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Note: 1861 census shows Ellick at 20 Ellerthorpe Street Poplar where he was born.
The other people at that address were
Ellick Blake was youngest of 9 children born to Joseph and Catherine Blake (nee Hoile Cock) from Cornwall. He is the great grandfather to me and to Philip and Nigel Chatfield; they answered the message I left on genes reunited in Feb 2004.
He is shown as father of Violet Marion Harriette Blake and Hilda Mary Blake on their birth certificates (both registered by their mother NELLY FRANCES STRANGE McALLUM) there does not appear to be a birth certificate for his son Charles Frederick Blake, b 1889, although the Chatfields know their grandfather had the same parents. Their mother remembers Ellick and 'Frances'.
Ellick and Nelly were not married. He married Matilda Godfrey in 1897, they had a son, Ellick John Godfrey Blake, in 1898, and a daughter Catherine in 1911 (the mother of Fred Millard)
Ellick worked as a labourer at the Woolwich Telegraph Works, this would be Siemens. Fred Millard has provided much information about Ellick.
Although he was alive when his son Charles and daughter Violet married, his name does not appear on either their marriage certificates, they both said their father was deceased, and Violet gave the name of Newton McAllum as her father.
Ellick Blake was killed in an air raid on 21st August 1941at Mountfield Road, West Ham.
MORE INFO
On 14th February 2005 I started researching my family, and starting with my grandmother, Violet Blake, I input her name on to www.ancestry.co.uk along with her parents� names. I received an email from a "Christine" who said that Ellick Blake had married a Matilda Godfrey in 1898 and therefore either he could not have been married to Nelly McAllum, or the latter had died before 1898. I could not find any information about this. I therefore went to www.genesreunited.co.uk and input the name �Ellick Blake� into search. I received three emails that day from people who are also researching Ellick Blake. Two from brothers, Philip and Nigel Chatfield, who are descended from both my great grandparents, and Anne Godfrey who is descended from my great grandfather and the woman he married, Matilda Godfrey.
I wrote to each of them an identical email, and saying I was doing so. I received answers almost immediately. I was given the name of another second cousin, Steve Blake, great grandson of Ellick and his wife, Matilda. Steve has a website http://home.exetel.com.au/roots with information about the Blakes and I wrote to him with further details. He confirmed what Christine had said i.e. that Ellick married Matilda Godfrey in 1898. However, I have been unable to trace Nelly's death.
I also forwarded Violet's birth certificate to Philip. I received an email from him saying the only information they had was that Charles Frederick Blake (his grandfather) was the son of Ellick Frederick Charles Blake, and his mother a McCallam. Until they had heard from me they had no written evidence.
In the meantime a complete stranger (nothing to do with the family, but by her own admission �likes to poke her nose into other people families') searched for 'Nelly McAllum' and found Ellen F. McAllum born Asia (I forwarded this email to my cousins; Phil said that was very interesting as some members of his family had been diagnosed with the sickle cell blood condition and Nigel replied saying that his mother remembered her grandmother being born in India. Although in the meantime Philip had found an Ellen F. McAllum born Constantinople!! (I would have thought India would be used rather than Asia). Still it gave me something else to look for. Incidentally, on my grandmother's marriage certificate for October 1916 she gives her father as Newton McAllum (deceased), occupation 'tea planter'. (my cousins� grandfather also said their father was deceased on his marriage certificate) but we know Ellick died in an air raid in 1941). It occurred to me that perhaps �Newton McAllum� was my grandmother�s maternal grandfather. (It would certainly look better on the marriage certificate having a tea planter rather than a labourer, telegraph works!).
