Part 1 - My Blood Line
by Harold Badham
The earliest BADHAM ancestor that I can positively identify is my Great Great Great Grandfather Thomas BADHAM who was married at Bosbury, Herefordshire, in 1802 and this is the first of three articles about his descendants which concentrates on my blood line. The second article gives details of the other descendants of my Grandfather, while the third gives information on other descendants of my Great Grandfather.
1. Great Great Great Grandfather ThomasBADHAM's family
Thomas BADHAM married Jane JAMES on 28th October 1802 at Bosbury parish church, both being given as “of parish.” There is a good possibility that Thomas is the son of John BADHAM and Ann (nee WILLIAMS) being baptised on 9th May at Colwall. This baptism was detailed in a previous article. John and Ann were married at Bosbury parish church on 24th February 1772.
The 1841 census gives Thomas age 65, Jane age 60, William age 35 and Thomas age 30 living at Catley, Bosbury, the information “fitting” with that for Thomas, Jane and two of their sons.
Six baptisms have been found in the Bosbury records for children of Thomas and Jane with none in the surrounding parishes.
1. William BADHAM baptised 24th May 1803, residence given as Bosbury.
In 1841 William is living at home aged 35 and is given as a shoemaker. In 1851 there is a William at Hagley, Lugwardine, born at Bosbury, age 47, shoemaker, presumably the same person. He is given as unmarried.
2. Elizabeth BADHAM baptised 30th July 1806, residence given as Bosbury.
3. Thomas BADHAM baptised 14th December 1808, residence given as Bosbury.
In 1841 Thomas is living at home aged 30 and his occupation is given as a Tailor.
4. John BADHAM baptised 24th January 1811, residence given as Catley (about a mile north of Bosbury). This is my Great Great Grandfather.
5. Richard BADHAM baptised 8th August 1814, residence given as Catley.
In the 1871 census there is a Richard BADHAM, agricultural labourer, aged 57, born at Bosbury, lodging in Blackwell street Kidderminster. There is nothing to indicate his marital status.
6. Robert BADHAM baptised 8th July 1816, residence given as Briars Croft.
In the 1851 census there is a Robert BADHAM, labourer, age 35, born Bosbury, lodging at High Hills in the Leominster area with his wife Elizabeth; no children are given. They are lodging with a father and son who’s occupations are given as carpenters.
2. Great Great Grandfather John BADHAM's Family
In 1841 they were living at Tarrington with their eldest child, by 1851 they have moved to Bishops Frome and have three children with them and in 1861 they are at Bosbury with no other person listed in the household. In each census John’s occupation is given as an agricultural labourer.
Three baptisms have been found for children of John and Sarah, these corresponding to the children listed in the 1851 census.
1. William BADHAM born 12th March 1841 and baptised 4th April 1841, at Tarrington. This is my Great Grandfather.
2. John BADHAM baptised March 1843 at Bosbury; father John who’s occupation is given as a labourer of Foxhill, about a mile north of Bosbury.
3. Mary BADHAM baptised 22nd December 1845 at Bosbury, father John who’s occupation is given as a labourer of Foxhill.
3. Great Grandfather William BADHAM'S family
William BADHAM married Eliza MASON on 17th September 1866 at Bosbury parish church, William being a labourer while Bosbury is given as the residence for both. In the 1871 census they are living at Foxhill, Bosbury and in 1881 and 1891 they are at Catley Suffield, Bosbury; which is very close to Foxhill; William’s occupation is given as a Labourer in all instances. Eliza’s occupation is given as a leather glove maker, not an unusual occupation in the area (outworkers from the Worcester factories?)
William died on 1st March 1895 at Stanley Hill Bosbury. After his death Eliza had to go out to work to support herself and eventually moved to Evesbatch. Eliza died on 29th August 1932 when I was 6. I think I was her first great grandchild and I have an early picture taken with Eliza.
William and Eliza had eight children although only six baptisms have been found, all at Bosbury. With the exception of the first baptism Eliza's name is given as Elizabeth but the birth certificates seen give Eliza.
1. William BADHAM born on 1st November 1866, less than two months after his parents marriage, baptised 9th November 1866 and buried 26th April 1870 at Bosbury.
2. John BADHAM born 3rd April 1868, baptised 4th Jun 1868, residence given as Castle Frome. This is my Grandfather.
3. Thomas William BADHAM born 16th April 1870 at Bosbury and for whom no baptism has been found.
4. Edwin BADHAM born 4th November 1871 and for whom no baptism has been found.
5. Sarah Ann BADHAM born 20th May 1873, baptised 5th June 1873 and buried 10th March 1879, also at Bosbury.
6. James BADHAM baptised 15 March 1875 at Bosbury.
7. Robert BADHAM born 15th July 1876.
8. Elizabeth BADHAM baptised 26 Nov 1879.
4. Grandfather John BADHAM's family
John BADHAM left the Bosbury area in the late 1880s moving to the Old Hill, Staffordshire area in the Eastern part of the “Black Country.” Presumably this followed the start of farm mechanisation which made work difficult to find and people with “get up and go” - “got up and went.” It is interesting to note that his four brothers also moved from Herefordshire.
John BADHAM married Elizabeth DANIELS at Holy Trinity church, Old Hill on 22nd November 1891. I understand that John and Elizabeth met when Elizabeth was hop picking. At that time Staffordshire wives became casual workers in the autumn and went hop picking in Herefordshire. School holidays were arranged for this time and the children accompanied their parents, this being their holiday. This practise continued until after the second World War.
