When Charles Parr was born on 16 May 185629, his parents David Parr and Frances Harvey, were already in their 40s. David worked as an agricultural labourer. Frances (Fanny) looked after the household and the many children.
Although he was born on the 16th of May, his civil birth record indicates the 31st of May. That is because his mother registered him on the 30th of June1 and there were penalties charged it you did not register your child within 30 days. So, like many parents of the time, she simply changed his civil record birthdate to avoid the fined. Charles was the 10thchild born to David and Fanny8,9.
His oldest brother Elijah was 20 years older than him and had already left home. Grace (1838), Hannah (1840) and Maria (1842) had also either already moved out of the home or moved out while he was very young8,9,3. He never met his sister Rachel as she lived only 15 months10,11. However, the family was still quite large when he joined as there was Robert (1847), Ruth (1849), Elizabeth (1851) and William (1854)8. Emma was born two years after Charles8but died before she was two years old12.
It was not unusual in this family for the children to be baptized quite a while after they were born. While Elijah13and Emma21were both baptized within a year of their birth, the others were varied. Hannah15was baptized in 1841; but Grace14, who was older than Hannah, and Maria16, who was younger, were both baptized on the first of May in 1842. Rachel10was baptized in 1845 just before she died. Robert17, Ruth18and Elizabeth19were all baptized on Christmas day, the first two in 1849 and Elizabeth in 1851. William20and Charles2were both not baptized until they were teenagers. William at the age of 14 in 1868 and Charles at the age of 15 in 1871.
By 18714, Charles was also working as an agricultural labourer. In 18815, Charles and his father were living alone, all the other children had moved on. At some point in these years, Charles met Eliza Wells and her daughter Agnes. Eliza and Charles married when Charles was 31 years old in 1886 when Charles and Eliza married7.
Charles and Eliza were blessed with several children (years are approximate based on census7,22,25and school entrance23,24records). Fanny Ellen in 1887, Alice in 1889, and a son Harvey Charles William in 1890. In 1891 they continued to live in Fordham at 218 Peachy Street7.
Later that year, Charles and Eliza added Elizabeth to the family followed in two years later by Fred and then Ruth in the following year.
Exactly when and how Charles died is a bit of a mystery at this point. We know he was alive when Eliza died in 1898 as he was the informant for her death record26. Also, the school entrance for Harvey, Lizzie, Fannie and Alice in 1898 indicates their father is Charles. With the first three they are listed as coming in at the “Cotton End” while Alice, three months later has her father listed Union. However, by the time Fred entered school in 190024, he was listed as coming from the workhouse. The 1901 census22indicates that all the younger children were living in the workhouse without him. On their marriages in 1913 and 1916 respectively, Fanny27and Harvey28indicate that their father is deceased. For this reason, I am estimating that Charles most likely died in 1899.
Link to Charles Parr in genealogy.
1Births (CR) England. RD: Newmarket, Fordham, Soham, Cambridge. 31 May 1856. PARR, David. Entry No. 19.
2Baptisms (PR) England. Cambridgeshire. 09 Apr 1871. PARR, Charles. [Transcription] Collection: Cambridgeshire Baptisms. http://www.findmypast.com: accessed December 2018.
3Census. 1861. England and Wales. Fordham, Newmarket, Cambridgeshire. http://www.ancestry.ca : accessed December 2018.
4Census. 1871. England and Wales. Fordham, Newmarket, Cambridgeshire. http://www.ancestry.ca : accessed December 2018.
5Census. 1881. England and Wales. Fordham, Newmarket, Cambridgeshire. http://www.ancestry.ca : accessed December 2018.
6Census. 1891. England and Wales. Fordham, Newmarket, East Cambridge, Cambridge. https://www.ancestry.ca: accessed 2018.
7Marriages (CR) England. Fordham, Cambridge. 29 June 1886. PARR, Charles and WELLS, Eliza. 403.
8Census. 1841. England and Wales. Fordham, Newmarket, Cambridgeshire. http://www.ancestry.ca : accessed December 2018.
