Other Events:

• Occupation: Brewer, Carpenter and Bar Keeper
• Reference Number: *
• _UID: 9AD4983E54D12041B7753B0AE56EB762A723

Notes:

Things to do:
1. look for George Collis, brother to William in 1861 census as a painter? found him in 1891 and probably also 1901.
2. How do I know that in 1859 William arrived in Philadelphia, PA?
3. Newspapers of Hammonton, NJ and graves in Kensington. Did they choose Kensington because of Kensington, ENG
4. Naturalization papers Petition Aug 1858, New York county
5. Find any info on William 1826 to 1841. Ask Bert any newspaper accounts about Father?
6. Info on Chipping Hill, Witham, Essex, England
7. Who did the temple work for William's father, Christopher? and Anne's sealing to parents, 22 Jan 1971 S G
8. Who is Henry W. Chappell, grandson, in 1851 census?
9. Is there a will for Thomas Randall and also Elizabeth Randall?
10. Plot town's lived in: Witham, Brixton, , Hammersmith, Barnes, Richmond, Camberwell, Southwark.
11. Brentwood homestead papers. Did they choose Brentwood because there is a Brentwood near London?
12. Cemetary in Southwark for Randall and Laura Elizabeth Collis
13. Christening of first four children in England
14. Why did he enlist in Union Army
15. Why did they come to California?
16. Is there information on the saloon on Berry Street, SF? land records?

Timeline for William Collis
1826 May, William bn Chipping Hill, Witham, Essex, England
1833 May, William's mother Maria died, Chipping Hill, Witham
1838 Oct, William's father, Christopher Collis, marries Eliza Parker, St Giles, Cripplegate, London
1841 Census: living with father Christopher Collis, step mother, Eliza and several brothers and sisters,
Civil Parish:Lambeth (St. Mary Lambeth Parish), Brixton, Surrey, England, Camberwell Lane So
1846 July, William's father marries Alice Honeysett
1851 Census: William is an Inn keeper living with brother, George, and sister Dorcus in Lambeth, (also a Betsey Ann
Collis, a neice, and Wesley W Chappell who is listed as a grandson, probably to William's father, Christopher.)
Brixton, Surrey,England. (Brixton is a short distance from where Anne Randall lived)
1852 Nov, married Anne Randall, St. Pauls Parish, Hammersmith, Middlesex, England
1853 Nov, daughter, Ada Annie born in Barnes, England
1854 Nov, son, William Arthur born in Barnes, England
1856 Apr, daughter, Laura Elizabeth born in Richmond, England
1857 Jan, Anne's father, Thomas, died.
1857 Aug, daughter, Anna Bertha born in Camberwell, England
1858 April 6 - Laura Elizabeth died at London Rd. Southwark, England (apparently at grandparent's
house just after Anne's father, Thomas, died.)
1858 April 25 - Sailed from port in London, England, to America
1858 June 3 - Arrived New York (It looks like the trip took less than 1 1/2 months.)
1858 Aug, Petition for Naturalization, New York County
1859 May 9, son, Alfred George born in Buffalo, New York
1860 Census in Buffalo, New York, Wm, Ann and 4 children, he is listed as a brewer
1861 May 12, enlisted in Company F 21st regiment of New York Volunteers of Union Army in Elmira,
New York
1861 July-Oct served as a nurse in hospital
1862 June - Feb 1863 was ill in hospital in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania with war related disability
1863 Feb 9, discharged due to disability
1864 son, Austin Watson born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
1865 Jan, daughter, Anna Bertha, age 7, & Feb, son, Alfred George, age 5, buried in Kennsington, Pennsylvania
1866 daughter, Rachel born in Hammonton, New Jersey
1867 Sep 3 - 1 1/2 story house on 3 1/4 acres for sale in Hammonton, New Jersey for $100. (Philadelphia Exchange)
1868 listed in San Francisco directory at Mission & Precita
1868 Sept listed in San Francisco directory at Berry Street
1868 Sept son, Walter Winner born Berry Street, San Francisco
1870 Census, San Francisco, Wm, Ann and 5 children, He is listed as a Carpenter
1871 daughter, Florence born San Francisco
1872 daughter, Lillian born San Francisco
1871-74 listed in San Francisco directory at Berry Street as a saloon keeper
1876 homesteaded in Brentwood, Contra Costa, California
1880 Census, Tnp 5 Contra Costa County, Wm Ann and 7 children, He is a farmer
1884 homestead recorded'
1896 California great register Contra Costa County, farmer, age 70, 5 feet 6 1/2 inches fair complexion, hazel eyes,
brown hair, born Entgland. naturalized 4 Sept 1870, Dist. San Francisco, registered 5 Aug 1896
1900 William died at age 73 in Brentwood of a brain hemorrage and is buried in the Point of Timber cemetery, now
called the Union Cemetary
1900 Census, Ann, widow, and 2 daughters living in Contra Costa County, CA
1910 Census, Ann and one daughter living in Contra Costa County, CA
1918 Anne Esther died in Brentwood of old age at almost age 90.

William Collis and Anne Esther Randall

William Collis and Anne Esther Randall were married by license on the 18th day of November in 1852 in Saint Paul's church in the Parish of Hammersmith, Middlesex County, England. This is where William's father lived at the time. It is said that Anne's parents did not approve of the marriage. The story passed down is that her father was not pleased and may have disowned her when she married William Collis, who was a brewer. The 1851 Census shows William is an Inn keeper, or publican, of the Royal Veteran at # 8 Zoar Place, living with his brother, George, and sister, Dorcus, in Lambeth, a civil parish and within the ecclesiastic parish of Brixton, in the county of Surrey, England. The Inn in Lambeth was probably no more than a mile from Thomas Randall's butcher shop. Did William Collis meet Anne Randall at the Inn or at her father's butcher shop when he bought pork for the Inn? Perhaps William and Anne met at some local social activity. It is unknown where and when they met.

Anne was born 13 March 1828 at Southwark, (which means south of London Bridge), England. She was the oldest of 8 children of Thomas Randall and Elizabeth Benfield, his wife. In the 1851 census, she is listed as a butcher's assistant. Anne Esther Randall was said to have been a lady in waiting to queen Victoria. The story is told by the family that the queen gave Anne a pair of silk stockings that are still in the family. As far as can be proven, it is just a fun family story. ( The royal archives in England have no record of this and they say that they keep very good records of Ladies in Waiting. Nor do they have any record of her mother, Elizabeth or Ann Benfield as a lady in waiting). There is a photo on glass of Elizabeth Benfield Randall. There is also a photo and an oil painting of Anne Esther as a child. The oil painting is said to have been hanging on the wall of her home during the San Francisco earthquake on April 18, 1906. Florence saved the painting by cutting it out of the frame and rolling it up. Thus Florence kept it in her home eventually giving it to her brother, William's oldest son, Langley.

Anne's father, Thomas Randall, was a pork butcher at 78 London Road in Southwark, England. He had his own coach and footman and at least one servant. In the 19th century at least 80% of the population was working class. In order to be considered middle class you had to have at least one servant. Anne was christened in Saint George the Martyr Church and a part of the Church of England, which was just down the street from their home and butcher shop. The family very likely attended church with Charles Dickens. There was a debtor's prison, Marshalsea jail, next door to the church. At the time Anne was growing up, Charles Dicken's father was in that debtor's prison. Charles Dicken's would visit his father there. Although he worked outside as a boot black, it is most likely that Charles Dicken's also attended that same church as a child. Even the prisoners were let out to attend church.

Conditions in early 19th century towns were often dreadful as seen through the eyes and stories of Charles Dickens. towns were dirty, unsanitory and overcrowded. Streets were very often unpaved and they were not cleaned. Rubbish was not collected and it was allowed to accumulate in piles in the streets. Since most of it was organic, when it turned black and sticky it was used as fertiliser. Furthermore in the early 19th century poor people often had cesspits, which were not emptied very often. Later in the century many people used earth closets. (A pail with a box containing granulated clay over it. When you pulled a lever clay covered the contents of the pail). In the early 19th century only wealthy people had flushing lavatories and poor families often had to share toilets. On Sunday mornings queues (long lines) formed at the public toilets. In the late 19th century flushing lavatories became common.

