We were contacted by Olivia who has been renovating her home on Kenrick Road in Mapperley. After removing an old electric fire, they found a birth certificate hidden deep in the chimney breast! It was an original birth certificate from 1882 and related to a boy named William Rogers, born at a farm in Greasley Nottinghamshire.
This seemed unusual and Olivia wondered why it would be hidden in such a way. Did it relate to an illegitimate baby?
What Olivia did know was that a Sarah Elizabeth Rogers bought the house in 1927, but little more was known about the family.
The birth certificate was discovered after removing an old electric fire. It was stuffed up on the right hand side of the chimney breast in the back reception room.
There was also some old wallpaper discovered under some old insulation boards in the smallest bedroom. It is a very old kitten print and there is also some sort of magazine or book page used to cover up the external vent too. Unfortunately, that disintegrated as it was taken down.
Olivia wanted to know more, so we asked our followers on Facebook whether anyone has any connections to the farm or the family, as the new owners would love to know more about the history of the house.
The Power of Social Media
The people of Mapperley didn’t disappoint. Through the power of social media, the new owners have had contact from two people to say William is a distant relative of theirs which is great, so thank you for allowing me to post!
So what have we discovered about William Rogers?
William Rogers was born on 26th September 1882, at Moorgreen near Eastwood Nottinghamshire
From the Census of 1891, William Rogers features as an eight year old with his family, at place recorded as New Eastwood.
His father, also William Rogers (34 years) was a farmer at Greasley and wife is Elizabeth F Rogers (36 years) . They had the following children living with them: Edith E (age 12), William (age 8), Elizabeth B (age 6), James A (age 4), Thomas (age 3) and Stephen, age 1.
Also living at the house were Elizabeth Moss who was 91 years of age and probably the mother of Elizabeth Rogers. She is listed as living on her own means.
They had a general servant named Maria White a 14 year old from Greasley, and a farm servant named George Cape a 17 year old from Holbeach in Lincolnshire.
The Move To Kenrick Road
So, we have reasonably well off farming family in the Eastwood area of Nottingham. One of the boys, William moved to Kenrick Road in 1927, at the age of 45. The house was purchased by his sister Sara Elizabeth Rogers. Whether Sarah also lived there is not known at this point.
We were then contacted by somene else, who supplied the information that William died in 1951. His address was given as Kenrick Road but he died at the General Hospital.
Another follower supplied the following information from the Nottinghamshire County Council website. It relates to William Rogers’ younger brother James, who died in the Great War with no known grave.
Here is his story
James Allsop Rogers was born in 1887 at Greasley and was the son of William a farmer and Elizabeth Fearson Rogers née Moss of Frearson Farm New Eastwood Nottinghamshire. His parents married in 1876 and went on to have 14 children, sadly 3 died in infancy or early childhood. The children were all born in Greasley/Eastwood and were Edith Ellen (1879), William (1883), Elizabeth Beatrice (1885), James Allsop (1887), Thomas (1889), Stephen Fearson (1890), Esther Mable (1892), Sarah Elizabeth (1894), Harold b1895, Gwendoline b1897, Florence Ethel b1898 and Francis Wheatcroft b1900.
James Allsop Rogers married his wife Kate Schofield in 1907. Kate already had a child, Reginald Schofield born 1905, and they had two further children, Mary Ellen (1907) and Mabel Elizabeth (1911). They lived at Newthorpe Common according to the 1911 census, when James was described as a farm labourer.
Military History
Sergeant James Allsop Rogers enlisted at Greasley, he was one of three brothers to serve with the South Nottinghamshire Hussars.
James saw action in Palestine and at Gallipoli, after which he was invalided home in late 1915. He returned to action and was slightly wounded in the left arm on November 29th 1917. He held a first class certificate from Aldershot as a bombing instructor.
James died on 27th May 1918. He had been travelling on board a ship, the ‘Leasow Castle’ when it was struck by a torpedo and sank. Having no known memorial his name is commemorated on the Chatby Memorial in Egypt.
Following his death, his widow Kate was awarded a pension of 32 shillings and 1 pence a week which commenced on 6th January 1919.
There is clearly a lot more detail about the Rogers family at Kenrick Road and we look forward to giving you an update.