The Jordan Story

Origins Chapters

The Stewards of Poplar

by Diane Cusiel
Introduction

I have been in contact with Dave Jordan since March 2006 regarding the Steward family, and although our families do not link up at all in the 1800s, we believe that we may share a common ancestor pre-1800. This has to be researched in the future, but in the meantime Dave has invited me to write about what I know of my Steward ancestors. So I will be as brief and accurate as possible.

Richard Bray Steward and Ann Taylor

Richard and Ann were my ggg-grandparents. Richard was born 1800-1802 at Northfleet, Kent and was a shipwright. Ann was born about 1800 in Poplar, Middlesex. They had three children:

  1. Richard Bray Steward, born about 1823 in Gravesend, Kent. He did not marry, and died in the Sept. qtr, 1876 at Poplar, Middlesex, age 53.
  2. John Joseph Steward, born about 1824 in Gravesend, Kent. John married twice, to Ann Elizabeth Rainer in 1846, and then to Maria in 1852 – see below.
  3. Ann Elizabeth Steward, born about 1836 in Gravesend, Kent. She was still unmarried in the 1891 census – death date unknown.

The family were in Gravesend up to the time of the 1851 census, but by 1861 they were all living at Poplar, Middlesex. Richard died on 20 February 1874 at 31 William Street, Poplar and Ann died in the Mar.qtr, 1878 at Poplar.

Joseph and Elizabeth Steward

Joseph was born in 1790 in Rotherhithe, Surrey and was a shipwright. Elizabeth was born in Shadwell, Middlesex also in 1790. These two birth-places are not that far apart, with just the River Thames separating them. Joseph was the elder brother of Richard Bray Steward. See also the 1851/61 Census Records for Joseph and Elizabeth Steward Family of 31 Williams Street, Poplar.

Thanks to information on Joseph’s will, which Dave sent to me recently, I was then able to make the connection. Dave had obtained a transcription of the will in 1990 from both Marjorie P. Hooper and Harry Steward.

Joseph wrote his will on 11 October 1862, the two beneficiaries being his wife Elizabeth, and his brother Richard Bray Steward. Joseph and Elizabeth had no children. Joseph died in the Sept. qtr 1864 in Poplar, and there is a death of an Elizabeth Steward in the Dec. qtr 1864, also in Poplar. There is a good possibility that these are the correct death registrations, as both would have been 74. Joseph and Elizabeth lived at 31 William Street, Poplar for a long time – they were there in the 1851 census, and they probably died there. In the 1871 census, his brother Richard Bray Steward and family were at that address.

John Joseph Steward and Ann Elizabeth Rainer

John Joseph was the second son of Richard Bray and Ann Steward, and was born about 1824 at Gravesend, Kent, and was also a shipwright. He married Ann Elizabeth Rainer (the daughter of John Rainer, fisherman of Milton, Kent) on 18 October 1846 in the Parish Church Holy Trinity, Milton, Kent. They had one daughter Ann Elizabeth Steward, born 24 July 1847 at 10 Woolmore Street, Poplar, Middlesex. Sadly the young mother died in the Mar. qtr, 1848 at Poplar, and by the 1851 census the widowed John Joseph and his 3 year old daughter Ann Elizabeth were living back in Gravesend with his parents. But he must have returned to Poplar shortly after that census, because he married Maria (who was born about 1827 in Poplar) in the December qtr 1852 at Poplar. They had six children, all born in Poplar:

  1. Maria Steward, born Sept. qtr, 1853 – she married Thomas James Collins.
  2. John Joseph Steward, born Dec. qtr, 1855 – he married Hannah Elizabeth Dockerill.
  3. Sarah Steward, born Mar. qtr, 1858.
  4. Elizabeth Steward, born Jun. qtr, 1860.
  5. Joseph Steward, born June qtr 1860 – died Dec. qtr, 1860.
  6. Richard Steward, born September qtr 1863 – he married Susannah Fletcher.

John Joseph Steward’s first daughter Ann Elizabeth married William James Hooper on 11 December 1870 at St. Leonard’s Church, Bromley, Middlesex.

John Joseph died in the Dec. qtr, 1892 at Poplar, at age 68, and Maria died in the Dec. qtr, 1896 at Poplar, at age of 69.

Joseph John Steward and Elizabeth Holloway

Joseph John was born between 1824-1826 in Poplar, the son of John Isaac Steward born about 1800. Joseph John married Elizabeth Holloway on 11 June 1848 at St. Mary’s, Stratford, Bow. Dave has already written in great detail about his Steward ancestors.

See the Jordan Steward line:

  1. Origins of our Steward Family
  2. The Joseph and Elizabeth Steward Family
  3. John Steward Family
Conclusion

We like to believe that our two Steward families are linked pre-1800, because the names John and Joseph seem to be passed down both families, and in my family until the late 19th century. We know for a fact that John Isaac was not a brother of Joseph and Richard Bray, because of the information in Joseph’s will, but the three of them could have been cousins. My Stewards could very well have lived in Poplar prior to Joseph’s birth in 1790 in Rotherhithe. Only the Thames and a short ferry-ride separate the two places. Why the family went to Northfleet in Kent we will never know, but there was a large ship-building yard there, and assuming the father of Joseph and Richard was also a shipwright, perhaps they advertised for workers. It looks a long way, but surely they would have sailed down the river, rather than go across country by horse. However the whole family returned to Poplar by the 1861 census, as perhaps there might have been more shipbuilding at the Poplar and Stepney Docks. In fact, when I learned about that great engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel building his huge ship Great Eastern and others at the Isle of Dogs in the 1850s, I often wonder if any of our Steward ancestors were part of that work-force.

 

Acknowledgement

In the course of searching for Stewards in Poplar a number of Steward families have been identified by myself and others over the years. The close proximity in location of these Steward families and the relative uncommonness of the Steward name (as opposed to Stewart) suggests that many of the families might be connected at some point one or two more generations back. In my interactions with Diane Cusiel, I found that she had done extensive research on the Stewards, especially in the Poplar area. And while we don't quite have a match yet between our Stewards it appears very close. I felt her effort would fit nicely with my Steward web pages and I asked Diane to write about her research. Her thoughtful, well written and organized The Stewards of Poplar is the result. It is hoped that her story provides a basis for sorting out the Stewards in 18th Century Poplar and eventually how our various strands might connect somewhere in the not too distant past.

If you would like to add to our knowledge of The Stewards of Poplar please contact Dave.

Dave Jordan
May 2006

Notes
  1. Initial Web Publication Date: 05/11/2006
  2. Modified:
  3. Desktop Master file: Stories_Jordan