Reginald Tracy Aldous (1887 to 1979)

Reginald’s first wife died in 1964. Two years later Reginald married his second wife at the age of 79 years old. Jane’s granddaughter was kind enough to share their wedding photos on Ancestry.com.

Reginald Tracy Aldous

Born: 24 JUN 1887 in Hulver Street, Suffolk County, England

Father: John Aldous (1863 to 1934)
Mother: Emily Tracey (1863 to 1947)

Spouse: Elizabeth Tracy (1885 to 1964)

Married: 1910 in Aldeburgh, Suffolk County, England

Children:

Emily Tracy Aldous (23 DEC 1911 to 1999)
John W Aldous (1914 to Unknown)

Died: 6 SEP 1979 in Romford, Essex County, England

Probate:

Timeline:

1891 Hulver Street, Suffolk County, England
1910 Marriage to Elizabeth
1911 Ipswich, Suffolk County, England
1911 Birth of daughter, Emily
1914 Birth of son, John
1918 Death of brother, Thomas
1925 Ipswich, Suffolk County, England
1934 Death of father, John
1939 Ipswich, Suffolk County, England
1947 Death of mother, Emily
1960 Death of sister, Ellen
1964 Death of wife, Elizabeth
1966 Marriage to Jane
1979 Death and Burial

Occupation: butcher

Records:

1891 and 1911 England Census Records
1939 England and Wales Register
England & Wales, FreeBMD Birth Index, 1837-1915
England & Wales, FreeBMD Marriage Index: 1837-1915
The UK, City and County Directories, 1766 – 1946
England & Wales, Marriage Index: 1916-2005
England & Wales, Death Index: 1916-2005
England & Wales, National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administrations),1861-1941

Variations of Surname: none

First Spouse:

Elizabeth Tracy:

Elizabeth was born on 7 OCT 1885 in Cookley, Suffolk County, England. She died on 18 JUL 1964 in Ipswich, Suffolk County, England.

Probate:

Elizabeth’s father was James William Tracey. He was born in 1856 in Cookley, Suffolk County, England. He died on 21 MAR 1928 in Easton, Suffolk County, England.

Elizabeth’s mother was Emma Salter. She was born in 1860 in Walpole, Suffolk County, England. She died on 15 FEB 1942 in Stanway, Essex County, England.

Elizabeth had three brothers and sisters. The oldest child was born in Denton, Kent County, England. The others were born in Cookley.

James William Tracy (1882)
Alfred E Tracy (1883)
Lilian Tracy (1889)

The Family Connection:

As you may have noticed, Reginald and Elizabeth share the surname of Tracy. I wondered if they were related and discovered that they were first cousins.

Elizabeth’s father was James William Tracey. Reginald’s mother was Emily Tracey. James and Emily were half-siblings. This means they shared the same parent. In this case, they had the same father:

James Tracey was born in 1825 in Little Horkesley, Essex County, England. He died in 1886 in Cookley, Suffolk County, England.

James married Mary Rush Smith in 1850 in Polstead, Suffolk County, England. They had four children:

Elizabeth M Tracey (1853)
Anna Tracey (1854)
James William Tracey (1856)
Lydia Tracey (1857)

Mary Rush Smith was born in 1826 in Polstead, Suffolk County, England. She died in 1860 in Cookley, Suffolk County, England.

After Mary died, James married Mary Ann Meadows in 1862 in Cookley, Suffolk County, England. They had eight children:

Emily Tracey (1863)
Catherine Tracey (1864)
John Tracey (1867)
Ellen Tracey (1869)
Edward Tracey (1870)
Alice Tracey (1871)
Agnes Tracey (1873)
Robert Tracey (1874)

Mary Ann Meadows was born in 1830 in Elmsett, Suffolk County, England. She died in 1902 in Trimley St Martin, Suffolk County, England.

Daughter:

Emily Tracy Aldous:

Emily was born on 23 DEC 1911 in Ipswich, Suffolk County, England. She died on 1 APR 1999 in Weston-super-Mare, Somerset County, England.

Emily married Francis William Clark in 1938 in Ipswich, Suffolk County, England. I do not know if or how many children were born to this marriage.

Francis William Clark was born on 16 AUG 1914 in Ipswich, Suffolk County, England. He died on 19 NOV 2006 in Weston-super-Mare, Somerset County, England.

Second Spouse:

After Elizabeth died, Reginald married a widow, Jane Florence Dutch Gunning, in 1966 in Romford, Essex County, England. Reginald was 79 years old. Jane was 68 years old.

Jane Florence Dutch was born on 4 OCT 1898 in Stoke Newington, London, England. She died on 28 DEC 1981 in Axminster, Devon County, England.