9Census. 1851. England and Wales. Fordham, Newmarket, Cambridgeshire. http://www.ancestry.ca : accessed December 2018.
10Baptisms (PR) England. Cambridgeshire. 17 June 1845. PARR, Rachel. [Transcription] Collection: Cambridgeshire Baptisms. http://www.findmypast.com : accessed December 2018.
11Burials (PR) England. Cambridgeshire. 29 June 1845. PARR, Rachel. [Transcription] Collection: Cambridgeshire Burials. http://www.findmypast.com: accessed December 2018.
12Deaths (CR) England. Newmarket, Cambridgeshire. 1860. PARR, Emma. [Transcription] Collection: England & Wales Deaths 1837-2007. http://www.findmypast.com: accessed December 2018.
13Baptisms (PR) England. Cambridgeshire. 28 August 1836. PARR, Elijah. [Transcription] Collection: Cambridgeshire Baptisms. http://www.findmypast.com : accessed December 2018.
14Baptisms (PR) England. Cambridgeshire. 01 May 1842. PARR, Grace Manning. [Transcription] Collection: Cambridgeshire Baptisms. http://www.findmypast.com : accessed December 2018.
15Baptisms (PR) England. Cambridgeshire. 29 November 1841. PARR, Hannah. [Transcription] Collection: Cambridgeshire Baptisms. http://www.findmypast.com : accessed December 2018.
16Baptisms (PR) England. Cambridgeshire. 01 May 1842. PARR, Maria. [Transcription] Collection: Cambridgeshire Baptisms. http://www.findmypast.com : accessed December 2018.
17Baptisms (PR) England. Cambridgeshire. 25 December 1849. PARR, Robert. [Transcription] Collection: Cambridgeshire Baptisms. http://www.findmypast.com : accessed December 2018.
18Baptisms (PR) England. Cambridgeshire. 25 December 1849. PARR, Ruth. [Transcription] Collection: Cambridgeshire Baptisms. http://www.findmypast.com : accessed December 2018.
19Baptisms (PR) England. Cambridgeshire. 25 December 1851. PARR, Elizabeth. [Transcription] Collection: Cambridgeshire Baptisms. http://www.findmypast.com : accessed December 2018.
20Baptisms (PR) England. Cambridgeshire. 7 June 1868. PARR, William. [Transcription] Collection: Cambridgeshire Baptisms. http://www.findmypast.com : accessed December 2018.
21Baptisms (PR) England. Cambridgeshire. 17 July 1858. PARR, Emma. [Transcription] Collection: Cambridgeshire Baptisms. http://www.findmypast.com : accessed December 2018.
22Census. 1901. England. Sonnett, St. Nicholas, Kennett, Cambridgeshire. https://www.ancestry.ca: accessed 2018.
23Exning Board/Council School. Admission Records. PARR, Harvey. 17 October 1898. Collection: National School Admission Registers & Log-Books 1870-1914. http://www.findmypast.com: accessed December 2018.
23Exning Board/Council School. Admission Records. PARR, Fred. 01 October 1900. Collection: National School Admission Registers & Log-Books 1870-1914. http://www.findmypast.com: accessed December 2018.
25Census. 1911. England. Leamington, Warwickshire, England. PARR, Ruth, niece in home of WELLS, Walter. http://www.ancestry.ca: accessed December 2018.
26Deaths (CR) England. RD: Newmarket, Fordham, Soham, Cambridgeshire. 16 July 1898. PARR, Eliza.
27Marriages (PR) England. Wooton Basset, Wilts. 28 June 1913. HACKER, George William and PARR, Fanny Ellen. Entry No. 243. http://www.ancestry.ca: accessed 2018.
28Marriages (PR) England. St. Lukes Chelsea, London. 20 June 1916. PARR, Harvey Charles William and SUTHERLAND, Frances Elanor Sinclair. Entry No. 437. http://www.ancestry.ca: accessed 2018.
29Baptisms (PR) England. Cambridgeshire. 09 April 1871. PARR, Charles. [Transcription] Collection: Cambridgeshire Baptisms. http://www.findmypast.com : accessed December 2018.