Ellen "Ella" Virginia (Smith) Hawkins, 1864-1935

 

ELLEN “ELLA” VIRGINIA (SMITH) HAWKINS was born on 25 July 1864 in Ardwick, County Lancaster, England to parents John Smith and Sarah (Priest) Smith.[1] 

Prior to finding her England birth registration, the only document with her month and date of birth is her death certificate, for which her son Alfred was the informant, so it is likely that July 25 is the correct birth date.[2]  Her marriage license also shows July as the birth month.[3] This information was used, in conjunction with the information for her brother Joshua’s birth[4], to locate her England birth registration, which identified her birth as 25 July 1864 to parents John Smith, engine fitter, and Sarah Smith formerly Priest.[5]

Figure 1 – Ellen Smith’s birth registration

Ella’s family moved back and forth across the Atlantic between England and Philadelphia. This is evidenced by the fact that both her parents identified that they were born in England, their oldest child Annie was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the next two children Joshua and Ellen were born in England, and the last two children Harry and William were born in Philadelphia.[6] The year of immigration for this family also varies significantly in the records, as seen from the information Ella provided over time – anywhere from 1866 to 1888.

Ella and her family lived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1880 with sister Annie’s husband Ferdinand Horstmeyer and Annie’s daughter Mary.[7]  On a side note, Ferdinand’s story is an interesting one, making a big impact on both Ella and Annie’s life.  In April 1884, Ferdinand was sentenced to four months in prison for running a gambling establishment that had been raided in October 1883.[8]  This jail sentence apparently did not stop Ferdinand from horse betting, as his pool room was raided again in 1886, with a warrant for Horstmeyer’s arrest issued, and Ferdinand was held on $1,000 bail for court.  According to the newspaper article, Ferdinand (aka “Whitey”) brought his brothers William and Henry into the illegal activities.[9]  Finally, Ferdinand had failed to appear for yet another court proceeding for keeping a gaming house in April 1887, and another bench warrant was issued for his arrest.[10]  During this time that Ferdinand was in and out of prison, Annie was raising their children and living with Ella’s family.[11]

According to the 1880 census, Ella was 15 years old and worked as a silk fringe maker, and in her 1886 marriage license she worked ‘in a mill.’[12]  Silk manufacturing was big business in Philadelphia in the mid-to-late 1800s, with “over sixty makers of silk products in the city,” with stockings and socks being the main product.  It is likely that Ella worked on silk machines, as “silk production was mostly mechanized by this time.”[13]

On 14 December 1886, Ella Smith married Alfred William Hawkins in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.[14]  Their first child, Joshua Hawkins, was born on 6 May 1888.[15]  Edward Raymond Hawkins was born 13 August 1891.[16]  Sadly, Joshua passed away at the age of 4 ½ from ‘membranous croup’ (diphtheria) on 9 December 1892.[17]  Next came their only daughter, Mary Beatrice Hawkins, on 28 October 1896.[18]  Finally, Alfred William Hawkins III was born on 27 December 1905.[19]

Ella and Alfred lived at 1728 South 17^th Street in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania for over 35 years.  This is a 3-bedroom, 1 bath, 1,120 sq. ft. row home in South Philadelphia; they rented it for a majority of that time, but owned it by 1930.[20]  Ella died of ‘cardiac decompensation’ at about 70 years old on 1 October 1935.[21]  She is buried at Mt. Moriah Cemetery, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in section 132, lot 127, with her husband.[22] Her headstone has two errors – her birth year was 1864, not 1865, and there is no evidence in any documentation that her name was Eleanor. All documents had “Ella” except for her birth registration and the 1900 census, which both had “Ellen.”

 

 

 

 

 

---

[1] Births (CR) England. Ardwick, Lancaster. 25 July 1864. SMITH, Ellen. Entry no. 178.

[2] Pennsylvania Department of Health, Bureau of Vital Statistics, Certificate of Death no. 93626 (1935), Mrs. Ella Virginia Hawkins, died 1 October 1935; imaged, "Pennsylvania, U.S., Death Certificates, 1906-1970,"  Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/5164/images/42342_646933_0739-02611 : accessed 24 November 2020).

[3] Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania, Orphans' Court Files, File no. 7038 (1886), Affidavit of Applicant for Marriage License, Alfred Wm. Hawkins and Ella Smith; imaged, "Pennsylvania Civil Marriages, 1677-1950,"  FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HY-X4M8-6 : accessed 20 November 2024).

[4] Per the 1880 census, ‘Josua’ was born about 1861/62 in England. His 1890 marriage affidavit specifically states he was born in Manchester, England, which matches the birth certificates of both him and Ellen. See Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania, Orphans' Court Files, File no. 37124 (1890), Affidavit of Applicant for Marriage License, Joshua P. Smith and Mary Grutch [sic]; imaged, "Pennsylvania Civil Marriages, 1677-1950,"  FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HT-6427-WYH: accessed 19 July 2022).

