line on this side of the Atlantic for the descendants of David's paternal grandparents William and Harriet Woster. But what happened to David's mother Emma Worcester? Was she abandoned by her husband William and became an inmate of an asylum or workhouse? Several Ancestry members are related to William and Emma Worcester, including a granddaughter of Rose Lucy, so perhaps Emma's story may have been passed down to a family member to be revealed in the future.

Fortess Road, Tufnell Park, Kentish Town ca.1905

Sources

1. General Register Office, Index of Deaths, Harriet Wooster age 46, 1849 Jun-Sep, Amersham, 06, 219, www.gro.gov.uk/gro/content/certificates/indexes_search.asp.
2. General Register Office, Index of Deaths, Sarah Wooster age 3, 1849 Jun-Sep, Amersham, 06, 218, www.gro.gov.uk/gro/content/certificates/indexes_search.asp.
3. Buckinghamshire Family History Society Database, extract of Wooster baptisms, marriages, and burials (https://woosterfamily.co.uk/members/ListsMembers.php; Wooster Lists).
4. UK Census 1841, William Worster household, Gravel Hill, Chalfont St Peter; HO107; Piece 46; Book 4; Folio 4; Page 2.
5. General Register Office, Index of Deaths, William Worster age 49, 1849 Apr-Jun, Eton Bucks, 6, 283, www.gro.gov.uk/gro/content/certificates/indexes_search.asp.
6. The British Newspaper Archive (https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk); Accident; Bucks Chronicle and Bucks Gazette - Aylesbury Saturday 02 June 1849.
7. UK Census 1851, Mary Ann Archer, Cook Cottage, Harefield; HO107; Piece 1697; Folio 353; Page 27.
8. UK Census 1851, Maria Heath, Gravel Hill, Chalfont St Peter; HO107; Piece 1717; Folio 568; Page 8.
9. UK Census 1851, William Worster, Workhouse, Amersham; HO107; Piece 1717; Folio 457; Page 6.
10. UK Census 1861, William Woster, 18 Brighton Street, St Pancras; RG09; Piece 105; Folio 66; Page 43.
11. London Metropolitan Archives; London, England; London Church of England Parish Registers; Reference Number: P90/PAN1/140, marriage of William Worcester and Emma Ball, 23 April 1866, St Pancras Parish Chapel, Camben (source ancestry.co.uk accessed 8 May 2022).
12. Eric A Willats, Streets with a Story: The Book of Islington; https://friendsofim.com/2021/04/08/streets-with-a-story-the-book-of-islington/ (accessed 4 May 2022).
13. UK Census 1871, William Worcester (Head), 11 St James Street, Islington; RG10; Piece 260; Folio 63; Page 40.
14. UK Census 1881, William Worcester (Head), 62 Clarendon Street, St Pancras; RG11; Piece 201; Folio 94; Page 34.
15. London Metropolitan Archives; London, England; London Church of England Parish Registers; Reference Number: P76/SIL/001 (source ancestry.co.uk accessed 8 May 2022).
a) Alfred William Worcester, baptised 27 Aug 1871 (b. 22 Aug 1866), St Silas, Pentonville, Islington
b) Harriet Emma Worcester, baptised 27 Aug 1871 (b. 5 Oct 1869), St Silas, Pentonville, Islington
c) Louisa Worcester, baptised 27 Aug 1871 (b. 1 Aug 1871), St Silas, Pentonville, Islington
d) William Worcester, baptised 3 May 1874 (b. 18 Apr 1874), St Silas, Pentonville, Islington
e) Rosina Worcester, baptised 2 May 1875 (b. 18 Apr 1875), St Silas, Pentonville, Islington
f) James Worcester, baptised 2 May 1875 (b. 10 Oct 1872), St Silas, Pentonville, Islington
g) Emma Worcester, baptised 30 Jul 1876 (b. 15 Jul 1876), St Silas, Pentonville, Islington
h) Florence Worcester, baptised 30 Oct 1878 (b. 19 Jul 1878), St Silas, Pentonville, Islington, England
i) William Worcester, baptised 3 July 1881 (b.18 Jun 1881), St Silas, Pentonville, Islington
