Family tree: corrections and additions
This page records the corrections and additions made to the Family Tree and to the stories on this site, with the evidence for each change. The newest changes are at the top.
In October 2026 the family tree moved from the Reunion program onto this website, which is now the master copy. Where the old Reunion data and the stories disagreed, the evidence below decided which was right.
3 November 2026
Added to the stories
| Person | Details | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Jeff & Roger | New shared page for the two brothers, under Edwin Henry, with photographs | Jeff’s memoir (2026) |
| Jeffrey Powell | Page rewritten with his story and photographs, now under Jeff & Roger | Jeff’s memoir (2026) |
| Roger Powell | Page added; his story is to come | Family |
| Anthea Frances (Tiffa) | New page for Jeff’s wife Tiffa, née Beardmore, under Jeffrey Powell, linked to her record in the Family Tree | beardmorehistory.com; Jeff’s memoir (2026) |
1 November 2026
Added to the stories
| Person | Details | Source |
|---|---|---|
| James Edward Meadows (1826–1893) | Added a note that the art trade usually calls him James Edwin Meadows, and that his work still sells: A Beach Scene, oil on canvas, 20 × 30 in, offered at £8,500 in November 2026. A photo of this painting replaces the image above the gallery on his page; the earlier image remains in the gallery | Victoria Fine Art listing, A Beach Scene |
| Arthur Joseph (1843-1907) | St Michael’s Mount, Cornwall: Better photo in the gallery; date 1893 added to the caption | John Nicholson’s, 21 Dec 2016 |
| Arthur Joseph (1843-1907) | On the Amalfi Coast at Dusk: Better photo in the gallery; caption notes it sold as Persano, at dusk | Christie’s, 8 May 2008 |
| Arthur Joseph (1843-1907) | Country Scene with Cottage: Better photo in the gallery; caption notes it sold as one of a signed pair. It is still marked as attribution uncertain | Canterbury Auction Galleries, 13 Oct 2015 |
| Arthur Joseph (1843-1907) | Belgian Coast near Blankenberge, Evening: Better photo in the gallery (frame cropped off); date 1878 added to the caption | Sheppards, 26 Nov 2025; date from Bonhams, 14 Sep 2004 |
| James Edward (1826-1893) | Crossing the Stream: Better photo in the gallery; date 1871 added to the caption | Christie’s, 25 Feb 2009 |
| James Edward (1826-1893) | The Gypsy Encampment: Better photo in the gallery; date 1878–9 added to the caption | Christie’s, 4 Oct 2011 |
| Gordon Arthur (1867-1937) | A Tranquil River Landscape: Better photo in the gallery (frame cropped off and perspective corrected). Sold in 2024 as Path Along the Thames | Burns Auction, 14 Oct 2024 |
| Gordon Arthur (1867-1937) | Windsor, 1904: Better photo in the gallery | John Moran Auctioneers, 16 Oct 2012 |
| Edwin Lewis | The Passing Entourage: Better photo in the gallery; date 1873 added to the caption | Sotheby’s, 11 Jul 2007 |
| Edwin Lewis | A shepherd and a cart on a rustic track, 1873: Better photo in the gallery. This painting was previously “Title unknown”; title and date now identified | Bonhams, 18 Sep 2007 |
| Arthur Joseph (1843-1907) | New section, Paintings recorded at auction: 231 further paintings listed, in a collapsed table | Invaluable sold results, 2001–2026 |
| James Edward (1826-1893) | New section, Paintings recorded at auction: 138 further paintings listed, in a collapsed table | Invaluable sold results, 2001–2026 |
| Gordon Arthur (1867-1937) | Five paintings added to the gallery: The Grand Canal, Venice; Sunrise, Venice; Fishing Boats, San Giorgio, Venice; A Thames Scene; Bridge Over Stream. New section, Paintings recorded at auction: 8 further paintings listed | Invaluable: Sworders, Tennants, John Nicholson’s, Clark’s (Clark’s sale due 10 Nov 2026) |
| Edwin Lewis | Eight paintings added to the gallery: Three-horse team transporting a blasted tree, 1866; Farmyard scene, 1881 (date from the frame plaque); Wooded landscape with cottage, 1859; Landscape with cart crossing a stream, 1869?; Hill landscape with sheep on a bridge; Horse and cart by a blacksmith’s, 1868; Farmer and team on a country road, 1861; Sussex Landscape, 1862. New section, Paintings recorded at auction: 10 further paintings listed | Invaluable: Heritage Auctions, Adam Partridge, Lyon & Turnbull, Leo Spik, Dawsons, Waddington’s, Sloan & Kenyon |
| Arthur Joseph (1843-1907) | 24 paintings added to the gallery (frames cropped off): Fishing Boats by the Wharf, 1864; Fishing Boats on Calm Water off the City Shore; La Santa Maria della Salute, Venice, 1902; Como, Lombardy, 1862; Greenwich Reach, 1886; St Malo, Low Tide, 1881; Ischia – Bay of Naples, 1901; On the Yare – Early Morning; Off Thames Haven, 1872; Blois Cathedral on the Loire, 1901; Riva degli Schiavoni, Venice, 1906; View of Venice, 1903; Ischia Castle, Bay of Naples, 1901; High Tide, near Fécamp, Normandy, 187–; Orleans on the Loire, 1885; Fishing Fleet Entering the Maas – Morning, 1887; Shipping off a Harbour Wall; Unloading the Catch on Dunkirk Sands, 1879; Paris with Notre Dame, 1905; Near Amalfi, Gulf of Salerno, 1877; Portland, Breezy Weather, 1886; Fishing Boats off the Ruins of Sandesfoot Castle, Weymouth, 1884; Feeding the Pigeons – Venice, 1898; The Wreck, a Gleam of Hope, 1888. These are no longer in the Paintings recorded at auction table, which now lists 207 further paintings | Invaluable: Bonhams, Venduehuis der Notarissen, Sworders, Nye & Company, Dominic Winter, Gorringes, Dreweatts, Doyle, Carlo Bonte, Hindman, Chiswick Auctions, Christie’s, Charles Miller, Adam Partridge |