Given these horrid conditions it is not surprising that disease was common. Life expectancy in towns was low (significantly lower than in the countryside) and infant mortality was very high. British towns and cities suffered outbreaks of cholera in 1831-32 and again in 1848-49. Fortunately the last outbreak at last spurred people into action.
In the late 19th century most towns dug sewers and created piped water supplies, which made life much healthier.

Within 4 1/2 years of their marriage, William and Anne had 4 children: Ada Anne, William Arthur, Laura Elizabeth, and Anna Bertha; all born in England in varying towns just west of London. Ada Anne born November 12,1853 and William Arthur, born November 24, 1854, both in Barnes, Surry County; an area just south of London with several breweries. Laura Elizabeth born April 6, 1856, in Richmond, and Anna Bertha born 23 August, 1857,in Camberville.

Why did they decide to come to America? Was it adventure that prompted them to emigrate to the United States? Was it lack of funds? Was it the falling out with her father? Whatever the reason, they were preparing to leave England, when their 3rd child, Laura Elizabeth, died suddenly, at 2 years of age, just 8 days before sailing. Ironically, she died at Anne's parent's home on London Road in Southwark. Anne's father, Thomas Randall, had died the previous year. It is believed the baby died from the inoculations received in preparation for the trip. The dye was cast. Their tickets had been purchased, so on the 25 of April in 1858, they left from London, England, and sailed for America on the ship, Cornelius Grinnell, with Capt A. G. Fletcher. They arrived in New York on the 3 of June of that same year. The voyage had taken less than one and a half months. What kind of a hardship was it to sail across the Atlantic Ocean in that small ship with three small children and to leave a little one behind in a new grave? Anne surely was grieving in her heart, but kept busy in body by the needs of her other three children.

The first known place of residence in the U.S. is Buffalo, New York, where their 5th child Alfred George was born May 9, 1859. William and his family were living in Buffalo during the 1860 census and he was listed as a brewer, his occupation in England. It is from Buffalo on the 4th of May, 1861, at age 34, that William enlisted in the 21st Regiment of New York volunteers in the Union Army and served as a private under General Wadsworth in Virginia. His description is given as light complected, hazel eyes, brown hair and 5 feet 6 inched tall. He mustered in May 12, 1861 at Elmira N.Y., and was in the detached service from 1 Aug 1861, serving in the hospital as a nurse, (possibly using his chemistry background as a brewer). In March and April 1862, he was in the Washington Street Hospital in Alexandria, Virginia. Then again in June 1862 through February 1863 he was a patient in the Christian Street General Hospital in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Philadelphia was known for its several hospitals for Civil War casualties, but it was not a place of heavy military conflict.

On February 6, 1863, William was discharged from Captain Clinton's Company, for physical disability, (by reason of general disability connected with spinal irritation due to wearing the cartridge belt.) William appears on the Company muster out roll dated 18 May 1863, Buffalo, N.Y. In later years he was unable to work due to rheumatism in the small of his back and hips and collected disability. He lived in Antioch, CA at the time of application for disability.

The family was living in Philadelphia after his discharge and another child, Austin Watson, was born there on January 29, 1864. Philadelphia must not have seemed a happy place to live considering William's hospitalization and the tragedy of the deaths of 2 more of their children. Alfred age 5, and his sister, Anna, age 7, died within 2 weeks of each other in late January and early February of 1865. They were buried in Kensington, Pennsylvania, a northern area of Philadelphia. Perhaps they chose Kensington because it reminded them of the Kensington back home in England. Their 7th child, Rachael, nicknamed Rettie, was born a year later in 1866. She was never quite normal. On the mother's widow's pension application it states that "Rettie was an imbecile from birth." Rettie never married and lived to be 46 years old. She lived with her mother her entire life.

An article appeared in the Philadelphia Exchange on September 3, 1864, offering land owned by William Collis for sale for $100. The place was listed as a small farm, 3 1/4 acres situated on Hammonton Avenue in the village of Hammonton, Atlantic County, N. J. about 1 mile from the station of the Camden and Atlantic Railroad. It was a 6 room, 1 1/2-story frame house; cellar, kitchen and storeroom, conveniently fitted with sink, closet &c; barn, cart shed and lots of berries, fruit and shade trees.

Sometime between February 1866 and September 1868, Anne and William moved with their family to San Francisco. They went by Steamer down the Atlantic coast to the Isthmus of Panama. Then traveled across the Isthmus about 7 miles by train and then by donkey to the west coast. Their son, William Arthur remembers being in awe of the monkeys there. They then boarded a freighter up the Pacific Coast to San Francisco. (See appendix 1. Crossing the Isthmus of Panama.) Their furniture was shipped "around the horn" of South America. They settled in San Francisco. In 1868, William Collis is listed as a saloon keeper in the San Francisco Directory as living on the corner of Mission and Precita Avenue. On September 14, 1868, Walter Winner was born at 130 Berry Street, San Francisco. Florence was born January 8, 1871 and Lillian, their last child was born October 11, 1872. Both were also born at Berry Street, San Francisco. William Collis is listed in the San Francisco Directories of 1871 through 1874 as a saloonkeeper at 130 Berry Street. In the 1871 directory he was also listed as a carpenter.

In 1873, William and his family settled in Brentwood, Contra Costa County, California. They were familiar with the name Brentwood as there was a Brentwood just north of London in England close to where they had lived. A Patent for 160 acres of Homestead Land was granted to William Collis in Washington, D. C. on 25 Sep 1876 and was not recorded in the Martinez County Recorder's office until 10 Nov 1884. (This land is located on the official map of Contra Costa Co. published in 1908. They lived there until William's death on February 3, 1900. He died of hemorrhage into the brain at the age of 73, and was buried February 5th, at the Point of Timber Cemetary, in Brentwood, Contra Costa County, California. William was said to have a bit of an ornery streak later in life.

After the death of her husband, Anne maintained a home in Brentwood with her two unmarried daughters, Lillian and Rachel. In 1903 she lived at 566 Walter Street in San Francisco. She had a dowager hump caused by osteoporosis. The last 4 years before her death, she lived with her daughter, Florence Gates, because she needed contant attending. Anne died at age 90, January 2, 1918, of old age. She is buried in the Point of Timber Cemetary in Brentwood, Costa County, California. Her will left the ranch in Brentwood, valued at $1000, to be divided among her 6 surviving children.

William and Anne Collis had 10 children born to them; 4 in England, 3 on the east coast of the United States, and 3 in San Francisco. Three of the 10 children died young. One was disabled for life. Two daughters married later in life and had no children. Only 4 of the 10 children had children. William and Anne had fifteen grandchildren and 25 great grandchildren.



William Collis was born, 20 May 1826, at Chipping Hill in Witham, Essex County, England. Chipping Hill means market place. It is in East Essex, 1 mile north of Witham Parish on the River Brain. It was the site of a Roman Camp. William was the 3rd of 6 children of Christopher Annett and Maria (Bridge) Collis. His brothers and sisters were: Jane, Samuel (who died young), George, Maria, Dorcus and Samuel. William and his father were both brewer's. William is listed as a Publican in the 1851 census (Pub comes from Publican). William's mother died when he was 7 years old. 5 years later his father married Eliza Parker and Christopher and Eliza had two children, Joseph and Eliza. Christopher's wife, Eliza, also died as in 1846 he is listed as a widower and marries a widow named Alice Honeysett Leste. As far as is known, they had no children.

In the Lambeth, Surrey, England 1841 Census William Collis, age 15, was living with father, Christopher and Eliza Collis and brothers and sisters: George, Maria, Samuel, Joseph, Dorcus and Eliza. Lambeth is just a bit southwest of Southwark, Surrey, England. Christopher was a brewer. They lived on Camberwell Rd. which may be the same as the current Lambeth Rd. By 1851 William, George, and Dorcus along with a grandson and niece of Christopher, were living apart from the family, but still in Lambeth on what looks like #8 Zoar Place, Royal Veteran; probably an Inn or Saloon owned by Christopher as William, George and Dorcus are listed as sons and daughter. William was a brewer or Publican (which is British for Inn or Saloon). Dorcus is listed as a Publican assistant. George is listed as a painter. There are also 2 servants and a lodger listed there.

