It’s amazing what you can find on the Internet once you start asking the right questions and looking in the right places for the answers. My sleuthing about my clan and their assets takes a different slant now as I ask about their places of residence and workplace. I was intrigued by the legacies left by my tailoring ancestors and I wanted to find out more about how they came to live where they lived; so I googled my grandfather Walter Frederick’s name and came up with some very interesting data from the National Archives and the

ROYAL BOROUGH OF KINGSTON UPON THAMES; DEPARTMENTAL RECORDS

Walter Frederick Allery

Whilst residing at 53 Chatham Road, Kingston (‘Endora’) Walter acquired and mortgaged his business properties of 23, 25, and 27 Washington Road, Kingston – this was in 1906 – to The Reliance Permanent Building Society. I imagine that business was not brisk and that cash flow was an issue for him, so mortgaging the substantial property on Washington Road, was the answer at the time. On the other hand, perhaps Tailoring had picked up in the early 20th century and Walter was expanding the business. This property was in a prime position in the business district of Kingston-on-Thames and no doubt afforded him the convenience of passing trade.

I believe that the years between 1906 and 1914 were marred by ill health for Walter and that he began to ‘take care of his affairs’ in 1914 – just six months before his death. He sold the Washington Road properties to his stepbrother, Frank Joseph Andrew Allery who was then living at 196 Commercial Road, Peckham, the home of their father, Samuel John. Frank was then only aged 26 and not yet married – so once again I imagine that he began to ‘look after the business’.

I do know where he is buried, thanks to the Burial Registers available online at: http://www.richmond.gov.uk/home.htm

His burial record came to the surface whilst I was googling his name and the following is from the burial register at Kingston Cemetery, London. I note here that his death date is 5 April

His register number is 32102 and his private burial plot number is C Class 3472 at the Kingston Cemetery and Crematorium. He was buried at 4pm on Saturday 10th April 1915. One day I would like to visit this gravesite or ask someone to visit on my behalf and take a digital photo of any headstone that remains there for Walter Frederick.

My grand Uncle Frank Joseph married Isabel Constance Bresenzer on 9 Jan 1921 at Camden Church in Camberwell and moved to 21 Brayards Road, Peckham. I imagine that his father Samuel John and mother Jemima Mary Ann would have been at the wedding – oh what I would give for some photos of that.

There are no records of any children from this marriage. I do know, however, that on 17 March 1925 grand Uncle Frank mortgaged the Washington Road properties once again to The Reliance Permanent Building Society – obviously this firm has done well out of this property over the years. It was subsequently sold on 29 June 1926.

Uncle Frank died in 1976 at the grand age of 88 and I believe that he never remarried. I believe that he left a substantial sum of over 8000 pounds in his will; according to a Probate entry for that year.

Grandfather Walter Frederick Allery

Walter was born in 1871 – over 140 years ago – and two lifespans away from me.

On this birth record, Walter is shown as having been baptised on 31 Dec 1871 at St Bride Fleet Street. His parents were Samuel John Allery and Mary Ann Hall who was shown as living at 26 Crown Street, Camberwell, and displayed in the Parish Register for the city of London, St Bride Fleet Street parish.

Walter’s father was a tailor and his mother was a tailoress – a pathway to his own tailoring expertise later in life. The next record I have for 9-year-old Walter is the census 1881 which shows him living with his parents and siblings (he is one of 6 children of this marriage) – still at 26 Crown Street, Camberwell in the borough of Lambeth.

Tailor is listed as his profession in the 1891 census and his parish is listed as St Andrew by the Wardrobe. By this date, he is 19 years old and his two sisters, Rosina and Jessie are both listed as tailoresses. The transcript of the 1891 census shows some interesting details of what has happened since the last census in 1881. Walter’s mother Mary is no longer on the scene (Mary Hall d. 1881 at the early age of 35) and his father Samuel is now married to Jemima Blackburn, misspelled in this census as Emma.

Walter’s widowed grandmother Mary Allery is living in this house and it seems that Samuel now owns several properties in Fleur De Les Court – nos 38 – 42. Later with the census for 1901, I locate great grandmother Mary Allery living with another son, Albert Allery, a Fish Buyer, at Rea Barn Road, Brixham, Devon.

By the 1901 census, Walter has become a Tailor – Journeyman, and is now married to Harriet Priscilla has lost one son (Walter b. 1898 d. 1900) and now has another son Cecil Henry b. 1900, my dad. I wonder how Harriet could bear such tragedy and joy in one year – the death of her firstborn (25 March 1900) and the birth of her second son (25 April 1900).

In the 1901 census is also listed (Frank) Joseph A Allery, a brother. I believe that he is the son of Samuel and Jemima – so really a step-brother to Walter – nevertheless an important sibling as I was later to find out. Frank Joseph inherited the Tailoring premises after the death of Walter in 1915. What I now need to find out is what happened in this tumultuous period of time when so much happens in the life of Walter Allery – 1891 to 1901. His mother moves in and out again, a daughter is born and not living with him, a son is born and dies, another son is born and it seems he is looking after his step-brother Frank Joseph.

Note: Curiously the name Allery is misspelled in some census records as Allerly, making it difficult to trace accurately in other sites.

On this record, we can now see that Walter’s profession has escalated to Master Tailor. Sadly we note that two of his children have died and from my other records that would be firstborn Walter Frederick Joshua who lived from 13 September 1898 to 25 March 1900 and Ivy Dorothy who lived from 27 Jan to 5 April 1904.

Curiously, the cause of death of my grandfather – he died in 1915 at the early age of 43 when my dad was still a boy of 15 years – took several years to uncover in my research. It was later revealed that he died of tuberculosis; a disease that would have plagued him for years; and a reason he took steps to take care of his business. I believe that Walter knew he was dying, otherwise, why would he have sold the tailoring premises to his stepbrother Joseph (Frank Joseph Andrew Allery) in September 1914. This information came to light after finally sending for his death certificate.

I note from the certificate that one of his other brothers, Benjamin Robert Allery, was in attendance at Walter’s death; and he was residing at 196 Commercial Road, Peckham, with his family. Benjamin Robert later became a Builder, choosing not to follow in his father’s footsteps. Benjamin married Edith Rose Waldock and they had two sons, Bernard and Ernest. The two boys joined the Grocery and Bakery trades and were listed in the 1939 register.

It seems that Walter had amassed a small fortune (2,952 pounds) that he left to his widow Harriet and I imagine that much of that was derived from his tailoring business and his many properties. He had suffered many setbacks in his life including the death of two children, the death of his mother, and, the illness that caused his own death.

So onward and backward in time to discover more of the story of the life and legacies of my grandfather, Walter Frederick Allery.