| James Edward (1826-1893) | 20 paintings added to the gallery (frames cropped off): Figures outside an Inn with a Fair Beyond; Fishing Vessels in a Light Breeze, a Coastal Town Beyond; Shipping off the Coast, 1864; Near Walton on the Naze, 1880; Panoramic Landscape with Children and a Hay Wagon; Haymaking near Sudbury, 1862; Alkham Church, near Folkestone, 1863; Children Playing by a Cottage, 1871; A Landscape with Harvesters, 1877; Midday Rest, 1864; Gypsy Encampment, 1874; Shipwreck on the Coast, 1871; Returning Home after a Day’s Work; Scamps in a Stormy Sea off Whitby Bay; Richmond Bridge from the Surrey Side; Off the Coast, 1873; Near Mountnessing, Essex; View near Leigh, Essex, 1867; Near Guildford, Surrey, 1878; Animals in a Farmyard, 1860. These are no longer in the Paintings recorded at auction table, which now lists 118 further paintings | Invaluable: Bonhams, Schloss Ahlden, Martel Maides, Adam’s, Eldred’s, Sworders, Heritage Auctions, Waddington’s, Van Spengen, Rowley, Chiswick Auctions, Hutchinson Scott, John Nicholson’s, Hindman, Abell, Sotheby’s |
| Edwin Lewis; James | New painter pages, under The Painters, hold their full galleries. The generation pages now show two or three paintings linked to the story, with a link to the rest. Facts from the old painter pages moved into the story pages. Shipping off the Needles moved from James Edward to James, as its signature reads James Meadows Senr, 1838 | Sotheby’s, 4 Oct 2005, for the signature |
| Arthur Joseph (1843-1907) | New page, Paintings, with 220 paintings grouped by place; 51 more without pictures are listed | Invaluable sold results |
| James Edward (1826-1893) | New page, Paintings, with 143 paintings grouped by subject; 35 more without pictures are listed | Invaluable sold results |
| Gordon Arthur (1867-1937) | Gallery now has 16 paintings; 3 more without pictures are listed | Invaluable sold results |
| Edwin Lewis | Gallery now has 25 paintings; 6 more without pictures are listed | Invaluable sold results |
| Arthur Joseph (1843-1907); James Edward (1826-1893) | Paintings pages renamed, dropping “all”, as more paintings may yet turn up. Their addresses now end in /paintings/, and the old addresses redirect | |
| Arthur Joseph; James Edward; Edwin Lewis; James | The story pages now show one representative painting, with a link to the rest. Works in public collections moved to the paintings pages. A Beach Scene added to James Edward’s paintings | |
| Menus | Life dates added to The Generations menu. The Painters menu now goes to each artist’s story page, with a link from there to their paintings. The separate pages for James and Edwin Lewis are now titled Paintings by James and Paintings by Edwin Lewis | |
| Family Tree | The Painter tag in the tree now goes to each artist’s story page | |
| Phones | On phones the button to the paintings or the story now sits on its own line below the page title | |
| Paintings pages | Life dates added to the page titles, and the short introductions removed | |
| William James (1825-1907); Gordon Arthur (1867-1937); Alfred John; Frederick John; Grace | William James and Gordon Arthur now have their own Paintings pages, with one painting left on the story page. Alfred John, Frederick John and Grace have too few paintings for a separate page, so a button takes you down to them | |
| James Edward (1826-1893) | Story page now shows both exhibition views, Ballarat and Bendigo | |
| Grace (1871-1937) | Her painting count now includes Portrait of Edith Coules, which stays in the side column | |
| Generation and painter story pages (15) | On phones and small tablets, the portrait is limited to about 400px and centred, with less space before the story | |
| Generation and painter story pages (15) | Story and side column now sit in a two-column row, with the portrait and the Family and Records panels in a full-height side column; multi-item accordions run full width below it. On phones: portrait, story, then Family and Records | |
| Painters’ story pages | Paintings on the story pages now sit beside the side column with the text, instead of dropping below it (phones still stack) | |
| Painters’ story pages | The “Paintings by …” headings removed, as the buttons now lead to the paintings |
28 October 2026
Added to the tree
| Person | Details | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Margaret Syddle (wife of William Meadows, the actor) | Probable baptism: Margaret, daughter of William Syddal, gunsmith, 16 May 1760, Nantwich, Cheshire. Fits the family note that her father came from Cheshire and was an armourer at the Tower; not yet proven to be the same Margaret, so added to her notes only | Diocese of Chester Bishop’s Transcripts, Nantwich 1760 (Findmypast) |
