Joseph John Steward Genealogy Source Records

**Joseph John Steward Genealogy Source Records**
Contents Birth Records Baptismal Record Marriage Records Death Records Obituary (none found) Cemetery Records (not searched) Tombstone (unknown) Last Will and Testament (none found)

**Marriage Registration**
Application Number: Year: 1848 Registration District: Poplar Marriage solemnized at Bow District of Parish of St. Mary Stratford Bow in the County of Middlesex No. 185 When married: June 11 Name and Surname: Joseph STEWARD Age: Full age Condition: Bachelor Rank or Profession: Rigger Residence at time of Marriage: Bow Father's Name and Surname: John Isaac STEWARD Rank or Profession: Shipwright Name and Surname: Elizabeth HOLLOWAY Age: Full age Condition: Spinster Rank or Profession: ---- Residence at time of Marriage: Bow Father's Name and Surname: William HOLLOWAY Rank or Profession: Trenail Mooter Married in the Parish Church according to the rites and ceremonies of the Established Church by Banns by me, G. T. Driffield, Rector This marriage was solemnized between us: Joseph Steward Elizabeth Holloway her X mark in the presence of us Edward Clark Jane Ann Clark her X mark CERTIFIED to be a true copy of an entry of a register in my custody. Superintendent Registrar 8.3.1989.

Marriage Registration Comments

This record was obtained from the Deputy Registrar, London Borough of Tower Hamlets, Tower Hamlets Registration District on March 8, 1989.
St. Mary's Stratford Bow was a large church in the Poplar area. It would be an honor to be married there rather than the smaller churches in the area.
The age of "full" generally meant that the person was more than 21 years old.
The "X" mark for Elizabeth suggest that she could not write her name.
It is unknown who the witnesses are.
The Rector, G. T. Driffield would also marry Elizabeth Priscilla Holloway Steward in 1867 and again in 1876.

William Holloway, Elizabeth's father was employed as a trenail mooter. Trenails were the wooden pegs they used to tie the boards together in wooden ship construction. The trenails need to be a standard size to fit the pre-drilled holes. Bringing them to the "moot" or standard size ahead of time was necessary for efficient operation. The pegs were made for a loose but not tight fit and when the ship was wet the wood would expand to be a tight fit.
John Isaac Steward, Joseph's father was employed as a shipwright. A shipwright is a carpenter employed in the construction or maintenance of ships.
Joseph Steward was emloyed as a rigger. The term rigger could have included several different tasks. These might be fitting the rigging of the old wooden sailing ships or working with hoisting, tackle, cranes, pulleys, and scaffolds.

**Certified Copy of an Entry of Death**
**Given at the General Resister Office, London**
Application Number: pas 053765/79/F Registration District: Poplar Year: 1892 Death in the Sub-District of Poplar in the County of London No. 210 When and where died: Twenty third October 1892, 20 Wade Street Name and Surname: Joseph Steward Sex: Male Age: 67 Years Occupation: Rigger Cause of Death: Sudden syncope from heart disease, natural Signature, description, and residence of informant: Certificate received from Wynne E. Baxter coroner for London Inquest held twenty fifth October 1892 When registered: Twenty fifth October 1892. Signature of registrar: A. Purdy Registrar CERTIFIED to be a true copy of an entry in the certified copy of a Register of Deaths in the District above mentioned. Given at the General Register Office, London, under the Seal of the said Office, the 16th day of March 1979.

**Death Record Comments**
This record was obtained from the General Register Office, St. Catherine's House on March 16, 1979. Poplar is in the County of Middlesex. It is unclear why the record state County of London, unless it was related to the Coroner inquest for London. The word syncope is a sudden loss of consciousness.	It is unclear why there was a coroner inquest. Perhaps they randomly investigated deaths or perhaps it occured while he was on the job and there was an investigation, although the death was stated to be at home. It may be possible to obtain the coroner inquest paperwork. Joseph's death at 67 years suggests that he was born in 1825.

**Obituary Search**
A search for an obituary for Joseph Steward was made by the Globe Town Neighbourhood Library in November 1989. Six newspapers were searched but no Joseph Steward obituary was found. The newspapers searched were: The East London Advertiser, East London Observer, East End News, Eastern Post, Eastern Argus and Hackney Gazette.	The library indicated that in the late-19th century local newspapers did not usually provide obituaries or reports of deaths unless the person concerned was particularly well known.

**Cemetery Record Comments**
It is unknown where Joseph Steward is buried or if he was cremated. By the early 19th century, much of the land in London churchyards had been filled. In the 1830s, the city of London then purchased several large tracts of land for burial and the first public burial grounds were established. The nearest cemetery to Poplar that was open for burials when Joseph Steward died in 1892 is the City of London and Tower Hamlets Cemetery in Bow. This cemetery was opened in 1841. The City of London and Tower Hamlets Cemetery records are organized according to consecrated and unconsecrated. Thus if the interred was a member of the Church of England, they would be in the consecrated records. It is believed that Joseph Steward was a member of the Church of England.	Graves at the cemetery are further separated into private and public graves. Public graves contain the remains of numerous unrelated persons. No index is available for gravestones or monuments. Registers are thought to be organized sequentially by occurrence. No search has been made of the registers. Since Elizabeth Steward left for America within a year after his death, it is unlikely that there is a tombstone as the family did not appear to be well off and needed to conserve their resources. It is possible that previous generations of Stewards established a family plot. The records for the City of London and Tower Hamlets Cemetery are deposited in the Greater London Record Office in London.

**Will Search**
To determine whether Joseph had left a will, in May 1987, a genealogy researcher was commisioned to search the Index Listings for Probate Registry at the Genealogical Library. This search was performed for the name Joseph Steward and the variant Joseph Stewart for all of England from the years 1891 to 1896.	There were no Joseph Stewards listed for 1892, 1894, 1895, or 1896. There was a Joseph Steward age 47 for 1893; howver, neither the age nor other particulars matched. There were no Joseph Stewerts for 1893 or 1894. There was a Joseph Stewert in 1892, but for the month of August and the wife was named Isabella. There was also a Joseph Stewert for 1895 but for Northhampton and he was a farmer. My conclusion is that Joseph Steward did not have a will.