I grew up with Uncle Charlie and Auntie Laura living nearby in Ruislip Manor and they were part of my life from them on. He taught me to drive and frightened me to death by getting me to drive into central London and round Piccadilly Circus in my little Morris Minor. I passed first time. 

There are lots of photos of these two in the photograph albums and I will always have many happy memories of them and their children Ray and Pauline. 

So far I have traced Charlie Tanner’s family back to the 1861 census. I have not as yet tried to delve back before 1861.  

The first direct ancestors are:

James Tanner (1828- 1894) and Eliza 

James Tanner was born in 1828 in Pimlico. He was married to Eliza who was born in Chelsea in 1831. 

In the 1861 Census they were living in the Royal Hospital ward in the ecclesiastical district of Trinity in Chelsea with the following children all of whom had been born in Chelsea:

James was a plasterer and in 1861 Henry, aged 12, was an Errand Boy. 

In the 1871 Census James and Eliza were living at Chelsea. 

By then three more children had been born and the family living there were

James now 19, Thomas now 14 and Eliza Charlotte now 11. The additions, all being born in Chelsea were         

James the father and also James the son were plasterers. 

I could not find Henry in the 1871 census nor Francis who had presumably married. 

We then find James and Eliza again in the 1881 Census when they were living at 116 Flood Street in Chelsea. Living with their parents were now four children; Eliza Charlotte, Edward, Jane and Frederick Charles. 

So James and Thomas had now also gone. I found Thomas and note him below. 

Also staying at Flood Street with James and Eliza was Edward Harrold a 17 year old boarder. 

James the father was now 53 and still working as a plasterer. Eliza the mother, now 50, was a laundress, Eliza Charlotte (21) was a groom, Edward (16) was an errand boy and Jane (12) and Frederick Charles (10) were scholars. 

We believe Eliza died in 1882 aged 51 and James died in 1894 aged 66. 

There are a lot of male children but the most important is Henry as he is the grandfather of Charles (Charlie) Tanner. I have therefore spent more time on him and only looked briefly at the other brothers. 

I did look at Frances born in 1854 and traced her to 1901 with her husband and children s follows.

Frances Tanner (1854-      )and William Josiah Street 

In 1861 Frances was living with her parents aged 7 and I could not find her in the 1871 Census. 

However in 1872 I found her marrying William Josiah Street in Chelsea. 

In the 1881 Census Frances was living with Josiah (he dropped the William) at 56 Yeomans Row in Brompton. They had two children; Charles born in Hastings in 1873 (why there?) and Josiah Ernest born in 1874 in Chelsea. Josiah was a plasterer who had been born in Hoxton. 

The 1891 Census still finds them at the same address with four children having added Albert John born in 1887 and Edith Amy born in 1890. Josiah was still a plasterer. Charles aged 18 was a Gas Fitter and Josiah Ernest was a grocer’s assistant. 

The two elder boys got married in the next decade but in the 1901 Census Frances and Josiah and their two children Albert John (14) and Edith Amy (10) were still at 56 Yeomans Row. 

In that 1901 Census Charles now 28 and a plasterer like his father was living in Chelsea with his wife Elizabeth Gilder who was 21. They had married in 1897.  

Josiah Ernest had married Rose Jane Winter in Kensington in 1897 and they two children Josiah Albert born in 1899 and Charles Ernest was born in 1900.  They were living close to his parents at 49 Yeomans Row in Brompton. He was a bricklayer’s labourer. 

I also traced James the son in 1881 and 

James Tanner (1852-   ) and Hannah 

James the son is found in the 1881 Census living at 6 Carey Street, St John the Evangelist in Westminster. 

At 29 he was like his father a plasterer. Hannah his wife was also 29 and had been born in Westminster. They had four children. Lawrence the first had been born in Chelsea and the three others in Westminster presumably at Carey Street.  The children were: 

 Harry (Henry) Tanner (1849-   ) and Margaret 

We had left Henry aged 12 in 1861 living with his parents and working as an errand boy. 

Not traced in the 1871 census, but in 1874 he married. 

I have the marriage certificate dated 27^th September 1874 (MC) when Harry Bryant Barratt Tanner aged 25 and a labourer married Margaret Dehany aged 21 at St Lukes in Chelsea. The fathers were noted as James Tanner a plasterer and David Dehany a carpenter. The witnesses were William Strut and Elizabeth Wingate. 

As you can see Henry had now changed his name to Harry and he had two other Christian names. 

We find them in the 1881 Census living at 8 Collingwood Street in Chelsea. He was now 32 and was working as a general labourer, married to Margaret 28 who had been born in Chelsea. 

With them were three children all who had been born in Chelsea 

We then find Harry and Margaret in the 1891 Census when they were living in 5 Collingwood Street in Chelsea. Harry at 42 was a labourer and Margaret was 38 but was kept busy as 6 more children had appeared in the ten years and there were now 9 children being

Charles was the important one. You can find his birth certificate dated 15^th October 1881 (BC) when he was born to Harry and Margaret in Collingwood Street. It was recorded as number 8 but the censuses say number 5. On the birth certificate Harry the father is noted as a carpenter’s labourer.  

In the 1901 Census there are Harry and Margaret, living still in 5 Collingwood Street Chelsea. Living with them was quite a crowd but at least Margaret had only had one more child, her 10^th,  in 1892.

Living with them was James Pope a 25 year old labourer. 

The important omission in the 1901 Census at Collingwood Street was Charles who was 19 and in the Census we find he had had joined the army and was based in Aldershot.  

Soon after that I have the marriage certificate dated 19^th October 1904  (MC) for Charles Tanner aged 22 and a labourer who married Eliza Mary Crow aged 20 at The Orator Brompton in Kensington. He was recorded as living at 5 Collingwood Street and his father was noted as Harry. Eliza was living at 10 Marlborough Square and her father Alfred William Crow was a carman. The witnesses were Earnest Alfred Tanner (his younger brother) and Sarah Ann Madigan.

On the 2^nd November 1910 (BC) Charles Tanner (my uncle) was born to Charles and Eliza Mary at 16 Milmar Street, Chelsea.