Eliza White 1839 - 1913

Eliza White was one of my maternal great great grandmothers.  Her birth certificate records that she was born on 22nd October 1839.  Eliza was born in Stourmouth in Kent.

Eliza's parents were James White and his wife Jane Hughes.  James was a labourer and Eliza's mother signed the birth certificate with her mark.  An indication that the couple were illiterate.

Eliza was baptised at the parish church of All Saints in Stourmouth on 1st December 1839.

1839 Baptism of Eliza White (courtesy Find My Past)

Eliza appears on the 1841 census living in Lower Street in Stourmouth.  Her age was given as 1 year old and she was living with her parents, James and Jane, and 3 of her siblings.

1841 Census Eliza White and family (courtesy of Find My Past)

I have found 6 siblings for Eliza White.  They were:

John 1832 - 1890
William 1834 - 1919
Jane 1837 - 1914
Anne 1842 - 1916
Susannah 1845 - 1921
Richard 1847 - 1928

On the 1851 census Eliza was living with her parents, James and Jane, and 5 of her siblings.  The family were living in East Street in Stourmouth.  Eliza's father was listed as an agricultural labourer.

1851 Census (courtesy Find My Past)

On the 1871 census Eliza was aged 21 and was living as a domestic servant in the household of Thomas Blackburn and his wife, Elizabeth.  The house was at 7 Union Crescent in Margate, Kent.

1861 Census (courtesy Find My Past)

Eliza wasn't to remain as a domestic servant for long however.  On 25th August 1861 Eliza White married Stephen James Fuller, a gas fitter from Margate, at St John's parish church in Margate.

1861 Marriage of Eliza White and Stephen James Fuller

The couple were to have 12 children during their 43 years of marriage.  Fortunately for the couple none of their children were to die as infants.  Their children were:

William John 1862 - 1952
Maud Ethel 1864 - 1952
Jane Annie 1866 - 1899
Stephen James 1867 - 1952
Herbert 1869 - 1946
Walter 1871 - 1932
Elizabeth 1874 - 1946
Charles Henry 1876 - 1940
Eliza Ann 1879 - 1961
Florence Louisa 1880 - 1953
Sidney Richard 1882 - 1919
Clara Nelly 1884 - 1950


On the 1871 census Eliza and Stephen were living at 3 Florence Row in Margate.  Stephen was a gas fitter by profession.  The couple had 5 of their 12 children living with them.

1871 Census (courtesy Ancestry)

On the 1881 census Eliza and James were living at 1 Thanet Road.  James was still a gas fitter and 10 of their 12 children had now been born.  Only the 2 youngest children are yet to be born.  Sidney and, my great grandmother, Clara.

1881 Census (courtesy Find My Past)

By the time of the 1891 census all of the Fuller children had been born.  Probably much to Eliza's relief!  The couple had moved house again and were living in one of the Milton Cottages in Arnold Road in Margate.

This time Stephen's profession was listed as whitesmith.  A whitesmith was a worker in metal.

1891 Census (courtesy Find My Past)

On the 1901 census the Fuller family had moved house again.  This time the family were living at Park Lodge as Stephen Fuller became the first park keeper at Dane Park in Margate.

By this point in time the oldest children had moved out of the family home and had started families and homes of their own.  Only the 3 youngest children were living at home in 1901.  These were, Florence, Sidney and Clara.

1901 Census (courtesy Find My Past)

Sadly in 1905 Eliza's husband, Stephen, died.  This meant that the family had to move out of Park Lodge as the house came with Stephen's job.  Eliza lived with her 2 youngest daughters, Florence and Clara, at 13 Oxford Street in Margate.  Florence was to remain a spinster all her life.  Clara married, after Eliza's death, in 1914.

1911 Census (courtesy Find My Past)

Eliza died in the October quarter of 1913 at the age of 74.