Reverend Frederick HEMUS (aka HARTSHORNE)

1827 - 1903  (76 years)

• Name	Frederick HEMUS (aka HARTSHORNE)
  Title	Reverend
  Birth	1827	Northfield, Worcestershire
  Christening	05 Oct 1827	St. Laurence, Northfield, Worcestershire   [1]
  Gender	Male
  Census	07 Jun 1841	Bartley Green, Northfield, Worcs.
  	Age: 13
  		1841: Bartley Green, Northfield
  Occupation	27 Aug 1849  [2]
  	Cordwainer
  Residence	27 Aug 1849	Birmingham, Warks.   [2]
  Census	30 Mar 1851	Business out of Old Crown, Moor Street, Lapal, Halesowen, Worcs.   [3]
  	Cordwainer
  	Age: 23
  	Frederick was almost certainly involved with the Baptist Chapel just half a mile away in Carters Lane, which opened in 1811. British Library has "Commemorative programme 150 years- 1811-1961 : Carters Lane Baptist Church, Quinton." Frederick's father and both his grandfathers were buried at St. Laurence, Northfield, suggesting that Frederick was perhaps the first in his family to have embraced the Baptist faith.
  		1851: Moor Street, Lapal
  		Map showing Old Crown Public House, Moor Street and Carter's Lane Baptist Chapel. [OS 1890]
  		Old Crown, Lapal in 1910
  Education	1851-1858	Baptist College?
  	If Frederick studied for the Baptist ministry at a College, he would have attended one of only a few colleges then in existence. These were at Pontypool (archives: National Library of Wales, Aberystwyth), Bristol, Horton (Bradford, YKS - archives: John Rylands Library, Deansgate, Manchester), Chilwell, Stepney or Haverfordwest. Spurgeon's College in London opened in 1856. He is not listed among the almuni of Bristol Baptist College [College Archivist 2007]. Probably Frederick Hemus had no formal training for the Baptist ministry. Certainly at the time only a minority of Baptist ministers attended a Baptist College, although some would have studied under a Baptist minister who took several young men into his home and taught them. However, by the 1840s the need for an educated ministry was increasingly recognized by Baptists and so the number of College-trained ministers increased. [Rev. Michael Collis, Baptist historian, 2007]
  Occupation	1860	Oakengates, Shropshire
  	Furniture Dealer
  	Noted (unsourced) in a weblog (2007). Presumably from a Directory.
  		Market Street, Oakengates The Hemus residence was about half way down on the right hand side (since demolished and replaced by 1950s shopping centre). At the bottom of the street is a railway bridge, behind which was an enormous coal slag heap.
  Census	7 Apr 1861	Eyton, Shropshire   [4]
  	Baptist Minister
  	Age: 32
  		1861: Eyton, Wrockwardine Wood, Shropshire
  Occupation	04 Sep 1862	Old Baptist Chapel, Broseley, Shropshire
  	Note in Broseley Baptist Church Minute Book: "Mr Hemus entered upon his Ministry." [Note, however, that no year is given, and has been surmised from the preceding entry. Frederick was said to have been Minister at Donnington Wood at this time.]
  		This is the final entry in the Broseley Baptist Church Minute Book. This Minute Book refers elusively to another register of later events, now presumed lost.
  Event	24 Apr 1864	Bethesda Chapel, Oakengates, Shropshire
  	Preached afternoon sermon in the Methodist Chapel. [United Methodist Free Churches' Magazine 1864]
  Event	21 Nov 1868	Wombridge, Shropshire
  	Voted for Richard George Jebb in the General Election.
  	Jebb was a magistrate and landowner who lived at Lyth Hall, Shropshire.
  Occupation	1858-1870	Queen's Road, Donnington Wood, Shropshire   [4, 5]
  	Baptist Minister, Donnington Wood. 1848 Topographical Dictionary of England describes the chapel as for Particular Baptists.
  	Baptist Magazine, December 1862, records donations from Baptist Ministers including £5 from Donnington Wood, Rev. F. Hemus.
  		Donnington Wood Baptist Church, 1950
  		Donnington Wood Baptist Church, 2007. A new church was built in 1968.
  Occupation	1871	Oakengates, Shropshire
  	Furniture Broker listed in Cassey & Co.'s Directory of Shropshire
