Bower & Collier Family Tree
Research by CM Bower
Collier Family
Progress Report
Progress To Date
Great Grandparent: Charles Collier, Ropemaker
- His Parents: Charles Collier and Eliza
Mini Family Tree (Direct Ancestors)
The family tree to date may be summarised:
Collier Family
?James Collier b c 1765married St Matthews, Bethnal Green 22.12.1785
?Elizabeth Mason b c 1765
Charles Collier b c 1803/4
Silk Weaver of Bethnal Green
married St Dunstans, Stepney 25.8.1822
Eliza Adams b c 1803/4
Charles Collier b 15.9.1833
Ropemaker of Hackney & Homerton
married South Hackney 15.10.1853
Matilda Gardiner b c 1834/5
Walter James Collier b 09.06.1862
married St Luke’s, Hackney 13.05.1894
Mary Perrier b 02.12.1869, d 10.02.1949 (Age 79)
Leonard Stanley Collier b 30.11.1909
married 6.06.1936 St John’s, Clay Hill, Enfield
Phyllis Marjoram Hunt b 06.06.1912
Christine Elizabeth Collier b 26.03.1946
married 15.10.1966 St John’s, Clay Hill, Enfield
Colin Bower b 12.01.1944
Link to Family Tree
Summary of Research Todate
Ted Collier (cousin of Len Collier, my Father in Law) did a tremendous job in visiting member of the Family (including a large branch of the Family Tree in Canada) and writing up the Family Tree (see Progress 2006 below).
We thoroughly enjoyed visiting the historic ropeyard (still in operation) at Chatham where Charles Collier worked and also Bethnal Green with one of my wife Chris' cousins who is descended from Charles' sister Emma.
Charles and Emma's father was a silk weaver and there were many silk weavers named Collier in the East End of London and a link has been made. (see Progress 2007 below).
Birth Marriage & Death Certificates Held
- Births: 7+21 Silk Weavers/Unwanted
- Marriages: 9+21 Silk Weavers/Unwanted
- Deaths: 1+3 Silk Weavers,Unwanted
Certificates Held-Collier family
Census Records Obtained
- 1841 Charles & Eliza Collier & family
- 1851 Eliza Collier (wife of Charles Collier Senior) & family
- 1861 Eliza Collier (staying next door to her daughter Emma Cordell)
- 1861 William & Emma Cordell & family
- 1861 Charles Collier Junior & family
- 1871 Charles Collier Junior & family
- 1881 Charles Collier Junior & family
Walter James Collier
- 1891 Charles Collier Widower & family
including Walter James Collier
- 1901 Charles Collier Widower & family
including Walter James Collier
Other Research Undertaken
- IGI - sheets for London held
- Parish Records
- Wills
- Businesses - there were silk weavers named Collier in the East End of London
- Correspondence - A correspondent provided information on one particular family of Silk Weavers with Huguenot links but no link has been made as yet. We have corresponded with relatives in the UK and Canada and obtained photographs as a result.
- Visits - Bethnal Green (including where Harrold Street was), Chatham Dockyard
- Photographs
- Misc Info/Documents
Progress 2004
At the Public Record Office in Kew, I was able to trace the Army career of my wife Chris' grandfather, Walter James Collier. He saw service as a rifleman with the Sherwood Foresters and we now have his Army record to go with photographs of him taken in and out of uniform in which he is wearing his medals.Progress 2005
Leonard Stanley Collier - My Life
I have added the information given to our daughter Helen and our son Steve by our parents when they researched the family tree in their first year at St George's School, Harpenden:
Leonard Stanley Collier - My Life
Progress 2006
Charles & Eliza Collier's Family)
My cousin found an entry in the 1841 Census which gave us a great deal more information about Charles & Eliza's family including 8 more children we did not know about:
Pleasant Place, Bethnal Green
Charles (35)
Eliza (35)
Jane (13)
Caroline(11)
Emma (10)
Charles (9)
Sarah (7)
Elizabeth (6)
Phoebe (5)
Maria (3)
Ann(2)
George (10 mos)
Ted Collier's Family Tree
I typed up the original and remarkable Family Tree drawn up by Ted Collier:
Ted Collier's Original Family Tree
Silk Weavers named Collier
I obtained more information about Silk Weavers named Collier:
Progress 2007
So far I have found 14/15 families (many inter-related) with 32/33 weavers in all.
In a bid to try to link Charles Collier to other Silk Weavers named Collier, I had an article published in Cockney Ancestor, the journal of the East of London Fmaily History Society:
Spitalfields & 19th Century Silk Weavers named CollierBy a process of elimination, I decided to accept information in the IGI that:
- Ann Collier born 28.2.1840 was not the first born of Charles & Eliza (Adams) Collier, i.e. Charles & Eliza married on 25.8.1822 and by 1841 had 10 children.
- Charles Collier bp 4.9.1803 may be the son of James & Elizabeth Collier.
- James Collier's wife may have been Elizabeth Mason who he married on 22.12.1785.
Progress 2008
In 2008 we had a major find in establshing that Charles Collier the Weaver left his first wife Eliza and at some point married Maria with their children split between Charles & Eliza.
In 2008, two descendants in the Collier/Cordell family made contact.
One was a descendant of Eliza Collier a sister of Charles Collier, the Rope Maker. Eliza married James Godier in 1853.
The other was another descendant of Emma Collier, a sister of Charles Collier, the Rope Maker. Emma married William James Cordell and would have been my correspondent's great great grandmother.
I also heard from someone whose husband was descended from William Kemp (Mary's brother) and Ann Collier (Thomas' sister).
I added entries from the 1851, 1861, 1891 and 1901 Censuses.
We continued to research silk weavers named Collier to develop the family tree:>/p>
Silk Weavers named Collier - Progress
From the research to date it does appear that Charles Collier's paremts may have been James Collier & Elizabeth Mason who married in 1785 though Elizabeth would have been c 38 if aand when she had Charles.
It was a major disappointment that I could not attend a gathering of people interested in the Collier/Kemp/Gaucheron Family Tree and have not been able to obtain any information that they exchanged, other than it was a great success and enjoyable!
Progress 2009
In 2009 only I circulated a Newsletter so that I could be sure that all my correspondents were advised of developments:
Cockney Colliers - NewslettersOne of the correspondents was able to obtain an 1852 birth certificate which gave the full name of Charles Collier's second wife..Maria Sanders. They had children together but did not get married until 1863.
Another major disappointment was missing the second gathering!
Progress 2010
I obtained the marriage certificate dated 30.4.1863 for the marriage of Charles Collier (57), Widower, Carpenter and Maria Sanders (45) at the Parish Church in Croydon. Though the dates of birth do not tally with other records, it appears safe to accept this is the right Charles Collier, Silk Weaver and Maria Sanders who lived in Bethnal Green before and after the marriage. Charles' father is given as James Collier, Carpemter which also appears to be correct.
Things we wish we knew
- Name of Charles' grandparents
- Confirmation of the name of Charles' mother
- Contact with other people researching silk weavers named Collier particularly Charles Collier.
Colin Bower
30 June 2010
Links to:
Collier Family - Main Links
Silk Weavers named Collier - Main Links
Family History - Main Index
