Person:Hannah May (3)

Hannah May was born in 1874 at Plymouth in Devon, daughter of Ann May, formerly Hutchings, and her husband William May, a publican, grocer and hauler. Hannah appears in the 1881 census living with her parents, siblings and maternal grandfather at 10 John Street in Plymouth. They were still there ten years later in the 1891 census, although all Hannah's older siblings had left home by then.

In 1897 Hannah has a daughter named Elsie. The 1901 census finds Hannah and Elsie living with Hannah's parents at 19 John Street (which was probably the same building as 10 John Street from ten years earlier but renumbered).

In 1903 Hannah married a dockyard labourer named Joseph Williams. They lived in Stonehouse and had several children together, although it is hard to be sure precisely how many; in the 1911 census Joseph said they had had six children three of whom had died, but it is not clear whether he was counting Elsie or not in that number. There are also some other children called Williams with mother's maiden name May born after 1911 which may belong to Joseph and Hannah, but equally there appear to have been other Williams / May couples. Hannah was not at home on census night; she may have been the 34 year old Hannah Williams from Plymouth who was in hospital in Devonport on census night, but it is hard to be sure - that Hannah said she had had four children, which does not match what Joseph said on the same census night.

Hannah's mother Ann died in 1910 in Devonport. Her father died three years later in 1913.

Hannah's daughter Kathleen appears to have died aged 19 in 1923.

Hannah died in 1931 in Plymouth, aged 57. Joseph outlived her by 12 years.

1. ↑ Births index, in General Register Office. England and Wales Civil Registration. (London: General Register Office).

   b. Susannah MAY, December Quarter 1874, Plymouth Registration District, Volume 5b, page 255, mother's maiden name Hutchings

   Although the name here is Susannah rather than Hannah, the mother's maiden name is correct, whilst there does not appear to be a birth for a Hannah May (or 'female May') in the right time frame. There appears to have been only one May / Hutchings couple having children in this area at this time. Perhaps Susannah was a mistranscription or mishearing of Hannah, or perhaps her parents changed their mind about her name when she was small.

2. ↑ England. 1881 Census Schedules for England and Wales, Isle of Man and the Channel Islands: . (
   Kew, Richmond, Greater London TW9 4DU, United Kingdom:
   The National Archives (abbreviated TNA), formerly the UK General Register Office.)
   Class RG11; Piece 2194; Folio 7; Page 19, 3 Apr 1881.

   Address: 10 John Street, Plymouth, Devon
   William May, head, married, male, 45 [1835/6], Publican & Hauler, b. Tiverton, Devon
   Ann May, wife, married, female, 45 [1835/6], Publican's Wife, b. Crewkerne, Somerset
   William May, son, unmarried, male, 20 [1860/1], Compositer Printer (unemployed), b. Devonport, Devon
   Frank May, son, male, 16 [1864/5], b. Plymouth, Devon, Imbecile
   Maud May, daughter, female, 13 [1867/8], Scholar, b. Plymouth, Devon
   Elizabeth M. May, daughter, female, 11 [1869/70], Scholar, b. Plymouth, Devon
   Annie May, daughter, female, 8 [1872/3], Scholar, b. Plymouth, Devon
   Hannah May, daughter, female, 6 [1874/5], Scholar, b. Plymouth, Devon
   Edmund Hutchings, father, widower, 70 [1810/1], Gardener, b. Crewkerne, Somerset

3. ↑ England. 1891 Census Schedules for England and Wales, Isle of Man and the Channel Islands. (
   Kew, Richmond, Greater London TW9 4DU, United Kingdom:
   The National Archives (abbreviated TNA), formerly the UK General Register Office.)
   Class RG12; Piece 1726; Folio 14; Page 21, 5 Apr 1891.

   Address: 10 John Street, Plymouth (Charles), Devon
   4 rooms occupied
   William May, head, married, male, 55 [1835/6], Shop Keeper & General Laborer, employed, b. Cullompton, Devon
   Ann May, wife, married, female, 56 [1834/5], b. Crewkerne, Somerset
   Hannah May, daughter, single, female, 17 [1873/4], b. Plymouth, Devon
   Edmund Hutchings, boarder, widower, male, 80 [1810/11], Gardener, worker, b. Crewkerne, Somerset

4. ↑ England. England. 1901 Census Schedules for England and Wales, Isle of Man and the Channel Islands. (
   Kew, Richmond, Greater London TW9 4DU, United Kingdom:
   The National Archives (abbreviated TNA), formerly the UK General Register Office.)
   Class RG13; Piece 2103; Folio 11; Page 13, 31 Mar 1901.

   Address: 19 John Street (General dealer shop), Plymouth, Devon
   3 rooms occupied
   William May, head, married, male, 64 [1836/7], Beer retailer & grocer, own account, b. Bradnick [sic], Devon
   Ann May, wife, married, female, 65 [1835/6], b. Crewkerne, Somerset
   Anna May, daughter, single, female, 25 [1875/6], b. Plymouth, Devon
   Elsie May, daughter, female, 3 [1897/8], b. Plymouth, Devon

5.   England. 1911 Census Schedules for England and Wales, Isle of Man and the Channel Islands. (Kew, Richmond, Greater London TW9 4DU, United Kingdom: The National Archives (abbreviated TNA), (formerly the UK General Register Office.))
   Class RG14; Piece 13026, 2 Apr 1911.

   Address: Royal Albert Hospital & Eye Infirmary, Marlborough Street, Devonport, Devon
   Many staff and patients, including:
   Hannah Williams, Patient, female, 34 [1876/7], married 11 years, 4 children born alive, 4 children still living, b. Plymouth, Devon

   This appears to be the only Hannah Williams of the right age to be the wife of Joseph Williams (whose wife was not at home on census night) but the number of children reported does not tally with what Joseph said.

6. ↑ Deaths index, in General Register Office. England and Wales Civil Registration. (London: General Register Office).

   d. Hannah WILLIAMS, December Quarter 1931, Plymouth Registration District, Volume 5b, page 388, aged 57 [1873/4]

   This appears to be the only death of a Hannah Williams of the right age in the Plymouth, Devonport or East Stonehouse districts between her marriage in 1903 and 1939, when Joseph said he was a widower.