Progress 2023

I received a welcome e-mail from one of my cousins again. He updated me on changes in his branch of the family tree.

Interestingly and unusually, he is related to a Brecht (Walter) who married a Saunders (Ruth), while I am related to the Brecht brother (Arthur) who married the Saunders sister (Ellen), the latter being my grandparents.

Walter Brecht & Ruth Saunders on their Wedding Day

Births, Marriages & Deaths

The details of the civil registration of births, marriages and deaths in Ancestry are still mainly 1837-2005 though I did find an additional death in the name Brecht:

Jan 2007 Register

Elizabeth Clara Brecht
Died in Cstl Pt and Rec
Born 11.1.1913

I found out from another source that she died 4.1.2007 in Canvey Island, Essex.

I did find out a bit more about her:

Jan-March 1913 Register

Elizabeth C. Bruce
born West Ham, Essex

St Matthew, Custom House, Victoria Docks, Essex

Elizabeth Clara Bruce bp 29.1.1913
(Parents Herbert & Clara Bruce)

1939 Register of England and Wales

Elizabeth C. Bruce
Born 11.1.1913
Living with her parents at; 26 Dickens Road, Cann, East Ham
(The name Brecht had been added to denote her married name)

Oct 1947 Register

Elizabeth C. Bruce
Married 1947 West Ham, Essex
William J. Brecht

1921 Census

Brecht One-Name Study

I returned to the 1921 Census and bought trancriptions of the 35 entries in the name Brecht plus 2 families in the name Brett from Find My Past

I listed the entries in alphabetical order and also in families with some conclusions:

1921 Index to Brechts/Bretts

The Final Census (for me!)

The 1931 Census was destroyed in World War II and no Census was taken in 1941. So the next Census to be published will be 1951!!
Fortunately we have the Register of England & Wales in 1939.

It has been quite a journey and there is an interesting pattern to the Brecht Family in the Censuses of 1891-1921 plus the 1939 Register:

1891

I identified 21 Brechts including 4 transcibed as Bright

1901

33 Brechts were identified

1911

67 Brechts were identified (see Note 1)

1921

46 names in all were identified
(35 Brechts and 11 Bretts)

1939

42 names in all were identified
(28 Brechts,  6 Bretts & the names of 8 children had been redacted  - see Note 2)

Throughout there may have been additional entries missed because of transcription errors.
Also in 1921 and 1939 there may have been more people who had adopted the name Brett.

Note 1

The reason for the gradual increase from 1891 to 1901 and 1911 was that George Frederick Brecht & Mary Ann (Walland) Brecht had 9 sons and the numbers in the Censuses increased as the sons got married and had children of their own.

Note 2

The 1939 Register was published well before the normal 100 year secrecy protocol could be observed, so the details of young children were redacted/blocked from viewing.

In cross-referencing from one Census to another, I found some extra entries in the 1939 Register:

Margaret Brecht
29 Victoria Park Road, Hackney

Annie A. Brett living with her mother Anne H. Brecht
at 91 Haig Roiad, West Ham

Henry Brett (Annie's father)
living at 38 Vernon Road, West Ham

Esther H. Brecht
Living in Norfolk

The Barnett-Brechts

I found an additional entry in the 1939 Register of England & Wales.

The entry was in the name George Bretcht rather than Brecht but at some point the name "Barnett-Brecht had been added above:

The Barnett-Brechts

I also traced his wife Ellen at the City of London Hospital.

Julia (Barnet) Brecht

I also returned to the research into Julia Mary Barnett (whose second marriage was to Charles Brecht) as there were many gaps to be resolved.

I found a few extra entries which showed that Julia's mother remarried in 1882, which appears to have had an impact on Julia.

At times she was homeless and commited crimes before marrying Arthur Sheldricks in 1893.

There are still gaps but I now have a fuller picture of her life.

Julia (Barnett) Brecht

Henry Brecht, Colourmaker

 

In looking at the Silk Weavers named Collier Project, I found 2 more references to Henry Brecht:

History, Directory & Gazetteer of the County of York
with
Select Lists of the Merchants & Traders of London 1822

Colour Manufacturers

Brecht, Henry
12 Fashion Street, Spitalfields

Johnstone's London Commercial Guide & Street Directory August 31 1817

12 Fashion Street, Henry Brecht, Manufacturer of Colours

There was another interesting entry that year:

61 Fashion Street, Bredell & Chabot, Dyers & Scourers

I wonder if the two businesses traded!

Colin Bower
12 October 2023