Person:Henry Ripley (11)

Henry Ripley was born 24 June 1808 in St. Michael's Parish in Bristol, the eldest known son of master mariner Samuel Ripley and his wife Mary Ann. When Henry was just a baby the family moved to London, where he was baptised at St. George in the East Church, Tower Hamlets, on 1 January 1810. Between at least 1813 and 1816 the family lived at Harris's Court, Ratcliffe Highway, in Limehouse. Ratcliffe Highway was then a dangerous area of run-down buildings and dark alleyways, and the Ripleys must have been aware of the Ratcliffe Highway murders that shocked London in 1811. Families didn't choose to live in the area if they had better options.

Henry's brother William George Ripley was born 14 April 1813 and died just before his first birthday. Another brother, George Christopher Hewtson, was born in Tower Hamlets in 1815 and also died before he reached the age of one. A third known brother, James Roger Ripley, was born in Stepney in 1821 but died at the age of six.

On 3 September 1829 at St. Dunstan and All Saints Church, Stepney, Henry married Martha Foster. Witnesses to the marriage were John Foster and Sarah White, who were married just a few months later with Henry and Martha as witnesses. John Foster was possibly a brother to Martha.

Both Henry and Martha's father William Foster were blacksmiths and whitesmiths, so perhaps the families knew each other through their work. In any case, eleven years after Henry and Martha wed, their siblings Elizabeth Hall Ripley and Jasper White Foster were married in 1841 at St. John at Hackney church. The term whitesmith indicated someone who worked with light-coloured metals such as tin and pewter, making items such as cups, water pitchers, forks, spoons, and candle holders.

Henry and Martha's first known child, also named Henry, was baptised at St. Dunstan's on 2 October 1831, followed by Samuel Edward and George John baptised together in 1836, Maria in 1837, and William in 1840. George John Ripley probably died young as he was not living with the family in the 1841 census, at which point they were living at Lamb Row in Bethnal Green, which was somewhere off Three Colt Lane. Their neighbours on the street included shoemakers, carpenters, silk weavers and other smiths, and around the corner at 29 Three Colt Lane was the Duke of Wellington pub, where it's reasonable to assume Henry Sr. spent some of his time.

Henry and Martha had at least three more children, James born in 1842 who died at the age of two from "hooping cough", Sarah Ann born in 1844 who died at 14 months from inflammation of the lungs, and Robert Ripley, born 11 Jan 1847 at 4 Lamb Row.

In 1851 Henry and Martha were living at 4 Three Colt Lane with their children Samuel (a scenic painter) and Maria, William, and Robert, who were all listed as "scholars", indicating they were attending school. Their eldest son Henry was living and working as a drover in West Ham.

Henry died between 1851 and 1861, when Martha is listed as a widow.

https://familysearch.org/tree/#view=ancestor&person=MG6M-HTJ

Notes

The evidence that I have the correct baptism record for Henry Ripley is encouraging but not conclusive: In the 1851 census Henry Ripley's birth is stated as abt 1808 in Bristol The transcription of the baptism resord is: "1810 January Ripley. 1st: Henry, son of Samuel Ripley, Master Mariner, by Mary Ann. Born in St. Michael's Parish, in Bristol, 24th June 1808" Henry's (b. 1808) son Henry named his child William George Ripley after his uncle.

DNA Genealogy

If you are a descendant of Henry Ripley and would like to compare autosomal DNA results please contact Jocelyn_K_B (at) yahoo.com for kit numbers

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2} Stepney, London, England. St. George-in-the-East Church, Parish Records, 1754-1921
   "London, England, Baptisms, Marriages and Burials, 1538-1812," Henry Ripley, bap. 1 Jan 1810, pg 24.
2. ↑ ^2.0 2.1 Stepney, London, England. Saint Dunstan And All Saints Church Parish Records
   "London and Surrey, England, Marriage Bonds and Allegations, 1597-1921," Henry Ripley applied for a license to marry Martha Foster, 31 Aug 1829.
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3} Middlesex, England. 1841 Census
   Bethnal Green, folio 15, page 23; citing PRO HO 107/691/8.
4. ↑ Stepney, London, England. Saint Dunstan And All Saints Church Parish Records
   "London, England, Marriages and Banns, 1754-1921," Henry Ripley m. Martha Foster, 3 Sep 1829.
5. ↑ ^{5.0 5.1 5.2} Middlesex, England. 1851 Census
   Bethnal Green, folio 101, page 35; citing PRO HO 107/1541.
6. ↑ ^{6.0 6.1 6.2} Registrar General. Birth Certificate
   birth certificate for Robert Ripley, born 11 Jan 1847; citing 2/10/197, Jan-Mar quarter 1847, Bethnal Green registration district, Bethnal Green sub-district.
7. ↑ Stepney, London, England. Saint Dunstan And All Saints Church Parish Records
   "Baptisms, 1847 pg 327," Robert Ripley, parents Henry & Martha, bap. 19 Sep 1847.
8. ↑ General Register Office. England & Wales. Certified Copy of an Entry of Death
   death certificate for Martha Ripley, died 17 Dec 1881; citing 1b/131/500, Oct-Dec quarter 1881, Pancras registration district, Kentish Town sub-district.
9. ↑ ^9.0 9.1 General Register Office. England and Wales. Civil Registration Certificates. (London, United Kingdom: General Register Office)
   death certificate for James Ripley, died 17 Feb 1844; citing 2/9/394, Mar quarter 1844, Bethnal Green registration district, Church sub-district.
   James Ripley death certificate
10. ↑ General Register Office. England & Wales. Certified Copy of an Entry of Death
    death certificate for Sarah Ann Ripley, died 2 Dec 1845; citing 2/8/103, Oct-Dec quarter 1845, Bethnal Green registration district, Church sub-district.
    Sarah Ann Ripley death certificate