William and his father, Christopher, were both brewers. In the 1851 census Christopher is now married to Alice and is living at 177 London Rd, Hounslow, Middlesex County, England. Hounslow is about 10 miles west of London and Southwark. Christopher is a Brewer and has 3 of his children with him; Eliza, Joseph, and Samuel. He is listed as a brewer employing 1 laborer and 2 sons. Where is daughter, Maria? Is Henry Chappell, listed as the grandson, the son of Maria? It appears this may be the case.

According to Langley Collis, William came across the isthmus by rail. He homesteaded Deer Valley, by Mount Diablo, by a Government War Grant. Watt and Will both worked Balfour- Guthrie share crop.

The following information was written by Florence Elizabeth Collis Gates, daughter of Ann Esther Randall and William Collis. "William Collis was born 20 May 1826 at Chipping Hill*, Witham, Essex, England. He was educated in London, England and was an accomplished musician, specializing on the violin. He owned a Stradavarian violin, which he played at concerts. He also played a cornet professionally." "His father was a brewer and wealthy. so he had to study chemistry. Before his marriage, he made music his profession. "He was married to Anne Esther Randall on 18 November 1852, in St. Paul's Parish Chapel, London, England. She was born 13 March 1828. Two years after his marriage, he owned and operated a brewery in Richmond, England. He disposed of this when leaving for America." They left England 25 April 1858 for America." "In 1861 he enlisted in the 21st Reg. N.Y. volunteers at Buffalo, NY. He served under General Wadsworth, at Richmond, Virginia. He was injured and sent to Christian St. Hospital in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. When he recovered, he was placed in charge of the lab in the hospital. He was discharged Feb 9, 1863. He moved with his wife and family to San Francisco, California, in 1867."

The following information is from a letter dated 1 March 1975 to Marilyn Parker from Alma Collis, daughter of William Arthur Collis, Who was the son of William and Anne Collis. Arthur was born in Barnes, England in 1854. He always said that he was born within the sound of "Big Ben". He was about 13 years old when he moved with his parents to San Francisco. Langley Collis is Alma's brother. "Langley and Marge Collis came to see me last Saturday. We had quite a visit and did some reminding each other about this and that. Langley says Dad and his family came from New Jersey via boat, across Panama, through jungles via donkey. Dad couldn't get over the monkeys. Then they got on another ship and came to San Francisco. Their furniture came around the horn."

The following is taken from a letter dated December 1977 to Marilyn Parker from Marjorie Collis Ward, daughter of William Arthur Collis who was the son of William and Anne Collis. "I do hope you did (go to visit Langley Collis, her brother). You would have seen the portrait of Anne (Collis as a child). Langley had it hanging over the mantel in their living room. It is a charming painting. I loved it as a child and as an adult too. It hung in Aunt Florrie's house in Brentwood when I saw it first to remember. Although the old folks were great for `everything to the oldest son', who was my father William Arthur, I think he always felt Aunt Florrie deserved the portrait. She went into their burning home in San Francisco, the result of the earthquake of 1906, cut it out of its frame, rolled it up and ran back out through flames with it. Aunt Florrie gave it to Langley as `the oldest son of the oldest son'. He and Margaret treasured it. I believe their oldest, Reyburn, has it now."
*Chipping Hill means market place. It is in East Essex, 1 mile north of Witham Parish on the River Brain. It was the site of a Roman Camp.

England births and Christenings 1538-1975
The index is an electronic database of information transcribed from original records.
William Collis
baptism/christening: 16 Jun 1826
Witham, Essex, England
father: Christopher Annett Collis
mother: Maria
indexing project batch# 104624-5
source film # 1702677
ref # item 8 p 107


1841 England Census
Name: William Collis
Age: 15
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1826
Gender: Male
Civil parish: Lambeth
Hundred: Brixton (Eastern Division)
County/Island: Surrey
Country: England
Street Address: Camberwell Lane, South
Registration district: Lambeth
Sub-registration district: Brixton
Neighbors:
Household Members: Name Age
Christoper Collis 40
Eliza Collis 35
William Collis 15
George Collis . 10
Maria Collis 10
Samuel Collis 5
Joseph Collis 5
Dorcas Collis 5
Eliza Collis 5
Henry Parker 20 carpentar (probably Eliza, the wife's, brother

The following is our William. The abstraction is incorrect. These should be two separate households with William at the start of the second. He couldn't possibly be the son of Richard and Sarah. Look at the ages of Richard and Sarah.
1851 England Census
Name: William Collis
Age: 24
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1827
Relation: Son
Father's Name: Richard F (No he's not)
Mother's Name: Sarah (No she's not)
Gender: Male
Where born: Witham, Essex, England
Civil parish: Lambeth (Lambeth is just southwest of Southwark, England)
Ecclesiastical parish: Brixton
County/Island: Surrey
Country: England
Street Address: 8 Zoar Place, Royal Veteran
Occupation: brewer now publican (British saloon keeper or inn keeper)
Condition as to marriage: unmarried
Registration district: Lambeth
Sub-registration district: Brixton
ED, institution, or vessel: 6
Household schedule number: 18
Household Members: Name Age
William Collis 24 son, brewer now publican
George S Collis 23 son, painter
Delene Collis 19 should be Dorcus, daughter, publican assistant
Belen A Collis 22 Should be Betsy Ann, neice
Henry W Chappell 3 grandson
Thomas Waite 22 servant
Mary Ann Garling 34 servant
Edward Turner 40 lodger

Surrey, England, Church of England Baptisms, 1813-1912
Name: William Collis
Gender: Male
Occupation: Brewer
Abode: St John's Grove
Parish as it Appears: Richmond
Spouse: Anna Esther Collis
Child: Laura Elizabeth Collis
born 6 Apr 1856
baptized 16 Jul 1856 Richmond, St Mary Magdalene
Reference Number: P7/1/14

New York Passenger Lists, 1820-1957
Name: William Collis
Arrival Date: 3 Jun 1858
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1826
Age: 32
Port of Departure: London, England
Destination: United States of America
Place of Origin: England
Ship Name: Cornelius Grinnell (Note:This was the 2nd Cornelius Grinnell, the first one having wrecked at Squan Beach, NJ in 1853 without loss of life.)
Search Ship Database: Search the Cornelius Grinnell in the 'Passenger Ships and Images' database
Port of Arrival: New York
Line: 14
Microfilm Serial: M237
Microfilm Roll: M237_184
List Number: 439
Port Arrival State: New York
Port Arrival Country: United States

New York Port, Ship Images, 1851-1891
Name: William Collis
Arrival Date: 3 Jun 1858
Age: 32
Port of Departure: London, England
Port of Arrival: New York, United States
Ship Name: Cornelius Grinnell
Ship built: 1850
Shipping line: Swallowtail Line
Ship tonnage: 1,118 tons
Ship description: 3 masts

Soundex index to petitions for naturalization from New York County.
More information below
New York Petitions for Naturalization Record about William Collis
Name: William Collis
Naturalization Date: 23 Aug 1858
Former Nationality: English
Title and Location of Court: Common Pleas Court, New York County
Volume: 206
Record Number: 164
Note! Philadelphia Naturalization Rocords (fische # 6100592

1859, Oct 8 -Collis, William - GR Brit - CP Court - Date of Declaration of intent/and or oath of allegiance.