I have tried all combinations of her names to try and find Nelly McAllum. I then wondered if I could find my cousins� grandfather, Charles Blake, on the 1891 Census as he would only have been 2 or 3 and I thought I might find him with his mother. I did indeed find a boy called Charles Blake of that age with his mother, Leonora Blake, her birth place as Upper Anam India. (Nelly is also a diminutive of Leonora). She also had a 7 month old daughter Helena; they were all listed as �visitors� at the home of a Mr. and Mrs. George Reid in Ramsgate. Ellick Blake was listed as �lodger� at Orchard Place, Woolwich with no sign of a family. 10 years later, in the 1901 Census Charles was listed as �visitor� in the same place. I could not find Leonora Blake. My grandmother, Violet, age 9 and her sister Hilda, age 6 (both born in Woolwich) were staying with their Aunt Harriett in Margate.
At about this time, another second cousin, Fred Millard, who lives in France, came on to the scene (via an email to Steve Blake from John, a great grandson of Ellick). He, Fred, is the grandson of my great grandfather, Ellick, and his wife Matilda Godfrey, who lived with him from 1940 until her death in 1957 at the age of 90. He therefore has many stories to tell. As an e mail of 10th March 2005 from John Blake shows:-
Fred has the family bible belonging to our Granny Blake (nee Godfrey) going back to the eighteenth century. He remembers talk of an engraver in the family but there are a lot of blank spaces. You see, Granny Blake was a bit of an outsider in her family because they considered she had married below herself and shut her out of a lot of things. She spent from the age of about five to 11 in the workhouse. She lived with my cousin from about 1941 until her death in 1957 and naturally he has a lot of info on that side of the family. He says that she told him over and over again about how she had red hair going down to her waist and when she was sent to the workhouse they cut it short for health reasons and it broke her heart. Apparently, a family called Parker took pity on her and brought her up--Fred will find out who they are. He knows about the other family of Blakes who EFC married. They had three children (all boys apparently). Do you know the date he married the mystery woman and what was her maiden name?
I will have another go at getting the diaries etc to you. Take care. John.
By now my great grandmother, Nelly, is being referred to as �the mystery woman� or �the other woman�. An email dated 25th March 2005 from Fred:-
Hello Stephen,
We are second cousins as it happens. Matilda and my mother Kitty told me of half brothers* who came to visit the house in Mountfield Road East Ham some time after WWI. The legend was that shortly after Ellick Frederick had married Matilda, a neighbour warned her that a women was meeting Ellick Frederick Blake outside the factory gates where he worked and was seen giving her money; this woman had two children** with her. Old man Blake confessed to having had a relationship with the woman before he met and married Matilda. I was not aware of the polygamous marriage which you have uncovered. I have some photos of Matilda which I will be happy to copy and send to you.
Thanks once again for the contact and I look forward to hearing from you soon Best wishes Fred
And a reply from Stephen :-
Hi Fred!! Great to hear from you.
I posted a package to you yesterday - I hope it arrives safely. The 'other woman' story is fascinating especially as I am in touch with her descendants - and one of them, Stella, lives in France (Normandy I think).
We have been unable to find evidence of an actual marriage between Nelly (the other woman) and Ellick - we now think they didn't marry. It all became very confusing when we found the birth certificate** for one of the children, Violet, naming Ellick as the father - but when she got married her marriage certificate gives a 'Newton McCallum' as the father. There�s still a bit of mystery. Your information, albeit hearsay will, I am sure, help to unravel the story.
I have copied this to the 'other Ellick family group' who I am sure will also pleased to hear about the info in your email.
Stella/Phil/Nigel - Fred is Grandson of Matilda Godfrey, and Matilda lived with Fred for some years and so has 1st hand knowledge. I think we are starting to unravel the story! I am sure Fred will be interested to hear what happened to the 'other woman's' (!) family.
I am pleased we have finally made contact and look forward to working with you in the future on the project. Your knowledge is invaluable.
My best wishes, 2nd cousin! Steve
* I do not know who the half brothers were, I think someone�s memory is faulty, or Ellick Blake had yet another family. My grandmother, Violet, married in 1916. It is just possible, half brother is not what is meant but cousins, in which case one of the boys could have been Granddad.
