Charles King and Anna Levers.... Life in St. Austell Cornwall......

 These small dishes made the journey with Anna Levers King from Cornwall to America on the Majestic in 1894.  They came in the bottom of her trunk. There are six of each pattern.  They must have been of sentimental value to her; a reminder of home. 

 In the possession of Margaret Hansen Boothby. 

 

The marriage certificate of Charles and Anna King (original in the family collection).

   On the 20th of January, 1887,  23 year old Charles John King married 24 year old Anna Levers in the United Methodist Chapel in the Eastern Hill area of St. Austell, Cornwall.  The chapel's  official title  was the United Methodist Free Church, East Hill. 

 Left  hand side enlarged. 

 Right hand side enlarged. 

  The chapel is no longer standing, but was located somewhere in the East Hill neighborhood, possibly near the junction of East Hill and Eastbourne Road. The chapel was most likely a small and unassuming stone building, perhaps similar to the Bridge United Methodist Free Church of 1881, pictured below. 

 

Bridge United Methodist Free Church Clifden Road St. Austell, England

 Flickr image credited to Cornwall Memory 

  Anna and her family attended the East Hill Chapel as early as 1878.  This was one of Anna's books she brought with her to America.  It was given to her as a reward when she was 16 years old. 

 Christie Redfern's Troubles was printed in London by William Clowes and sons, Stamford Street and Charing Cross for the Religious Tract Society.  I could not find a publishing date in the book, which is now falling apart and in very fragile condition.  It may have been published in 1866. In the family collection. 

This book was brought to America  in Anna's trunk.  She and my great grandmother Emma Lavinia came on the ship Majestic in 1894. 

This is Anna's copy of the 1878 Methodist Hymnal, published by Nelson & Phillips in New York. At the time it was the official hymnal of the Methodist Church, and included 308 Charles Wesley titles and 29 John Wesley titles. She may have had this in her possession when she boarded the Majestic in 1894, or may have acquired it after she came to the U.S. 

"O For a Thousand Tongues to Sing";  the poem was written by Charles Wesley around 1740 to commemorate his renewal of faith after a time of extreme doubt. It was set to the tune Azmon written by Carl Glaser.  It is the first hymn in this hymnal. 

The Levers sisters

 St. Austell, Cornwall, England

iPhone photo of the original taken by Patti Alden 2023

 

Back of photograph.  The surname Michell comes up in King family Devonport research.  I do not know if this Michell & Michell studio has any connection to the King family.  

  The picture above was shared by JoanK; I have dated it to right around 1876 from the style of clothing and from when Elfreda married  John George and left Cornwall (1876).  It shows Lavinia Caroline Levers (left) around the age of 18, Elfreda (sitting) around the age of 25 and Anna Levers (right) around the age of 14.  These were the three Levers sisters.  They lived with their parents Francis Levers and Emma Craze Levers on Carvath Road.  Francis was a cooper and a grocer. 

 Francis Levers 

St. Austell, Cornwall, England

b. 1816 d. 25 January 1885

Francis had passed away before Charles and Anna were married. 

Picture shared by JoanK.

  

St. Austell maps

   This map is from 1880 and shows the relationship of Holy Trinity Church (top left) to East Hill and what was Carvath Road at that time.  Carvath Road was later named Eastbourne Road.  The area between East Hill and Carvath Road was called Carvath and was listed as such on the 1881 Census.  The Methodist Chapel looks like it was near the junction of East Hill and Carvath/ later Eastbourne Road. 

   You can see the imposing medieval tower of the Holy Trinity Church (the parish church of St. Austell/Church of England). This picture was taken from East Hill.  The church itself is from the 15th century and was restored in 1872. From the Francis Firth Collection

Overlay map of above map and a fairly recent satellite image.   Some green spaces remained the same, but you can see the amount of building that occurred changing the rural landscape over time. 

   Witnesses to the marriage were Lavinia Levers (one of Anna's sisters) and George P. Bunt.  George Petherick Bunt can be found in the 1881 English Census. He  was living on East Street and was working as a solicitor's clerk.  He would have been 25 years old when he witnessed the marriage.   When Lavinia and her husband Harry Trist died in 1936 and 1937 an Alfred James Bunt was listed as solicitor clerk in their index of wills.  I could not  find a connection to Geo. P. Bunt, but the two men may have been related and had the same occupation. 

  George P. Bunt must have been a friend of Anna's as he wrote in her autograph book, which also came over on the Majestic....

