Caroline Kester

LIFE GOES ON: AN INTRODUCTION

MY GRANDPARENTS - I - MY GREAT-GRANDPARENTS - I - MY GREAT-GREAT-GRANDPARENTS - I - MY GREAT-GREAT-GREAT-GRANDPARENTS

THE SIXTEEN FAMILIES

KNOTT - I - BOWLES - I - WATERS - I - HARRALL - I - PAGE - I - WISEMAN - I - CROSS - I - CARTER

CORNWELL - I - HUCKLE - I - MORTLOCK - I - MANSFIELD - I - REYNOLDS - I - CARTER - I - ANABLE - I - STEARN

CHRONOLOGY - I - DRAMATIS PERSONAE - I - WHERE PEOPLE CAME FROM - I - CALENDAR

MAP OF ELY - I - MAP OF MEDWAY
MAP OF CAMBRIDGE AND DISTRICT

THE WORKHOUSE

WORLD WAR I - I - WORLD WAR II

simonknott.co.uk I home I e-mail

LIFE GOES ON

Caroline Kester
born Hardwick, Cambridgeshire, 1832
died Chesterton Workhouse, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, 1907

on the Reynolds family tree
part of the Stearn family story

married to William Stearn

mother of Lydia Stearn

daughter of
?
and Ann Kester

Caroline Kester (1832-1907). My Mother's Mother's Mother's Mother's Mother. My Great-Great-Great-Grandmother.

Caroline was probably an illegitimate child. She was born at Hardwick, and married William Stearn in the neighbouring village of Dry Drayton. She was 18, he was 30. She was his second wife, and heavily pregnant, the baby being born within days of the wedding. Caroline would live in Dry Drayton all her life, but at the end of it she would be taken into the workhouse at Chesterton, where she would die. She was buried in Dry Drayton churchyard.

1832: Caroline was born in Hardwick, Cambridgeshire. She was baptised at St Mary's church, Hardwick, where only her mother's name was entered into the registers.

1841 Census:

Caroline was eight years old at the time of the 1841 census. She was known as Caroline Ellwood. She was living in West End, Comberton, Cambridgeshire.

Caroline's mother Ann Kester had married Cavill Ellwood, aged 25, an agricultural labourer. It must be unlikely that he was actually Caroline's real father. Caroline's mother Ann was also 25. There were two other children in the household, Esther aged 3 and James aged 1. Everyone in the household was born in Cambridgeshire.

1841: On Christmas Day, Caroline's future husband William Stern married Ann Rutter at St Peter and St Paul's church, Dry Drayton.

1847: In May, William's wife Ann died. She was buried in Dry Drayton churchyard on 28th May. She was 24 years old.

1850: On 2nd March, Caroline married William Stearn at St Peter and St Paul's church, Dry Drayton. William was a widower of full age, Caroline was 18. Both were of this parish. The witnesses were John Kester and Ann Rogers. Caroline was pregnant, and gave birth to their first son John shortly after the marriage. He was baptised in the same church less than six months later on the 25th August, but died and was buried in Dry Drayton churchyard on 12th September, when his age was given as six months.

1851 census:

Caroline was nineteen years old at the time of the 1851 census, living in the household of William Rutter in Dry Drayton, Cambridgeshire.

Caroline's husband William Stearn was 30 years old. He was an agricultural labourer. William Rutter was aged 64, also an agricultural labourer. He was the head of the household, and the father of William Stearn's first wife Ann. Also in the household were William's two sons from his first marriage, Robert aged 9 and John aged 7. William Rutter was born in Harlton, Cambridgeshire. Caroline was born in Hardwick, Cambridgeshire. William and his two sons were born in Dry Drayton, Cambridgeshire.

1852: William and Caroline's daughter Susannah was born, and baptised at St Peter and St Paul's church, Dry Drayton on 16th May.

1856: William and Caroline's daughter Lydia and son John were baptised at St Peter and St Paul's church, Dry Drayton on 21st September. Lydia was a baby. John was probably two years old. He died in December 1859 and was buried on New Years Day 1860 when his age was given as five. Lydia would survive, and be my great-great-grandmother.

1861 census:

Caroline was twenty-nine years old at the time of the 1861 census. The Stearn family were living at Queens Row, Dry Drayton, Cambridgeshire.

Her husband William was 39. He was an agricultural labourer. There were six children in the household on the night of the census. Robert was 19, William was 16, Susanna was 9, Lydia was 5, James was 3 and Alfred was 1. There is no baptismal record for James in the Dry Drayton parish registers. James's gravestone is still extant in Dry Drayton churchyard: he died aged 87 in 1941.

Everyone in the household was born at Dry Drayton, Cambridgeshire, apart from Caroline who was born in Hardwick, Cambridgeshire. The transcript for the entry is here.

1863: William and Caroline's daughter Elizabeth and son Alfred were baptised at St Peter and St Paul's church, Dry Drayton on 15th March. Elizabeth was probably a baby, Alfred was three years old.

1865: William and Caroline's daughter Alice was born, and baptised at St Peter and St Paul's church, Dry Drayton on 20th August.

1871 census:

Caroline was thirty-nine years old at the time of the 1871 census. The Stearn family were living at Dry Drayton, Cambridgeshire.

Her husband William was 50. He was an agricultural labourer. There were five children in the household on the night of the census. James was 13, Alfred was 11, Elizabeth was 9, Alice was 6 and Frederick was 3. James and Alfred were both shown as agricultural labourers.

Everyone in the household was born at Dry Drayton, Cambridgeshire, apart from Caroline who was born in Hardwick, Cambridgeshire.

1875: William and Caroline's sons Frederick and Arthur were baptised at St Peter and St Paul's church, Dry Drayton on 9th April. Arthur was three years old, Frederick was seven years old.

1877: On 15th December, William and Caroline's daughter Lydia married Samuel Anable at St Peter and St Paul's church, Dry Drayton. They would be my great-great-grandparents.

1881 census:

Caroline was fifty-one years old at the time of the 1881 census. The Stearn family were living at High Street, Dry Drayton, Cambridgeshire.

Her husband William was 61. He was a labourer. Four of their sons were living at home. James was 23, Alfred was 21, Frederick was 13 and Arthur was 9. All were shown as labourers.

The census records that all the family were born at Dry Drayton, Cambridgeshire except for Caroline, whose birthplace for this census only was given as Comberton, Cambridgeshire.

1891 census:

Caroline was sixty one years old at the time of the 1891 census. The family were living at Pettits Lane, Dry Drayton, Cambridgeshire.

Her husband William was 70. He was an agricultural labourer. Their son Arthur, aged 19, was also living at home. Caroline and Arthur were also shown as agricultural labourers.William and Arthur were born in Dry Drayton, Cambridgeshire. Caroline was born in Hardwick, Cambridgeshire.

1892: In January, Caroline's husband William died. He was buried in Dry Drayton churchyard on 20th January. He was 71 years old.

1901 Census:

Caroline was seventy-one years old at the time of the 1901 census. She was living at Pettits Lane, Dry Drayton, Cambridgeshire.

With her in the household was her son Arthur aged 29, an agricultural Labourer. Caroline was born in Hardwick, Cambridgeshire and Arthur was born in Dry Drayton, Cambridgeshire.

1907: In October, Caroline died in Chesterton workhouse, Cambridge. She was buried in Dry Drayton churchyard on 22nd October.

1916: William and Caroline's grandson Harry Anable was killed on the first day of the Somme, July 1st. He was 20 years old, and is remembered among the Missing on the Thiepval memorial and on the parish war memorial in Dry Drayton church.