New York, Town Clerks' Registers of Men Who Served in the Civil War, ca 1861-1865
Name: William Collis
Birth Date: 1827
Birth Place: England
Residence Place: Buffalo, New York
Enlistment Date: 8 May 1861
Enlistment Location: Buffalo, Erie, New York
Regiment: 21st Regimetn
Company: F
Rank: Private
Race: White

Civil War, Company Muster Roll:
William Collis- Pvt. Co. F 21st Reg't of NY volunteers
Enlisted by Captain Clinton, 4 day of May 1861, at Buffalo, N Y, to serve for 3 years.
Mustered in 12 May 1861, Elmira, NY
Detached service in hospital as a nurse, July -Oct 1861
Returned to his company, 24 Oct 1861
March/June 1862-sick in Washington Street Hospital, Alexandria, VA
June 1862 Feb 1863-sick in Christian Street US General Hospital, Philadelphia, PA
Discharged 9 Feb 1863 as incapable of performing the duties of a soldier
(By reason of general debility connected with spinal irritation).

! BIR-MAR:Collis family bible in possession of Marilyn Parker

William arrived in Philadelphia Pennsylvania in 1859, (source: 9292 pg. 166, United States Works Projects Administration, Index to records of Aliens' Declaration of Intentions and or oath of allegiance, 1789-1880 in U. S. Circuit Court, U.S. Court of Common Pleas, Philadelphia, 11 Vols. Compiled by WPA Project #10837. Sponsored by Pennsylvania Historical Commission, 1940, Lancour 188, (Vol. 1: Letter C, PP1-297) Wm. Collis was naturalized 6 Sept 1870, San Francisco, CA, 4th Dist.

*1860 United States Federal Census
Name: Wm Collis
Age in 1860: 33
Birth Year: abt 1827
Birthplace: England
Home in 1860: Buffalo Ward 2, Erie, New York
Gender: Male
Post Office: Buffalo
Value of real estate: $200
Household Members: Name Age
Wm Collis 33 Eng Brewer
Ann E Collis 32 Eng
Ada Collis 6 Eng
William Collis 5 Eng
Bertha Collis 3 Eng
Alfred Collis 1 NY

U.S. City Directories, 1822-1995
Name: William Collis
Residence Year: 1868
Street address: Mission and Preeita Avenue
Residence Place: San Francisco, California, USA
Occupation: Carpenter, Dwl
Publication Title: San Francisco, California, City Directory, 1868

*1870 United States Federal Census
Name: Wm Collis
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1827
Age in 1870: 43 house carpenter
Birthplace: England
Home in 1870: San Francisco Ward 9, San Francisco, California
Family and neighbors:
Annie E. 41 England
Ada A. 15 Eng
Wm A 16 Eng
Austin W. 6 PA
Rachel 4 NY
Walter W. 2 CA
Race: White
Gender: Male
Value of real estate:
Post Office: San Francisco

U.S. City Directories, 1822-1995
Name: William Collis
Residence Year: 1871
Residence Place: San Francisco, California, USA
Occupation: Liquor Saloon And Carpenter
Publication Title: San Francisco, California, City Directory, 1871

U.S. City Directories, 1822-1995
Name: William Collis
Residence Year: 1872
Street address: llaggin and Berrv
Residence Place: San Francisco, California, USA
Occupation: Liquor Saloon
Publication Title: San Francisco, California, City Directory, 1872

U.S. City Directories, 1822-1995
Name: William Collis
Residence Year: 1873
Street address: 130 Berry
Residence Place: San Francisco, California, USA
Occupation: Liquor Saloon
Publication Title: San Francisco Directory, 1873

U.S. City Directories, 1822-1995
Name: William Collis
Residence Year: 1874
Residence Place: San Francisco, California, USA
Occupation: Sticker (with B & J S Doe - doors, sashes, & blinds )
Publication Title: San Francisco, California, City Directory, 1874

*1880 United States Federal Census
Name: William Collis
Home in 1880: Township 5, Contra Costa, California
Age: 54
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1826
Birthplace: England
Relation to head-of-household: Self
Spouse's name: Esther A.
Father's birthplace: ENG
Mother's birthplace: ENG
Neighbors:
Occupation: Farmer
Marital Status: Married
Race: White
Gender: Male
Household Members: Name Age
William Collis 54
Esther A. Collis 51
William A. Collis 24 (Ada A. was also listed on this line)
Austin W. Collis 15
Rachael Collis 12
Walter W. Collis 11
Florence E. Collis 10
Lillian E. Collis 8

U.S., Civil War Pension Index: General Index to Pension Files, 1861-1934
Name: William Collis
Gender: Male
Place Filed: California, USA
Relation to Head: Soldier
Spouse: Anne E Collis

Search for Type: Births Surname: Collis County: Surrey England
Birth date Surname First name(s) District Vol Page
Dec 1853 COLLIS Ada Annie Richmond S
Jun 1856 Collis Laura Elizabeth
Dec 1857 Collis Anna Bertha
Dec 1854 Collins ? William Arthur Richmond S

Search for Deaths Surname: Collis County: Surrey England
Mar 1839 Collis Female St George Southwark
Mar 1839 COLLIS Female St Geo Southwk
Dec 1839 Collis Female St Geo Sthwk
Dec 1839 Collis Female St George Southwark
Mar 1842 Collis Sarah St George Southwark
lizabeth St George Southwark
Jun 1849 Collis Herbert Richard Charles St George Southwark
Jun 1853 Collis George St Geo Sk

Appendix 1.
The Works of Hubert Howe Bancroft, Vol. XXXV, 1888
California Inter Pocula by Hubert Howe Bancroft
http://books.google.com/books?id=pu0NAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA155&dq=California+by+the+isthmus+of+Panama#PPA177,M1

The Voyage to California P157-8 (Crossing the Isthmus of Panama)

(The Panama Railroad of seven miles was completed Jan 1858
Seven miles of that great undertaking-great considering the time and the place -the Panama railway was accomplished when, on the first of March, 1852, we dropped anchor off Chagres; and to afford the company due encouragement, those seven miles must be traveled over, and contribution levied for the same, at the rate of nearly one dollar a mile, on every passenger crossing the Isthmus thereafter. So orders were given to weigh anchor, and proceed thence two or three leagues easterly to Colon, or Navy bay, then called Aspinwall, the name and glory of the first admiral being thrust aside for those of a New York money magnate. However, the old name of Colon was a few years after restored. There we disembarked, and rode over the seven miles of completed work, paying for the same quite liberally, when we were permitted to engage boats and ascend the Chagres river which we could as easily and as cheaply have done before as afterward.
Crossing the Isthmus in early times, for an untravelled, provincial people, was a feat altogether individual and unique; a feat very different from a three or four hours' ride in comfortable rail-cars, through ever changing scenery which affords the observer constant delight, as the journey is now made.
Chagres at this time was a town of about seven hundred native inhabitants, dwelling in some fifty windowless, bamboo huts, with thatched, palm-leaf roofs, and having open entrances, and the bare ground for a floor. The town was surrounded by heaps of filthy offal, and greasy, stagnant pools bordered with blue mud. It is situated on a small but exceedingly picturesque and almost land-locked bay, well nigh buried by the foliage that skirts its banks and rolls off in billowy emerald toward the hill beyond. Between the shore and mountains stretch away for miles in every direction broad, open savannahs, cut into farms covered with chaparral, and stocked with cattle. Where the river and ocean meet rises a bold bluff crowned by the castle of San Lorenzo, whose ruined fortress and battlements, gnawed to a skeleton by the teeth of time, gaze mournfully out upon the sea which lashes its waves against its steep foundations, as if determined to uproot in all these inhospitable parts the last vestige of the olden time. Fallen to the bottom of the cliff were parapet and guns; screaming sea-birds occupied the crumbling, moss-covered watch-tower; while within the dismounted cannon, bearing, with royal arms of Spain, the date of 1745, were slowly changing into rust. Remnants of the old paved road which ascends the hill were there, and the drawbridge over the moat--once wide and deep, but now rank with vegetation--leading to the main gateway; likewise the drawbridge to the citadel on the verge of the cliff, whence a charming view of sea and land may be had. At Chagres, passengers were accustomed to stay no longer than sufficed to engage boats and start on their journey. This region is specially noted for the insalubrity of its climate.