| Margaret Syddle | Baptism register image added to her records (1760, probable) | Diocese of Chester Bishop’s Transcripts, Nantwich 1760 (Findmypast) |
| Margaret Syddle — her probable father, William Siddall of Nantwich | Notes added: married Mary Swinnerton of Betley, Staffordshire, by licence on 30 Dec 1758 (he was then a blacksmith, aged 25). In a licence of 25 May 1768 he is a gunsmith, aged 34, and a widower, marrying Mary Boote. So Margaret’s mother died between 1760 and 1768, which fits the family story of the accident. Her burial has not yet been found | Cheshire Marriage Licence Bonds and Allegations; Diocese of Chester Bishop’s Transcripts (Findmypast) |
| William Meadows (the actor) | Notes added from the Dublin newspapers: a Mrs. Meadows was singing and acting in the Dublin company in 1784, Mr. Meadows had a benefit night on 7 June 1796, and a Miss Meadows appeared in 1796. Possibly his wife and a daughter; not proven | Dublin Evening Post, Hibernian Journal and Dublin Journal, 1784–1796 (Findmypast) |
Newspaper findings
| Page | Added | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Edwin Lewis | Obituary and funeral (died after a short illness at the George and Dragon Hotel, Westerham; buried St Mary’s churchyard, Westerham, 24 December 1907; mourners and coffin plate). Note beside his death date: the newspaper and coffin plate give 21 December 1907; the family’s 23 December is kept. Sale notices, Newport 1867 and Leeds 1869 | Westerham Herald, 28 December 1907, p. 4; Monmouthshire Merlin, 23 March 1867, p. 7; Star of Gwent, 30 March 1867, p. 4; Yorkshire Post, 10 July 1869, p. 2 |
| William James (1825-1907) | Death in the street at Chase Side, Enfield, on 8 October 1907, aged 82; inquest; identified by his nephew Gordon Meadows. The family background as the paper gives it (unverified), with where it differs from our pages | Middlesex Gazette, 12 October 1907, p. 5 |
| Arthur Joseph (1843-1907) | Sale notices, Newport 1867 and Dublin 1868 (the Dublin sale also lists an unidentified “F. J. Meadows”) | Monmouthshire Merlin, 23 March 1867, p. 7; Star of Gwent, 30 March 1867, p. 4; Saunders’s News-Letter, 22 July 1868, p. 4 |
| Gordon Arthur (1867-1937) | Works by “Gordon Meadows” in a Conduit Street auction, May 1900 | London Evening Standard and Daily Telegraph, 23 May 1900 |
| Grace (1871-1937) | Newspaper report of her death, agreeing with 11 February 1937 | Sevenoaks Chronicle, 19 February 1937, p. 5 |
| Edwin Lewis | The sale notices (Newport 1867, Leeds 1869) moved out of the main text into a popup, opened from “newspaper reports” at the end of the paragraph on his career, so the story reads on without them | As above |
Supporting detail moved into popups
| Page | Change |
|---|---|
| Edwin Lewis | The funeral details (mourners, the Coules note, flowers and the coffin plate) moved into a popup, opened from “the funeral report”; his death, Royal Academy exhibiting and burial stay in the text |
| James | The children’s birth years and places, and the 1841 and 1861 census addresses, moved into a popup, opened from “seven children”; a sentence introducing George Self kept in the text before the Self family section |
| William James (1825-1907) | The newspaper’s account of the family background, and where it differs from our pages, moved into a popup, opened from “an account of the family’s background” |
| Arthur Joseph (1843-1907) | The sale notices (Newport 1867, Dublin 1868) moved into a popup, opened from “sale notices” |
| Frederick John (1868-1950) | The history of The Organ at Ewell moved into a popup, with the pub’s photo, opened from “The Organ” |
23 October 2026
Corrections to the tree
| Person | Was | Now | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Emily Jessie Whittet (wife of Edwin Lewis) | died probably Oct–Dec 1931, Epsom district, Surrey | died 6 Oct 1931 at the “Organ” Inn, Ewell, aged 89; her son Frederick John was present | Death certificate, Epsom district, Surrey, 1931 (GRO); her age suggests birth in about 1842, a little earlier than the census ages |
| Ann Cross (wife of James) | no dates; parents unknown | born 26 Jan 1801; baptised 14 Feb 1802 at St Marylebone, daughter of William and Ann Cross; buried 14 Mar 1874 at Holy Trinity, Mile End Old Town, aged 73 | Baptism register (LMA P89/MRY1/011); burial register (LMA P93/TRI/028); death index, Mile End Old Town, Jan–Mar 1874, 1c 412; 1851, 1861 and 1871 censuses |
| Ann Meadows (wife of John Masey Wright) | died 1827 | married John Wright by licence on 30 May 1809 at St Mary, Lambeth; living in Rodney Street, Pentonville, in 1824; buried 9 Jun 1827 at St James, Pentonville, aged 42 | Marriage register (LMA P85/MRY1/396); baptism of her daughter Frances, 1824 (LMA P76/JS2/007); burial register (LMA P76/JS2/026) |
| Mary Meadows (wife of Richard Johnson) | no marriage details | married Richard Johnson on 3 Dec 1802 at St Mary, Newington | Marriage register (LMA P92/MRY/019) |
| William James Meadows (1753–1847) | death registered at Halstead, Jan–Mar 1847 | also buried on 6 Feb 1847 at St Peter, Sible Hedingham, aged 94 | Sible Hedingham burial register (Essex Record Office) |
