Before her marriage to James Aldous in 1876, Sarah Bingham gave birth to five illegitimate children. All the children, except for Mary, carried the surname of Bingham.

James Aldous

Born: 1843 in Thwaite, Suffolk County, England

Father: James Aldous (1806 to 1891)
Mother: Frances Notley (1813 to 1878)

Spouse: Sarah Bingham (1843 to 1917)

Married: 3 JAN 1876 in Chesterfield, Derbyshire County, England

Children:

William Aldous (1877 to 1879)
Florence Aldous (29 Jul 1879 to 1961)
Frances Aldous (1881 to 1898)
Ada Aldous (1883 to 1885)
Gertrude Aldous (1886 to Unknown)

Died: 1890 in Clay Cross, Derbyshire County, England

Timeline:

1851 Thwaite, Suffolk County, England
1861 Clay Cross, Derbyshire County, England
1871 Clay Cross, Derbyshire County, England
1876 Marriage to Sarah
1877 Birth of son, William
1878 Death of mother, Frances
1879 Birth of daughter, Florence
1879 Death of son, William
1881 Clay Cross, Derbyshire County, England
1881 Birth of daughter, Frances
1883 Birth of daughter, Ada
1885 Death of daughter, Ada
1886 Birth of daughter, Gertrude
1890 Death and Burial

Occupation: coal miner

Records:

1851 to 1881 England Census Records
England & Wales, FreeBMD Birth Index, 1837-1915
England, Select Births and Christenings, 1538-1975
England & Wales, FreeBMD Marriage Index: 1837-1915
Derbyshire, England, Church of England Marriages and Banns, 1754-1932
England, Select Marriages, 1538–1973
England & Wales, FreeBMD Death Index: 1837-1915
Derbyshire, England, Church of England Burials, 1813-1991

Variations of Surname: Alders (1871, 1881), Aldis (1883)

Spouse:

Sarah Bingham:

Sarah was born in 1843 in Tibshelf, Derbyshire County, England. She died in 1917 in Clay Cross, Derbyshire County, England.

Sarah was born out of wedlock to Elizabeth Bingham.

Elizabeth Bingham was born in 1827 in Tibshelf, Derbyshire County, England. She died in 1845 in Tibshelf, Derbyshire County, England. Elizabeth was 18 years old and unmarried when she died.

It’s Complicated:

Sarah appears on the 1851 England census. She was living with her maternal grandmother, Elizabeth Bonsall Bingham (1787 to 1864) in Tibshelf.

By 1871, Sarah was “married” to a man named Thomas Wolvin. They were living in Clay Cross, Derbyshire County, England.

Before her marriage to James Aldous in 1876, Sarah gave birth to five children. Yet, only one child carried the surname of Walvin.

A Little History:

Thomas Walvin was born in 1837 in Horsley Woodhouse, Derbyshire County, England. His parents were George and Ann Walvin. The 1841 and 1851 England census records showed that the family lived in Mapperley, Derbyshire County, England.

In 1856, Thomas moved ten miles north to work in the Somercotes coalmines.

On 26 JAN 1857, Thomas married a woman named Sarah Bryan in Alfreton, Derbyshire County, England. Two known children were born to this marriage:

John George Walvin (1860 to 1864)
Elizabeth Ann Walvin (1861)

Sarah Bryan was born in 1836 in Pinxton, Derbyshire County, England. She died in 1865 in Pinxton, Derbyshire County, England. Sarah was 29 years old at the time of her death.

As noted above, Thomas appears on the 1871 England census with Sarah Bingham and three of his children. They were living in Clay Cross.

Thomas died in a coal mining accident on 20 MAR 1871 in Pilsley, Derbyshire County, England. Pilsley is three miles southwest of the parish of Clay Cross.

James Aldous’ Move North:

When James was 18 years old, he likely decided that he could make more money mining coal than working on the farm in Thwaite. He traveled 150 miles northwest and settled in the parish of Clay Cross.

The 1861 England census shows that James was a lodger of Joseph Young. With him was another 18-year-old, George Sadler.

By 1871, James was renting a room from another coal miner, Joseph Walvin. With a little more research, I discovered that Joseph was one of Thomas Walvin’s younger brothers.

Through the children, Sarah Bingham became part of the Walvin family. James Aldous probably worked with Joseph Walvin at the coal mine. I am sure this is how James and Sarah met.

Sarah and Thomas Never Married:

I have referred to Sarah and Thomas Malvern as being “married”. This was based on the information contained in the 1871 England census. Yet, I have concluded that they never did get married.

I came to this decision based on two facts:

All of the children, except for Mary, were born or baptized under the surname of Bingham.

The 1876 marriage record listed Sarah as a 32 years old spinster which meant she was still unmarried.

Sarah’s Children:

I have already listed the children born to Sarah Bingham and James Aldous. The following children were born before their 1876 marriage.

Three children were born to Sarah Bingham and Thomas Walvin:

George Bingham was born in 1864 in Tibshelf, Derbyshire County, England. He died 18 months later in 1865 in Clay Cross, Derbyshire County, England.

Thomas Bingham was born in 1866 in Clay Cross, Derbyshire County, England. Death date unknown.

Mary Walvin was born in 1870 in Clay Cross, Derbyshire County, England. Death date unknown.

After Thomas died in 1871, Sarah had two more children:

James Bingham was born in 1873 in Clay Cross, Derbyshire County, England. Death date unknown.

Elizabeth Ann Bingham was born in 1875 in Clay Cross, Derbyshire County, England. She died 17 years later in 1893 in Clay Cross, Derbyshire County, England.

In 1879, James and Elizabeth were baptized at the same time as William and Florence Aldous.

At first, I thought that James Aldous was the father of James and Elizabeth Bingham. Yet, the baptism record does not name him as their father.

This means that Sarah might have been seeing someone else. That person remains unknown.

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

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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.

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