**The 2 children referred to were probably my grandmother Violet, and her younger sister Hilda. The year would have been about 1898 and they would have been aged 7 and 4 respectively.
*** Until I forwarded Violet�s birth certificate, Steve Blake in Australia and the Chatfields knew nothing of each other or either side of the family.
(There is doubt that Nelly and Ellick were ever married; in an email from Nigel he said that his mother believed that �her grandparents, Ellick and Nelly were never married� - he also stated that Ellick described himself as �bachelor� on his marriage certificate).
30 March 2005 Dear Steve,
Thanks for your emails and the promised package of genealogical information. In return I hope that you will find the enclosed copies of old photographs and documents relating to Matilda Blake n�e Godfrey and her family of use in your research. I am sure that your aunts Evelyn and Joan can dig up some anecdotal information concerning both Matilda and her husband Ellick Frederick Charles Blake. For instance, it was Evelyn who told me that Ellick was a militant trades unionist of a type similar to Ben Tillett - the hero of the Dockers �tanner strike� and that eventually he was blacklisted and unable to seek employment as an electrician. After the move to East Ham from south of the Thames he earned money selling things door-to- door. Unfortunately he also had the gambling bug and tried also to make money that way. Matilda used to do house work in the fancy houses in Wanstead which was a fashionable housing area for the wealthy. Ellick used to pay the rent for the house in Mountfield Road but Matilda worked to feed and clothe the children.
There are many other such anecdotes and later on if you are interested I will gather together those which I have remembered from talks with both Kitty Blake and Matilda.
I look forward to receiving your parcel. In the meantime it is so nice to be in touch. We wish you both the best of health and good fortune in Sydney.
Best wishes Fred
Another piece of information concerning Ellick is revealed in an email from Fred dated 31st March 2005 :-
Dear Steve,
Your parcel arrived today - 30th march 2005. Thank you very much for what is an extremely well researched document. As it is complex it will take a bit of reading, but being retired now I will have plenty of time to do that.
The Cornish connection was a surprise to me when John raised the issue some time ago because my mother Kitty and Matilda always referred to an Irish background for Ellick, the expression they used was- " your grandfather came from the Blakes of Dublin". However your research shows otherwise- could be one of Ellick's little tricks on Matilda. It could help explain why the Carter family so opposed to the marriage with Ellick cut Matilda off after 1898. She also being a feisty individual also distanced herself from them. There was a reprochement and that is how Matilda got the money to set up a laundry some time in the early 1900's from a family bequest to her from one of the Carter aunts,
This business failed during her pregnancy with Catherine because she had to have bed-rest from the 4th month, mainly because of her age which was 43. After the birth she remained unwell for some time during which Ellick managed to ruin the business by poor supervision and getting involved with the female staff. Matilda was forced to liquidate the business and that is when they left Plumstead to rent a house in Mountfield Road. The house remained in Matilda's name and was in a road off the Rochester Way. She took a rental income from it and I can remember going across the Woolwich free ferry to collect the monthly rent from an elderly female tenant with Matilda. Matilda was forced to dispose of it after the Labour Government introduced very stringent rules for Landlords. She took a decision to sell by which time the sitting tenant had passed on in 1948.
With relocation to East Ham and Ellick blacklisted for work due to his reputed militancy, he paid for the rent of 115 Mountfield Road and Matilda went to work cleaning houses in the fashionable Wanstead area to augment the family income and put Catherine through grammar school.
I have located some old photos which should dovetail nicely into your history and give a bit of flesh to some of the characters. Sadly there are no photos of Matilda's siblings or of the Carter aunts. I do not know whether Matilda or Kitty disposed of any; certainly my mother was well capable of throwing such material. She managed to put out a complete first edition Of Charles Dickens works with a bound volume of his magazine Boz because "It was in my way." I came home to find the books soaked with rain water and unsavable.
Enough of my rambling. Look forward to hearing from you soon. Thanks once again for the dossier.
Best wishes Fred
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