| Ann Meadows (wife of Charles Edwards) | nothing after her children’s births | not in her husband’s household in the 1871 census; probably died between 1865 and 1871 (to be confirmed) | 1871 census (RG10/561, folio 49, page 3) |
| John Masey Wright (1777–1866) | born 1777; died 1866 | born 14 Oct 1777, Pentonville; died 13 May 1866; buried 21 May 1866 at Twickenham, aged 89; in 1861 living in Kentish Town with his daughter Charlotte and son James | Dictionary of National Biography, vol. 21; burial register (LMA DRO/150/016); 1861 census (RG9/120) |
| James Edward Meadows and family | no census entries | 1861 and 1871 at Acton; 1881 at 2 Aldine Street, Hammersmith, as a Professor of Painting; 1891 at Hammersmith. Alice, Julia, Walter and Francis are with their parents in each census they were at home | Censuses 1861 (RG9/781), 1871 (RG10/1322), 1881 (RG11/63), 1891 (RG12/43) |
| Eliza Ann Rackcliffe (wife of James Edward) | first husband’s surname only | born in Ealing; father William Lovell, corn and hay dealer, living with them in 1871; first husband John Turner Rackliffe, father of her daughter Catharine (baptised 1845 at Ealing, later Mrs Thompson); in 1851 living in Kennington as Eliza Rackliffe, where Alice and Julia were born | 1871 census (RG10/1322); Catharine’s baptism (LMA DRO/037/A/01/014); 1851 census (HO107/1573); 1861–1891 censuses |
| Ann Meadows (wife of Charles Edwards) | probably died 1865–71 | alive in 1861, living with her brother James Edward at Acton | 1861 census (RG9/781) |
| Alfred John Meadows and family | no census entries | 1861 Mile End Old Town; 1871 Whitechapel; 1881 21 Ernest Street, Mile End Old Town (house painter, actor and artist); 1891 Mile End Old Town. Catherine, Frances and Alfred James were all alive in April 1861 and Minnie in April 1871, so each died later in the census year | Censuses 1861 (RG9/290), 1871 (RG10/516), 1881 (RG11/481), 1891 (RG12/308) |
| Arthur Joseph Meadows and family | no census entries | 1871 Charlton, Dover; 1881 5 Eastbrook Place, Dover (marine artist, oil and water colour); 1891 Tottenham; 1901 Notting Hill. Each child’s census entries added; Viola Jessie was the unnamed daughter of one month in 1871 | Censuses 1871 (RG10/1006), 1881 (RG11/1001), 1891 (RG12/1074), 1901 (RG13/23) |
| Alfred John’s married children (Christine Amelia, Lillian Maud, Kate Edith, Sidney Walter) and their spouses | no census entries after marriage | Schloen family: 1891 Bethnal Green; 1911 Manor Park, East Ham; 1921 Hackney Wick. Small family: 1911 and 1921 107 Skidmore Street, Stepney. Oddy family: 1891 Bethnal Green; 1901 Newington; 1911 Clerkenwell. Sidney Walter’s family: 1891 and 1901 St Luke; 1911 Hoxton; 1921 Finsbury (printer). Children’s names noted on each parent’s record as indexed; images not yet checked | Censuses 1891 (RG12/232, 258, 270), 1901 (RG13/259, 384), 1911 (RG14 pieces 1224, 1348, 1615, 9581), 1921 |
| Jessie Ann Meadows (b. 1856) | last seen in 1861 | Still not found after 1861 (no 1871 or 1881 census entry, marriage or death found). A Jessie Isabel Meadows (b. about 1869, died Oct–Dec 1870, Mile End Old Town) is noted as a lead only | Census and GRO index searches |
| Alfred John’s 23 grandchildren | birth years from census ages only; some first names only | Birth registrations found for 21 of the 23. Full names added where the match is clear (e.g. Elizabeth Violet Schloen, Emily Lilian Oddy, Christine Emily M. Meadows); birthplace set to the registration district. Seven are marked “probably” in their notes (Daisy Schloen, Nelly Oddy, Lilian E., Sidney, Albert, Ivy and Horace Meadows). Mary E. and William L. Oddy not found. Emily Lilian’s second name explains “Lilly”; Albert Edward’s registration supports reading the 1911 “Bertha” as Albert | GRO birth index, 1887–1909 (Ancestry) |
| Alfred John’s married children and grandchildren: later lives | no marriages or deaths after 1911 | Deaths added: Christine Amelia Schloen (1955, Willesden), Thomas F. Schloen (probably 1931, Wandsworth), Lillian Maud Small (1926, Stepney), Richard Small (probably 1934, Stepney), Sidney Walter (1929) and Jane Rebecca Meadows (1928), both Holborn. Grandchildren: marriages, 1939 Register entries and deaths noted where found (e.g. Daisy Schloen m. Henry J. Cook 1913; Horace George Meadows 1908–1992; Richard H. W. Oddy 1891–1954; Jessie Edith Schloen 1894–1981). Uncertain matches are marked “probably” or “possibly” in each record’s notes; Ivy Rose J. and Horace George now have their full names | GRO marriage and death indexes; 1939 Register (Ancestry) |
Added to the tree
| Person | Details | Source |
|---|---|---|
| William Cross | Father of Ann Cross. Possibly also the father of William (baptised 1790, St Marylebone) and of Elizabeth (1785) and Catharine (1791), baptised at St James, Clerkenwell — not yet confirmed. | Ann’s baptism, St Marylebone, 14 Feb 1802 |
| Ann | Wife of William Cross and mother of Ann Cross. Her maiden name is not yet known. | Ann’s baptism, St Marylebone, 14 Feb 1802 |
| Mary Wright | Daughter of John Masey Wright and Ann Meadows. Born 20 Jun 1815; family in Hermes Street, Pentonville. | Baptism, St James, Pentonville, 27 Aug 1815 |