 Anna Levers King

Autograph Book (in the family collection). 

Signature of George Petherick Bunt, witness to Anna's marriage to Charles John King in 1887.  Date of this entry is unknown. 

  

 C. J King, R. E. also signed Anna's autograph book! There is no date attached to the entry, but it must have been while he was still with the Royal Engineers. He left the army in the late spring of  1886. 

These Medal and Award Rolls were shared with me by the author of Pharaoh, David Gibbons, in 2022, and were much appreciated! 

 Can you find Sapper King, C.J.? 

Top of above form, enlarged. 

 

 Charles King must have seemed very dapper and exciting to Anna after his service in the British Army and his trip up the Nile in 1884-1886. They were married shortly after he came back from Egypt. His Nile Expedition adventure and pictures of his medals can be found in a separate blog; see the right sidebar for the link to My Trip to Egypt and Back.... 

  I don't know how or when Charles and Anna met; they were most likely second cousins so may have known of each other or visited family back and forth from Devon to Cornwall before his service.  They shared John Levers and Catherine Rowett from Cornwall as great grandparents.  I am still working on proving this relationship.  Charles' sister Laura and his father William King had moved to St. Austell sometime between the 1881 and 1891 censuses and were also living on Carvath Road just a short distance away from the Levers. 

 

 Emma Lavinia King 

 Emma Lavinia King was born April 13th 1888 in St. Austell Cornwall. My great grandmother! 

  The 1891 England Census shows that Emma Levers (Anna's mother) was living as head of household with her middle daughter Lavinia (oldest daughter Elfreda had married John George in 1876 and was in Grass Valley by this time), her youngest daughter Anna Levers King and her son-in-law Charles King.   My great grandmother Emma was 3 years old. 

   Emma Levers was a grocer; her husband Francis was a cooper/grocer as early as the 1871 census, and they were on Carvath Lane at that time.  After Francis' death in 1885 Emma continued to run the grocery store. Daughter Lavinia worked as a tailoress and was 32 years old.  Charles worked as a builder/contractor.  The Carvath Lane name was changed to Eastbourne Road by 1911 when Lavinia was living there with her husband Harry Trist and they continued to run the grocery store. Emma Levers passed away in 1899. 

Photograph on cardboard of the Eastbourne Road grocery store.  These pictures were with Anna King's belongings. 

Picture enlarged.  This was taken in the early 1900's from the style of clothing. I am not sure if these are the Trists or not......

A postcard of the Eastbourne Road grocery store.  A set of different people are out front. Written on the back: "These are the pictures Uncle Harry sent me so please send them back when you & papa see's them".

Written in Emma's handwriting to her mother Anna? Harry Trist passed away in 1937 so this was written sometime before then. 

Another postcard picture.  This appears to be a side or  back entrance? Unknown woman. No writing on the back of this one.

 I have shared these pictures before; they were in with Anna King's belongings and pictures.  They are of the Eastbourne Road grocery store.  It is most likely the store that belonged to the Levers and Trists.  The top picture was also shared on the Facebook site St. Austell History Group, so there are copies of that version in circulation.  The current location looks like this:

Google Street View 2021

Harry and Lavinia (Levers) Trist were married in 1897.

  In the 1891 Census Charles King's sister Laura was living with their father William King and were the 155th household enumerated on Carvath Lane.  The Levers and Kings were the 137th household enumerated on Carvath Lane, so they were in close proximity to each other. 

 

Emma Lavinia King aged 2 1/2 years.  This was taken a few months before the 1891 Census. 

  

An enlarged copy of the above original.  

  In 1892 Laura King married Richard Corey and they were living on Eastbourne Road by the 1901 census with three children.  They were living several doors down from the Trists who were running the grocery store.  They may have lived on Eastbourne Road at the time of Emma's birth; she would have had  doting aunts, uncles and cousins within walking distance! 

 Emma Lavinia King with unknown girl; she may have been a cousin or a daughter of a family friend. Taken around 1894. 

   Since his discharge from the army, Charles King worked to get his builder/contractor business off the ground in St. Austell.  His apprenticeship with his father and his time spent with the Royal Engineers prepared him for a career as a builder.  He also became a master woodworker. 

 

A blank invoice from Charles King's  business. He wrote parts of his memoirs of his trip to Egypt on the backs of these blank pages. 

