Billett King Genn of Cambridge and Wandsworth died 1886

King Genn as he was magnificently known throughout his long life, was born to Charles Genn and Susanna in my last post in 1805, the year of the Battle of Trafalgar.  He was orphaned at the age of 6.

I do not think there is any doubt but that King was brought up by his Uncle Robert at the Lamb Hotel in Ely.  My main reason for saying that was that he was brought up as "King" not Billett, Robert having a son called Billett and the one was not to be confused with the other.

King Genn married Mary Wilson Talbot (a Cambridge girl  - dtr of William and Ann) at St Giles London in 1835, Mary was 20.  They settled in Cambridge.

King was (somewhat amazingly given his ancestry in the 17th century)  first a tailor, robemaker and hatter and had a shop in Rose Crescent, still a popular shopping street in Cambridge.   My guess from his being a robemaker was that he catered for the university set.  I know that he put himself about in the 1830s, and was a member of the Cambridge Garrick Club, the cousin of the London theatrical club of that name.

                                            Rose Crescent

 In 1844 however, tragedy struck, as King was clearly in serious debt, entered into a deal with is creditors and the local newspapers reported that his goods were sold at auction, including household stuff such as four poster beds, Pembroke tables and linen, together with stock in trade such as beaver hats, caps, silk, drill and lengths of twill together with a life assurance policy for £500.  So King lost his shop.

The family briefly went to Willow Walk but by 1851 were in Brunswick Place, King having pulled things together and established himself as an accountant.

By 1861 the family were in Nelson Place, and things took a turn for the worse again in 1863, the Cambridge Independent Press reporting a court case (also reported in the Cambridgeshire Archives) where it seems King was behind on the rent and the family were evicted from their house in Nelson Place.  He was in a bit of a state at this time and I know was a Sexton at St Edwards Church and was dismissed from his post in 1866 because he was not carrying out his duties satisfactorily (Cambs Archives)

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St Edward

King stayed as an accountant the rest of his life. They continued to move around, likely renting, being at 29 Bullen Place in 1871 and 16 Union Road Cambridge in 1879 where Mary sadly died aged 63.

While still at Union Road in 1881, King shortly afterwards moved to Wandsworth in London, perhaps to be nearer to one of the children.  He died there in 1886 aged 81.  He and Mary are both buried with  a gravestone in Mill Road Cemetery Cambridge.

King and Mary had nine children:

Mary Ann - died unmarried in 1879

Annette Talbot - married Jesse Ross in 1862 - they went to London

and there are descendants

William Henry - he married Emily Sarah Styles (a Cambridge girl) in Richmond in Surrey in 1876.  They had only the one child, Violet Birdie, who died unmarried.  Exceptionally for this study, William was a Landscape Artist - he obviously made a living at it but no works are known.

In 1863 he was a Pupil/Teacher at the Cambridge School of Art which was founded by John Ruskin in 1858 and is still going strong below

Sadly William  died prematurely on Christmas Day 1891 aged 50.  He is buried with his parents. Emily ran a lodging house thereafter, never remarried and died in 1933 buried with her husband and in laws in Mill Road Cemetery Cambridge.

Susannah King - married Stephen Adams in 1900

George Charles - married Elizabeth Smith Ablett in Chelsea in 1874.  He was a clerk and they lived in Surrey.  It is unclear whether there were issue.  George died prematurely in 1887 aged 42.  Elizabeth remarried David Gill in Chelsea in 1892.

Emily - she lived in Surrey with her sister Susannah for a time, was  later a Cook and never married, working at one point for a well known golf club.  She died in 1918 aged 71

Martha Charlotte - died unmarried with her Dad in Wandsworth in 1882 aged 32.

Florence Kate - married Stephen Nicklen in Wandsworth in 1880

John James - died in infancy

Acknowledgement - I am indebted to the Friends of Mill Road Cemetery, Cambridge, for some of the information that appears here

Charles Genn of Ely died 1811

Charles Genn here was the youngest son (b.1776) of Richard Genn of Ely (see post of  9th March 2013 ) and brother of Robert and Denton.  He was ignored by all prior researchers of the Genn  family.

In 1802 (baptised1803) a Henry Fleet was born to an Ann Fleet of Ely (born 1782) who died in childbirth.  The midwife said that before death Ann gave Charles as the father.  There is a record at the Cambridgeshire Archives that Chas. was ordered to pay maintenance.  Henry was likely taken in by the parish, and he sadly died in 1815 aged 12.

Charles Genn was a baker.  He owned his premises which were in Ely, St Mary parish and  he was in business by at least 1802 as he was fined in the Petty Sessions at the Magistrates Court for serving up lightwight loaves.  He therefore had his shop on the west side of Ely, near St Mary's, but I do not know where.

                                     St Mary Ely, with the parsonage (one time house

                                             of Oliver Cromwell) in the foreground

In 1804, Charles Genn married Susannah King by Licence at Bottisham, her origins are not entirely clear. They only had one child, born in 1805.

During the Napoleonic Wars, the country was on high alert against invasion, men not only joining the Army (there was no conscription) and the official full time County Militia regiments (for Home Defence) but also local worthies raised units of part time civilian volunteers, largely tradesmen, kitted out in ad hoc uniforms reflecting the true military and the men enjoying "playing at soldiers"

Sgt Major

I know that Charles was the Sergeant Major of the Ely Regiment of Volunteers, in 1807 he was enjoying  himself so much in the role that he complained to the magistrates in Petty Sessions that a local millwright, Robert Wilkinson, had obstructed Charles "in carrying out his military duties" !

Susanna Genn died in 1810, it is unclear why - she was given as 32.  Charles was friendly with a lady called Margaret Varnum, who I know had worked for his brother Robert at the Lamb Hotel since at least 1802 (Petty Sessions records again) and in early 1811 Charles married her by Licence at Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk (St James) from whence she came.

The Lamb today is scarcely changed

But sadly they were not together long, for in October 1811 Charles himself died - he was 35.  His only child, aged 6, was now an orphan.  

Charles left a will (CRO), the original of which survives, his signature from that is below

Margaret remarried  William Cooper at Ely in 1815.

The only child

Billett King Genn - see next post