Ann Catherine Price

Photo: Ann Catherine Price. Undated (personal collection)

Ann Catherine Price is my Great Great Grandmother through my grandmother on my mother’s side of the family. 

She was born on November 16^th, 1882 in Plumstead, Kent, England. She was the second child (according to the 1891 England Census) of her parents Samuel John Price and Ann Catherine Baker (after whom she is named). Besides Ann, she also went by the nicknames Annie (according to the 1911 England Census) and Nance (according to an undated photo of her, see above).

My family possesses her actual birth certificate (see below). This proves very vital information because there is no real other information that can be found with her birth information. There is a Christening record for her that records her Christening, but is silent about her birth date. Without the birth certificate, we might have assumed that Ann Catherine and Samuel John (her younger brother) were twins because they were christened on the same day (see Christening record). What this Christening record shows is that her parents may not have been as concerned about her being baptized until they had their third child, so they got her christened at the same time as the younger brother.

Ann Catherine Price birth certificate (personal collection)

Christening records for both Ann Catherine and Samuel John Price (1)

I do not know much about her childhood. However, she must have left home as soon as she became an adult because in her second census appearance (1901), she is working as a “ward maid” at Grove Hospital in London. She was only about 18 or 19 at the time of this census, so quite young. Grove Hospital was a fever hospital that specialized in administering aid to those suffering from infectious diseases including scarlet fever and diphtheria (see http://www.workhouses.org.uk/MAB-Grove/). While I do not know the specifics of her position, my own speculation is that she possibly assisted with the care of hospital ward patients.

Ann Catherine Price in 1901 England Census (emphasis my own) (2)

Grove Hospital Picture: Grove Hospital diphtheria wards from the east, c.1910. © Peter Higginbotham

Ann (presumably) remained single throughout this period of time. She eventually married widower Edmund Edward George Turner on August 1^st, 1910 in Luton, Kent. Edmund had two sons from his first marriage that were very young at their mother’s passing (see 1911 England Census). Edmund and Ann went on to have one child together, Robert John Turner (my Great Grandfather). According to the Free BMD Death index, she died in March of 1973.

Edmund Turner Household in 1911 England Census (3)

Turner Family c.1911; From left to right: Edmund (Sr.), Ronald, Robert John, Ann Catherine, Edmund Frederick

Ann Catherine Turner with sons and other unidentified individuals (she is adult woman on right side). Not dated.

I struggled trying to extend her family line for a very long time. The only information that I had to go on was the name of her father and his occupation on her marriage certificate with Edmund.

Marriage Certificate (personal collection)

For a very long time I misinterpreted that Samuel John Price’s occupation was Lawyer. When I searched records online, I made sure to include “lawyer” as a major keyword. I imagined that I would find news articles about his law cases and that he was some sort of big shot. At some point, I went back and reread the actual marriage document and discovered that I was probably reading the occupation incorrectly. It turns out that the marriage certificate actually lists his occupation as Sawyer. I had no idea what that was, but it turns out a sawyer is a real occupation. This information proved invaluable because I was finally able to identify more documents (e.g., the christening record) for Ann Catherine, but also many records for other ancestors as well. To me, this event showed the importance of re-examining records again and again to search for new insights and understanding about those individuals and their familial connections.

(1) London Metropolitan Archives, Plumstead St John the Baptist, Register of Baptism, p97/jnb1/01, Item 001

(2) Census Returns of England and Wales, 1901. Kew, Surrey, England: The National Archives, 1901. Class: RG13; Piece: 480; Folio: 80; Page: 7

(3) Census Returns of England and Wales, 1911. Kew, Surrey, England: The National Archives of the UK (TNA), 1911. Class: RG14; Piece: 3915; Schedule Number: 180