16. Alice Worcester, baptised 13 Apr 1868 (b.25 Mar 1868), Old St Pancras, St Pancras, Camden; London Metropolitan Archives; London Church of England Parish Registers; Reference Number: P90/PAN1/038 (source ancestry.co.uk).
17. Infant Mortality Rates; https://www.populationspast.org/ (accessed 2 Feb 2022).
18. Passenger Arrivals 1882; New York; Microfilm Serial: M237, 1820-1897; Line: 19; List Number: 450 (source ancestry.co.uk).
19. US Census 1900; Rosina Worcester (Servant), Denver, Arapahoe, Colorado; Roll: 120; Page: 4; Enumeration District: 0117; FHL microfilm: 1240122 (source ancestry.co.uk).
20. General Register Office, Index of Births, Rosina Fenillade (mother's maiden name Ball); 1876 Oct-Dec, Pancras, 01B, 88.
21. General Register Office, Certified Copy of an Entry of Marriage for Ralph Henry Jarvis and Emma Worcester, 21 Jun 1896, Register Office Fulham; 1896 Apr-Jun Fulham; 1a, 648.
22. 1885 Kansas Territory Census; Wm. Wooster household, Topeka, Kansas; Roll: KS1885_94; Line: 27 (source ancestry.co.uk).
23. 1900 US Census; William Worester (Father), Harrison, Nemaha, Kansas; Roll: 492; Page: 9; Enumeration District: 0116; FHL microfilm: 1240492 (source ancestry.co.uk).
24. 1900 US Census; Alfred Worcester (Head), Harrison, Kossuth, Iowa; Roll: 442; Page: 3; Enumeration District: 0147; FHL microfilm: 1240442 (source ancestry.co.uk).
25. General Register Office, PDF Copy of an Entry of Death for William Worcester, died 27 August 1882, age 14 months; GRO Reference: Jul-Sep 1882, Marylebone, 01A, 373.
26. General Register Office, PDF Copy of an Entry of Birth for David Alexander Worcester, born 11 Nov 1882; GRO Reference: Oct-Dec 1882, Marylebone, 1a, 640.
27. London Metropolitan Archives; London, England; London Church of England Parish Registers; Reference Number: P73/JNE/021, marriage of David Alexander Worcester and Elizabeth Emily Cook, 12 Mar 1911, St John's, East Dulwich (source ancestry.co.uk).
28. UK Census 1891, Harry Saunders (Head), 11 Parr St, Shoreditch, London; RG12; Piece 244; Folio 44; Page 28.
29. UK Census 1901, Ralph H. Jarvis (Head), 10a Coimbra, St Anns, Wandsworth; RG13; Piece 484; Folio 38; Page 29.
30. UK Census 1911, David Alexander Worcester otherwise Saunders (Head), 39 East Dulwich Grove, East Dulwich; RG14PN2471 RG78PN83 RD27 SD2 ED12 SN91
31. Rose Lucy Worcester, baptised 17 Mar 1912 (b. 6 Dec 1911) in the parish of St John the Evangelist, East Dulwich; London Metropolitan Archives; London, England; London Church of England Parish Registers; Reference Number: P73/JNE/009 (source ancestry.co.uk).
32. The National Archives of the UK; Kew, Surrey, England; War Office and Air Ministry: Service Medal and Award Rolls, First World War. WO329; Ref: 1327, David Alexander Worcester, Regtl.No. 51557 (source ancestry.co.uk).
33. Army Medal Office (In the Care of the Western Front Association Website); London, England; WW1 Medal Index Cards, David A. Worcester, Regtl.No. 51557 (source ancestry.co.uk).
34. UK Census 1921, David Alexander Worcester (Head); 31 Constance Road, Camberwell; RG15, RD27, SD2, ED16, Sch 392.
35. A Gazetteer of Dulwich Road Names, Dulwich Society, https://www.dulwichsociety.com/local-history/dulwich-roads-and-place-names (accessed 11 May 2022).
36. UK Census 1921, Thomas Graham Scott (Head), 91 Herne Hill, London SE24; RG15, RD27, SD2, ED26, Sch 269.
37. Reynolds's Newspaper - Sunday 30 May 1926, page 18, Crossword Competition.
38. Reynolds's Newspaper - Sunday 28 August 1927, page 51. Boot Repairer's Pay.

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