  Census	2 Apr 1871	High Street, Broseley, Shropshire   [6]
  	Baptist Minister
  	Age: 45
  	Staying in household of Ellen Pugh, Alice Hannah Hartshorne's aunt. Ellen was the daughter of John THOMAS, a former Minister of the Baptist Church in Broseley.
  		1871: High Street, Broseley
  Census	2 Apr 1871	Furniture Shop, Market Street, Wombridge, Shropshire   [6]
  	Furniture Dealer
  	Age: 43
  	Strangely, Frederick is listed both here and in Broseley. Odd that his profession here is not given as "Baptist Minister".
  		1871: Broker's Shop, Wombridge
  Event	Apr 1874
  	"morning and evening by Mr. F. Hemus of Oaken Gates, Shropshire. Two very impressive discourses were delivered by Mr. Hemus, and the power of God attended the word." [The Wesleyan reform union magazine, 1874]
  Event	04 Apr 1876	Offices of Marcy & Sons, Wellington, Shropshire
  	Appointment to visit solicitors listed in "The Weekly Notes", trading as Furniture Dealer of Oakengates. These listings were usually related to bankruptcy.
  		Listing in "The Weekly Notes"
  		London Gazette 1876
  		London Gazette 24 Mar 1876
  Occupation	1870-1877	Old Baptist Chapel, Broseley, Shropshire   [5]
  	Baptist Minister. (Broseley Baptist Register records that "John Harvey was buried by Revd Arthur O'Neil of Birmingham" on 16 Aug 1877, so Frederick must have left by then.)
  		History of Broseley Old Baptist Chapel
  		Broseley Old Baptist Chapel
  		Pastors of Broseley Old Baptist Chapel to 1879 From "Broseley and its surroundings, being a complete history of Broseley, Willey, Barrow, Benthall, and Linley, with notices of remarkable events, facts, phenomena, and manufactures." John RANDALL 1879
  Event	Apr 1876 - Feb 1877
  	The following extracts are from the Wenlock Advertiser - THE newspaper for Broseley, weekly. So far searched April 1876 - February 1877 plus a few other dates No more than a a few column inches are devoted to Broseley in any one issue, and some weeks there is no news. 9th January 1875 On Christmas Day the members and friends of the Old Baptist Church held the usual Christmas tea meeting... Anthems, hymns and sacred songs were given by the choir, accompanied by Mr C Hemus [father of Rev Fred?] on the harmonium, in charming style... The pastor [name not given] spoke of the cordial cooperation of the promoters of the meeting with unmeasured praise and satisfaction, specially referring to their Christmas presents to himself and family, which consisted of a very fine goose, plum pudding... 29 April 1876 [around the time Alice got pregnant] BROSELEY FAIR The annual pleasure fair was held on Tuesday last, but beyond a solitary peep show, a few standings, several shooting galleries, and the hobby horses, there was nothing to attract attention. A large number of people paraded the streets in the evening and the public houses apparently did a good trade. 12 August 1876 [she must have realised by now] [Excursion of the Old Baptist Chapel to Stretton Hills. Hemus isn't mentioned, but it is noted that] The Rev Mr Rigby, Baptist Minister, of Oakengates, accompanied the party. 11 November 1876 [must surely be starting to show?] BIRCHMEADOW CHAPEL The annual tea party was held on Monday last, when upwards of 300 people sat down to the "cup that cheers" in the chapel. After tea, the Rev T. Jones, the pastor, occupied the chair, and together with Messrs Burnet & Whatmore, delivered short addresses during the entertainment which followed, a programme of which we subjoin; Anthem "Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem" Choir; Recitation "The chicken's mistake" Alice Hannah Hartshorne; ... No mention at all found of Frederick Hemus's disappearance or resignation, or even his existence, up to the time he registered Eva Hilda's birth in Bristol.
  Residence	6 Feb 1877	St. John's Lane, Bedminster, Bristol   [7]
