40 Sturton Street

The Family of a Painter

This building no longer stands.

1881

William Salmon, head, married, 35, foreman G E Railway, b. Wisbeech, Cambridgeshire
Elizabeth Salmon, wife, married, 33, b. Godmanchester, Huntingdonshire
William J. Salmon, son, 14, errand boy at grocers, b. Godmanchester, Huntingdonshire
George Salmon, son, 12, errand boy at grocers, b. Godmanchester, Huntingdonshire
Arthur Salmon, son, 9, scholar, b. Cambridge
Frederick T. Salmon, son, 1, b. Cambridge

1891 – 1901

Head of household in 1891 is Robert J Watts, a 34 year old painter from Burwell.  He is married to Jane (nee Haylock), aged 30, from Sawston. The couple have four children. Emily (6), William Albert (4), Mabel (1) and Alfred Edward (3 months).

The family have a lodger, 39 year old William Gifford who is also a painter and also a visitor called Florence Watson who is 14.

The Watts family are still at number 40 in 1901.  Emily is now 16 and works as a daily girl (a domestic servant), William is 14 and a bootmaker’s porter.  Alfred is now 10 and there are three more children, James (7), Robert John (6) and Alice Eva (4).

Jane died in 1902 and, by 1906, the family had moved to 37 Great Eastern Street.

1911

Florence Smith, head, 50, married, dressmaker, b. Cambridge
Richard Smith, son, 19, railway porter, b. Cambridge
Jessie Smith, daughter, 17, servant domestic, b. Cambridge
Married 30 years, 9 children of which 5 died

Sources – 1881, 1891, 1901, 1911 Census, Civil Registration Marriage Index (1837-1915),