[5] England, birth certificate (certified copy) for Ellen Smith, born 25 July 1864; registered 26 August 1864, Chorlton district 8c/529, Ardwick sub-district, Lancaster; General Registry Office, Southport.

[6] 1880 U.S. census, Philadelphia, Pa., pop. sch., ED 16, p. 27, dwell. 809, fam. 216, John Smith.  The whole family is shown on this census with birth locations, and those birth locations are corroborated in other birth, marriage and census documents.

[7] 1880 U.S. census, Philadelphia, Pa., pop. sch., ED 16, p. 27, dwell. 809, fam. 216, John Smith.

[8] “Gamblers in Court:  Three Pool Room Sharps and a ‘Sweat-Board’ Man Convicted,” The Philadelphia Times  (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania), 22 April 1884, p. 1, col. 6; image, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com/clip/103192867/jail-sentence-for-ferdinand-horstmeyer/ : viewed 5 June 2022).

[9] “Buying Tickets on Horses,” The Philadelphia Times (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania), 5 August 1886, p. 4, col. 3; image, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com/clip/103193019/arrest-of-ferdinand-horstmeyer : viewed 5 June 2022).

[10] “Cold Day for Gamblers,” The Philadelphia Inquirer (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania), 1 April 1887, p. 3, col. 1; image, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com/clip/103193035/bench-warrant-for-ferdinand-horstmeyer : viewed 5 June 2022).

[11] 1900 U.S. census, Philadelphia, Pa., pop. sch., ED 641, sheet 10B, dwell. 208, fam. 213, Alfred Hawkins.

[12] 1880 U.S. census, Philadelphia, Pa., pop. sch., ED 16, p. 27, dwell. 809, fam. 216, John Smith.  See also, Philadelphia, Pa., marriage application and certificate no. 7038 (1886), Hawkins-Smith.

[13] Jack McCarthy, “Silk and Silk Makers,” The Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia (https://philadelphiaencyclopedia.org/essays/silk-and-silk-makers/#essay : viewed 19 July 2022).

[14] Philadelphia, Pa., marriage application and certificate no. 7038 (1886), Hawkins-Smith.

[15] Headstone, Mt. Moriah Cemetery (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania), section 132, lot 127; photo taken by Dawn Vanderwolf, 2019.  Joshua is buried in the same plot as his parents in Mt. Moriah Cemetery, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

[16] Scott Methodist Episcopal Church (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania), "Record of Baptisms," 1892, Edward Raymond Hawkins; image, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/2451/images/40355_267304-00643 : viewed 20 May 2022), image 588.  Parents listed are Alfred W. & Ellen Hawkins.

[17] City of Philadelphia, return of a death, death certificate no. 12393 (1892), Joshua W. Hawkins; Philadelphia City Archives and Historical Society of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia; image, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HY-64VF-XN : viewed 20 May 2022), image 1108.

[18] City of Philadelphia (Pennsylvania) Department of Records, Vital Statistics, birth certificate, Mary Beatrice Hawkins, 29 Oct 1896, dated 11 January 1972, certificate no. 101176 (copy of original held by family).  A later amended birth record shows a birth date of 28 October 1896:  City of Philadelphia (Pennsylvania) Department of Records, Vital Statistics, Affidavit to Amend Birth Record, Mary Beatrice Hawkins, no 99264, changing birth date to 28 October 1896  (copy of original held by family).

[19] For birth date, see "United States World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942," image, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/2238/images/44033_10_00160-01666 : viewed 20 May 2022), images 1667-1668, card for Alfred William Hawkins Jr., serial no. 1652, Local Draft Board 28, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  For parent names, Alfred III is included in the 1910, 1920 and 1930 censuses with his parents.

[20] For home description, see Zillow.com (https://www.zillow.com/homes/1728-S-17th-St-Philadelphia,-PA-19145_rb/10372268_zpid/ : viewed 19 July 2022).  For rent vs. own, see census from 1900 through 1920 (rent) and 1930 (own).

[21] Pennsylvania Department of Health, Bureau of Vital Statistics, death certificate no. 93626 (1935), Mrs. Ella Virginia Hawkins; Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania; image; Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/5164/images/42342_646933_0739-02611 : viewed 24 Nov 2020), image 2611.

[22] Mt. Moriah Cemetery (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania), "Register of Interments," Book 1928-1962, page 221, no. 113187 for Ella V. Hawkins (1935); image, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/2451/images/42154_331318-00779 : viewed 25 Nov 2020), image 2648.