  	This is where daughter Eva was born. It's not clear why Frederick chose to elope to Bedminster, but his decision might have been influenced by the presence very nearby of his cousin, Thomas PEARSON (b.1833). Thomas was born in Northfield, but seems to have moved to Shakespeare Street, Stratford-upon-Avon at about the same time as Frederick's mother settled in the same street with her second "husband". Thomas lived in Bedminster throughout the 1870s, so Frederick might have already visited him there. A perhaps stronger attraction to the Bristol area was the presence of many of Alice's THOMAS cousins - the children of her missionary uncle James, who settled in Bristol after his death in 1858.
  Occupation	19 Aug 1878  [8]
  	Bootmaker
  Residence	19 Aug 1878	2 Montgomery Street, Bedminster, Bristol   [8]
  		Montgomery Street, Bedminster Number 2 is closest to the camera.
  Census	1881	48 St. Luke's Road, Bedminster
  	Bootmaker (Journeyman) No longer listed in Wombridge with Phoebe, but she is still described as "wife".
  	Age: 45
  	Frederick might have feared recognition by Eliza JONES (43), a native of Broseley visiting Brislington Crescent. William B Ledger, born in Broseley in 1862, was a Bank Clerk living in Bedminster. Harriet O'Neill was a 17 year old boarder at the Catholic Convent on Bath Road, born in Donnington, Shropshire.
  		1881: St. Luke's Road, Bristol
  		48 St Luke's Road, Bedminster Number 48 is the right-most house which is part of the grocery store.
  Census	1891	48 St. Luke's Road, Bedminster
  	Bootmaker
  	Age: 54
  	Another ex-resident of Shakespeare Street, Stratford-upon-Avon in 1851 was now living in York Road, Bedminster, which is at the bottom end of St. Luke's Road. This was Robert HEWINS, not known to have been a relative of Frederick. It may be that they didn't know each other, but it highlights the difficulty of keeping Frederick's family background secret. Isaac EVANS (43), a native of Oakengates, Shropshire was living in nearby Church Lane. He might have known Frederick from his Baptist Minister days. Likewise, Caroline JONES (48, wife of Thomas) was living in nearby Summer Hill. She was a native of Donnington, Shropshire, where Frederick had been Baptist Minister from 1858.
  		1891: 48 St, Luke's Road, Bedminster
  Residence	1894	48 St. Luke's Road, Bedminster   [9]
  Census	1901	49 St. Luke's Road, Bedminster
  	Boot & Shoe Maker
  	Age: 63
  		1901: St. Luke's Road, Bedminster
  Residence	1903	39 Oxford Street, Bedminster   [10]
  Residence	Sep 1903 - Oct 1903	Queen's Road, Triangle, Bristol
  	Lived with daughter Jessie when she married, at Queen's Road or The Triangle [Source: Barbara Gadd]. If true, this could only have been for a very few weeks before his death.
  Death	16 Oct 1903	Bristol, Gloucestershire   [11]
  	Cause: Senile Decay, Coma
  	Attended daughter Jessie's wedding on 15th September, then accompanied the couple on the first week of their honeymoon in Weston-super-Mare.
  Probate	1904-1907
  	No will filed
  Burial	Grave Number III 69, Arnos Vale Cemetery, Bristol
  		Arnos Vale Hartshorne grave details
  Association	Thomas PEARSON (Relationship: Cousin. (See 1877))
  Notes	"Orphaned as a child, brought up by grandparents. Grandmother had sung to Queen by royal command - probably Charlotte-Sophia of Mecklenburg Strelitz (George III, 1760-1820)." "He may not have married Alice Hemus - he was much older, and may already have had a family. George Gadd (son-in-law) repeatedly asked him about his past, but was stonewalled. He and Alice were however active Christians, so criminal activity was not suspected! He played organ, violin and piano. Jessie said that it was plain that bootmaking was not his original profession - he had only taken it up when something else had failed. George Gadd's impression was that he had left home after a disagreement he didn't want to talk about." [Source: Barbara Gadd, from father George Gadd. Included here to illustrate the secrecy which surrounded Frederick's origins.]
  Person ID	I88	Gadd
  Last Modified	8 Jul 2010

