CARIBBEAN-L Archives

Archiver > CARIBBEAN > 2004-04 > 1082994111


From: "Karynn Anderson" <>
Subject: ELLIS/STEPHENS of Trinidad and Tobago
Date: Mon, 26 Apr 2004 11:41:51 -0400


I am desperately looking for help on my brick wall. This is what I have
pieced together from some old letters I have acquired from a distant
cousin.

Joseph Ellis married Rachael Stephens
Children:
James Lilley Stephens Ellis was born about 1835 in Trinidad and died in
1883 in Poole, Dorset. I don't think that he ever married. Ann Mary
Ellis was born about 1836 in Trinidad. Joseph Clement Ellis was born
about 1838 in Trinidad and died sometime after 1901. Rachel Augusta
Christina Ellis was born 1841 in Poole, Dorset.

The actual documentation that I have is the death certificate of Joseph
Ellis (sr.), the birth certificate of Rachel Augusta Christina and the
marriage certificate of Joseph Clement.

Joseph Ellis Sr. died in Longfleet, near Poole of typhoid fever. My dad
had hired a researcher and he looked for a will on Joseph but could not
find one.

The birth certificate of Rachel Augusta is dated August 7th, 1841. We
have searched the Poole census for 1841(which took place in June) and
could not find my family. So we have concluded that either they are
listed in the part that is so hard to read or they arrived in Poole
after the census but prior to the birth of Rachel.

This is my basic time line...
Joseph Ellis b. 1794 in Nottingham...I think
Rachel Stephens b. 1804 in Tortola
Joseph and Rachel married sometime around 1835
James b. 1835 in Trinidad
Ann b. 1836 in Trinidad
Joseph b. 1838 in Trinidad
Family came to Poole, Dorset in 1841
Rachel was born in Poole, Dorset August 1841.

Now...the letters were transcribed by a distant cousin of mine...a
descendent of Ann Mary Ellis. This cousin also thinks that somehow the
Stephen's family is tied to the Penn family of Trinidad/Tobago. She
actually was operating on the premise that Rachael Stephens was Rachael
Penn until she and I crossed paths and I shared the birth certificate of
Rachel Augusta. This family did have a tradition of passing on family
names as middle names and Joseph Clements first born son is Walter
Clement Penn Ellis.

Back to the letters...
The letters were written between 1855-1871

24/11/1855 Port of Spain
To Rachel from her sister S. Harrigan
"I have thought it strange that your brother in law did not try to get
one of your sons out here as clerk in the firm of Ellis Snodgrass & Co.
Clement (I think she is referring to Joseph Clement) I should think
would do as well here, with Mr. Snodgrass as he has to employ clerks he
may send his mothers son to him which would be a good thing for the
young man, his father did well here, and why may not he, and in time
would be a help to you."

27/03/1859
To Rachel from S. Harrigan
"As young Wm (?) Ellis Mrs. John Ellis son who has been ill and is in
delicate health is going to England I again write to you by him." "James
must have forgotten that Mrs. Lightbody is his aunt and I also"

22/09/1863
To Rachel from S. Harrigan
"I hope you get your one pound re. Quarterly and you and yours are well.
I give it to Mr. Snodgrass here every month..."

07/02/1864
To Rachel from S. Harrigan
"...I am not in a cold country to require warm clothing a little serves
me and I am truly thankful and dear Margaret our sister is with us and
can do a little more than I can..."

08/10/1864
To Rachel from S. Harrigan
"I have the painful task to announce to you that it pleased God to take
to himself our dear sister Jane. She and her husband were at Beef (?)
Island on a visit to their daughter Alice and was to spend her birthday
there they were at the Recovery where Henry McLean who married Alice,
Gordon's eldest daughter is living & she took it in her head to go to
the little mountain to see Mrs. Locklifs (?) daughter who is married to
one of Lloyds sons tho Alice & Gordon both begged her not to go as it
was too warm & too long in walk yet she must go & walked back the
consequence was that a fever came on and inflammation and in eight days
she was no more, everything was done they wrote us that could be done,
but it was of no use, she had lived to a very good age & was strong, her
age being 69"

03/07/?
To Ann Mary from Aunt "something" Lightbody
"It is impossible for me to tell you how grieved we all were to hear of
the death of our beloved sister...I always thought that I would be the
next to follow my dear sister Jane, who died some years ago..." "Aunt
Sarah sends their love to you all..."

From those letters, I have concluded that Joseph had something to do
with the firm of Ellis Snodgrass and Co...that payments were made to
that firm to be passed on to Rachel in England after her husband Joseph
died. If I have my Joseph (Sr.) tied to the correct family in
Nottinghamshire, they did have another son named John b. 1790. Maybe he
started the firm with Snodgrass and Joseph left England to come and work
with them.

Rachel had at least three sisters...
S. Harrigan who may be Sarah Harrigan
Aunt Lightbody who may be Margaret Lightbody
Jane

If anyone has ANY information about any of the above mentioned names, I
would love to hear from you!

Thanks for taking the time to read all this babble!

Karynn
Michigan, USA



This thread: