Lucy Jane Brooker of Victorian London

Lucy Jane Brooker was born on the 29th of August, 1804 to Henry and Hannah Brooker. They lived in the City of London in a parish known as St Gregory by St Paul’s. Lucy was baptized there when she was five weeks old.¹ St Gregory’s was built along the outer wall of St Paul’s Cathedral, but it was destroyed in the Great Fire of London in 1666 and never rebuilt.²

Lucy's baptismal record shows the names of her parents, Henry and Hannah.

Although they still maintained the parish identity of St Gregory by St Paul’s, Lucy would have actually been dunked into the baptismal waters in nearby St Mary Magdalen Old Fish Street (which was also destroyed in the great conflagration, but rebuilt long before Lucy came along).³

Lucy celebrated her 30th birthday six months before she married Charles Wiggins on the 24th day of February, 1836 at the church of St George Botolph Lane.⁴ That put her about ten years behind the median age of marriage for the mid-19th century.⁵ Charles was a decade older, as well as a widower twice over.

Banns were published before Lucy's marriage on the 7th, 14th, and 21st of February.

Despite her advanced age, Lucy did not seem to have any trouble with producing children. Charles and Lucy would welcome a new child about every two years for the next decade.

They had four sons and a daughter - Frederick Colthurst Wiggins arrived in 1837⁶ (two months before the coronation of Queen Victoria), Henry Wiggins was two years later in 1839,⁷ followed by George Henry Wiggins in 1841,⁸ Lucy Wiggins in 1843,⁹ and finally Walter Brooker Wiggins joined the family in 1846.¹⁰ The family of Lucy and Charles was beginning to grow as the Victorian era began, the Pickwick Papers brought Dickens to national prominence, and London’s industrialization filled the streets with smog.¹¹

On the 1851 census, Lucy was recorded with her Charles and their five children.

Frederick and Henry were baptised at St Katherine Coleman, which was not far from the church where Charles and Lucy were married. But the next three children were baptised at St Mary Magdalen Bermondsey, so the family likely moved across the Thames into Southwark around 1840.

Lucy’s husband passed away in March of 1869 and was buried in Nunhead Cemetery.¹² She moved in with her daughter, Lucy, who had married Thomas John Mossman in 1867. Thomas was a diamond merchant and the growing family employed a team of servants that also grew over the years.¹³ It was likely a very different household to which Lucy (or her daughter) would have been accustomed.

Lucy died in 1893 at the age of 88. She was buried in Nunhead Cemetery, though in a different plot than her husband.¹⁴

Since Lucy's death, Nunhead Cemetery has fallen into neglect, but is beginning to be revitalized.

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This is the third post in a set of family history profiles that I am calling #20in2020. I'll post the next one in a couple weeks.

Sources

1 "London, England, Church of England Baptisms, Marriages and Burials, 1538-1812" Ancestry.com. London, England, Church of England Baptisms, Marriages and Burials, 1538-1812 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010. (https://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?indiv=1&dbid=1624&h=7061429 : download 17 February 2020)

2 St Gregory by St Paul's. (n.d.). In Wikipedia. Retrieved 17 February, 2020, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_Gregory_by_St_Paul%27s

3 St Mary Magdalen Old Fish Street. (n.d.). In Wikipedia. Retrieved 17 February, 2020, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_Mary_Magdalen_Old_Fish_Street

4 "England, Select Marriages, 1538–1973" Ancestry.com. England, Select Marriages, 1538–1973 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2014. (https://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?indiv=1&dbid=9852&h=6360657 : download 17 February 2020)

5 "Historical Trends in Marriage Formation, United States 1850 – 1990" (http://users.hist.umn.edu/~ruggles/Articles/Fitch_and_Ruggles.pdf : download 17 February 2020)

6 "London, England, Church of England Births and Baptisms, 1813-1917" Ancestry.com. London, England, Church of England Births and Baptisms, 1813-1917 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010. (https://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?indiv=1&dbid=1558&h=783392 : download 17 February 2020)