COLON
Aspinwall, or Navy bay, where the first blow upon the railway was struck, occupies a small swampy mud-reef called Manzanilla island, fringed with mangrove trees, and originally covered with interlacing vines and thorny shrubs, and inhabited only by reptiles, beasts and poisonous insects.
The rainfall at Aspinwall is very heavy. During the rainy season, which is from May to January, the windows of heaven are opened, and in October and November there is a quick succession of deluges. Glued furniture falls in pieces; leather moulds, and iron oxidizes in twenty-four hours.
Quite a contrast between the old and the new! In making the transit by rail, the day before reaching Aspinwall every one descended into the hold of the steamer, either in person or by proxy, selected his baggage, had it weighed and checked, and paid ten cents a pound for all over fifty pounds if a holder of a steerage ticket, and all over one hundred pounds if a holder of a cabin ticket. Baggage was then transferred to the steamer on the other side without further trouble to the owner. No sooner was the plank out than the slosely penned passengers, with a rush squeezed and stampeded--the American style of disembarking--hastened ashore, scattered themselves among the hotels, shops, and fruit venders, and were soon lost in present gratification of appetite, and in laying in a store of comforts and disease for the future. The pleasure of placing foot on shore after a long voyage, even though it be the soft spongy shore of Aspinwall, is exquisite. To a cramped sea-rolled landsman any spot of earth looks lovely, especially when viewed from the sea. To tread on solid ground, and feel mother earth beneath your feet again, seems like a return from supernatural regions. Thus to land and thus to cross the Isthmus is a pleasant change from the tiresome life on board the steamers. Railway passengers wish the ride was longer, wish they could so ride all the way to San Francisco. Seated by an open window, the face fanned by the motion of the train, and armed with a pitcher or pail of iced water, the ride is indeed charming. But at the time of which I write crossing the Isthmus was a very different affair, as I shall show.

REDUNDANT VEGETATION

Surpassingly beautiful is the foliage along the banks of this Circean stream. Rolling up from either side are mountains of impervious forest, gigantic, Rank, and wild. Every shade of green, somber and bright, mingles with rose-red, purple, white, and yellow, orange, blue, and pink in endless varying kaleidoscope. Solemn palms, thick-leaved mangoes, bold majestic teaks, and bounteous bananas are linked by crimson-blossomed parasites, which, twining, interlacing, creeping, and pendant, mat and unite all brotherhoods in close embrace, and over-reaching the glistening banks meet their image in the glassy waters. Bending acacias dig their sinewy roots into the soft earth to prevent falling, and weave their branches into thick screens; bread-fruit hangs in huge clusters overhead, and plantain pine-apple and orange, mango and lime, papaw alligator-pear and sugar-cane, yield profusely their spontaneous favors. It is no trifling matter to be a tree in the tropics. If erect and strong it is made a plant-patriarch, whether it will or not, and must support a dense mass of orchids, purple convolvuli, and creeping plants of almost every genus and species, which if spread upon the ground would form a thick carpet covering a space five times the area of the tree's shadow at noon-day; and when at last the forest behemoth is smothered to death, and dragged down by these relentless parasites, its sapless trunk is speedily buried in broad leaves and tender vines and bunches of spongy moss, and its tomb decorated with flaming flowers and delicate microscopic blossoms.
Underneath dark vistas of shadowy colonnade are tall grasses and tangled shrubbery through which wild beasts with difficulty force their way. What in our colder climnes are rare exotics, here riot in the open air, bursting with exuberance. Innumerable flowers of every hue gild the landscape; the tiny blossoms of the north spread out in flaming proportions, or assume shapes in which they almost lose their identity, while innumerable species unknown to the northern naturalist abound in rank profusion. Chief among those, and one of the most remarkable that blooms in any clime is the Flor del Espiritu santo, the flower of the holy ghost. Lifting its graceful form from marshy pools and decayed logs to a height sometimes of six or seven feet, it throws out broad lanceolate leaves by pairs from jointed leaf-stalks, while on a leafless flower-stalk springing from the bulb are sometimes ten or fifteen tulip shaped blossoms of alabaster whiteness, and powerful magnolia perfume, enfolding within their tiny cups the prone image of a dove, formed in such consummate grace and symmetry as no art could approach. And with this emblem of innocence and celestrial purity rising from a sensual paradise; with its gentle head bent meekly forward, its exquisitely shaped pinions hanging listlessly by its sides, its tiny bill, tipped with delicate carmine, almost resting on its snow white breast, in form and feature the very incarnation of ethereal innocence--shall we blame the early priests for pointing the pooor natives to this flower, and telling them God is here:

ANIMATED NATURE

Palm trees of various descriptions line the banks, and gorgeous water lilies dip their fragrant heads as the boat passes over them. Every shower of rain is like the sprinkling of perfume on the vegetation. Birds of richly painted plumage and shrill song illuminate the forest; the dark, scarlet-breasted toucan, which tosses its food from its long serrated beak into the air and catches it in its throat, and in drinking, as the padres say, makes the signh of the cross, whence they call it Dios te de, (May God give thee); screaming parrots, parroquets and flamingoes with their harsh discordant voices, and black and yellow turpiales, wild turkeys, peacocks, and herons, and multitudes of others, gorgeously feathered and sweet of song, glitter amidst the shadowy green. Chattering monkeys leap from tree to tree and swing upon the pendent vines; mammoth blue butterflies, brilliant as the rainbow, dance in the sun and rise to match the azure of heaven on wings a hand broad; and bumming birds, beautiful as the butterflies, buzz and poise and dart from flower to flower. Myriads of insects with burnished coats of mail sparkle in the air and people the plants, while all through the day the shrill whistle of the chicharra--a kind of green grasshopper--is heard, which beginning in a low gurgle, rises into a clear blast like the whistle of a steam engine, and which may be distinguished a mile distant.

Pg 177
Down from the mountains and out of the tropical wilderness we approach the borders of the broad Pacific. Fromm a series of plains dotted with patches of black thorn and cactus, and groves of citron, orange, and mango, we strike into the paved road, cross the old stone bridge, and are soon among the plantations and suburban residences of Panama. Goats and herds of cattle now mingle with bands of pack mules, mounted stragglers, and pedestrians; water-carriers ply their trade with increased activity as the day draws to a close; houses, two and three stories in height, of wood and adobe, supplant the remoter reed huts, and following the current of gold-seekers we leave behind the shops outside the walls, cross the moat, and passing under the arched and towered gateway of Puerta de Tierra, with its old stone cross and bell, we enter Panama
The Works of Hubert Howe Bancroft, Vol. XXXV, 1888

William married Anne Esther RANDALL on 18 Nov 1852 in Saint Pauls Church, Hammersmith, Middlesex, England. Anne (daughter of Thomas RANDALL and Elizabeth Benfield) was born on 13 Mar 1828 in 77 London Rd, Southwark, Surrey, England; was christened on 15 Jun 1828 in St. George the Martyr, Southwark, Surrey, England; died on 3 Jan 1918 in Brentwood, Contra Costa, California, United States; was buried in Union Cemetary, Brentwood, Contra Costa, California, United States. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

England, Select Marriages, 1538–1973
Name: William Collis
Gender: Male
Marital Status: Single
Age: 26
Birth Date: 1826
Marriage Date: 18 Nov 1852
Marriage Place: St. Paul, Hammersmith, Middlesex, England
Father: Christopher Aus...Ett Collis
Spouse: Ann Esther Randall
FHL Film Number: 1966291
Reference ID: it 1, pg 190, rn 379