| Charlotte Maria Wright | Daughter of John and Ann. Baptised 7 Sep 1817. | Baptism, St James, Pentonville |
| James Peter Wright | Son of John and Ann. Born 26 Aug 1819; family in Rodney Street, Pentonville. | Baptism, St James, Pentonville, 30 Jan 1820 |
| Thomas Wright | Son of John and Ann. Born 29 May 1821, Rodney Street. | Baptism, St James, Pentonville, 30 Sep 1821 |
| Frances Wright | Daughter of John and Ann. Born 20 Dec 1823, Rodney Street. | Baptism, St James, Pentonville, 2 Jun 1824 |
| Richard Small | Married Lillian Maud Meadows, daughter of Alfred John, on 10 Apr 1887 at St Andrew, Bethnal Green. | Marriage register (LMA P72/AND/015) |
| Richard Henry Oddy | Married Kate Edith Meadows, daughter of Alfred John, on 10 May 1887 at St Andrew, Bethnal Green. | Marriage register (LMA P72/AND/015) |
| Jane Rebecca Wregg | Married Sidney Walter Meadows, son of Alfred John, on 31 Jul 1887 at St Mark, Shoreditch. | Marriage register (LMA P91/MRK/016) |
| Thomas Frederick Schloen | Married Christine Amelia Meadows, daughter of Alfred John, on 16 Oct 1887 at St Andrew, Bethnal Green. | Marriage register (LMA P72/AND/015) |
| Children of Thomas Frederick Schloen and Christine Amelia Meadows | Daisy (b. about 1889), Christine Maud (1890), Elizabeth V. (1892), Jessie E. (1894), Ethel L. M. (1896), Ruth E. S. (1900) | Censuses 1891–1921 (Ancestry indexes); birth years estimated from ages |
| Children of Richard Small and Lillian Maud Meadows | Edward William (b. about 1894), Lillian Jane (1897), Walter Richard (1901), Frederick John (1904) | Censuses 1891–1921 (Ancestry indexes); birth years estimated from ages |
| Children of Richard Henry Oddy and Kate Edith Meadows | Emily L., called Lilly (b. about 1888), Nelly (1890), Richard W. (1892), Mary E. (1894), William L. (1897) | Censuses 1891–1921 (Ancestry indexes); birth years estimated from ages |
| Children of Sidney Walter Meadows and Jane Rebecca Wregg | Christine (b. about 1889), Alfred S. J. (1890), Lilian E. (1894), Daisy C. (1899), Sidney (1903), Albert (1904; indexed as “Bertha” in 1911), Ivy (1907), Horace (1909) | Censuses 1891–1921 (Ancestry indexes); birth years estimated from ages |
| Spouses of Alfred John’s grandchildren (found in the index) | Henry J. Cook (m. Daisy Schloen 1913); Thomas Board (m. Ethel Schloen 1928); Frederick G. Clark (m. Ruth Schloen 1942); Lilian Baldry (m. Richard H. W. Oddy 1926); Henry T. Avery (m. Ivy Rose J. Meadows 1933); Norah Jackson (m. Horace George Meadows 1934). Each marriage added, dated by registration quarter | GRO marriage index; 1939 Register (Ancestry) |
| Spouses of Alfred John’s grandchildren (likely, not proven) | Sidney A. Marsh (m. Ellen A. Oddy 1912, probably Nelly); Frederick W. Allwright (m. Christine E. N. Meadows 1913, probably Christine Emily M.); Charles Cody (m. Daisy C. Meadows 1923, probably Daisy Cornelia). Each record’s notes say why the match is not proven. Emily Lilian Oddy’s 1910 husband is not added: the index fits Fred Davies only half the time | GRO marriage index (Ancestry) |
Corrections to the stories
| Page | Was | Now | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Edwin Lewis | Emily “probably died in the autumn of 1931” in the Epsom district | died at The Organ in Ewell on 6 October 1931, aged 89, with Fred beside her | Death certificate, Epsom district, Surrey, 1931 (GRO) |
20 October 2026
Corrections to the stories
| Page | Was | Now | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| James | Edwin Lewis born 1839 | born 1838 | Birth registered at Stepney, Jan–Mar 1838 (see 14 October) |
| James | Frances Amelia born 1840, “a year after Edwin” | two years after Edwin | Edwin Lewis born 14 Jan 1838 |
| James | four children, including William James, born at Mountnessing | William James born at Epping or Mountnessing; the other three at Mountnessing | William James’s census entries give both places |
| Edwin Lewis | he “owned” the cement works; “owner-manager” | manager of the cement works | 1891 and 1901 censuses |
| Edwin Lewis | Grace appears in the 1871 and 1891 censuses | 1871, 1881 and 1891 | 1881 census: Grace, 10, scholar, at Maybank Road, Woodford |
| Edwin Lewis | daughter Emily: “nothing more is known of her” | her census entries and probable death in 1887 | Censuses 1871 and 1881; GRO death index |
| Edwin Lewis | nothing about Edwin’s wife beyond the 1911 census | a paragraph on Emily Jessie: her birth, her later years with Frederick John and Grace, and her probable death in 1931 | Marriage certificate; censuses 1871–1921; GRO death index |
Corrections to the tree
| Person | Was | Now | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jessie Edith Gwendoline Meadows (1896–1948) | First name spelt “Jesse” | “Jessie”, the usual girl’s spelling | 1939 Register (“Jessie E. G.”); family knowledge |
| Emily Jessie Whittet (wife of Edwin Lewis) | born in Woodford | born in London (Dorset Square, Marylebone), about 1843–44 | 1871 census: London; 1881: Dorset Square, London W.; 1891: St George, Middlesex |
