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Brentford Families - Whitehead

Ann King (nee Whitehead) writes in 2009:

'The watchmaker, Benjamin Whitehead, who lived intermittently at No 278, is the brother of my great grandfather, Joseph Whitehead – I was born Ann Whitehead.'

'Joseph b. 1825 and Benjamin b.1827 were respectively the 6th and 7th children (of 8) of Reuben Whitehead, a farmer who lived in Botesdale, Suffolk, and his first wife, Maria Hogg. Reuben went on to have 10 more children by his second wife.'

'Joseph, my great grandfather, was an interesting character who had a year’s imprisonment in Chelmsford jail for bigamy. My great grandmother divorced him, and as soon as he got out of jail he went off to Northamptonshire where he married a third (or possibly fourth) time, and started another family.'

'Benjamin seems to have led a quieter life! The 1841 census shows that he was apprenticed to a watchmaker while he was still living in Suffolk. He married Mary Lacey, 2 years older than he was, in the March quarter 1854 – the marriage was registered in Brentford, so it may be that at this time, or soon after, that he moved into no. 278 High Street. I have found 2 children for Benjamin and Mary – Benjamin b. 1858 Brentford, and Eliza b. 1863 Old Kent Road.'

'Benjamin’s wife, Mary, died in 1864, and the death was registered in Lambeth – so it seems that he moved out of No 278 in the mid 1860s.'

'Benjamin’s second marriage - to Emma Murray - was registered in the June quarter 1865 in Bermondsey. They had 2 children, Alice Emma b 1868 and William Reuben b. 1873 – both were born in Brentford, according to censuses, although the births were registered in Lambeth. I think that Lambeth is more likely as their birth place, since Benjamin was living in Lambeth in 1871 and Clapham in 1881.'

'I hope that this may help to pinpoint slightly more closely when the various families moved into No 278.'