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Callant in Aston

D

Duddeston girl

Guest
Does anyone have any information regarding the Callant family who lived in the Aston/Nechells area?
 
Hi there Duddeston girl welcome to the forum with the handle you have i believe we are from the same neck of the woods but if you can give us a bit more info we may be able to help have you got a street or a smaller search area.Thank you. Dek
 
there are two aston based families in 1911

43 saltley rd bham

ernest frank callant 25 single tube drawer b. aston
annie maria clarke single b. bham
doris violet daughter 4
gladys lilly daughter 1
albert edward callant lodger single 15 b. aston

28 rocky lane , nechells

william callant head married 50 metal roller b.bham
henrietta callant wife 43 b.bham
nellie daughter 21
harry son 20
william son 18
fred son 14
all born birmingham
 
From Electoral Rolls
1912 at 28 Rocky Lane
William Callant
1920 at 120 Rupert Street
William George Callant,Henrietta Callant,Henry Callant,and Frederick Callant.
1922 at 120 Rupert Street
William George Callant,Henrietta Callant,Henry Callant
1925 at 120 Rupert Street
Henrietta Callant,Henry Callant
1930 and 1935 at 120 Rupert Street
Henrietta Callant,Henry George Callant and Agnes Mabel Callant.
1939 at 120 Rupert Street
Henrietta Callant and Agnes Mabel Callant
1945 at 120 Rupert Street
Henrietta Callant and Frances Hancock
 
Thanks Dek,
My granddad lived in 3 back of 12 Gem Street in the 1950's and 60's. I remember the Deaf School on that street. I am interested in where my granddad was pre 1911. He doesn't seem to exist before then. His name was Ernest Frank Callant AKA William Francis Callant. I have his death certificate but can't find a birth record or any trace of him.
I went to what used to be called Duddeston Manor bi-lateral school. I believe it is now 'heartlands high' which gave me a good laugh. Kind regards DG
 
Hi ladylinda,
I am looking for my Granddad Ernest Frank Callant AKA William Francis Callant. He lived 3 back 12 Gem Street in the 50's and 60's and in Moseley Road in 1939. I am interested in finding any trace of him pre 1911 as I can't find him at all before then. He was born about 1885. He is not known to have lived anywhere other than the Birmingham area all his life.
The family you have found is the family of William Callant born about 1862, married Henrietta in 1889 Died 1924. He had a twin brother John Callant who married Anne Maria Durrant formerly Richards in 1888. He later turns up with a 'wife' called Mary Anne but is very elusive. I think he may either be a great grandparent or have given my grandfather his name. Any light you can shed on this will be very gratefully received. Kind regards DG
Thanks
 
Hi Shera,
Thanks for finding that. My granddad was Ernest Frank Callant AKA William Francis Callant. My mother was Doris Violet. Albert Edward was killed in action WW1 1915 aged 19 yrs. He was Ernie's brother. I am trying to find Ernie before 1911 and am also interested in William's twin brother John Callant. They were born in about 1862 and William and his family appear often in the records. I think John is very shy of officialdom!
Any help you can give me is very much appreciated. Kind regards, DG
 
Dear Duddeston Girl

I discovered this thread/site, after randomly keying in the name 'Frank Callant' in Google. Up until now, I've always considered Great Uncle Frank to be a elusive family myth, so it was with pleasure that I discovered that he actually exists. William Francis Callant is a family member and related to me via his younger brother. With respect to William's father, John Callant... his story appears to be rather sad, and while I have been able to factually piece together his story, he does appear to diliberately disappear from all official public records. I have one remaining living relative who may know something of John & William (Frank) Callant, so that will be something for me to follow up. Now that I have Frank's details, it will be quite easy for me to obtain his birth and parentage details.

