Person:Sophia Kempson (1)

Sophia Kempson was born on 29th October 1837 at Totternhoe in Bedfordshire, daughter of Celia Kempson, formerly Jones, and her husband George Kempson, a straw dealer.

Sophia appears in the 1841 census living with her parents and siblings at Totternhoe. In the mid 1840s the family moved from Totternhoe to nearby Billington, where Sophia appears living with her parents and siblings in the 1851 census, when she was described as a plaiter. Sophia's father died in 1853 and was buried at Billington.

After George's death the family moved to nearby Eggington, where Sophia's mother married again in September 1858. A few weeks later, Sophia also married at Eggington. Her husband was a labourer named Joseph Lathwell. They had their first three children there, although the second child died as a baby. The 1861 census finds Joseph, Sophia and their two surviving children at Sanders Yard in Eggington, with Joseph working as an agricultural labourer.

Some time between 1860 and 1863 the family left Eggington and moved about thirty miles south to The Hyde in the parish of Kingsbury in Middlesex. Sophia's brother Enoch had previously moved to Kingsbury, marrying there in 1860. Sophia and Joseph had another four children were born in that area between 1863 and 1869, although the youngest two both died young.

Sophia died aged 32, being buried at Kingsbury on 1st July 1870. The census the following year finds Joseph and his four surviving children at The Hyde in Kingsbury, living in the same house as Sophia's brother Enoch and his wife. Joseph outlived Sophia by nearly 44 years, and remarried in 1872.

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

   1837 BIRTHS in the District of Dunstable in the Counties of Bedford and Hertford
   No.	When and where born	Name, if any	Sex	Name and surname of father	Name, surname and maiden name of mother	Occupation of father	Signature, description and residence of informant	When registered	Signature of registrar
   72	Oct[obe]r 29th 4 in the Afternoon Totternhoe	Sophia	Girl	George Kempson	Celia Jones	Straw Factor	The Mark X of Celia Kempson Mother Totternhoe	Nov[embe]r 7th	Stephen Stimpson, Registrar

2. ↑ Baptisms register, in Church of England. Parish Church of Totternhoe. Parish registers of Totternhoe, 1559-1812. (Bedford: Bedfordshire County Record Office, 1982).

   BAPTISMS solemnized in the Parish of Totternhoe in the County of Bedford in the Year 1838
   No.330
   When baptized: 1838 April 22
   Name: Sophia dr of
   Parents: George & Celia
   Surname: Kempson born Octr 19 [presumably 1837]
   Abode: Toternhoe
   Occupation: Platt Dealer

3. ↑ England. 1841 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 HO107; Piece 5; Book 36; Folio 6; Page 7, 6 Jun 1841.

   Address: Church End, Totternhoe, Bedfordshire
   George Kempson, male, 50 [1786-91], Straw factor, born in county
   Cerea Kempson, female, 25 [1811-16], not born in county
   Enoch Kempson, male, 6 [1834/5], born in county
   Sophia Kempson, female, 4 [1836/7], born in county
   Amos Kempson, male, 15 [1821-6], Ag[ricultural] Lab[ourer], born in county
   Jesse Kempson, male, 15 [1821-6], Ag[ricultural] Lab[ourer], born in county

4. ↑ England. 1851 Census Returns for England and Wales. (
   Kew, Richmond, Greater London TW9 4DU, United Kingdom:
   The National Archives (abbreviated TNA), formerly the UK General Register Office.)
   Class HO107; Piece 1756; Folio 214; Page 3, 30 Mar 1851.

   Address: North Leighton Road, Billington, Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire
   George Kempson, head, married, male, 77 [1773/4], Labourer on the road, b. Totternhoe, Bedfordshire
   Celia Kempson, wife, married, female, 36 [1814/5], Labourer on the road wife, b. Barnet, Hertfordshire
   Enoch Kempson, son, unmarried, male, 15 [1835/6], Labourer on the road, b. Totternhoe, Bedfordshire
   Sophia Kempson, daughter, female, 12 [1838/9], Plaiter, b. Totternhoe, Bedfordshire
   John Kempson, son, male, 6 [1844/5], Plaiter, b. Totternhoe, Bedfordshire
   Mary Kempson, daughter, female, 3 [1847/8], b. Billington, Bedfordshire
   Emma Kempson, daughter, female, 1 [1849/50], b. Billington, Bedfordshire

5. ↑ England. 1861 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 RG9; Piece 1005; Folio 23; Page 12, 7 Apr 1861.

   Address: Sanders Yard, Egginton, Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire
   Joseph Lathwell, head, married, male, 22 [1838/9], Ag[ricultural] Lab[ourer], b. Egginton, Bedfordshire
   Sophia Lathwell, wife, married, female, 23 [1837/8], Lab[ourer] Wife, b. Totternhoe, Bedfordshire
   Emma Lathwell, daughter, female, 2 [1858/9], b. Egginton, Bedfordshire
   Henry Lathwell, son, male, 5mo [1860], b. Egginton, Bedfordshire

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

   d. Sophia LATHWELL, June Quarter 1870, Hendon Registration District, Volume 3a, page 74, aged 32 [1837/8]

7. ↑ Burial register, in Kingsbury, Middlesex, England. Parish Records (London Metropolitan Archives, London / ancestry.co.uk).

   BURIALS in the Parish of Kingsbury in the County of Middlesex in the Year 1870
   No.	Name	Abode	When buried	Age	By whom the Ceremony was performed
   672	Sophia Lathwell	Hyde	1870 July 1st	32 years [1837/8]	Henry Aitcheson, Vicar