7 "London, England, Church of England Births and Baptisms, 1813-1917" Ancestry.com. London, England, Church of England Births and Baptisms, 1813-1917 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010. (https://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?indiv=1&dbid=1558&h=783427 : download 17 February 2020)

8 "London, England, Church of England Births and Baptisms, 1813-1917" Ancestry.com. London, England, Church of England Births and Baptisms, 1813-1917 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010. (https://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?indiv=1&dbid=1558&h=4600319 : download 17 February 2020)

9 "London, England, Church of England Births and Baptisms, 1813-1917" Ancestry.com. London, England, Church of England Births and Baptisms, 1813-1917 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010. (https://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?indiv=1&dbid=1558&h=5060007 : download 17 February 2020)

10 "London, England, Church of England Births and Baptisms, 1813-1917" Ancestry.com. London, England, Church of England Births and Baptisms, 1813-1917 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010. (https://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?indiv=1&dbid=1558&h=5396116 : download 17 February 2020)

11 Victorian Era. (n.d.). In Wikipedia. Retrieved 17 February, 2020, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victorian_era

12 "England & Wales, Civil Registration Death Index, 1837-1915" FreeBMD. England & Wales, Civil Registration Death Index, 1837-1915 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2006. (https://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?indiv=1&dbid=8914&h=36630440 : download 17 February 2020)

13 "1871 England Census" Ancestry.com. 1871 England Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2004. (https://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?indiv=1&dbid=7619&h=5874893 : download 17 February 2020)

14 DeceasedOnline.com Burial Registry Summary. (https://www.deceasedonline.com/servlet/GSDOImage?sessionid=079089DF8C84911410B3595FED75A7B813504C48&imageid=10123911&type=B : download 17 February 2020)

Joseph and the Grand Army of the Republic

Through most of his life, Joseph K. Norcross, was a salesman - both in shops and traveling door to door. He sold military regalia and souvenirs, spices, and oil, and probably more. He lived most of his life in Philadelphia, but also spent time in the San Francisco area. The central theme of his life though was the fellowship and purpose that he found in fraternal organizations, particularly the Grand Army of the Republic (G.A.R.) and the California Volunteer Veterans Association.

When the American Civil War began in 1861, Joseph was living in his home state of Pennsylvania. His father, the Reverend Isaac Norcross, had died young in 1850,¹ and his older brothers had headed west for California around the same period.

Daniel Norcross's emporium carried a wide range of military regalia.

By 1862, Joseph had joined his brothers in San Francisco. He worked briefly as a clerk in the military regalia shop of his eldest brother, Daniel.² Perhaps this was not the life he expected in California, or maybe the call of patriotic service was too strong - on June 8th, 1864 Joseph enlisted in the Second California Infantry.³

Over the course of the next two years, he served as a second lieutenant in Companies H & K, was temporarily in command of Company A,⁴ and was appointed post adjutant.⁵ This took Joseph down across California and into the Arizona Territory to Fort Goodwin. There's no indication that his company join in the Apache War that roiled around the fort in the 1860's. In 1866, he returned to the Presidio of San Francisco to muster out on June 30th.⁶

Joseph was temporarily in command of Company A of the 2nd
California Infantry.

After the war, Joseph returned to Philadelphia and joined his local G.A.R. Post 8. At some of their annual gatherings he was in charge of arranging the music. He also served at different points as the post commander (bef 1900),⁷ post historian (1910),⁸ chairman of the national encampment (1903),⁹ and delegate to the national convention (1907).¹⁰

What talent was on display in this elaborate program?