  
  

  Father	Charles HEMUS,   b. 1807, Bartley Green, Northfield, Worcs. d. 22 Nov 1886, Moor Street, Lapal, Halesowen, Worcs. (Age 79 years)
  Mother	Ellen / Eleanor ROSE,   c. 17 Jan 1808, St. Laurence, Northfield, Worcestershire d. 30 Dec 1864, 9 Shakespeare Street, Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire (Age ~ 56 years)
  Marriage	16 Apr 1827	St. Philip's, Birmingham   [12]
  Family ID	F6097	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family 1	Phoebe PERRY,   b. 1826, Halesowen, Worcestershire d. 1901 (Age 75 years)
  Marriage	27 Aug 1849	Edgbaston Parish Church, Warks.   [2, 13]
  	By banns
  Children	+ 1. Edward HEMUS,   b. Q3 1850, Northfield, Worcestershire d. Q4 1880, Wellington Reg'n District, Shropshire (Age 30 years)   2. Abigail HEMUS,   b. 1853, Northfield, Worcestershire   3. Ephraim HEMUS,   b. 1857, Wrockwardine, Worcs. d. Q1 1936, Wellington Reg'n District, Shropshire (Age 79 years)   4. Ebenezer HEMUS,   b. 1860, Wrockwardine, Worcs. d. Q1 1935, Wellington Reg'n District, Shropshire (Age 75 years)   5. Annie HEMUS,   b. 1862, Wrockwardine, Worcs.   6. Herbert HEMUS,   b. Q1 1865, Wrockwardine, Worcestershire d. 1898 (Age 33 years)   7. Ruth Alice HEMUS,   b. Q1 1867, Wombridge, Shropshire   8. Frederick Arthur HEMUS,   b. Q4 1869, Wombridge, Shropshire d. Q2 1941, Leicester Reg'n District, Leicestershire (Age 72 years)
  Family ID	F6046	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family 2	Alice Hannah HARTSHORNE,   b. 18 May 1850, High Street, Broseley, Shropshire d. Q2 1900, Bristol, Gloucestershire (Age 49 years)
  Marriage	Not married, as Frederick remained married to Phoebe.
  Children	1. Eva Hilda HARTSHORNE,   b. 6 Feb 1877, St. John's Lane, Bedminster, Bristol d. 1 Feb 1932, Southmead Hospital, Bristol (Age 54 years) + 2. Flora Jessie HARTSHORNE,   b. 4 Jul 1878, 2 Montgomery Street, Bedminster, Bristol d. 15 Aug 1932, Bristol, Gloucestershire (Age 54 years)
  Photos		Jessie (seated) and Eva (standing) HARTSHORNE
  Family ID	F34	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	3 Aug 2007

  
  

• Photos

  Signature of Frederick HEMUS, circa 1874 Frederick was frequently called as a juror in inquests. This example of his signature is from one such inquest [Shropshire County Archives]

  
  

• Sources

  [S429] Parish Register. [S12] Marriage Certificate. [S358] 1851, (1851). [S361] 1861 Census, (7 April 1861). [S412] Baptist Historical Records, Baptist Historical Records. [S354] 1871 Census, (2 April 1871). [S427] HARTSHORNE, Eva - Birth Certificate. [S374] Flora Jessie Hartshorne - Birth Certificate, (19 Aug 1878). [S11] 1894 Bristol P.O. Directory. [S8] Bristol P.O. Directory. [S21] Death certificate. [S424] PRs St. Philip's, Birmingham. Charles HAYMAS / Eleanor ROSE [S357] FreeBMD, (FreeBMD.rootsweb.com).