| Emily Meadows (daughter of Edwin Lewis) | fate unknown after 1881 | probably died Jul–Sep 1887, Blean district, Kent, aged 20 (to be confirmed) | GRO death index 2a 451; the only Emily Meadows of the right age missing from the 1891 census. The 1871 and 1881 censuses record her as an “imbecile” (a learning disability). |
| Emily Jessie Whittet (wife of Edwin Lewis) | date of death unknown (alive in 1921) | probably died Oct–Dec 1931, Epsom district, Surrey, aged 89 (to be confirmed) | GRO death index 2a 44; her census ages; the Epsom district includes Ewell, where her son Frederick John kept The Organ |
Records added
| Record | What it shows | Added to |
|---|---|---|
| 1881 census, sheets 1 and 2 (RG11/1734, folio 68, pages 31–32): sharper scans | Edwin L. Meadows, 43, artist, born Mile End; Emily J., 37, born Dorset Square, London W.; Orestes L., 16, clerk, born Leytonstone, at Maybank Road, Woodford. Sheet 2 continues with Emily, 14, Frederick J., 12, scholar, and Grace, 10, scholar, all born Leytonstone. | Replace the earlier copies in Edwin Lewis’s records |
| 1911 census, George and Dragon, Westerham | Frederick John Meadows, 42, single, licensed victualler, born Leytonstone; his mother Emily Jessie, widow, given as 63, born Dorset Square, London; his sister Grace, single, given as 35; both assisting in the business. | Records for Frederick John, Emily Jessie and Grace |
| 1921 census, Westerham | Frederick John Meadows, single, hackney car proprietor; his mother Emily Jessie, widowed, 78, born Dorset Square, London; his sister Grace, single, advertisement representative for the Daily Telegraph, 290 Oxford Street. | Records for Frederick John, Emily Jessie and Grace |
| 1939 Register | Frederic J. Meadows, single, retired licensed victualler, born 6 Nov 1868 (the tree has 8 Nov), at Old Park Farm, Eastry district, near Deal. | Notes for Frederick John |
| 1939 Register, Bankside, Alton, Hampshire | Orestes Lewis Meadows (as “Orister L.”), married, born 14 Dec 1864, retired restaurant manager; Flora E., born 8 Nov 1868, unpaid domestic duties; their daughter Jessie E. G., single, born 16 Aug 1896; and their son Edwin H., single, born 16 Nov 1906, electrician and radio technician. All four birth dates agree with the tree. Orestes died at Bankside on 27 October, four weeks later. | Notes for Orestes, Flora, Jessie Edith Gwendoline and Edwin Henry |
15 October 2026
Records added
| Record | What it shows | Added to |
|---|---|---|
| 1921 census, household of Orestes L. Meadows | Orestes, 56, born Leytonstone, restaurant manager for Pimms Limited, 3–5 Poultry, London EC2; Flora, 52, born Acton, home duties; Violet, 22, born Bexley, bank clerk at the London Joint City & Midland Bank, 45 Ludgate Hill; Edwin Henry, 14, born Bexley, at school. The schedule cover gives the address as Brookside, Hartford Road, Bexley, Kent. The ages fit the census actually being taken on 19 June 1921, after it was postponed from April. | Records for Orestes Lewis and Edwin Henry; notes for all four |
Painter pages
Each page under The Painters now opens with a short biography, drawn from the family tree and the stories on this site, with links to the full story where there is one. The pages for Arthur Joseph and Gordon Arthur also draw on published dealer biographies (Benton Fine Art) and local history research (Summerhill Road, Tottenham).
Corrections to the tree
| Person | Was | Now | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arthur Joseph Meadows | born 1843; died 1907, Kensington district | born 9 Oct 1843, Mile End; died 17 Nov 1907 at 18 Portland Road, Notting Hill | Benton Fine Art biography; consistent with the death index (Kensington, Oct–Dec 1907) |
| Lydia Maria Jarvis (first wife of William James) | Lynda Maria | Lydia Maria | William James’s story; “Lynda” was not in use as a name in 1850 |
Added to the tree
| Person | Details | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Vincent George Mortara | Husband of Eileen Powell, Peg’s sister. Born 1911 (registered at Winchester, October–December); married Eileen in Hampshire in 1936; died 23 May 1968 at High Winds, Odiham Road, Shalden, near Alton. | Civil registration birth, marriage and death indexes; probate calendar, 1968 (probate granted at Winchester, 17 December 1968) |
| Peter, Roy and Paul Mortara | Sons of Vincent and Eileen. | Family knowledge; births indexed in Hampshire |
| Roy Mortara | 1943–1973. Killed in a car accident in 1973. | Family knowledge; death indexed in Berkshire, 1973 |
| Eileen Maud Rosa Powell | Birth in 1917 confirmed: registered in Middlesex, indexed as “Eileen Mr Powell”. | Civil registration birth index |
Corrections to the tree
| Person | Was | Now | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| James Edward, Alfred John and Ann Meadows | born at Mountnessing nr Braintree | born at Mountnessing, Essex | 1851 census (“Essex, Mountnessing”). Mountnessing is near Brentwood; Braintree is about 20 miles away |
| Vincent George Mortara | Vincent G Mortara; died 1968 | full name Vincent George; died 23 May 1968 | Probate calendar, 1968 |
| Peter Baillie | status unknown | deceased (date not known) | Family knowledge |
The painters
