FRENCH, Hemel Hempstead area, Mid 19th Century

September, 2003

Liisa Perrin (rperrin @t telus.net) of Kamloops, BC, Canada, says  I have been trying to find out some information on Susan French, who died at the age of 13.  I inherited a needlepoint done by her from my grandmother, Annie Jane Andrew (13th child of Frederick Lee of Hemel Hempstead). The needlepoint says on the front 

Susan French, Her Work, Age 13, 1852.

How happy are the souls above
From sin and sorrow free
With Jesus they are now at rest
And all his glories see.

I remember my grandmother telling me she brought it with her from England and that Susan died before she could finish it.  There is even a rust mark where the needle was left in it.  It is in a very old frame (looks like birds-eye maple), some triangular-shaped pins holding it in underneath a thin piece of wood.  There is no writing on the back. I have been unable to trace the poem.

My grandmother, Annie Jane Andrew (daughter of Frederick Lee of Hemel Hempstead) was the 13th of 14 children (which I suppose wasn't uncommon in those days) born January 23, 1902 in Nettleden and I have all her siblings birth dates as well has her parents.  I found out a bit about them on the Internet and I thought I was content with the information I have, but the needlepoint on my wall called out to me to search for her. But as you've pointed out, I really don't have much to go on.  My mother sent me a letter telling me all her relatives lived in the areas of Little Gaddesdon, Great Gaddesdon, Berkhamstead, St. Albans, Firthsden and St. Margarets.  The family was Anglican and my grandmother went to St. Mary's Church in Hemel Hempstead.   

Young girls were taught practical skills, and needlework samplers were the result, often done on printed bases, and designed to show off the skills which had been learnt. Unfortunately many are now showing their age, and the colours have faded, while others have become separated from their family. I have a 200 year old silk map of England, done by one of my ancestors, and despite being behind glass in a frame the silk is clearly failing. Shire Books have an introductory guide on Samplers.

The poem could have been made up on the pre-printed base, in the same way that many poems in modern birthday cards are made up. When faced with this kind of problem before I have carried out a search on www.google.co.uk and I did the same with your poem. Eureka! It is included in "Minutes of Sacred Harp Singings for 1995", details of which are on fasola.org/minutes/1995/ . The web site does not make it clear where they got it from but clearly it is known - and must be at least 150 years old.

Liisa later wrote: I followed the link you provided and found out a bit more about the lyrics on the sampler.  They were written by Augustus Toplady in 1759, who was a vicar with the Anglican church.  The tune wasn't written until 1869 by John S. Terry.

Meanwhile I happened to be passing through Hemel Hempstead, and paused for a quick look in the local studies library, which has an index of the 1851 census for Hemel Hempstead. In Boxmoor (no more precise address given - but apparently towards the west of the area) I found:

This is most probably your Susan. To find her father's name and occupation you should purchase her birth certificate - which will also provide you with her mother's maiden name.

Obviously Susan was dead by the time of the 1881 census, and Jane could well have married (so difficult to find without more information) so I decided to look for George. I found the following at the Three Horseshoes, Winkwell (which is on the western boundary of Boxmoor/Hemel Hempstead):

So it is possible that the family in 1851 also lived in the Three Horseshoes. In this context trade directories are unhelpful, as the Three Horseshoes is so far out of the built up area of Hemel Hempstead that it appears to have been overlooked in the directories altogether. 

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June 2004

Larry Boswell (laboswell @t rogers.com) of Ottowa, Canada, writes: The Susan French that you found in the 1851 census is definitely my gr-gr grandmother, Susan French,  b. 1839,  her father was James French,  her mother Elizabeth as in your census listing (don't know mother's maiden name). Rather than dying in 1852 at 13,  the Susan in your census continued to live in Hemel Hempstead,  married a brickyard worker named Charles Allen and had several children including two daughters,  Elizabeth (named for Susan's mother) and Jane (named for her sister).

Susan and Charles lived in Winkwell a few steps away from Susan's brother George James French.   You can see them in the 1871 census. I can confirm this by connecting census data,  and one child's birth certificate (a son born the year Susan died of childbirth complications, 1872, named French Allen)

Sorry to do this really,  because the story of Susan French with her needlepoint is very poignant.   I've contacted Liisa Perrin but she's certain her Susan did die at 13.   Either she's wrong about that,  or her Susan is from another nearby location,  maybe a cousin.

Oh well, if genealogy was so easy that you could never mis-interpret the evidence it would be dead boring!

July 2004

Liisa writes: Larry Boswell contacted me concerning Susan French and as he told you in June, it turns out my Susan French did not die at age 13 as I had thought.  Interestingly, she turned out to be my great-great grandmother!  An odd thing for my grandmother (her granddaughter) not to have known, but everything fits.  We are now trying to link all our research together and it has been a very enlightening time!  Thanks for all your help.

Larry writes: Thanks for putting up the information.  I just received another document that confirms this Susan French as living until age 33 or so. I'm going to keep watching for any other Susan Frenchs who would fit the needlework story. You're right, though, it's the twists and turns that keep genealogy fascinating.

January 2007

Timothy Pedder (timpedder580 @t hotmail.com) writes: To anyone interested in the French family living in Winkwell,  Bourne End in the mid to late 1800's: These were my Great Great Grandparents & I do have a few documents & photographs relating to them. Please feel free to contact me if interested. I believe & my children are the only living relatives left in the Hemel Hempstead area.

I have passed details of your kind offer to Liisa and Larry.

There are web pages for Boxmoor, Hemel Hempstead and Winkwell.

If you can add to the information given above tell me.