For the descendents of Richard Dearie and his son John Russell
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Charles Fox
Born 11 September 1838 in Finsbury London possibly in Eldon Street.
Died 10 April 1924 Beckenham, Kent.
Upholsterer
Compiled by Claire Grey with information from Honor Newman and Truda McNeill
He married Annie Dearie at St Brides, Fleet Street on 16 April 1863. They had five children. He and Annie were on the 1871 census at 7, Clephane Road Islington; Charles aged 32, wife Annie, 29, daughter Annie (Gertie) aged 7, Charles, 6, Mary (May) 4 and Robert, one with two servants. Their first four children were baptised at St Paul’s Church Balls Pond.
Frank was born in 1872 and christened in Blackheath. It is not known if the family lived there before moving to Stoke Newington.
By the 1881 census the family were living at Roslyn House, Lordship Road, Stoke Newington. Charles, upholsterer, 42, Annie 38, Gertrude 17, Charles J. 16, May 14, Robert, 11, Frank, 8 a visitor called Josephine Wright aged 63 and three servants.
In 1891,1901 and 1911 census the family lived at Roslin 14 Rectory Road Beckenham.
Charles was a very strict man, he wouldn’t let his children play with others so that his wife Annie had to let them out the back door. He refused to allow his son Charles to marry a Jewish girl and sent him to Australia where he committed suicide in 1891. Robert left home to become a cowboy in America, and Annie had to persuade him to return. His son Frank was married to Florence Day and was persona non grata due to talk of an illegitimate child with his wife. Frank died in 1922, 2 years before his father. Annie thought Charles was mean, for example when he refused to pay extra to the artist to include her hands in her portrait.
He went blind and mellowed in his old age and his daughter Gertie stayed at home to look after him. His granddaughter Honor thought he was a nice looking man and was always very kind to her when she was about four years old, giving her bars of chocolate.
He collected rare books and one was found at Dalvey Cottage called "A True and particular Relation of the Dreadful Earthquake at Lima" published in 1748, in which there is a written note: "Valuable Work, no copy possessed by British Museum. If it had not been rebound it wld have extraordinary value".
He was on the 1891 census at 14 Rectory Road, Beckenham aged 52 calling himself a warehouseman, wife Annie 49, Gertie aged 27 and a cook and a housemaid. By 1901 he is living on his own means, Gertie is 37 and Robert is the upholsterer aged 31.
Charles was on the 1911 Census at 14, Rectory Road, Beckenham aged 72 with Annie 69, Gertie 47, two servants and their niece Truda aged 6.
Honor felt that Gertie and May had suffered because Charles did not believe in education for women.
He died on 10 April 1924 and was buried at St Luke’s Cemetery Bickley Kent UK.
In his will he left his money to his children Gertie and Robert and Robert’s father in law.
His will says ”Charles Fox of Roslin 14 Rectory Road Beckenham- Kent. Died 10 April 1924 Probate 2 June to Robert Frederick fox cabinet maker, Gertrude Anne Fox spinster and Francis Augustus Smart bank clerk £26.014 2s 2d.
No money was left to Frank’s widow or to Frank’s daughter or to Charles own daughter May. The will for his son Charles who had died in 1891 in Straham, Tasmania was administered in the same year, 1924 on 14 August by Robert. Perhaps Charles had been unable or unwilling to deal with it while he was alive.
Right: a letter to his daughter May in 1909 sending her a cheque for £10 for Christmas.
27th December 1909
My dear May,
With this I am sending a cheque value £10.0.0. which I hope you will kindly accept as a little Souvenir of the present Season, trusting it will afford you some trifling pleasure with regard to its disposal.
I always admire your dear, amiable patient & useful life & I hope the New Year will provide you with bountiful happiness & satisfaction & that you may be long spared to those to whom you are so much endeared.
With love to all
Yours sincerely
Pater
PS
I forwarded a box of fruit from the Jamaica to you before Xmas, if not recieved please advise Sender.
This photograph is labelled Charles Fox on the reverse in his daughter Gertie's handwriting.
