The only Eliza CHILVERS to be found of the right age is an Eliza CHILVERS of 20 years working as a servant in Walnuttree House in Plaistow in Essex, in the household of a Land Proprietor Thomas GARDINER. This Eliza is however stated to have been born in Plaistow, the place of the census. It is however not unknown for inaccurate reporting of the details of domestic staff.
She definitely reappears however on 5 October 1863 in the Parish Church, St Mary Stratford in Bow in London as she married a baker named Charles FIRMAN.
In 1871 Charles, 29 and by then a railway guard, noted as being born in Hedingham in Essex, and Eliza, 27, were living in 31 Bishopsgate Road in Bromley St Leonards in Tower Hamlets. They had 4 children: Florence (9, born in Old Buckenham), Frederick (4, from Bow), Clara (2, Bow) and Charles (1, Bromley).
The story of Florence has a little bit of spice to it. The census shows that she was born before the marriage of Eliza and Charles, and we actually find the birth certificate in a strange way: 2 March 1862 in Old Buckenham Florence Thurzy was born to Eliza MAHONEY formerly CHILVERS. The father is named as David MAHONEY, a Book Printer. And of course, there's the intrigue. Because there's no record of Eliza ever marrying a David MAHONEY, and on the marriage certificate to Charles she is stated to be a spinster. Actually of course there's really no intrigue, just a fairly obvious scenario. Backed up by the fact that on Florence's birth certificate the entry for signature shows the words Eliza CHILVERS crossed out and Eliza MAHONEY added. She obviously forgot the tale that she was married.
It's obviously almost impossible to accurately trace David MAHONEY, but a "prime suspect" is one such person, aged 20 also in 1861, living in Robin Hood Yard off Leather Lane in Finsbury. He is from London, and has as an occupation "Packer Bookbinder". If, as seems likely, Eliza spent some time in London then she may have fallen for this David MAHONEY.
What is clear, though, if this speculation is correct is that Charles FIRMAN married Eliza when she had an 18-month-old child that wasn't his, and he brought her up as his own. Either he was a very very nice man - or just possibly Florence was his all along.
The 1881 census for the FIRMAN family shows a 19-year-old daughter Florence FIRMAN. The family lived at 174 East India Road in Poplar and Charles was at that time Railway Station Master. Besides Florence, the couple also had children Frederick (14), Clara (12) (both born in Bow), Charles(11), Ellen(9), Henry(7), Edith(4), William(2) and a 1 month old baby daughter (all of these children were born in Bromley).
We should maybe put on record the deaths of a number of young FIRMANs in Poplar around the 1870s and 1880s, any of whom may be related. Most likely is a 1-year-old infant Eliza FIRMAN in Poplar who died in the September quarter of 1879, but there were also Alice (1874 aged 4), Charles John (1869 aged 4 - who "age-wise" would fit neatly between Florence and Frederick), Emily (1884, aged less than a year), Emma Minnie (1875, aged 7), Gertrude (1882, aged less than a year - could she be the unnamed child in the 1881 census?), John William (1881, aged 2), William (1882 aged 3 - likely to be the 2-year-old from the 1881 census - see next paragraph) and William Francis (1876 aged less than a year).
Between 1851 and 1860 life expectancy in Poplar was 34.56 for males, and 38.19 for females - an overall figure of 36.29. By 1901-1910 although the situation had improved Poplar was still one of only 4 districts in London with life expectancies below 46.
The 1891 census shows actually a rather stable situation. They are still in the station in East India Road and Charles is still Stationmaster for the North London Railway. At home are Frederick (24, born in London Old Ford, a clerk), Clara S (22, a dressmaker born in Bromley), Charles J (21, a commercial clerk born in Bromley), Harry (17, also a commercial clerk from Bromley), Edith L (14, a scholar born in Poplar) and William S (7, scholar from Poplar). Also in the house (station) on the night of the census (5 April 1891) was a visitor, Lizzie J HALES (21, from Teynham in Kent) - maybe a friend of Clara's, or perhaps Charles'? We should note here that Eliza's sister, Frances, was at the time living in Teynham in Kent - a coincidence or an indication that the families visited each other regularly?
There is however one item of note. If this William S was the William shown in the 1881 census he would be 12. The likelihood then is that the first William died sometime between 1881 and 1884, and another child was born (in Poplar) around 1884 and named William too. This was not an uncommon scenario. There is the death of a William FIRMAN, aged 3 recorded in Poplar in the March quarter of 1882, and the birth of a William FIRMAN in the December quarter of 1884, also in Poplar.
In 1901 Charles was shown as Railway Station Master at Poplar Railway Station (which to avoid confusion with another Poplar station was often called Poplar East India Dock Road Station), and Eliza still with him, aged 58. For reference Charles is shown as having been born in Castle Hedingham in Essex. One child, William FIRMAN, 17 and a commercial clerk, is also at home.
For interest, the station opened in 1850 and was the southern terminus of the Northern London Railway after 1865. It closed in 1944 and was demolished in the 1980s, when All Saints DLR station was built on the site.
Charles J has married to a lady called Edith M (in 1901 she was 32 born in Islington) and they lived in 32 Woodlands Road, Ilford. He was a clerk and traveller, and the couple had no children. A Charles John FIRMAN married an Edith Mary EVANS in Greenwich in the September quarter of 1898 (Vol 1d Page 1741). We must presume that Lizzie HALES didn't make that much of an impression then 7 years earlier.
Frederick was now 34 and working as a Railway Clerk - obviously following his Dad. He was lodging in 31 Mostyn Road, Poplar. A Frederick FIRMAN aged 46 (so born around 1867) died in St Pancras District in the March quarter of 1913 (Vol 1b Page 55).
As for Florence? Well Florence Thursa FIRMAN married Albert George TANNER in Poplar in the June quarter of 1895 (Vol 1c Page 283). The 1901 census shows Albert G TANNER, a 36-year-old stores superintendent from Oxford along with Florence T TANNER, 36 from Attleborough, with kiddies Violet (5, born in Sunningdale in Berkshire) and Winifred (1, Hammersmith) in Hammersmith in 32 Wharton Road. There I think we should say "farewell" to Florence in our CHILVERS quest.
Page last updated 29 December 2006
