Answer: 01142: DUNHAM, St Albans, 19th century (Hertfordshire Genealogy)

The name Dunham is relatively common in the St Albans area in the 19th century and familysearch shows that at least two John Dunham were christened in the City of St Albans with a few years of 1850. (If you have not already done so read Right Name, Wrong Body.)

My guess that your ancestor was the John Dunham who was living in New England Street, St Albans, at the time of the 1881 census:

A check of selected Post Office/Kelly's directories (1855, 1862, 1866, 1870, 1878, 1886, 1890) under St Albans shows that in 1862 both Francis Dunham and John Blows Dunham were straw hat manufacturers in Fishpool Street, neither being listed in 1855. Francis is shown at various addresses up to 1882. John Blows Dunham is listed in Fishpool Street until 1870, and after a gap a Mrs Mary Dunham is listed as a straw hat manufacturer in Fishpool Street until 1890.

A quick peek at familysearch shows that John Samuel Dunham was baptised in Abbey parish, St Albans on 29th September, 1850, the son of John Blows and Mary Dunham. This allows a family to be located in Fishpool Street, St Michaels parish, St Albans, in the 1851 census:

Re-examining the 1881 census shows the following possibly relevant record in Fishpool Street:

While this is probably the right family, you should check the records, and the other Dunhams living in the area, to make sure.

Since the above was posted, all the censuses between 1841 and 1901 have been indexed and are available online. John S Durham can now be easily identified in the 1861, 1871 and 1891 censuses

In 1861 he was still with his parents in Fishpool Street, and there was no sign of any siblings.

In 1871 he was married to Elizabeth and living in Verulam Road, St Albans, with 9 month old Alice - who was born in Cromer Hyde, They had a 16 year old visitor, Annie M Parsons, who was Elizabeth's sister - see Parsons family living in Dagnall Lane in 1861 census,

In 1891 he was living in Portland Street (see Pound Field), St Albans, with his wife and children Herbert (17), Alfred (14), Nellie (7), Percy (5) and Ralph (11 months).

By 1901 John had died and his widow, Elizabeth, was living with her son Alfred B Dunham and his family in Walton Street (see Sandridge New Town, Bernards Heath), as were her sons Percy & Ralph.

Brian Dunham (briandunham @t hotmail.com) of Bolsover, Derbyshire, writes providing more information on the family:

There were other children born to John and Elizabeth:

Nellie (or possibly Eleanor) in 1883
Percy born in 1885 who ended up living on Jersey
Molly (but I know nothing about her)
My grandfather, Ralph Stanley, the youngest son of John Samuel and Elizabeth (nee Parsons). He was born on 9th May, 1890 and married Florence Farrish in Winchester in 1915. They had four sons:

Stanley Thomas Ypres born 6th Jan 1916. (I am Stanley's son, born in 1937.)
Ernest Reginald Victor
Alan Gordon Anthony
Ian Harold George.

Herbert John was killed at Gallipoli serving as RSM in The New Zealand Wellington Mounted Rifles.

Ralph Stanley was also an RSM serving with the 4th Battalion The Rifle Brigade. He may have enlisted in 1908 in The Middlesex Regiment, but I am not sure about that. He finished his wartime service in the 11th Battalion, Army Cyclist Corps. After the war he transferred to the Army Education Corps and was stationed with various Regiments at home and abroad.

January 2011

Adam Gilson (adamgilson @t yahoo.co.uk) of Penryn, Cornwall, writes: I have read with great interest the history of the Dunham family on your site. Here is some more information that may be of interest...

By 1901, My great-grandfather Alfred Blows Dunham (son of John and Elizabeth) was living with his widowed mother Elizabeth and wife Emily in Walton Street, St Albans. He worked as a brewer's carter. By 1911 Elizabeth had died (approx 1902) and he was living at 4 Albert Street (1911 census) with his wife (Emily Streeton) - they were married in 1896. He was now working as a 'carman' for a furniture remover. Alfred and Emily had at least nine children:

Ernest Alfred Dunham. In the 1911 census Ernest is listed as working as an office boy (aged 14) for a dye and bleach company. He was a private in the Royal Veterinary Corp before becoming a gunner (234534) in 'A' Battery 210th Brigade Royal Field Artillery. He was killed in action on 8/10/1918 and is commemorated in VIS-EN-ARTOIS Memorial, Pas De Calais, France panel 3 and

Richard Dunham (1898-1918). Richard was in the 2nd/22nd (The Queen's) London Regiment before becoming a corporal (295047) in the 4th (City of London) Battalion Royal Fusiliers London Regiment. He was killed in action on 21/3/1918 and is buried at the Chauny Communal Cemetery British Extension, Ainse, France, Plot 1 row D Grave 11.

Herbert John Dunham (1899-?).

Kate Dunham (1900-c1954).

Gladys Dunham (1902-?).

Evelyn Dunham (1907-?) married Bertie Taylor (1900-?) in 1934.

Constance Dunham (1910-1997). Married to John Simms-Oakley (1903-1966) in 1929. They had two children, Joan and Miriam.

Thomas Dunham (1913-).

Alice (1915-1991) was my grandmother. She married Alfred George Robert Gilson and had four sons; John, Michael, Brian (my father) and Keith.

Both Ernest and Richard are commemorated on the Great War war memorial in Albert Street.

Brian Dunham (briandunham @t hotmail.com) added: I have some more information that you may find interesting:
        First, Elizabeth did not die in 1901/2, she remarried at St Albans Register Office to Alfred Jones, a widower, a Painter and Decorator. I have a copy of the Marriage Certificate. I do not know when she died, but I do remember my Dad telling me that he met her, as a boy, when he was visiting one of his relations in Egham, probably about 1920.
         Secondly, Percy was a well-known photographer in Jersey. There is quite a mention of him on the Jersey Archives website, including examples of his work. I met him once at Ian's wedding in 1952, but I cannot recall him, or his wife, at all. I have a copy of Joan and Ian's wedding photograph. There is a family legend that he was engaged in Intelligence gathering during the German Occupation, taking photos of military installations used as backdrops for Germans sending pictures back home, and he sent copies out on fishing boats for the British - I have no means of proving any of this.
          Thirdly, I now have proof that my Grandfather, Ralph Stanley, was never in the Middlesex Regiment, although he was the Regimental Schoolmaster attached to them, and went with them to Germany and Malta. He served with 4th Battalion, The Rifle Brigade in India, Sudan and Egypt. In the 1911 Census he is listed as being stationed at The Citadel, Cairo. During WW1 he was transferred to the Machine Gun Corps and then the Army Cyclist Corps.

Page updated January 2011

John DUNHAM	30	Head	Straw Hat Manufacturer	St Albans
Elizabeth DUNHAM	31	Wife	Straw Hat Manufacturer	St Albans
Alice M. DUNHAM	10	Daur	Scholar	Croomes Hyde, Herts
Herbert J. DUNHAM	7	Son	Scholar	St Albans
Alfred B. DUNHAM	4	Son	Scholar	St Albans
William E. DUNHAM	1	Son		St Albans

John B Dunham	29	Head	Carpenter	St Albans
Mary Dunham	27	Wife		St Albans
John S Dunham	7m	Son		St Albans
Matilda Varney	15	Serv	House Servant	St Albans

Mary Dunham	58	Head	Straw hat manufacturer	The Noke
Kate Dunham	8	Grandchild	Scholar	St Albans