Person:Alice Seagrief (1)

Alice Seagrief was born on 15th January 1865 in Kentish Town in the parish of St Pancras, Middlesex, in the northern suburbs of London, daughter of a cabinet maker and upholsterer named George Chester Seagrief and his wife Sarah. She was baptised the following month at St Anne Highgate Rise, when the family's address was given as Little Green Street.

In March 1871 Alice's mother died either giving birth or shortly afterwards. The 1871 census finds Alice living with her recently bereaved father and siblings, including fourteen day old baby Walter. A seventeen year old cousin from Frome in Somerset was staying with the family, presumably helping her uncle look after the family. The family at the time of the census was still living at Little Green Street.

Alice's father married again in 1872 to an Elizabeth Barker, who became Alice's stepmother.

By 1881 Alice had left home and was working as a nurse for a draper's family in St Pancras. On 7th March 1885, aged 20, Alice married a joiner named James Rice at the church of St John the Baptist in Kentish Town. James had been born in Scotland to Irish parents. Alice and James had a son named James born the following January in Camberwell, in the southern suburbs of London. They then moved to Fulham in the western suburbs, where they had a daughter named Lizzie in 1891. Lizzie was baptised back at St John the Baptist in Kentish Town. Sadly Lizzie died when she was only 20 months old, and was buried at Kingston upon Thames; presumably the family had moved again. Alice and James had no further children, leaving their son James effectively an only child.

By 1901 the family was living at 4 Speke Road in Croydon. They had James's brother John living with them. Alice's son James was married at Thornton Heath in 1910. The 1911 census finds Alice's husband James away from home in Hampshire on census night, whilst Alice was at 30 Grange Park Road in Thornton Heath, with James's brother John still living with the family.

James died in 1913, when he was described as living at Foxearth, Ecclesbourne Road, Thornton Heath. Alice secured a grant of administration over his estate in May 1915.

In 1925, aged 60, Alice emigrated to Canada. Her last address in the United Kingdom was 98 Million Park in the Highgate area of London, where she had been working as a housekeeper. She sailed on the ship Montcalm from Liverpool to Quebec. Possibly her son James had also emigrated, as he has not been found in British records after about 1920.

Alice died in 1957 and was buried at Woodland Cemetery in Hamilton. She was about 92 years old. Her gravestone records her maiden name and the fact that her husband's name was James Rice, indicating that whoever paid for the gravestone must have known Alice well.

1. ↑ ^1.0 1.1 Births index, in General Register Office. England and Wales Civil Registration. (London: General Register Office).

   b. Alice SEAGRIEF, March Quarter 1865, Pancras Registration District, Vol. 1b, page 177

2. ↑ ^2.0 2.1 Baptisms register, in St Pancras, Middlesex, England. Parish Registers of St Anne Highgate Rise.

   BAPTISMS solemnized in the Consolidated Chapelry of St Anne Highgate Rise in the County of Middlesex in the Year One thousand eight hundred and sixty five
   No.	When Baptized	Child's Christian Name	Parent's Name		Abode	Quality, Trade, or Profession	By whom the Ceremony was performed
   			Christian	Surname
   195 Born Jan[uar]y 15 1865	Febr[uar]y 12th	Alice	George Chester & Sarah	Seagrief	Little Green St	Cabinet Maker	T.F. Stooks, Incumbent

3. ↑ England. England and Wales. 1871 Census Schedules. (
   Kew, Richmond, Greater London TW9 4DU, United Kingdom:
   The National Archives (abbreviated TNA), formerly the UK General Register Office.)
   Class RG10; Piece 247; Folio 44; Page 27, 2 Apr 1871.

   Address: 6 Little Green Street, Kentish Town, St Pancras, Middlesex
   George C. Sedgrief, head, widower, male, 36 [1834/5], Upholsterer, b. Praed St Paddington
   Martha Sedgrief, daughter, female, 10 [1860/1], b. St Pancras, Middlesex
   Alice Sedgrief, daughter, female, 6 [1864/5], b. St Pancras, Middlesex
   Walter Sedgrief, son, male, 14 days [1871], b. St Pancras, Middlesex
   Ellen Sedgrief, niece, unmarried, female, 17 [1853/4], b. Frome, Somerset

4. ↑ 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 220; Folio 46; Page 22, 3 Apr 1881.

   Address: 157 Highgate Road, St Pancras, Middlesex
   William J. Mixer, head, married, male, 31 [1849/50], Draper, b. Goswell Road, Middlesex
   Rowena Mixer, wife, married, female, 29 [1851/2], b. Norman Farm, Berkshire
   Edith S. Mixer, daughter, female, 5 [1875/6], b. Kentish Town, Middlesex
   Herbert W. Mixer, son, male, 2 [1878/9], b. Kentish Town, Middlesex
   Grace Hayward, boarder, unmarried, female, 19 [1861/2], Assistant Drapers, b. Fulkingstone, Suffolk
   Emily Bargent, boarder, unmarried, female, 24 [1856/7], Assistant Drapers, b. Covent Garden, Middlesex
   Isabella Stovell, servant, unmarried, female, 24 [1856/7], General Servant, b. Hackney Rd, Middlesex
   Alice Seagrief, servant, unmarried, female, 16 [1864/5], Nurse, b. Kentish Town, Middlesex

5. ↑ 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 54; Folio 40; Page 32, 5 Apr 1891.

   Address: 3 Burlington Road, Fulham, London
   3 rooms occupied
   James Rice, head, married, male, 33 [1857/8], Joiner, employed, b. Scotland
   Alice Rice, wife, married, female, 25 [1865/6], b. Highgate, London
   James Rice, son, male, 5 [1885/6], b. Camberwell, London

6. ↑ 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 646; Folio 189; Page 56, 31 Mar 1901.

   Address: 4 Speke Road, Croydon, Surrey
   5 or more rooms occupied
   James Rice, head, married, male, 43 [1857/8], Carpenter, worker, b. Scotland
   Alice Rice, wife, married, female, 35 [1865/6], b. Middlesex
   James Rice, son, single, male, 15 [1885/6], b. Camberwell, Surrey
   John Rice, brother, single, male, 34 [1866/7], Painter, worker, b. Scotland

7. ↑ 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 3401; Schedule 52, 2 Apr 1911.

   Address: 30 Grange Park Road, Thornton Heath, Croydon, Surrey
   6 rooms occupied
   Alice Rice, head, female, 45 [1865/6], married 26 years, 2 children born, 1 child still living, b. Highgate, London
   John Rice, boarder, male, 45 [1865/6], single, Decorator, worker, b. Whithorn, Wigtownshire

8.   Passenger lists leaving UK 1890-1960.

   Ship: Montcalm
   Departed Liverpool 2 Oct 1925 bound for Quebec and Montreal
   Name: Alice Rice
   Last address in the United Kingdom: 98 Million Park, Highgate, London N6
   Port at which contracted to land: Quebec
   Profession, Occupation, or Calling of Passengers: H.keeper
   Age: 60 [1864/5]
   Country of Intended Future Permanent Residence: Canada

9. ↑ Monumental Inscription (Findagrave).

   Woodland Cemetery, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada:
   RICE / ALICE SEAGRIEF / 1864-1957 / WIFE OF / JAMES RICE