| Painter | Was | Now | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| James Edward Meadows | Died 1893 | Married Eliza Ann Rackcliffe, a widow, on 10 March 1854; died at home in Aldine Street on 21 July 1893 | Benton Fine Art biography; marriage registered at Camberwell, Jan–Mar 1854; death registered at Fulham, Jul–Sep 1893, aged about 66 |
| William James Meadows (William George) | Died 1907 | Death registered at Edmonton, Oct–Dec 1907, aged about 82 | Death index, under the name William George Meadows |
| Arthur Joseph Meadows | Died 1907 | Death registered at Kensington, Oct–Dec 1907, aged about 64 | Death index |
| Alfred John Meadows | Died April 1894, Mile End Infirmary | Confirmed: death registered at Mile End Old Town, Apr–Jun 1894, aged about 61 | Death index |
| Gordon Arthur Meadows | No wife recorded; died 1937 | Married Lucy Eliza H Laverick (added to the tree), Edmonton, Oct–Dec 1895; died in London in 1937 | Marriage index; 1901 census (wife Lucy Eliza); death index |
| Frederick John Meadows | No birthplace; died Dec 1950 | Born in Leytonstone; died in Kent, 1950 | 1871–1891 censuses; death index |
14 October 2026
Corrections to the stories
| Page | Was | Now | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Edwin Lewis | married Emily Jessie Whitter | married Emily Jessie Whittet | 1863 marriage certificate (father George Whittet, baker) |
| Edwin Lewis | “Eldest son Frederick John” and “Youngest son Orestes Lewis, Roger and Jeff’s great grandfather” | Orestes (b. 1864) is the eldest son and Roger and Jeff’s grandfather; Frederick John (b. 1868) the younger | Birth dates; family line |
| Edwin Lewis | daughter Emily born 1867; in the 1881 census “in Leytonstone” | born in Leytonstone in 1866; in 1881 the family was at Maybank Road, Woodford | Birth registered at West Ham, Oct–Dec 1866; 1871 and 1881 censuses |
| Edwin Lewis (painter) | title Edwin Lewis [1839–1875] | Edwin Lewis (1838–1907); old page address redirects to the new one | Birth and death indexes; censuses 1841–1901 |
| Orestes Lewis | born “probably in Woodford” | born in Leytonstone | 1871, 1881, 1891 and 1911 censuses (1911 in his own hand) |
| Orestes Lewis | Stanley Arthur died aged 8 months | 7 months | Born 31 Dec 1901, died 3 Aug 1902; death registered at Bromley |
| Orestes Lewis | Flora Edith died aged 86 | 85 | Born 8 Nov 1868 (1939 Register; aged 23 at her 1892 marriage), died 23 May 1954 |
| Joan Audrey (Peg) | brother “Frederick William Roy” | Frederick Roy | Birth indexed as Frederick R Powell, Hampstead, 1915 |
| Joan Audrey (Peg) | Fred Powell died aged 77 | 76 | Birth registered at Marylebone, Jul–Sep 1892 (the 1969 obituary says 77) |
| James | the 1941 census; by 1961 | the 1841 census; by 1861 | Typing slips |
| James | 12 Coburn Street | 12 Coborn Street | Boase’s Modern English Biography |
| William James | James [1799–1863] | James [1798–1863] | See James in the tree corrections below |
Corrections to the tree
| Person | Was | Now | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Edwin Lewis Meadows | born 1839 | born 14 Jan 1838, Stepney | Birth registered at Stepney, Jan–Mar 1838; ages in the 1841–1891 censuses; death index |
| James Meadows | born 1799 | born 12 Aug 1798, Dublin; died 5 May 1863 at 12 Coborn Street, Bow | Family note (“born in Dublin during the rebellion in 1798”); Boase |
| Orestes Lewis Meadows | born at 10 Railway Terrace, Woodford; died 1939 | born in Leytonstone; died 27 Oct 1939 at Bankside, Beech | Censuses; probate calendar |
| Grace Meadows | died 1937 | died 11 Feb 1937 at Victoria Hospital, Deal | Probate calendar |
| Emily Meadows (Edwin Lewis’s daughter) | born in Woodford | born in Leytonstone, 1866 | 1871 and 1881 censuses |
| Nellie Ann Meadows | born 1896 | born 1869, Dover | Birth indexed as Nellie Annie Meadows, Dover, Jul–Sep 1869 |
| Ann Cross (wife of James) | Anne Cross | Ann Cross; married James on 2 Jun 1824 | 1851 census; James’s page |
| Jessie Ann Edwards | recorded as male | female | |
| Flora Edith Coules | no birthplace | born in Acton; married Orestes at Acton Parish Church | 1911 census; 1892 marriage certificate |
| Edwin Henry Meadows | no birthplace | born at “Arden”, Parkhurst Road, Bexley | Birth certificate |
| Joan Audrey (Peg) Powell | no birthplace or death | born in Kilburn; died 29 Apr 2019, Lenten Street, Alton | Peg’s page |
| Margaret Helen Meadows | no death date | died 1907, aged 3 | Death registered at Dartford, Jan–Mar 1907 |
| Dora Meadows | no birthplace or death | born in Bexley; died March 1967 | Orestes’s page; 1911 census |
| Violet Hilda Meadows | no birthplace or death | born in Bexley; died June 1990 | Orestes’s page; 1911 census |
| Frederick Powell and Ellen Gardiner | first names only | Frederick James Walter Powell (1892–1969) and Ellen Sarah Gardiner, married 24 Sep 1914 at St Cuthbert’s, Hampstead | Marriage certificate; birth index; obituary |
| Edwin Lewis’s records | baptism dated 1839 | baptism dated 1863 (he was baptised as an adult, a few weeks after his marriage) | The baptism certificate |
Added to the tree
| Person | Details | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Frederick Roy Powell | Peg’s brother, known as Roy. Born 12 Apr 1915, Hampstead; killed in a motorcycle accident in 1936. | Peg’s page; birth index |