Jane had previously married William James Gunning on 23 DEC 1917 at St Andrew’s Church in Stoke Newington, London, England. Eight known children were born into this marriage. The two oldest children were born in London. The other children were born in Essex County, England.

William Harry Donald Gunning (1920 to 1920 Stoke Newington)
Betty Olive Clare Gunning (1924 Clapton)
Joyce Edna Emily Gunning (1926 Edmonton)
Dennis Richard Albert Gunning (1928 Edmonton)
Jean Gladys Margaret Gunning (1930 Edmonton)
Grace Kathleen E Gunning (1933 Edmonton)
Josephine Ann Gunning (1935 Romford)
Phyllis Louise Gunning (1939 Romford)

William James Gunning was born in 1895 in Plumstead, London, England. He died in 1958 in Hornchurch, Essex County, England.

William’s Parents:

William’s father was John Lilly Gunning. He was born on 9 NOV 1862 in Crayford, Kent County, England. He died on 11 AUG 1896 in Woolwich, London, England.

John married Clara Agnes Painting 10 SEP 1887 in Woolwich, London, England. Three known children were born to this marriage:

Winifred H Gunning (1889)
Frank D J Gunning (1890)
William James Gunning (1895)

The 1891 England census shows that John was an inspector of cartridges for the Royal Arsenal in Woolwich, London, England. He died in 1896 at the age of 33 years old. I wonder if an accident at the arsenal caused his death?

William’s mother was Clara Agnes Painting. She was born on 5 MAY 1865 in Markinch, Fife, Scotland. She died in 1952 in Wandsworth, London, England.

Clara’s Second Marriage:

The 1901 England census record shows that Clara was living as the wife of another man who worked at the Royal Arsenal. He was Richard John Bull. Clara’s son, William, was listed under the surname of Bull.

The 1911 England census indicates that Clara and Richard had been married for 16 years. Clara also noted that seven children were born into this marriage. As you can see, William was included in this count and was again listed under the surname of Bull.

The other six children born to Clara and Richard were:

Richard John Bull (1898)
Robert James Bull (1900)
Annie Harriet Bull (1902)
George Bull (1904)
Margaret Louisa Bull (1908)
Kathleen Ada Bull (1910)

On 10 NOV 1896, Clara admitted her two oldest children, Winifred and Frederick, to the Woolwich Union Workhouse.

In 1901, the census records listed Winifred and Frank as “inmates” of the South Metropolitan School District. It was located in Sutton, Surrey County, England. This organization fell under the guidance of the Woolwich Poor Union.

I am not sure why Winifred and Frank were sent to the Woolwich Union Workhouse. It may have been because Richard would not accept them into his house. This sometimes occurred when a widow remarried. The new spouse wanted no reminder of his wife’s past.

The Delayed Wedding:

When I searched for a marriage record for Clara and Richard, I could find none between the time John Gunning died in 1896 and when Richard Bull’s first child was born in 1898.

I did find a marriage record for Clara Agnes Gunning and Richard John Bull for the year 1916 in Wandsworth, London, England. In 1916, Clara was 51 years old and Richard was 49 years old.

The only reason that I can think of for this delay was that Richard was already married to another woman. I have not been able to confirm this theory, yet it makes sense. Richard either had to wait for his divorce to become final or for his first wife to have died. Why else would they have waited so long to marry?

Richard John Bull was born on 17 JUL 1867 in Plumstead, Kent County, England. He died on 15 AUG 1946 in Woolwich, London, England.

Family Photos:

Jane’s granddaughter was kind enough to share some family photos on Ancestry.com:

Notes:

Here are some links to websites that helped with my Aldous family research:

Aldous.net (Aldous family history and family tree)
Ancestors of Tim Farr, Descendants of Stephen Farr (family tree)
Reid-Schroeder Genealogies (family tree)
The Tree of Us (family tree)
Family Search (family tree website)
The Internet Surname Database (surname meaning and origins)
House of Names (coat of arms)

Creating Your Family Tree

Interested in building a great family tree? Remember these important steps:

Look in your photo albums. You may have old pictures that your parents or grandparents gave you. Or, ask them for copies of photos that they have in their possession. Many people will write names and dates on the backs of photographs. Letters, diaries, and family bibles are also excellent sources for vital records.

Talk to your older relatives to find out about your ancestry. They may relate stories about an ancestor that you can add to your family tree. Family history is usually not found in newspapers. It is more of a verbal memory passed down from generation to generation.

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When you start building your family tree, add documentation to your ancestor’s profile. Records should include birth, marriage, death, census, military, city, and county directory listings. Any information that you can find will help create a life story about your ancestors.

If you have a unique surname, you may find databases on the internet that are useful in your search. I use SurnameDB.com for my English surnames. There are other websites on the internet for countries like Italy and Germany.

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