1. Ada Annie COLLIS was born on 12 Nov 1853 in Barnes, Surrey, England; died on 16 Nov 1925 in Stockton, San Joaquin, California, United States; was buried in Union Cemetery, Brentwood, Contra Costa, California, United States.
2. William Arthur COLLIS was born on 24 Nov 1854 in Barnes, Surrey, England; died on 25 Jan 1937 in Stockton, San Joaquin, California, United States; was buried in Brentwood, Contra Costa, California, United States.
3. Laura Elizabeth COLLIS was born on 6 Apr 1856 in Richmond, Surrey, England; was christened on 16 Jul 1856 in St. Mary Magdelene, Richmond, Surrey, England; died on 17 Apr 1858 in Southwark, Surrey, England.
4. Anna Bertha COLLIS was born on 23 Aug 1857 in Camberwell, Surrey, England; died on 24 Jan 1865 in Kensington, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States; was buried in Kensington, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States.
5. Alfred George COLLIS was born on 9 May 1859 in Buffalo, Erie, New York, United States; died on 2 Feb 1865 in KensingPhiladelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States; was buried in Union Cemetery, Kennington, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
6. Austin Watson COLLIS was born on 29 Jan 1864 in Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States; was christened on 21 Aug 1864 in Zion Protestant Episcopal Church, Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; died on 8 Apr 1942 in Pittsburg, Contra Costa, California, United States; was buried in Union Cemetery, Brentwood, Contra Costa, California, United States.
7. Rachael COLLIS was born on 9 Feb 1866 in Hammonton, Atlantic, New Jersey, United States; died on 10 Aug 1912 in Brentwood, Contra Costa, California, United States; was buried in Union Cemetery, Brentwood, Contra Costa, California, United States.
8. Walter Winner COLLIS was born on 14 Sep 1868 in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States; died on 22 Jan 1930 in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States; was buried in Union Cemetery, Brentwood, Contra Costa, California, United States.
9. Florence Elizabeth COLLIS was born on 8 Jan 1871 in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States; died on 9 Jan 1945 in Stockton, San Joaquin, California, United States; was buried in Union Cemetary, Brentwood, Contra Costa, California, United States.
10. Lillian Esther COLLIS was born on 11 Oct 1872 in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States; was christened on 27 Jul 1873 in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States; died on 16 Feb 1954 in Stockton, San Joaquin, California, United States; was buried in Union Cemetery, Brentwood, Contra Costa, California, United States.

Other Events:

• Occupation: 1832: Baker, Victualler; residence 1839:
• Reference Number: *
• _UID: 2F6625C640922E42B30FABD42757EF2F9F37

Notes:

Things to do:
1. Look through records in binder to add details
2. Is there an 1831 Census? no
3. Are there news articles or advertisements for Star brewery or Kennington Brewery?
4. Who did temple work for Christopher Annett Collis, mother, Susannah Smith/Collis?
5. Can more info on children be found? What about New Zealand/Australia?
6. 4. What is the name of the town where the White Horse Inn was located? Bert's email states it was in Witham.

Timeline for Christopher Annett Collis:

1800 May 7 Christopher born Braintree, Essex, England
1821 marriage: June 7 Maria Bridge in Witham, Essex, England
1822 Aug 11 daughter, Jane, born Essex County to Chrisopher and Maria
1824 son, Samuel Annett, born Essex
1825 son, Samuel Annett, died Witham, Essex, England
1826 May 20 son, William, born Witham,
1827 Christopher went bankrupt
1828 April 16 son, George Smith Collis, born Witham,
1829 Feb 9 daughter, Maria, born Witham,
1830 Poll Books and Electoral Registers Christopher A Collis, Witham
1831 May 21 daughter, Dorcus, born Witham,
1832 Christopher was a baker, brewer in Witham,
1833 Death: May 23, wife, Maria, in Witham,
1833 Christopher moves to Chelmsford as a brewer's clerk at Kennington Brewery, Dorset St
and Chapham Rd near the oval cricket grounds in London.
1836 son? Joseph Collis born (he was born after Christopher's wife Maria died and before he married Eliza)
1838 Oct 19 Marries Eliza Parker at St. Giles Cripplegate, London England. 1839 daughter, Eliza Collis born
1839 Owned a Tavern/Public House, The Woolpack Inn (near the White Horse Inn), Church St. Chipping Hill,
Witham
1839 Pigot's Directory: baker, Chipping Hill, Witham (Baker's yeast and yeast for ale may have been
interchangeable at that time)
1841 Census: Christopher and Eliza living Brixton, Lambeth, Surrey, England
1844 Sept, wife, Eliza dies, Lambeth, Surrey, England
1846 Jul 9 marries Alice Scott Honeysett at St. Giles Cripplegate, London England.
1851 Census: Christopher with wife, Alice, in Hounslow, Middlesex 177 London Rd, Brewer at Star Brewery,
employing 1 labor and two sons
1851 London, England, Electoral Registers, Christopher in Heston, Star Brewery
1853 London, England, Electoral Registers, Christopher in Heston, Star Brewery
1868 Christopher marries Elizabeth Archer age 37, spinster
1869 Death: Christopher South Stoneham, Hampshire age 69



According to the records sent to me from Bert Collis I write the following:
Christopher was bankrupt in 1827 and paid his creditors 2s.6d. in the pound. (i.e. One eighth) but by 1833 he was buying a small house in Witham and started in business as a victualler and baker. In 1833 he was in Chelmsford and was listed as a brewer's clerk of Kennington Brewery, Dorset Street and Chapham Rd. Brewer's clerk. (44 K from Witham, 35 K from Chelmsford. He also with his brother William became tenant of the Swan Inn at Brentwood in Essex. (Quite a coincidence! He soon failed again owing nearly four hundred pounds mainly to the brewers and was again made bankrupt. The Essex Record Office has a thick wad of court papers on the claims and counter claims. It includes a letter written by Christopher A Collis to the brewers solicitors. Christopher moved to London and became Brewers Clerk at the Kennington Brewery in Dorset St. Clapham Road. (This was near the Oval Cricket Ground). His father Samuel Collis was buried at Braintree on Jan 27th 1832, age 70 (Information from Bert Collis)

http://search.labs.familysearch.org
England births and Christenings 1538-1975
The index is an electronic database of information transcribed from original records.
Christopher Annett Collis
baptism/christening:24 Jul 1801
Braintree, Essex, England
father: Samuel Collis
mother: Susannah
indexing project batch# 103390-0
source film # 1702171

UK, Poll Books and Electoral Registers, 1538-1893
Name: Christopher A Collis
Poll Year: 1830
Residence: Witham
Where Freehold lies: White Notley Houses occupier: Hawkes
Hundred: Lexden And Witham
County: Essex

(page 111;1838 Marriage solemnized in
the Parish Church in the Parish of St Giles without Cripplegate in the city of London.
No. 222 Married 19 Oct 1838, Christopher Annett Collis, age 39, bachelor, profession: Brewer, Residence:
Witham, Essex, Father's name: Samuel Collis, Profession of father: Sadler
Eliza Parker, age 31, Spinster, residence: Witham, Essex, Father's name: Henry Parker, profession of father:
Sawyer)

1841 England Census Christoper Collis
Name: Christoper Collis
Age: 40
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1801
Gender: Male
Civil Parish: Lambeth (St. Mary Lambeth Parish)
Hundred: Brixton (Eastern Division)
County/Island: Surrey
Country: England
Street address: Camberwell Lane South Occupation: Brewer
Source information: HO107/1054/1
Registration district: Lambeth
Sub-registration district: Brixton
ED, institution, or vessel: 2
Folio: 31
Page:
Line number: 12
GSU Number: 474652
Household: Name: age
Christoper Collis 40
Eliza 35,
William 15,
George 14,
Maria 10,
Samuel 5,
Joseph 5,
Dorcus 5,
Eliza 5,
Henry Parker 20 (probably Eliza's brother) carpenter

1851 England Census Christopher A Collis
Name: Christopher A Collis
Age: 52
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1799
Relation: Head
Spouse's name: Alice
Gender: Male
Where born: Braintree, Essex, England
Civil Parish: Heston
Ecclesiastical parish: Holy Trinity
Town: Hounslow
County/Island: Middlesex
Country: England
Street address: 177 London Rd. Occupation: Brewer employing 1 labor and two sons
Registration district: Brentford
Sub-registration district: Isleworth
ED, institution, or vessel: 1a
Neighbors:
Household schedule number: 177 Star Brewery, London Road
Household Members: Name Age
Alice Collis 53 wife, born Norfolk, Thilgay
Christopher A Collis 52 brewer
Samuel Collis 17 son, born Witham, Essex brewer
Joseph Collis 15 son, born Witham, Essex brewer
Eliza Collis 14 daughter, born Witham, Essex scholar at home

