This blog is about a small mixed collection of a few old photos, some family certificates and a few other items of ephemera, which were all passed down to Eleanor Sybil Blackwell or Sybil as she was known.

Then, after her death, they were all passed on to a family friend as Sybil had no siblings or descendants. Who, in turn, has passed it on to me. Now, this small collection needs to find a forever home, so by writing a blog about Sybil and her family, we hope to pass it on to a descendant of another branch of the family, if possible, as Sybil never married.

The Life of Thomas Smith Blackwill 1837-1912.

I’m starting the blog with Sybil’s paternal Great-Grandfather, Thomas. Strange, you might think to start this far back, but when I was researching Sybil’s family, I came across this really interesting account of his life, which someone had shared on Ancestry in 2007, and I just had to share it with you all, a gem to find.

“I have a copy of a document listing the information from an old family bible. It tells us that Thomas was a tailor by trade and also an extremely religious man. He is listed in most of the census reports I have entered as a Lay Preacher; His wife, Ann, apparently was a dressmaker most of her working life, retiring when she was about 50 years old.

The information I have on this document states Thomas was a foreman in a timber works in Dulverton during his earlier days, but I have not come across that in the census yet. I have seen more mention of his tailoring, saying that he worked from home and at one time employed two boys, one of them his own son, who were apprentices to the tailoring trade.

I believe two of his sons, at least, became tailors, Walter and Frederick. In 1901, there is a mention of living at a mill and working as a farmer ‘of his own account’; maybe this is what the author of this document meant; at that time, Thomas was about 64 years of age. Thomas and Ann had about 8 children, losing two to my knowledge, but I am not sure why they died. If I get more information, I will add it to this tale”.

The Life of Frederick John Blackwell (1856–1930)

Sybil’s Grandfather, Frederick John Blackwell, was born on 13 June 1856 in the quiet village of Oakford, Devon, the second eldest child of Thomas Smith Blackwell and Anne Tout. He grew up in a bustling household with six younger siblings: Mary Jane, Thomas, Annie, Edith, Walter, and Herbert.

By 1861, at just five years old, Frederick was living with his family in Kingsbrompton, Somerset, where his father worked to support their growing household. Ten years later, the 1871 census found the fifteen-year-old in Dulverton, Somerset, still at home, learning his trade and preparing for adult life.

On 18 June 1877, at St James Church in Taunton, Somerset, he married Elizabeth Ann Hidon, daughter of James Hidon and Sarah Coles. Their union would bring both joy and hardship, as they moved from the West Country to London in search of better opportunities.

Their first child, Sydney Robert McCullom Blackwell, was born later that same year, in October 1877, in Dulverton. Over the next seventeen years, seven more children would follow: Harold Fred (born April 1879, Dulverton), Gwendoline (born 11 January 1881, Dulverton), Aubrey Hidon (born 19 July 1884, Newington Green, London), Elizabeth May (born 1887, St Saviour, London), Mary Ann (born 1888), Ronald James Ewart (born 1890, St Saviour, London), and Sybil Phyllis (born 4 May 1894, St Saviour, London).

As the children arrived, the family’s address shifted too. By 1891, Frederick was recorded as head of the household in Trinity Newington, London, and a decade later, in 1901, still in Newington. He had built a steady reputation as a tailor, a trade that would support him throughout his life.

The 1911 census places Frederick and Elizabeth back in Somerset, at 3 Gladstone Terrace, Alcombe, Dunster. There, Frederick was working as a journeyman tailor, still plying his craft with skill and dedication.

Tragedy struck when Elizabeth died in late 1919, leaving Frederick a widower. The 1921 census shows him living in Alcombe, Minehead, still working as a tailor despite his age.

Frederick lived long enough to see both joy and loss among his children. His eldest, Sydney, married in 1914 but died just a year after his father in 1931. His son Harold Fred fell in France during the First World War on 14 August 1918, a loss that must have weighed heavily. Others, like Aubrey and Sybil, carried the family line forward into the mid-20th century.

On 25 February 1930, Frederick John Blackwell passed away in Williton, Somerset, at the age of 73. From Devon farm fields to London streets and back to the Somerset coast, his life traced the path of a craftsman, husband, and father who bridged two very different centuries.

The Story of Harold Fred Blackwell (1879–1918)

Harold Fred Blackwell was born in April 1879 in the quiet market town of Dulverton, Somerset, the second child of Frederick John Blackwell and Elizabeth Ann Hidon. His father was a skilled tailor, and the family would move several times in search of work and opportunity, eventually raising eight children: Sydney Robert McCullom, Harold Fred, Gwendoline, Aubrey Hidon, Elizabeth May, Mary Ann, Ronald James Ewart, and Sybil Phyllis.

In 1881, young Harold was recorded in Dulverton, living in his grandparents’ household, his status listed as “grandson.” By 1891, the Blackwells had relocated to London, settling in the bustling parish of Trinity Newington, where Harold, now twelve, was listed as a son in the household. These were the formative years of a boy growing up amid the hum of London life, watching his father’s trade as a tailor and learning the discipline of careful craftsmanship.