  Unhappily, by April of 1894 Charles King  found himself a victim of poor financial and business  decisions  and as a result he was declared a bankrupt by the Truro Bankruptcy Court.  He felt he was not in the wrong, but he also decided that his only recourse was to leave the country under disguise and move to America. You can read more about the mystery surrounding these chain of events in this previous post from July 4, 2021 The Mystery is Solved....Bankruptcy At St. Austell and Claims By the Relatives .   The complete transcription of his journal describing his trip to America can be found in the post from January 24, 2023.   Anna and Emma's  separate trip aboard the  Majestic  is described in this previous post from July 11, 2021 Anna and Emma King Took a Protracted Sojourn on the Majestic to Begin a New Life in California.  Or just click on the links for Charles J. King  and Anna King on the right sidebar. 

  With the decision to go to America and start fresh Charles and Anna's life in St. Austell was over.  But, they always kept in touch with family members, snipped stories of the Royals out of the newspapers, and sent postcards back and forth. Many Cornish traditions were passed down in California as well as an ongoing practice of faith through membership in the Methodist Church.  They made the best of their new lives and Charles became a successful builder in both San Francisco and Grass Valley, California. 

  Even though Charles and Anna lived most of their lives in and around San Francisco, their time in Grass Valley made a lasting impression on my great grandmother, which in turn  gave me my link to all things Cornish.  

  

Relationship Reference:  Me->Margaret Hansen Boothby->Margaret Elizabeth Hayes Hansen->Emma Lavinia King Hayes Van Duzer->Charles King and Anna Levers King

52Ancestors52Weeks Week 26 Theme Conflict: The Mystery is Solved....Bankruptcy At St. Austell and Claims By the Relatives

 

  Several weeks ago I posted an excerpt from my Great Great Grandfather's journal which he titled "Having Reference to My Trip to America" (April 10, 2021).  He wrote about his trip across the Atlantic on the ship "Alaska" and the hurried and unusual preparations that he went through to complete his trip in April and May of 1894.  The family never knew why he made the trip; it was just never talked about.  Charles John King was always remembered as a very moral person by his family,  so what ever happened back in St. Austell Cornwall must have been a situation where he was presented with little choice and he needed to leave the country quickly and to avoid scandal.  The mystery was always "what exactly happened?" I believe I have uncovered the answer.  

The theme for this week is conflict.  Conflict seems to be a part of the human experience, whether through war, legal conflicts or bad relationships.  This story involves legal conflicts (bankruptcy), family conflicts over money owed and more importantly,  moral conflicts.  This story must be taken in context of the times, and not examined through the lens of our current times.  What seemed an impossible situation in 1894 might now been regarded as something a Chapter 13 or Chapter 7 filing might take care of.  The consequences of bankruptcy these days might not ruin your reputation or land you in jail, as it did well over 100 years ago.  

  In April of this year I took advantage of FaceBook (once again!) and the closed group Cornish Ancestors.  I had been going through Charles John King's journal that my cousin Pam had been transcribing.  C. J.  originally wrote many of his entries on the back of old receipt pages.  My question to the group was... what  did the "Dr. to C.J. King" mean?   I received several replies right away.  Basically, the dr. refers to debtor to or drawn to. This meant "owed to", so this was an invoice for work done.  But, that was not the end of this story.....

  

  One of the posters replied with a little newspaper snippet from the Royal Cornwall Gazette and dated the 21 of June, 1894 (see top picture).  It had to do with a Charles John King, builder, in St. Austell.  I realized that this was my Great Great Grandfather, and that he had left the country because he was facing bankruptcy.  So, a family mystery was on its way to being solved in a matter of 20 minutes. 

  I have since corresponded with the original poster of the newspaper article, a very nice woman named Ruth from London who lives between Heathrow Airport and Hampton Court Palace.  She gave me another article to read and some wonderful Cornish resources to do some more research through. We even got into the Devon origins of C.J. King and his family.  So, with Ruth's help and another look on FindMyPast I now have three newspaper articles that explain exactly what circumstances made Charles John King leave his country, his business, and his family. He left rather quickly, and under disguise...

This is the first article, dated April 20, 1894,  was found in the St. Austell Star (FindMyPast).

