Ellen Whiting 1866-1939

Parents: Moses Whiting and Emma Cole
Born: 1st Quarter 1866 in Burton End, Haverhill (1)
Baptised: ?
Married: Richard Skilton, 22, batchelor, factory hand, of Eden Road, Haverhill, son of William Skilton, dyer, on 26th December 1887 at St Mary's Parish Church, Haverhill. Witnessed by William Radford and Alice Whiting.(2,3)
Children: Margery Annie Skilton b.1889, Kate Skilton b.1890, Ilene Skilton b.1893, Phill Skilton b.1899 and Will Skilton b.1907
Died: February 1939. Buried on 23rd February 1939 at Haverhill Cemetery.(7)

Bio: Ellen appears on the 1871 census as 'Emma', where she is a scholar living with her parents, sister Alice and brothers William and John in Burton End, Haverhill. After her father's murder of his youngest son James in 1876 and subsequent removal to an asylum, (see Moses Whiting) the family remained in Burton End with Emma as the head. This is how we find them on the 1881 census, with Ellen and her elder brother William are working as factory hands. Before the next census, Emma was to marry Richard Skilton. The marriage entry shows her residing at 42 Camps Road at the time, although to my knowledge her mother and siblings remained at Burton End continuously. After they married, the Skiltons moved back to Burton End at some point before the 1891 census. We find them then at no.13, along with daughters Marjory and Kate. Richard is working as a dresser in the hair weaving industry. On the 1901 census the family are at 20 Burton End. Richard is a hair brush starcher, and Ellen a tailoress. They now have two more children, Ilene and Phill. By the 1911 census, Ellen and Richard had moved to 20 Vine Cottages, Haverhill. Richard is a hair cloth starcher, Ellen is doing work at home for a clothing factory and her three daughters work at the factory. Margery is a shirt machinist, Kate is a warp winder, and Ilene a trousers machinist.

Ellen died in 1939, and was buried at Haverhill Cemetery on 23rd February. It seems that Richard died three years later in 1942, and had been living at Outwell, Cambridgeshire at the time.(9,10) He was also buried at Haverhill Cemetery.(10)

Sources:

(1) Birth Register. 1st Quarter 1866, Risbridge District, Volume 4a Page 423
(2) Marriage Register. 4th Quarter 1887, Risbridge District, Volume 4a Page 1050
(3) Suffolk Records Office, Bury St Edmunds, Parish Registers of St Mary's Church, Haverhill. Fiche 578/4/p28 of 37
(4) Death Register. 1st Quarter 1939, Newmarket District, Volume 4a Page 1309
(8) Haverhill Cemetery, Ref.5241. http://www.haverhill-uk.com/pages/burial-records-137.htm
(9) Death Register. 2nd Quarter 1942, Downham District, Volume 4b Page 552
(10) Haverhill Cemetery, Ref.5507. http://www.haverhill-uk.com/pages/burial-records-137.htm