By the time of the 1901 census, Harold was living in Acton, Middlesex, described as a visitor, perhaps already working or training away from home. Like his father, he had become a tailor, a profession that demanded both patience and precision.

On 26 December 1908, at the age of 29, Harold married Eleanor Maria James at St Mary’s Church, Newington, Surrey. Eleanor was the daughter of John James and Mary Elizabeth Kellow, and together the young couple began their married life in Hornchurch, Essex.

This super old postcard below is also part of the collection.

The 1911 census finds them at 23 Craigdale Road, Romford, where Harold was listed as a tailor and shopkeeper, running his own small business. Their first child, Ronald Blackwell, was born there on 8 August 1910. Tragically, baby Ronald lived for only three short weeks, passing away on 29 August 1910 at their home in Hornchurch.

Just under a year later, on 13 July 1911, their daughter Eleanor Sybil Blackwell was born—a bright light in the household after so much grief.

When war came to Europe in 1914, Harold was in his mid-thirties, with a wife and young daughter. Like many men of his generation, he answered the call to serve. He enlisted in the 2nd Battalion of the Essex Regiment, his regimental number 401308, and was sent to the Western European Theatre.

By August 1918, the war was drawing to its bloody conclusion, but the cost was still immense. On 14 August 1918, Private Harold Fred Blackwell died of wounds sustained in action in France and Flanders. He was buried in Terlincthun British Cemetery, Wimille, in the Pas-de-Calais region of France, far from his home in Romford, Essex.

He left behind his wife, Eleanor, and their seven-year-old daughter, Eleanor Sybil, and a life that, like so many others of his generation, was full of quiet work, love, and sacrifice, ended too soon by the Great War. Eleanor Maria died in 1967.

Eleanor Sybil Blackwell.

Eleanor Sybil Blackwell was born on July 13, 1911, in Romford, Essex, England, as the second child of Harold Fred Blackwell and Eleanor Maria James. Eleanor passed away in June 1993 in Havering, Greater London, England.

Eleanor lived in Romford, Essex, from 1914 to 1923 and resided in Hornchurch, Essex, in 1921, where she was listed as the daughter in the household. In 1939, she is described as a Short Hand Typist and continued to live in Essex. She also served during WW2 as a Civil Defence worker. Their duties included air-raid wardening, rescue, fire watching, and first aid.
By 1972, she was living at 23 Craigdale Road, Havering, England. Eleanor was buried on July 5, 1993, in Havering-atte-Bower, London, England.

Ephemera.

The James Family certificates.

While I have been researching this family, I came across a promising line of descendants from Sybil Phyllis Blackwell, who was the youngest sibling of Harold Fred Blackwell, so I am really hoping that they are willing to take care of this small collection alongside their own family collection.

Sybil Phyllis Blackwell (1894–1972)

Sybil Phyllis Blackwell was born on 4 May 1894 in St Saviour, London, England, the eighth and last child of Frederick John Blackwell and Elizabeth Ann Hidon. Her birth was registered in the June Quarter of 1894 in the St Saviour district of London (GRO Reference: 1894 J Quarter in ST SAVIOUR LONDON Volume 01D Page 89). She had seven siblings: Sydney Robert McCullom, Harold Fred, Gwendoline, Aubrey Hidon, Elizabeth May, Mary Ann, and Ronald James Ewart.

In 1901, Sybil was residing with her family in Newington, London, where she was recorded as the daughter of the head of household. By 1911, the family had relocated to Dunster, Somerset, and Sybil, then 17 years old, was described as single and employed as a tailoress. The 1921 Census records her living in Minehead, Somerset, still single and working as a domestic. In the 1939 Register, she was living in Somerset and employed as a presser in a laundry, with her marital status listed as single.

Sybil had one known child, Elizabeth May Blackwell, born on 19 May 1918 in Alcombe, Somerset, England (GRO Reference: 1918 J Quarter in WILLITON Volume 05C Page 340 Occasional Copy: A). Elizabeth May Blackwell later married Arthur J. Langdon in October 1942 in Exmoor, Somerset, and she died in August 2004 in West Somerset, Somerset, England.

At the age of 51, Sybil married George A. Swan in January 1946 in Exmoor, Somerset, England. The couple had no children together.

Sybil Phyllis Swan (née Blackwell) died in April 1972 in Exmoor, Somerset, England, aged 77 years.

Throughout her life, Sybil demonstrated consistent employment and independence. Her occupations, tailoress, domestic worker, and presser, reflect both the social and economic circumstances of women in early 20th-century England, particularly those living and working in rural Somerset. Her later years were spent in Exmoor, where she remained until her death.

I will update you all as soon as this collection has a forever home.

UPDATE! As we are away for a few days in North Devon I was able to have a meet up with the lovely family who are now custodians of Sybil’s collection. I thought I was just meeting the lady, so had a lovely surprise when I arrived, her parents and daughter came to meet me too, her husband took the photo. Three generations all related to Sybil.

Happy ending!

If you are a descendant of one of these families, please get in touch either by commenting here or via email to lynnswaffles@gmail.com. 

Till Next time then……..