Introduction

As with most of the other family trees in this series, the start point was a brief tree drawn for my benefit by my father, A L Surl (ALS), on some scrap paper in the early 1980's. In this case though he was dealing with his in-laws and my mother had died by this time. After his death, the tree was re-drawn and circulated but, by this time, Wyn Taylor was the last surviving of George & Mary's granddaughters via Hannah and I am indebted to her for the corrections she made. As always, with the benefit of hindsight, it is a pity that it was not circulated to the more distant relatives while they were still alive. 

My father - doubtless based on what my mother told him - listed Hannah's father George as having had 13 children, but the census & birth index data more recently found only account for 10 ... and five of those 13 have since been proven instead to be his grandchildren (via eldest son, also a George who also married a Mary Ann!). These five are Albert/Alfred, Leonard William, Horace, Daisy and May. The remaining 8 do reconcile satisfactorily; the two found that are not on his list are George and Edith Lillian, the first and last of the ten children. The former is probably because of confusion through having the same name as his father and the latter as she seems to have died aged 2.

These I believe are the clues to this generation skip. George junior (b1866) would have been 18 years old at the time of his mother's death in 1884 when my grandmother Hannah would have been just three years old. George jnr married a Mary Ann later in that same year and started producing the first of his nine children the year after. To his younger siblings, he would have been more of a father figure (possibly he and his wife helping to care for Hannah when young) whilst to them, at least his first three or four children would have been more like brothers and sisters than nieces & nephews.

All births up to Dec 1878 are shown as Hemel Hempstead, those from Hannah in 1881 onwards as St Albans. The actual certificate for oldest son George specifies Leverstock Green, Hemel Hempstead. 

Key: Source RS = Richard Smith.

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Generation 9 

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Shown in 1881 aged 16  living & working as a farm labourer for Daniel How of Wood Lane End Farm in Leverstock Green. In 1901 George is still shown as working as a farm labourer (aged 35) but working in Watford. 

In Dec 1/4 1884 he married  in St Albans Mary Ann(e) HUTCHINS (also b 1866) and they had two children, Albert & Leonard William. Mary Ann(e) died aged just 23 in St Albans in Dec 1/4 1889. In Sep 1892, George married Emma Brinklow (b 09/06/1871 in Hemel) by whom he had a further 7 children.

Albert & Leonard William are listed below (see 10-9.1) but it is hoped to include details of all of them in the future, meanwhile please refer to Richard Smith's tree.

Elizabeth Sage - b Jun 1/4 1867. Shown as a 13 year old 'straw plaiter' in 1881. 

Married William John WALDOCK at Watford in Dec 1891 (previously shown as "Joseph" Waldock but source of this is unknown). RS quotes his birth as 1862 but the only local William Waldock was born in Abbots Langley in 1870/1.

Three children - Ernest, William & Phyllis - see 10-9.2 

Emily Sage - b Dec 1/4 1868 - shown in 1881 in Leverstock Green as 12 year old granddaughter of George & Hannah Gurney .... the clue that finally traced the surname of her mother, Mary Ann.

ALS notes her as having 'died young' but also notes '2 children' (no names given). This seems to be pretty accurate as a marriage has been found for an Emily Sage in Waford on 8th Feb 1890 to Herbert WATERTON (b1867 in Berkhamstead, Herts) thence a death in Watford of Emily Waterton in Sep 1/4 1895 when she would have been 26 yrs old. There were three Waterton births in Watford between 1890 and 1895 - Leonard Frank in Mar 1/4 1891, Ethel in Mar 1/4 1893 and Arthur George in Sep 1/4 1893. Clearly the same mother could not have had both Ethel and Arthur George so, in view of the middle name of George, the latter is the more likely - making the stated two in total .

Alice Sage - b Dec 1/4 1870. 

Married 1st Dec 1893 in St Albans one Joseph COXAN (Christian name not originally shown  ... so this possibly should have been the Joseph referred to in 9.2). The only person found with this name spelling in the 1881 census was born c1875 in Cramlington, Northumberland.

Five children - Nell, Kath, Henry, May & Charles - see 10-9.4

Ellen Sage ("Nell") - b Dec 1/4 1872. 

Married George TITMUS, shown in 1901 as a printers labourer in St Pancras, London. (again the original tree quoted Christian name as Joseph !) 

