Martin Genealogy Blog

Charles Frederick MARTIN was born abt 1849 in Lambeth (though the 1891 census says it was Hackney). Well the 1901 and 1891 say Lambeth so I’m going with that for the moment! He was known as Charles, as that was how his name appeared on the censuses and on the marriage certificate of his son, William to Emily Cooper (1903).

However, the birth certificates I’ve got hold of for Charles’ children all give his name as Frederick Charles MARTIN. This discrepancy is evidently not uncommon in the older records and I’ve been advised by the Family Records Centre that we can be very certain that this is indeed our family!
He married Emma/Emily Richardson in July 1871 and their first child, Emma was born in a few months later, October 1871. By the 1901 census Charles was widowed. In between they had 9 children in total!

Charles and family lived in one of the poorest parts of London: Lambeth. In 1881 they were at Cottage Place, Lambeth. In 1891 they were at 37 Duke Street (now known as Duchy Street) and 1901, Charles and his 4 boys were to be found at 36 Goding Street (near Vauxhall Station).

We don’t know when he died - the last record we have of him is his son’s wedding in 1903. I’ve found a death certificate for a Charles Martin who died in 1915 but it shows no next of kin, so I can’t be certain it’s him. I wonder whether maybe he moved to Catford with son William in 1905.

Have located census info about my gt gt grandfather, Charles MARTIN.

He was a ‘coal porter’ (working on the Thames), according to the 1881 & 1901 census. In 1891 he was a dock labourer. he was known as ‘black dad’ because he was usually covered in coal dust.