Misc. Notes
I seached freeBMD on 26 Jan 2008 and could find no marriage of an Albert or Alfred JAMES to anyone who could be Kate COUCHMAN. I do not believe that there was such a marriage. Since Kate had her baby Kathleen in the Holborn workhouse, she probably made up the father’s name, Alfred James. When the daughter was five years old, Kate married a widower Rufus Harmer and he gave the little girl his surname. When the daughter Kathleen married in she gave the name of her father as Albert James.
Misc. Notes
The birthday book of Kathleen Harmer, born Kathleen James, identifies Rufus William Harmer as her step-father.
In the
1861 census for Upper Sheringham, Norfolk, England, Rufus W Harmer 9, b ca 1852, scholar, was with his parents Thomas and Mary A Harmer and his siblings Samuel 21, Joshua 13, Hannah 11,Robert 7, Adam 5 and Thomas 13 months, all born in Sheringham and living in Workhouse Yard, Upper Sheringham.
In the
1871 census for Stretton, Cheshire, England, Rufus was a 20 year-old servant , b ca 1851 in Sheringham, in the home of William and Mary Tickle. Also presentin the farm were the couple’s 1 month old daughter Mary, William’s sister Ann. William was a farmer of 65 acres and employed four men and a boy. These servants were present on census night: Thomas Beasley 19, William Hardey 21 and
Rufus Harmer 20,
all farm labourers and general labourer Thomas Stubby 14.
100The marriage of Rufus Harmer and Elizabeth Annie Wilkinson was registered in the Oct-Dec qutr
1880 in Erpingham, Norfolk Vol 4b P 167
I
n the 1881 census for Sheringham:Rufus HARMER who was an agricultural labourer, aged 29, head of a household in Sheringham. He was born in Sheringham ca 1852 and had a wife Elizabeth aged 35, no occupation, born in North Elmham, Norfolk.
In
1891 census there were two families in Ivy Lodge in Upper Sheringham. One dwelling in the lodge had Rufus W Harmer, 40, head, an agricultural labourer, Elizabeth A Harmer, 46, his wife and William J Harmer their 8 year-old nephew, a scholar. Rufus and his nephew were born in Upper Sheringham, Elizabeth was born in Holt, also in Norfolk.
Elizabeth died in late
1895 having given birth to a son called Arthur who also died.
Rufus married Katherine Couchman on
22 Dec 1898 in Sheringham and her 5 year-old daughter Kathleen took the surname Harmer.
In
1901 census: for Upper Sheringham, Norfolk.
Rufus Harmer, head, 50, Ordinary Agricultural Labourer, b Sheringham, Norfolk ;
Kate Harmer, his wife, 48, b India;
Kathleen Harmer, daughter, 7, b Hoxton, London
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