Had two children - see 10-9.5

Charlotte Sage ("Chatty") - b Sep 1/4 1874. I recall visiting her in a hospital ward around Cambridge way in the 1950's but actual date of death not known. 

She is shown on original tree as having married a William SMITH, lived at Stow cum Quy, Cambs (a coincidence or mix-up with the Dean's ??), and had no children. There are two occurrences of Charlotte Sage's marrying William Smith's in the marriage indexes; both in 1900, one in Newport, Mon and the other (more likely one) in Birmingham, this a William Henry Smith.

Annie Sage - b June 1/4 1876 (as Anne). The marriage record proves that Anne/Annie was the formal/registered name for the daughter popularly known as Nancy (as on ALS's list).

In Mar 1/4 of 1903 she married Edward William Weaver in Hampstead, London, and had two children, Edward J ('Ted') and Dorothy ('Dolly') - for more details see 10-9.7

Photo marked "Aunt Nance & Mum"

believed to be Nancy nee Sage seated next to Hannah nee Sage. 1930's ?

Mary Ann Sage - b Dec 1/4 1878.  Married a William YATES. 

Original tree maked as  'no issue'. In the early 1950's I visited her (with my parents) at her house that was in sight of the GWR main line at West Drayton (Middx) and I think that she was a widow at that time.

Hannah Sage - b March 1/4 1881, died 1956. Married Sep 1/4 1904 in St Pancras, London, Arthur George DEAN.

She is shown in the 1901 census as working as a domestic servant in Leicester (at which time her future husband was also in Leicester, working for the Midland Railway)

For her post marriage story, please see Dean Tree Notes 2 & photos see Gallery 1

Edith Lillian A Sage, born June 1/4 1884 - same period as the death of her mother.

A death record has been found for Edith Lillian A Sage aged 2 in the June 1/4 of 1886 - which would be exactly right - but this is in Greenwich, London, an area with no known family connections at that time. Perhaps a specialist hospital ? Also of interest is the three Christian names whereas just about all the others only had one.  

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 Generation 10

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Both ALS and Richard Smith list him as Albert. Richard shows him as having married a Norah (b 1886) and produced a daughter, Joan Sage, in 1910 whereas ALS showed no offspring. ALS also believed that he died in WW1 and, according to RS, this is proven both by a plaque on the family home in Watford and the war memorial in Bushey. 

Leonard William Sage - b June 1/4 1887 in Leverstock Green. Shown in 1901 as a Gardener in Watford. Again ALS believed that he never married and died in WW1 but Richard shows him as having died in 1970, married Emily Elizabeth FRENCH and had three children - Leslie Leonard (1908-1986), George A (1911->1935) and Winifred G (1914-?). 

10-9.2

Offspring of Elizabeth Sage and William John WALDOCK (9.2)

10.21

William Waldock - shown on original tree as 2nd son but only feasible birth in St Albans found in Sep 1/4 1893. No more details known. Marked on ALS's tree as 'died in WW1'

10.22

Ernest Frederick G Waldock - b Dec 1/4 1895 in St Albans - no more details known. Believed to have died in WW1.

10.23

Phyllis Frances E Waldock - Born Mar 1/4 1906 in St Albans. 

Married (1) George JUDSON, then (2) an A BROWN. No more details known but Phyllis may at one time have lived opposite a dairy in Luton or Bedford in the early 1950's.

No issue. 

10-9.4

Offspring of Alice Sage and Joseph COXAN (9.4)

10.41

Nell ('Sis') Coxan - born 1895. 

10.42

Kath Coxan  b ? . Shown by Wyn as still living in 1984.

10.43

Henry Coxan ('Harry'), b 1897.

10.44

Charles Coxan , b 1899

10.45

May Coxan , Also shown by Wyn as still living in 1984.

10-9.5

Offspring of Ellen ('Nell') Sage and George TITMUS (9.5)

10.51

Arthur Titmus

10.52 

Joseph Titmus ('John' ??)

Edward John Weaver (Ted) - Born Mar 1/4 1904 in St Pancras. Married Vera B BARNARD. Latterly lived in Poole Dorset, Vera dying in Autumn 2006. No issue

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This scene on 4th August 1991 is at the home of Ted & Vera Weaver in Houlton Road, Poole with L to R Wyn Taylor, Ted Weaver, Vera Weaver and Joyce King from Bedford (relative ?). 

10-9.9

Offspring of Hannah Sage and Arthur George DEAN (9.9) - please see Dean Tree 3

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 Generation 11

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