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b.1883-d.1918
Emily’s birth
Emily Alice was born on 16th September 1883. Her mother was Alice Brooker, a Factory Hand. No father’s name has been found. Alice’s mother, (and Emily’s grandmother) Sarah Brooker was present at the birth. Their address was given as 8 Stacey’s Passage, Sandling Road, Maidstone. Emily was baptised on 30th September 1883 at St Paul’s Church, Maidstone.
The 1881 Census
On the 1881 Census the family are living at 8 Stacey’s Passage. Sarah aged 53 is Head of the family and described as married although James, her husband, had died in 1875. With her are Alice aged 18, Valentine aged 13 and grandson William Henry Ed. aged 6 months. He had been baptised on 1st May and the record shows that Alice was his mother also. Sadly he died in the June, being buried on the 14th of that month.
The 1891 Census
The 1891 Census shows Emily, her grandmother Sarah and Uncle Valentine lodging with a family called Tree. Valentine’s occupation is given as a Groom. No occupation is attributed to Sarah, now aged 62, or to Emily aged 7.
The 1871 Census – a fuller picture of the family
The 1871 census gives us a fuller picture of the family. James, aged 67, is head of the family and a labourer by occupation. His wife Sarah is 50 and their children are Henry (Carey) 11 years, Louisa 9 years, Lucy Amelia aged 7 years, Alice aged 5 years and Valentine aged 2 years.
Through the FreeBMD site I found that James had married Sarah Tolhurst at North Aylesford in the June quarter of 1856.
Henry Carey was born in 1857, Louisa in 1859, Lucy Amelia in 1861, Alice in 1864 and Valentine Thomas Carey in 1868.
The 1861 Census – evidence of James’s earlier marriage
In the 1861 Census when father James is 51 and Sarah 44 we find three more sons, Stephen aged 20, Albert 15 and Daniel 13. When checking the GRO site I found these boys had a mother with the surname of SILLS, so James had been previously married. On Ancestry there is reference to a James Brooker marrying a Sarah Sills on 27th May 1833.
Emily’s epilepsy
On 17th November 1905 Emily was admitted to the Southwark – Newington Workhouse, described as a Factory Hand. Some five months later on 5th April 1906 she was discharged to the Epileptic Colony at Chalfont St Peter.
We now move forward to the 1911 Census and Emily, aged 27, is living in Chalfont St Peter as a Colonist. She was previously a Factory Hand and, according to the census, her epilepsy started when she was 16 years old.
Emily’s death
Sadly I can find no further information about Emily until her death from epilepsy on 30th September 1918 at Long Grove.
This story is not chronological but unfortunately there is little information or documentation available to give us a better picture of Emily.
