Tragic deaths among the Harleys and Middletons.
Written as part of Amy Johnson Crow’s “52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks” challenge. This week’s topic: Tragedy
Thanks to a series of letters shared with me by a friend I made through ancestry.com, I can relate a sorry tale of tragedies that happened within one branch of the family in the 1830s and 1840s.
I call these letters “the Middleton letters.” They were generously shared with me by Judith Berry, a descendant of Charlotte Middleton, the second wife of John Harley, my 3G grandfather. I had asked Judith how she knew that the maiden name of Charlotte, who appears as John Harley’s wife in census records from 1841 through 1881, was Middleton. Her response was to send me transcripts of letters written between 1830 and 1848, between members of the Middleton family, chiefly two of Charlotte’s brothers, Joseph and John Middleton - later to include Joseph’s wife, Marianne. Many of their letters have survived.
Through Judith I learned that Charlotte was John’s second wife and in fact not the mother of their oldest son and my 2G grandfather, Thomas. Thomas was often referred to as Thomas Blissett Harley, so perhaps his mother’s name was Blissett. Sure enough I was eventually able to find a marriage record of John Harley and Nancy Blissett.
But their relationship was cut short all too soon. Two years later, in April 1837, when Nancy was only 24 years old, she died, leaving John to care for 15 months old Thomas.
Unsurprisingly, John was soon to marry again. In April 1838 he married Charlotte Middleton. Thus Charlotte became Thomas’ step-mother, and eventually mother of 9 children of her own. There is a passing reference to their marriage in one of the letters. In the midst of a newsy and chatty missive to Marianne from her mother, written on 26 March 1838, she wrote
Miss C and Mr Harley I sincerely wish them every happiness when ever it takes place.’
The first letter in the collection, was written by John from Calcutta, India in 1830. John was living in Calcutta, in the employ of Matthew Boulton and James Watt’s Soho Works, a company based in Smethwick which manufactured steam engines. The engines were transported all over the world to be assembled on the spot by engineers such as John Middleton. In June 1830 returned from China, where he had been “working harder than ever in his life, building a steamboat for the Boulton and Watts co.” But tragic news awaited him on his return. His beloved wife, Fran, had died while he was away.
My Beloved Parents,
… I think every day brings new and more painfull feelings on account of my loss yet I will try not to murmur since it is my Dear Fans great and Eternal gain oh yes it is a consolation when I remember that while I am writing her happy spirit is far from a world of grief and sin, I will try to be constant under these considerations and kiss the rod while it makes me bleed but oh my loss both for soul and body none but God himself knows of.
John never remarried, and seventeen years later was still grieving. In a postscript to a letter to his “dear brother and sister” on 26 September 1845, John wrote:
It is seventeen years this day since I consigned to the silent tomb and affectionate kind wife since which I have never been the same man it is all fresh in my memory and I seem today quite at home in the Burying ground Calcutta I believe I could go straight to her tomb not withstanding all the changes that have taken place since then.
Another tragedy involved Anne, the oldest girl of the Middleton children. In 1833 Anne had married William Fox, who was to become a missionary. In November 1836 William wrote to his brother-in-law Joseph from “ McCarthy’s Island Mission House, Nr Africa.” (McCarthy’s Island is in the mouth of the Gambia River). He was working among the Foulah people, of whom William wrote:
I am anxious to obtain a correct knowledge of the Foulahs which I cannot be unless I mix among them. May the Lord open my way and bless and prosper my plans for the good of these Sable Sons of Adam.
At that time Anne was at home in Smethwick after the birth of their first child. William wrote:
Please present my best love to my Ann and as yet unknown son tell her I received her letter of 4 of Aug on the 21 ulto and was happy to hear they were both well I hope to be able to write her soon.
Anne returned to the mission where she became pregnant with a second child a few years later. But a double tragedy was about to strike the family, as reported to the family by a colleague of William, who wrote in January 1841 to share with them ..
the painful intelligence arrived from poor Fox of the death of dear little John and it appears the fatal event was too much for his dear mother and it brought on (I apprehend) Premature Labour and though mysterious to us she is no more, the Lord gave and the Lord has taken away, Blessed be the name of the Lord. The dear Babe was living when Mr Fox wrote …
… I cannot say how long Poor Mrs Fox lived after dear John. Poor Fox is left thus bereaved of both his beloved wife and lovely boy I cannot sufficiently sympathize with him.