  So, after C.J. returned from his service in the 11th Royal Engineers (which involved an expedition up the Nile to rescue General Charles Gordon) he came back to England, married Anna Levers, settled in St. Austell and began his construction business (he had apprenticed as a carpenter as a young man).  It looks like he engaged in some speculation and got the worse end of the bargain.  Perhaps he became involved with people who took advantage of him, took bad advice or as someone with a new business just didn't know how to manage the money side of things.  Either way, he had to "furnish his account" at a later date to see if he could make things right.  After he was examined by the Bankruptcy Court he chose to leave the country and left (according to his journal) at "3 o clock pm Thursday, April 26th, 1894".  While he waited in Liverpool he "called into a barbershop" and had a shave and haircut to disguise his appearance.   In June of 1894 the examination by the Truro Bankruptcy Court was adjourned, as the debtor had "gone abroad"  and a warrant was secured for his arrest. 

  I found another article in the St. Austell Star, written on July 20, 1894,  that summarized what happened after C.J. King had left the country.  This involved his wife's family and how his actions affected their lives.  The article is long, and didn't copy well, so I have transcribed it below...

  BANKRUPTCY AT ST. AUSTELL   Claims By the Relatives

  The case of C. J. King, builder, of St. Austell came before his Honour, Judge Granger, at Truro Bankruptcy Court on Saturday last.

  The Official Receiver (Mr. G. Appleby Jenkins) stated that the receiving order was made on March 8th last.  On April 14th the public examination was opened, and adjourned in order that the bankrupt might produce a goods and cash account.  But subsequently the debtor absconded, and the examination was adjourned sine die.   Two proofs had been sent in, one by Mrs. Levers, and the other by Miss Lavinia Levers, but he thought it necessary to reject them.  Rule 22 in the schedule of the Bankruptcy Act directed the trustee to examine every proof, and accept, reject, or require further evidence to support it.  If he rejected, he had to state his grounds for doing so.  Under Rule 24, if a creditor was dissatisfied with the decision of the trustee, he might apply to the Court to have the decision of the trustee  reversed or varied.  He communicated with Mrs. Levers, and found she had no receipts for the sums she alleged was due to her.  When publicly examined bankrupt stated he had no books showing his transactions with Mrs. and Miss Levers, but he stated the latter had receipts for the money she had lent him.--Mr. R. Dobell appeared for Mrs. and Miss Levers, mother-in-law and sister-in-law respectively of the debtor.  He asked the judge to reverse or vary the decision of the Official Receiver respecting the proof of Mrs. Levers, amounting to L177 (?) on the ground that she had sufficient evidence in her possession to prove that the money was due.  When Mrs. Levers heard from the Official Receiver she seemed to have acted on bad advice.  Bankrupt, with his wife and child, had lived in Mrs. Lever's house, and had borrowed money from her at various times.  There were no I O U's or promissory notes as evidence of the loans, but he would put in books containing entries in the handwriting of Mrs.Levers of the amounts lent, and making up the total claimed. 

  

  Emma  Levers stated that for  many years she had carried on a small business in St. Austell.  Eight years ago bankrupt married her daughter.  He lived with the witness, and had things from her shop, which she entered in her book.  For board and lodgings he promised to pay her 10s a week, and on those accounts L26 (?) was due to her.  Bankrupt borrowed money from her for the purpose of his business as follows:--From 1889-91, L89 (?) , from June 21st, 1892 to November 21, 1893 L61 (?), and the total due to her was L177 (?), upon which she had not charged interest.---In answer to questions by the Official Receiver, witness said the entries of the money lent were made when the sums were handed over, but there was no agreement as to when bankrupt should pay her back. The bankrupt suggested that she should file her proof.  He had now absconded, but his wife and child were still with her. --The Official Receiver said there was a warrant out for debtor's arrest. --His Honour considered the circumstances very unsatisfactory, there being no properly kept books.  The items in the book produced appeared to have been jotted down as a sort of after thought, and it did not seem a book in which large sums of this sort would have been entered.--Mr. Dobell remarked that the witness had stated the entries were made from time to time.--His Honour said if things were once admitted there would not be a single bankruptcy in which the relatives would not put up a claim.  If relatives were so foolish as to advance money over a series of years without proper receipts or acknowledgement, they would bear the brunt of it.  He was disposed to agree with the Official Receiver that the evidence of loan was insufficient. --Mr. Dobell submitted that the claim was bona fide, and should be allowed in bankruptcy.--His Honour stated that stricter proof was, if anything, necessary in bankruptcy than in ordinary proceedings.--Mr. Dobell asked whether allowances would be made for sustenance, but his Honour said it was evident they were all living together, and he should think they had a common purse.  Therefore, he did not think he could separate them.