London, England, Electoral Registers, 1832-1965
Name: Christopher Annett Collis
Year: 1851
County or Borough: Star Brewery, London
Smallberry Green, Hounslow Road, in the parish of Heston, County of Middlesex
Ward or Division/Constituency: Heston

London, England, Electoral Registers, 1832-1965
Name: Christopher Annett Star Collis
Year: 1853
County or Borough: London, County of Middlesex
Ward or Division/Constituency: Heston
Street address: Star Brewery, Smallberry-green Hounslow

England & Wales, FreeBMD Marriage Index: 1837-1983
Name: Christopher Annett Collis age 67, widower, reside Portswood, father Samuel Collis, Saddler
and Elizabeth Archer age 37, spinster, reside Portswood, father William Archer, Blacksmith
Year of Registration: 1868
Quarter of Registration: 21-Mar
District: South Stoneham
County: Hampshire
Volume: 2c
Page: 89

England & Wales, FreeBMD Death Index: 1837-1983
Surname Given Name District Volume Page
Deaths Jun 1869 age 68
Collis Christopher Annett S. Stoneham 2c 29
The district S. Stoneham is an alternative name for South Stoneham and it is in the county of Hampshire

Food in the 17th Century
In the early 17th century people began eating food with forks for the first time.
During the century new foods were introduced into England (for the rich) such as bananas and pineapples. New drinks were introduced, tea and coffee. In the late 17th century there were many coffee houses in the towns. Merchants and professional men met there to read newspapers and talk shop.
In the late 17th century the rich began eating ice cream. Many rich people built special underground chambers in the grounds of their houses for preserving ice during the summer. The ice was covered in straw to preserve it.
However for the poor food remained plain and monotonous. They subsisted on food like bread, cheese and onions. Ordinary people continued to eat pottage each day.
Food in the 18th Century
There was little change in food in the 18th century. Despite the improvements in farming food for ordinary people remained plain and monotonous. For them meat was a luxury. A poor person's food was mainly bread and potatoes. In the 18th century drinking tea became common even among ordinary people.
19th Century Food
In the early 19th century the working class lived on plain food such as bread, butter, potatoes and bacon. Butcher's meat was a luxury. However things greatly improved in the late 19th century. Railways and steamships made it possible to import cheap grain from North America so bread became cheaper. Refrigeration made it possible to import cheap meat from Argentina and Australia. Consumption of sugar also increased. By the end of the 19th century most people (not all) were eating much better food.
The first fish and chip shops in Britain opened in the 1860s. By the late 19th century they were common in towns and cities.
In the late 19th century the first convenience food in tins and jars went on sale. Although the principle of canning was invented at the end of the 18th century tinned food first became widely available in the 1880s. The can opener was invented in 1855 and the rotary can opener followed in 1870. Furthermore in the 1870s margarine, a cheap substitute for butter, was invented. Tomato ketchup was invented in 1874.
Several new biscuits were invented in the 19th century including the Garibaldi (1861), the cream cracker (1885) and the Digestive (1892). Furthermore new sweets were invented during the 19th century including peanut brittle (1890) and liquorice allsorts (1899).
For centuries people drank chocolate but the first chocolate bar was made in 1847. Milk chocolate was invented in 1875.

19th Century Britain
In the 19th century Britain became the world's first industrial society. It also became the first urban society. By 1851 more than half the population lived in towns.
The population of Britain boomed during the 19th century. In 1801 it was about 9 million. By 1901 it had risen to about 41 million.
This was despite the fact that many people emigrated to North America and Australia to escape poverty. About 15 million people left Britain between 1815 and 1914.
However there were also many immigrants. In the 1840s many people came from Ireland, fleeing a terrible potato famine. In the 1880s the Tsar began persecuting Russian Jews. Some fled to Britain and settled in the East End of London.
19th Century Society
In the early 19th century Britain was an oligarchy. Only a small minority of men (and no women) were allowed to vote. The situation began to change in 1832 when the vote was given to more men. Constituencies were also redrawn and many industrial towns were represented for the first time. The franchise was extended again in 1867 and 1883. In 1872 the secret ballot was introduced.
However in the 19th century at least 80% of the population was working class. In order to be considered middle class you had to have at least one servant. Most servants were female. (Male servants were much more expensive because men were paid much higher wages). Throughout the 19th century 'service' was a major employer of women.
In the 19th century families were much larger than today. That was partly because infant mortality was high. People had many children and accepted that not all of them would survive.
In a 19th century family the Father was head of the family. He wife and children respected him and obeyed him (at least that was the theory!). Until 1879 a man could legally beat his wife and until 1882 all a woman's property, even the money she earned, belonged to her husband. Divorce was made legal in 1857 but it was very rare in the 19th century.

Christopher married Maria BRIDGE on 7 Jun 1821 in Witham, Essex, England. Maria (daughter of George BRIDGE and Elizabeth Endersby) was born about 1797 in Witham, Essex, England; was christened on 18 Feb 1797 in Witham, Essex, England; died on 23 May 1833 in Chipping Hill, Witham, Essex, England; was buried in Chipping Hill, Witham, Essex, England. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events:

• Reference Number: *
• _MARNM: Mrs Christopher Annett Collis
• _UID: 5A9DF27CE32F49438EFC7E2F0B37BCDC1491

Notes:

Maria died at age 36

Notes:

Maria Bridge
England, Essex Parish Registers
Name Christopher Collis
Event Type Marriage
Event Date 07 Jun 1821
Event Place Witham, Essex, England
Gender Male
Marital Status Married
Spouse's Name Maria Bridge

Other Events:

• Occupation: High Street Braintree, Essex, England; Saddler and Harness Maker;
• Reference Number: *
• _UID: 4CD3C3E683CB6B47A5B411CA9D73DC301820

Notes:

Things to do:
1. check out christening dates for the children.
2. court records for Samuel and Susannah.
3. where is Tollesbury, Essex in relation to Bocking and Braintree?
4. death dates of first Dorcus and first William.
5. Susannah's death date and place. (found this- copy in pictures/Marilyn ancestors/Collis/Samuel)
6. find info on Jeff Clinton, descendant of William Collis, son of Samuel.
7. Is there an 1831 census?
8. Is Samuel buried in St Michaels Church yard?
9. How do I know Rebecca is daughter of Samuel

Timeline for Samuel Collis:
1762 Samuel Collis born Essex, England
1785 Oct 20 Samuel marries Susannah Smith at Bocking, Essex, England
1788 Oct 5 daughter Susannah born in Bocking
1790 Jul 3, son Samuel born in Braintree, Essex, England
1794 Apr 11, daughter, Dorcus born in Braintree,
1795 Jul 12, son Charles Smith born in Braintree,
1797 Jun 17, son William born in Braintree,
1800 May 7, son Christopher in Braintree,
1803 Aug 9, daughter Dorcus born in Braintree,
1804 son, William born in Braintree,
1814 daughter, Rebecca Ely born in Braintree
1826 Pigot's Directories show Samuel Collis as a Saddler in High Street, Braintree, England
1832 Samuel died at Braintree
1832 Pigot's Directories show Susannah Collis as a Saddler in High Street, Braintree, England.

BOCKING, a village, a parish, and a subdistrict, in Braintree district, Essex. The village stands on the left bank of Blackwater river, and on the Braintree railway, adjacent to Braintree; forms a suburb of that town; consists chiefly of one long street; and is a seat of petty sessions. A trade in baizes, called "bockings," was at one time prominent; and a manufacture of silk and crape is now carried on. The parish includes also Bocking-street and Bocking-Church-street, ¾ and 2 miles distant from Braintree, both with post offices under that town, and the former situated on the branch Roman road from Chelmsford. ...
"BRAINTREE <../Braintree/index.html> and BOCKING, though distinct parishes, form one continuoous town, extending for a mile on the road between Chelmsford <../Chelmsford/index.html> and Halstead , and the rivers Blackwater and Podsbrook, and having a united population in 1861 of 8,186

England, Boyd's marriage indexes, 1538-1850 Transcription
First name(s) Samuel
Last name Collis
Birth year -
Marriage year 1785
Spouse's first name(s) Susan
Spouse's last name Smith
Place Bocking
County Essex
Country England
Source Boyd's marriage index, 1538-1850
Record set England, Boyd's Marriage Indexes, 1538-1850
Category Birth, Marriage, Death & Parish Records
Subcategory Marriages & divorces
Collections from Great Britain

SOURCE: LDS marriage sealing batch # A457628 sheet # 1132, input 457628-457632 Made a will in 1831 while ill and died in 1832 , his occupation listed as Saddler and Harness maker (Essex Record Office Will 532BR33)
Pigot's Directories show Samuel Collis as a Saddler in High Street, Braintree, England, in 1826 and Susannah Collis as Saddler at the same address in 1832.