Elizabeth was born on 22nd March 1866 in Rowley Regis, Staffordshire, the daughter of William and Sarah DANIELS. William and Sarah were nail makers a very common “cottage industry” in the Rowley area carried out in buildings behind the houses. Nail making was a very poorly paid job and Elizabeth was not allowed to go to school (schooling was not yet compulsory) as the extra pair of hands was too useful at home. This lack of education made Elizabeth afraid to meet people for the rest of her life.
According to daughter Gladys she made all the daughters dresses and coats and the boys trousers, although she could not have had any formal training. She had a heart of gold and would never turn a beggar away without something, although the family were poor themselves.
As a family they moved frequently, Dad could remember about eight different addresses before they settled about 1920 but all in the Rowley Regis or Blackheath area.
John was an active member of the Plymouth Brethren and as such was strict about the observance of the Sabbath. But he never pushed the doctrine at home, Elizabeth and the children attending a Methodist Chapel. His membership of the Plymouth brethren possibly goes back to Herefordshire as his brother Thomas William was also a member.
John died in the early ‘40’s and Elizabeth passed away at the end of the 40’s.
John and Elizabeth had nine children all born in Rowley Regis STS:
1. May BADHAM born 16th May 1892
2. Bert BADHAM born 23rd November 1893 This is my Father.
3. William BADHAM born 18th August 1895
4. Gladys BADHAM born 22nd October 1897
5. Bertha BADHAM born 31st May 1899
6. John BADHAM born 4th Feb 1901
7. Ruth BADHAM born 16th November 1902
8. David BADHAM born 1st January 1904
9. Joseph Robert BADHAM born 30th July 1905.
5. Father Bert BADHAM
My father was christened “Bert” and was born in Rowley Regis STS on 23rd November 1893. On leaving school he started work at “Lenches” a local factory and was there until he joined the army in December 1915; on enlisting his occupation was given as “warehouseman.”
He was a “PBI” serving in France where he was wounded twice. The first was a minor wound, being hit in the cheek by a 10 mm ball. The second time was in January 1917 when he was hit in the right leg with shrapnel and was lucky not to lose his leg. He had a number of operations and convalesced at Cheltenham race course. As a result he was invalided out of the Army in January 1918. Like most men who were in the trenches he hardly ever talked about his experiences in France although he would talk about his time in hospital.
After leaving the army he worked as a driver until he retired. During the second world war he was away some days for up to 16 hours delivering equipment to the docks. He joined the LDV, later the Home Guard, and took his share of the duty roster.
He enjoyed playing billiards and snooker, although he did not play much after he married. He also enjoyed water colour painting, just copying pictures but had the ability to put colour into a black and white print when copying. He was self taught but used water colours in the same way as oil colours are used rather than using washes. He was also a keen gardener, something that has never appealed to me.
In the early ‘20’s he married at Blackheath parish church, WOR.
Norah worked as a jewellery polisher in the jewellery quarter of Birmingham becoming a forewoman, although during the first world war she had worked a lathe on munition manufacture.
She was a very methodical person and a good cook providing us with good if plain food particularly during the war years. Her needlework was very neat. When younger she did a lot of crochet, occupying her time on the train travelling to and from work.
Bert died suddenly of a heart attack in the early ‘70’s. Norah had heart problems in the last 10 years of her life and died in the mid ‘70’s.
Bert and Norah only had one child, myself, born in the mid ‘20’s in Rowley Regis (STS).
6. Harold BADHAM
In early 1930 Harold contracted what was considered to be Rheumatic fever and only just pulled through; it took many years to recover completely. This resulted in being considered unfit for military service in 1944.
In 1937 he obtained a place at the County High School Oldbury. The war seriously affected education particularly the social side, however he obtained his School certificate. On leaving in 1942 he joined Accles and Pollock with an informal apprenticeship ending in the drawing office. Education continued with day release leading to Higher National Certificates. Later he obtained a B Sc (Hons.) in mathematics. In 1952 he moved to ICI Summerfield Research Station near Kidderminster a new factory dedicated to the design and development of solid propellant rocket motors (later IMI Summerfield and now part of Royal Ordnance). After various posts both on the design and quality aspects, Harold retired in 1988 being then Manager of the Design and Development department. In about 1960 Harold had his first contact with computers, a “Mercury” which ICI were encouraging all factories to use for technical calculations, individuals at the factories being taught to programme. The capacity and speed were pathetic and the size was enormous compared to the PCs available today, but it gave an insight into the capability of computers.
in the mid ‘50’s he married a secretary at Summerfield, and moved to Kidderminster.
His wife had many interests including needlework and W.I. About 1975 they both became interested in Genealogy and Harold started evening classes in silversmithing, interests which he still retains, the former having led to his involvement with B1NS. Their interest in genealogy largely stemmed from a remark from their daughter. Harold's mother's family was quite large, his mother was one of eleven children and Harold had 30 cousins and Suzanne wanted to know who were the different people that she heard about and met.
Unfortunately his wife was diagnosed with cancer in the early ‘80’s and passed away in the mid ‘80’s.
In September 1987 Harold married a widow from East Yorkshire, who was his son's landlady when he started working in that area, and had become close friends with his former wife. They eventually settled in Beverley, East Yorkshire in October 1995.
Harold and his wife had two children, a daughter born in the late ‘50’s and a son born at the beginning of the ‘60’s.
Editor's Note:
Please note parts 2 and 3 of this series of articles first appeared in B1NS Newsletters no 8, July 2003 and 9 November 2003 and are not available for public viewing. If you are, or believe you may be, related to this family and want more information we suggest you post on the BFHG forum. Alternatively you should find a hard copy available in the Society of Genealogists library.