William Wenham Letters

Hannah Wenham was born about 1848 in Yorkshire. Her maiden name is unknown but she married a man called Dixon and had a son called Robert who was born about 1871 (inferred from 1881 census; Robert E. Wenham was living with his mother in Grimsby and working as a ship's carpenter in the 1901 census).

In 1876 she married Thomas Wenham in Hull (GRO, Marriages, Dec 1876, Sculcoates, 9d 277; Thomas was born in Newhaven, Sussex about 1847). They are known to have had the following children:

James Richard Wenham: born about 1878; working as a fish porter in 1901; married Annie Stephens in early 1911 (GRO, Marriages, Mar 1911, Grimsby, 7a 883) and living with her at 16 Neville Street in 1911 census.

Thomas Henry Wenham (born 1879)

Joseph Wenham: born between 1879 and 1881; died in Hull 1882 (GRO, Deaths, Jun 1882, Hull 9d 167)

John George Wenham (born about 1883)

Maria Gertrude Wenham (born about 1886)

Charles Wenham (born 1887)

William Albert Wenham (born 1890)

Two other children who died in infancy and whose names are unknown.

Hannah also adopted Evelyn Doris Alvina Everitt, sometimes known as Doris Wenham, who was born about 1900 (see 1901 and 1911 census).

In the 1881 census Hannah was living at 16 Herbert Terrace, Hull with her husband Thomas. In the 1891 census she was at 38 Hamilton Street, Grimsby and was recorded as head of the household. The move to Grimsby probably took place in the mid-1880s as Maria was the first child to be born there. In the 1901 census Hannah was at 11 Rutland Street, Grimsby and was a widow as well as head of the household. The date and place of Thomas's death are unknown. By the 1911 census Hannah had moved to 49 Barcroft Street, New Cleethorpes, where she remained throughout the war (many of William's letters are addressed to her there).

She died in Grimsby in 1919 (GRO, Deaths, Dec 1919, Grimsby, 7a 683).