In 1912, the G.A.R. planned its forty-sixth National Encampment for Los Angeles. The Pennsylvania branch of the organization arranged for a special train to take Joseph and his fellow Pennsylvanian veterans across the country.¹¹ At the national meeting the veterans of the California companies planned for a week-long reunion where it became clear that none of the officers were actually Californians.¹²

The Los Angeles Times noted:¹³

These officers are Joseph K. Norcross of Glenside, Montgomery County, PA. He looks like only one man, but appearances are deceiving, for he is really a president, a corresponding secretary and a treasurer. The two comrades who were elected as secretaries at the last reunion died during the year.

Joseph died the following April. His obituary called on all of his friends and members of the local G.A.R. to attend his funeral services, along with members of the Damascus Lodge of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows (I.O.O.F).¹⁴

Joseph's obituary appeared in the April 17, 1913 edition of the
Philadelphia Inquirer.

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This is the second post in a set of family history profiles that I am calling #20in2020. I'll post the next one in a couple weeks.

Sources

1 "Pennsylvania, Philadelphia City Death Certificates, 1803–1915." Index. Ancestry.com Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011. (https://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?indiv=1&dbid=2535&h=1828260 : download 4 February 2020) From originals housed at the Philadelphia City Archives. "Death Records.".

2 San Francisco Directory, 1862. Ancestry.com. U.S. City Directories, 1822-1995 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011. (https://www.ancestry.com/interactive/2469/41199_1220706242_3973-00365?pid=1473211672 : download 4 February 2020)

3 Historical Data Systems, comp. U.S., Civil War Soldier Records and Profiles, 1861-1865 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2009. (https://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?indiv=1&dbid=1555&h=3339109 : download 4 February 2020)

4 Carded Records Showing Military Service of Soldiers Who Fought in Volunteer Organizations During the American Civil War, compiled 1890 - 1912, documenting the period 1861 - 1866 (https://www.fold3.com/image/21/314057695 : download 4 February 2020)

5 Carded Records Showing Military Service of Soldiers Who Fought in Volunteer Organizations During the American Civil War, compiled 1890 - 1912, documenting the period 1861 - 1866 (https://www.fold3.com/image/21/314057700 : download 4 February 2020)

5 Carded Records Showing Military Service of Soldiers Who Fought in Volunteer Organizations During the American Civil War, compiled 1890 - 1912, documenting the period 1861 - 1866 (https://www.fold3.com/image/21/314057707 : download 4 February 2020)

5 Carded Records Showing Military Service of Soldiers Who Fought in Volunteer Organizations During the American Civil War, compiled 1890 - 1912, documenting the period 1861 - 1866 (https://www.fold3.com/image/21/314057717 : download 4 February 2020)

7 "E.D. Baker Post, 8, will hold a public installation of officers", The Philadelphia Inquirer, 30 December 1900, 2nd Sec p. 9, col. 3; image copy, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com : downloaded 4 February 2020).

8 "The California Volunteer Association", The National Tribune, 8 December 1910, p. 6, col. 6; image copy, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com : downloaded 4 February 2020).

9 "The following committee of the E.D. Baker Post, No. 8", The Philadelphia Inquirer, 18 October 1903, 2nd Sec p. 14, col. 5; image copy, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com : downloaded 4 February 2020).

10 "Elected Officers", The Altoona Tribune, 7 June 1907, 1st Sec p. 1, col. 5; image copy, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com : downloaded 4 February 2020).

11 "Veterans to Travel on Special Train", The Allentown Democrat, 10 July 1912, 1st Sec p. 3, col. 2; image copy, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com : downloaded 4 February 2020).

12 "California Veterans Mostly Elsewhere", The Los Angeles Times, 10 September 1912, 2nd Sec p. 9, col. 1-2; image copy, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com : downloaded 4 February 2020).

13 "California Veterans Mostly Elsewhere", The Los Angeles Times, 10 September 1912, 2nd Sec p. 9, col. 1-2; image copy, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com : downloaded 4 February 2020).

14 Obituary of Joseph Kennard Norcross (d. 15 April 1913), The Philadelphia Inquirer, 17 April 1917, 1st Sec p. 14, col. 4; image copy, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com : downloaded 4 February 2020).