This news arrived five months later, as is clear from this letter, written a few days later by John Middleton to Joseph and Marianne:
Johnny Dear little fellow was attacked with the fever on I think the 27th or 28th of August and died on the 31st you must excuse me saying more I cannot my heart is full His ever dear mother worn out it appears to me with fatigue in watching him and his Father who was just recovering from a severe attack of fever had been unwell some days when she was confined of a fine girl and went on well for two days when alarming symptoms manifested themselves and in her previous debilitated state and shock at the lads death was not able to bear up and nature sunk.
All was done that could possibly be but of no use she went to Heaven seven days after her lad and is now far from a world of grief and sin may God help us all to follow hard after her to the climes of bliss. I expect Wm about May or June if the babe lives if not he will never return.
Poor Fox I feel for him my heart is full if you can be here the Sunday after next do you shall see his letters to me Tell Mary Ann I have ordered some Black for her as well as all the other Females of our family and Betsy will send it in a day or two she must not buy any. Good bye God Bless you and yours. Mother and all the family bear it tolerably but we all feel it a good deal but we have hope amongst it all. Glory to God.
The baby Ann did survive and William returned to England.
The next untimely death of which we hear in these letters is of Charlotte’s brother-in-law, my 4G uncle Benjamin Harley. Benjamin was the youngest child of Edward and Martha Harley, who with John and three other Harley brothers, migrated from Hopton Castle, Shropshire, during the 1830’s to the hamlet of Smethwick, in the parish of North Harborne, near Birmingham.
John and Benjamin were the first arrivals, both being there by 1841. They were followed by Richard and Samuel, who were living in the parish in 1851, and a little later by Charles. John, Richard, Samuel, Charles and Benjamin were all carpenters, like their father Edward, and their oldest brother Thomas. While Thomas remained in Hopton Castle his son, also Thomas, was living with Charles and working as a carpenter by 1851.
Benjamin had married Mary Billingham in Handsworth, in 1831. Ten years later they were living on Queen Street, Smethwick: Benjamin, 25, carpenter, Mary, 25, and their three children, Edwin 5, Sarah 2, Charles 5 months.
Benjamin worked for his brother John. John Harley had built a substantial business as a building contractor. John Harley and Sons, Builders and Contractors, 75 and 161 Rolfe Street, Smethwick, operated sawing and planning mills, and sold timber and slate. In 1851 John employed 20 men and 2 assistants; by 1881 the company had grown to 70 employees. But his youngest brother did not live to see this success.
For Benjamin died, suddenly and tragically, in February 1844.
Feby 17th 1844 Smethwick PO to Manchester Feb 18 1844
To Mr Josh Middleton Senr, 22 Ancoats Grove, Every Street, Manchester
"You will be sorry to hear that one of John Harley’s brothers VIZ Benjamin is lost he left here on Saturday night after having got his wages from John and proceeded to Birmm where he has of late lived and is supposed to have got in the canal but no traces are to be found of him and this you will suppose has caused John a good deal of anxiety."
After his death it appears that the children went to live with relatives. In 1851 Edwin was living with his uncle Samuel. In 1861 Charles and Sarah seem to have been living with an aunt, possibly a sister of their mother Mary, in Hereford. What happened to Mary herself I do not know.
One more premature and tragic death happened in this family. John, the son of Joseph and Marianne, an engineer, was killed in an explosion. This information was reported in the Birmingham Daily Post, Tuesday September 10, 1878. The previous afternoon a William Jones sent for John Middleton, who worked across the street, to help him test a small boiler he had erected in a greenhouse on his premises.
Immediately the steam was turned into it the boiler exploded, killing the man Middleton instantaneously. He was blown several yards into the air, and his body was very much injured.
Mr. and Mrs. Jones were injured also. At the inquest the following day the paper reported that Mr. Jones, badly scalded and totally blinded, was in hospital and “too ill to attend the inquiry.” The report went on:
“The force of the explosion must have been terrific, for, in addition to completely wrecking the greenhouse, serious damage has been done to the adjoining buildings. The brewhouse door was partially torn away, and the casements of the windows forced in. The greater part of the boiler was found after the explosion in the garden, several yards away.”
Some concern was raised that parts of the boiler could not be found, and the police were instructed “to make a diligent search for the portions still missing … in order that scientific evidence might be given.”
The family tragedies experienced by John Harley and Joseph and Marianne Middleton, then, included the premature deaths of John’s first wife, and his brother; Joseph and Marrianne’s sister-in-law Fanny Middleton, their sister Anne Fox and her son John and finally of their own 32-year-old son John, in 1878.
The Harleys and Middletons were deeply committed to the Wesleyan Church, which must have brought them much consolation as so clearly expressed by John:
it is a consolation when I remember that while I am writing her happy spirit is far from a world of grief and sin.