| Eileen Maud Rosa Powell | Peg’s sister, known as Eile. Born 8 Jul 1917; died 2013, Alton. | Peg’s page |
| William Anderson Baillie | Born 3 Jan 1892; bank official. Married Dora Meadows on 17 Apr 1920 at St John’s, Bexley. Their son Peter Baillie is also added. | 1920 marriage certificate; Orestes’s page |
| James P L Hossack | Married Violet Hilda Meadows in Ipswich in December 1934. | Orestes’s page |
| Grant Hossack | Son of Hilda and James. Born 28 Nov 1938, Colchester; died January 2007. West End musical director and composer. | Orestes’s page |
| Richard Johnson | Husband of Mary Meadows (1784–1832), William James’s daughter. | William James’s page |
| John Masey Wright | Watercolourist (1777–1866). Husband of Ann Meadows (1785–1827), William James’s daughter. | William James’s page |
Still to be settled
- William James’s death. The tree gives 27 Jan 1847. The Times report quoted on William James’s page is dated 31 January and says he died “on Sunday last”, but 31 Jan 1847 was itself a Sunday. His death was registered at Halstead in Jan–Mar 1847. No notice was found in the 1847 Gentleman’s Magazine, Annual Register, Illustrated London News or Musical World, so a death certificate is needed to settle the day. His burial on 6 Feb 1847 at Sible Hedingham, aged 94, shows he died before that date.
- Edwin Lewis’s exact death date. 23 Dec 1907 comes from family sources. The death index confirms Sevenoaks, Oct–Dec 1907, aged about 69. There is no entry in the 1907 or 1908 probate calendars, so a death certificate is needed to confirm the day.
- Orestes’s birthplace. Every census says Leytonstone; the old Reunion tree had 10 Railway Terrace, Woodford. His birth certificate would settle it.
- Eileen Powell’s death. 2013 comes from Peg’s page. There is no probate grant for 2012–2014, and the published death index stops at 2007, so a death certificate or a local notice would be needed to confirm the date. Her 1917 birth is now confirmed.
- Whose daughters were Mary and Ann? The tree follows Edwin Lewis’s list of William James’s children, which names Mary (1784–1832) and Ann (1785–1827) as his daughters, and is given priority. Conflicting evidence: a Mary Meadows baptised on 14 May 1783 at St George, Hanover Square, and an Ann Meadows born 15 Apr 1785 and baptised at St John, Smith Square, were both children of Thomas and Elizabeth Meadows (married 1778 at St George, Hanover Square, as Thomas Meadows and Elizabeth Sawyer). Ann’s age at burial fits the 1785 baptism exactly, and her family moved between the same two Pentonville streets as James Meadows at the same time: Hermes Street (Ann in 1815, James in 1816–19), then Rodney Street (Ann in 1817–24, James by 1823). William James was on the Dublin stage around 1782–84. The 1809 marriage licence allegation may settle it.
- A possible explanation for Mary and Ann (unproven). A Thomas Meadows, born 2 Oct 1748, was baptised at St Sepulchre, Holborn, son of Thomas and Elizabeth Meadows — the only Thomas Meadows baptised in London that year, matching the HMS Resolution seaman “born in London ~1748”. If he is William James’s brother, he would have been about 29 when a Thomas Meadows married Elizabeth Sawyer in 1778, and Mary and Ann could be his daughters — William James’s nieces, and cousins of James, which would fit both Edwin Lewis’s family memory and the Westminster baptisms. This is a working hypothesis only; the tree still follows Edwin Lewis.
- William James’s wife. The tree names her Margaret Syddle, but no marriage has been found. A William Meadows married Elizabeth Houghton on 14 May 1775 at St John, Smith Square, and an Elizabeth Meadows, daughter of William and Elizabeth, was baptised in 1779 at St George the Martyr, Queen Square. Neither is yet proven to be the actor.
- Thomas William Meadows’s dates. The tree gives 1720–1814, from Edwin Henry’s family records (corrected there from 1740). Two records may bear on him: a Thomas William Meadows baptised on 15 Nov 1761 at St John the Evangelist, Smith Square, Westminster, son of John and Jane Meadows; and a Thomas William Meadows of Poplar buried at Poplar on 21 Sep 1810 (Stepney register; no age given). Neither is yet linked to the tree’s Thomas William.
- Eliza Ann’s maiden name. In 1871 William Lovell is described as her father, so her maiden name is probably Lovell. But a John Turner Rackliff married an Eliza Anne Smith at St Pancras on 27 Nov 1837. Either that was an earlier wife of his, or Eliza understated her age in every census (29 in 1851, 64 in 1891) and was born Smith, with William Lovell perhaps a stepfather. A marriage of John Turner Rackliffe to an Eliza Lovell, or his death between 1845 and 1851, would settle it.
- Millie Meadows (b. 1870), Arthur Joseph’s daughter. Probably the same person as Nellie Ann (b. 1869). The 1871 census index has “Millie A. Meadows, 1”, but the handwriting could equally read “Nellie A.”; Nellie’s birth was registered at Dover in Jul–Sep 1869, no Millie appears in any later census, and Nellie A. is 11 in 1881. Millie is kept in the tree until this is confirmed.