England Deaths and Burials, 1538-1991," Samuel Collis (familysearch.org)
name: Samuel Collis
gender: Male
burial date: 27 Jan 1832
burial place: Braintree, Essex, England


* It is perhaps of interest and significance to note that his youngest child is named Rebecca Ely and that a Marriage Bond shows John Collis aged 21 of Castle Hedingham married Dorcas Ely aged 20 of Sibyl Hedingham at Gestingthorpe about 1748.

Samuel's son William - descendant Geoff Clinton of Abbots Langley, Herefordshire geoffclinton@tiscali.co.uk

Samuel married Susannah SMITH on 20 Oct 1785 in Bocking, Essex, England. Susannah (daughter of Josiah SMITH and Susannah) was born about 1768 in Tollesbury, Essex, England; died on 17 Jan 1840 in Braintree, Essex, England. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events:

• Occupation: Saddler
• Reference Number: *
• _MARNM: Mrs Samuel Collis
• _UID: 86ADA1E7877F8E48880F3E2263F3279FAA02

Notes:

Have copy of this death certificate ( widow of Samuel Collis - harness maker)
"England and Wales Death Registration Index 1837-2007," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:2N61-HPS : accessed 19 February 2016), Susannah Collis, 1840; from "England & Wales Deaths, 1837-2006," database, findmypast (http://www.findmypast.com : 2012); citing Death, Braintree, Essex, England, General Register Office, Southport, England

Name: Susannah Collis
Year of Registration: 1840 March
Quarter of Registration: Jan-Feb-Mar
District: Braintree
County: Essex
Volume: 12
Page: 11
line : 9

Notes:

Welcome to the home of U.K. Parish Register Information. (freereg.org.uk)

County Essex
Place Bocking
Church St Mary the Virgin
RegisterNumber 455
MarriageDate 20 Oct 1785
GroomForename Samuel
GroomSurname COLLIS
GroomAge
GroomParish Braintree
GroomCondition Bachelor
GroomOccupation
GroomAbode
BrideForename Susanna
BrideSurname SMITH
BrideAge
BrideParish
BrideCondition Spinster
BrideOccupation
BrideAbode
GroomFatherForename
GroomFatherSurname
GroomFatherOccupation
BrideFatherForename
BrideFatherSurname
BrideFatherOccupation
WitnessOneForename Mary
WitnessOneSurname BECKWITH
WitnessTwoForename Joseph
WitnessTwoSurname SMITH
Notes D-P 268-1-6 img130/p122 Lic. He signed. She signed (Susannah SMITH). Witness 1 signed. Witness 2 signed.
FileNumber 21710

Other Events:

• Reference Number: *
• _UID: 5ACC515326A16043A3BB2BEB67173B8EEFBA

Notes:

Things to do:
1. Read George's will

Timeline for George Bridge:
1768 George born in Essex county, England
1792 George married Elizabeth in Essex, England
1794 daughter, Maria born in Witham, Essex, England
1796 daughter, Elizabeth, born in Witham, Essex, England
1798 daughter, Catherine, born in Witham, Essex, England
1822 George died in Essex county, England

George Bridge seems to have been a shopkeeper, made a will 26 May 1821. He owned land in Witham, Chippinghill.The executors of his will proved 28 Nov 1822, were wife Elizabeth, Joseph Bridge, and Josiah and Martin Sanders.

*These last entries are interesting bits of information?
1.
http://www.historyhouse.co.uk/placeB/essexb26b.html
History of Braintree and Bocking >> White's Directory 1848
Note: the directory lists the names in the following order: Surname, First Name. It also abbreviates names. These have been reversed and typed in full to assist research.
Those in Bocking are labelled as such, the remainder are in Braintree.
George Bridge, tallow chandler and soap manufacturerMr. Joseph Bridge

London, England, Marriages and Banns, 1754-1921 about George Bridge
Name: George Bridge
Spouse Name: Elizabeth Enderesby
Record Type: Marriage by banns
Event Date: 15 May 1796
Parish: St George the Martyr
County: Middlesex
Borough: Southwark

George Bridge
in the England, Select Deaths and Burials, 1538-1991
Name: George Bridge
Gender: Male
Burial Date: 1 Aug 1822
Burial Place: Witham, Essex, England
FHL Film Number: 1702677
Reference ID: item 8 p 46

George married Elizabeth Endersby in 1796 in Essex, England, United Kingdom. Elizabeth was born about 1772 in Witham, Essex, England, United Kingdom; died after 1822 in England, United Kingdom. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events:

• Reference Number: *
• _MARNM: Mrs George Bridge
• _UID: D097195195BE72438D2F7FA3DD987A5B01AE

Other Events:

• Occupation: Farmer; residence 1777: Great Maplestead, Essex, England (Essex Review, vol 20, p 106)
• Reference Number: *
• _UID: 39C6C452F440A244993F08C4F2F0882F6C50

Notes:

Things to do:
1. find on map Braintree, Great Mapleston (Maplestead?), and parish-Sible Hedingham
2. review will of John
3. who did temple work for John Collis?
4. What was John's occupation? farmer 1777 in Great Mapleston
5, What do we know about John?

Timeline for John Collis

1727 Jul 14, John Collis born at Braintree, Essex, England
1747 Mar 9, John marries Dorcas Ely
1749 John Collis born
1762 Samuel Collis born
? Edward Collis born
1815 John Collis dies at Great Mapleston, Essex, England


John was listed of Great Maplestead in County of Essex, England at the time of making his will. He asked to be buried in the meeting house yard Castle Hedingham. He listed leasehold messuage or tenement farm lands and premises situate lying and being in the parish of Sible Hedingham

John married Dorcas ELY on 9 Mar 1748 in Gestingthorpe, Essex, England. Dorcas (daughter of William ELY and Mary) was born in 1728 in Castle Hedingham, Essex, England; died before 1815 in , Essex, England. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events:

• Reference Number: *
• _MARNM: Collis
• _UID: 9DBCD3718A8D4A45AC4AB4AA51567412C423

Notes:

Welcome to the home of U.K. Parish Register Information. (freereg.org.uk)
Search Record Details
County Essex
Place Gestingthorpe
Church St Mary the Virgin
RegisterNumber
MarriageDate 09 Mar 1748/49
GroomForename John
GroomSurname COLLIS
GroomAge
GroomParish
GroomCondition Single Man
GroomOccupation
GroomAbode Castle Headingham
BrideForename Dorcas
BrideSurname EALEY
BrideAge
BrideParish
BrideCondition Single Woman
BrideOccupation
BrideAbode Sibyl Headingham
GroomFatherForename
GroomFatherSurname
GroomFatherOccupation
BrideFatherForename
BrideFatherSurname
BrideFatherOccupation
WitnessOneForename
WitnessOneSurname
WitnessTwoForename
WitnessTwoSurname
Notes Seax D-P 85-1-1
FileNumber 20518

Other Events:

• Reference Number: *
• _UID: 7255A49DE83EFB429C8111D79A6C5EEABE08

Josiah married Susannah. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events:

• Reference Number: *
• _MARNM: Mrs. Josiah Smith
• _UID: D06F9BA60409064182DFA18444E202971955

Other Events:

• Reference Number: *
• _UID: 9A123ECBA441654C94BB174168367BBAC5F8