  Miss Lavinia Levers claimed L118 (?)--Mr. Dobell stated that the sum represented money lent to the bankrupt out of her deposits at the Post Office Savings Bank, and receipts were produced for this amount.

  Miss Levers was called to give evidence of the loans, but her mother persisted in prompting her, and was eventually ordered out of court.  Witness deposed that the bankrupt had only paid L1 of the money he owed to her.  She was being questioned by the Official Receiver on her transactions with her brother, when she suddenly left the court to join her mother in one of the ante-rooms.  

  Mr. Dobell subsequently ascertained from her that the withdrawal of the amounts could be proved from her (Miss Lever's) account at the Post Office Savings Bank, and on Mr. Dobell's application on adjournment was granted by his Honour in order that that might be done.

  His Honour upheld the Official Receiver in the rejection of Mrs. Levers' proof. 

***

I was unable to find any more news stories that told how this story played out.  I do know that my Great Great Grandmother Anna Levers King, and my Great Grandmother, Emma Lavinia King, left Liverpool England on the ship Majestic and arrived in New York on September 26, 1894 where they were reunited with Charles. 

   Charles and Anna eventually made their way to San Francisco, California where Charles started a new construction business and became a very prolific and successful builder in the Bay Area as well as in Grass Valley, California.  Many of his homes are still standing today.  His previous troubles in St. Austell did not seem to have followed him to his new life.  I do not know how his relationships with his in laws faired, but I do know that Lavinia (his sister-in-law) remained close to Anna and Emma.  My Great Grandmother Emma was involved in Lavinia's trust when she died in 1937.  I have several pictures of Lavinia and her husband Harry Trist that were shared with the King family, as well as Christmas cards. So, the lines of communication were kept open there.   I am not sure when Emma Levers passed away, or what her relationship with Charles was after his move to America.  The whole situation must have been very  hard on Anna.   

Photograph of a store front taken in St. Austell.  Possibly Harry Trist (left), Lavinia Levers Trist in the middle and Emma Levers on far right. 

Picture enlarged.

    I came across this photograph in the King files.  It looks like a store with living quarters above.  I did some research on Lavinia's husband Harry Trist and came up with a 1911 England Census.  It listed his occupation as a dealer connected with a grocery business.  He was living with his wife Lavinia on Eastbourne Road, St. Austell. This may be a picture of the store, with Harry and Lavinia out front.  The older woman on the step could be her mother, Emma.  This picture was probably taken before 1911.  Harry and Lavinia married in 1897.  I was curious to see if this building might still be standing.  With the magic of Google Maps Street View, this is what I found. 

What do you think?  Eastbourne Road is pretty short, and this house was the only one that really looked similar.  

The trim on top of the building is the same as are the windows...

 In his journal, Charles wrote that his leaving was due to "no fault of our own", and that he had "done what I could to avoid the calamity that had overtaken us."  In the context of the time period  when Charles was accused of  being bankrupt,  debtors were looked down upon as either scoundrels or impoverished unfortunates. It was even viewed as a moral failure in England.  People were expected to keep their affairs in order and and deviance from upright economic standing was considered a personal fault. People who were unable to pay back their debts had their property confiscated and assigned to the creditor, or they were imprisoned.  Bankruptcy could essentially ruin a person for life.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bankruptcy_Act_of_1800.

  So, the only way to resolve this conflict for Charles was to leave the country and start fresh in California.  His life story reflects a person who strived to work hard at his craft  and to possibly prove to his relatives in St. Austell that he could make a success of his life and he was not a moral failure, despite any previous mistakes he made.   I don't know if he payed back his in laws or not, but as he became more successful in San Francisco, he probably had the means to do so and did.  We will probably never know, as he kept to the promise he made in his journal..."I think it is wise to dwell no longer on the events that transpired at this time".  It seems he did not. 

His obituary described him as a churchman throughout his life and that he lived the principals and faith of a Christian gentleman.  He did not let past grievances and mistakes dictate how he lived the rest of his life. 

  

Relationship Reference:  Me-> Margaret Hansen Boothby->Margaret Elizabeth Hayes Hansen->Emma Lavinia King Hayes VanDuzer->Anna Levers and Charles King.

Anna Levers King->Emma Craze Levers.   Emma had three daughters with Francis Levers:  Elfreda, Caroline Lavinia and Anna.