Family Vignette--The Unfortunate Demise of Elvina Barber
Elvina
Barber’s story
Henry George Adams, who died in the sinking of the fishing
vessel Labrador, left a widow, Ruth Maria Elizabeth Barber who was the
niece of Elvina Barber. Elvina’s story
came to light while scanning through The Lowestoft Journal online. What caught my attention was the headline:
WOMAN DROWNED IN
LOWESTOFT;
HERRING DOCK
Elvina Barber was born in 1839 in Pakefield, the fifth of
nine children born to Thomas Barber 1806-1889 and Hannah “Ann” Spurgeon
1807-1882. She was baptized on June 9,
1839 at the church in Witnesham, Suffolk, England.
In 1861, at the age of 22, Elvina worked as a house
servant. By December 1861, she married a
fisherman named Barnes Samuel Taylor in Lowestoft.
In 1875, Elvina Taylor was accused of larceny but acquitted
at the General Quarter Sessions held at Ipswich on October 21, 1875. The details surrounding the offense are not
known.
In 1884, Elvina had gotten in trouble with the law for
failing to leave the Suffolk Hotel when requested.
Barnes Samuel Taylor died in July 1888, shortly after
serving a three month prison sentence at hard labour for conviction of theft.
Some years after the death of her husband, Barnes Samuel
Taylor, Elvina began living with a fisherman, named William Turrel Day, known
as “Rock”, on a disused fishing boat owned by his brother. The fishing boat, the Belvedere, was
moored in the Herring Dock, at about seven or eight yards from the shore. William Turrell Day had no regular home, but
lived on board the disused fishing boat.
On January 27, 1903 Elvina left the boat to go to her sister’s house. “Rock” and Elvina had arranged to meet in the Jolly Sailors public house after returning from her sister’s house. She departed her sister’s (Ann Chapman, nee Barber) house about 9:45 in the evening and her nephew said she was quite sober.
When Elvina arrived at the Jolly Sailors, “Rock” Day was in
the smoke room. He had previously asked
the landlord to inform him when she arrived.
The landlord was busy and forgot to tell “Rock” Day when she arrived.
Sarah Gilby, wife of fisherman Henry George Adams stated
that she saw Elvina Taylor in the Jolly Sailors public house at about a quarter
to 11 in the evening. She had one glass
of ale there and left before 11 that evening.
Sarah claimed that Elvina was quite sober at that time.
Once “Rock” Day had learned from the landlord that Elvina
had left the public house, he immediately went out to look for her. He went down to the harbour to the east
corner of the Herring Dock, where the boat lay moored at a distance from the
quay. He waited for half-an-hour and
then went on to the Beach. He returned to the boat and waited until 1:00 am in
the morning.
Elvina Taylor’s body was found in the quay about 10:30 am on
Friday morning. It was very dark at the
place where the boat was moored, and “Rock” thought she must have had too much
drink and walked over the edge of the quay into the water. He usually sculled her ashore in a little
boat. She had never come on board by
herself, but had come in the boat with him.
The coroner ruled her death as “Accidentally drowned.”
Genealogy:
Elvina Barber 1839-1903 was the daughter of Thomas Barber 1806-1889 and
his son was William Benjamin Barber 1850-1899 and his daughter was Ruth Maria
Elizabeth Barber 1880-1939 and her husband was Henry George Adams 1881-1915 (lost
on the Labrador) and his father was Henry George Adams 1855- and his father
was Thomas Adams 1828-1911 and his father was Thomas Adams 1804-1878 and his
father was Philip Adams 1763-1807 and his father was John Adams 1730- and his
son was John Adams 1750-1837 and his son was John Curtis Adams 1797-1873 and
his son was William Frederick Adams 1848-1907 and his son was George
"Pikey" William Welch-Adams 1867-1940.
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