Kind regards, Corrosionist
 
Hi Corrosionist
William Francis Callant born about 1885 (aka Ernest Frank), known to all as Ernie, was my Grandfather. I worked out his approximate date of birth at 1885 as his death certificate says he was 77 years old. He was a great character, lots of fun but very shrewd. I remember him well. He died 13th Jan 1963.
John Callant may be Ernie's father, maybe not. I know John was very harshly treated by officialdom. In the newspaper cutting of 04/08/1884, aged 22 he was found guilty of attacking someone, throwing a stone causing a cut to the eye and stealing the persons hat. He was desribed as being a 'dangerous criminal' for this offence. He received 20 lashes with the 'cat' (cat o' nine tails) and five years in prison. John married Anne Maria Durrant, a widow, on 16th Dec 1888 presumably upon his release. She gave her age as 34, so Ernie may have been a child of her first marriage, or their shotgun wedding may have been unavoidably delayed due to John's inprisonment. I have not been able to trace her death. You will find lots of family history on the Ancestry.com website, including members family trees. I have posted some photos there including one of Ernie. I am very interested in your reference to being able to factually piece together John's story. I know he was in the 1901 census with a 'wife' Mary Anne (not Anne Maria!), son Albert (born 1896 died 1915 WW1) and son George 5 months. Ernie would have been 16 years old and out at work by then. There is a family story of relatives in Scotland but if there are, I can't find them. Please let me know if you have any further information at all as this has been a brickwall in my family history research for years. looking forward to hearing from you, kindest regards, DG
 
Dear Duddeston Girl

William Francis Callant (Uncle Frank) born circa, 1885 is my Great Uncle. I have always considered Uncle Frank to be a half brother of my Grandfather, George Leslie Callant. I can confirm that I've sourced no documentary evidence to support Frank being registered with the birth name 'Callant' or 'Durrant'. The newspaper clipping came as a distinct shock, so it makes John's story even more unsettling as far as I'm concerned. I'm surprised that no official prison record appears for John in this regard (that I've been able to locate to date). Your newspaper clipping is noteworthy all the same... I am a member of ancestry.com.au so we're bound to meet up eventually given that the software 'pairs up' reserachers as each individual tree overlaps. It looks like I'll need to get back to you over the next few days as I'm at work and having written lots in response to your link, I've just lost the lot.... so I'll respond in short bursts...
Kind regards

Corrosionist
 
Dear DG

I concur with you assumptions regarding the circumstances of Anne Maria Durrant, in that she was a Widow when she married John. The difference in age came as a surprise, but the circumstances of a child (Uncle Frank) seems to seal the relationship. The fact that she disappears between the period that Frank is born and the appearance of John's common law wife, Mary Anne Jarvis appears to be the result of John's second incarceration, which occurs circa 1888. You'll note that Anne Maria Durrant's family (maiden) name is Richards, and this family appears in the prison records with John Callant for the offences of larceny and 'receiving'. The 'Richards' link to John is via the crime, family relationship and the same sentencing dates. I suspect that Anne Maria was tired of being a prison widow and had moved on with Uncle Frank. This would explain the re-appearance of John & his new family that occurred 1889, which preceeded him meeting Mary Anne Jarvis... more to follow... Kind regards, Corrosionist
 
Dear DG

In terms of whether Wiiliam Francis Callant's father is John Callant or the former husband of Anne Maria Durrant is not established. I have also not been able to establish any William Francis Callant (WW1 era) military records that would have provided a clue as to his parentage. The fact that William Francis Callant age is reckoned circa 1885 has to be taken as an estimate which means the Callant pedigree cannot be certain. My findings to date is that where age estimates are provided with no evidence (this can be a year out), it could be realistic to assume that William Francis Callant was fathered by John Callant given that he had a close relationship with Gorge Leslie Callant (his supposed half brother) over many successive decades. If John Callant fathered William Francis Callant during 1884 (prior to going to gaol), then an 1884 birthdate could be possible likewise if William Francis Callant died January 1963. If William Francis Callant was fathered by the Durrant parent, it does not explain the age difference between Anne Maria and John when they married, nor the relatively quick period of the 'courtship' nor the need to marry, if there was not any subsequent child being produced, but this is speculation. More importantly though, John does appear in the 1891 Census with a new family and I'll concentrate on this aspect tomorrow, and why I've drawn these conclusions... Kind regards, Corrosionist.
 
Ann Maria's first marriage
Marriages Sep 1877
Durrant Frederick at King's N Vol 6c Page 667
Richards Ann Maria at King's N. Vol 6c Page 667

Ann in 1881 Census with her mother who a widow, but Ann is down as still married ! No children with her !
Name.........................Status..........age... Where born..................Occupation
Jane RICHARDS Head W Female 57 Wolverhampton, Stafford Lodging House Keeper
Annie M. DURANT Daur M Female 26 Birmingham, Warwick
Living at 44 Cregoe St Birmingham, Warwick, England
 
Thanks for the info Pomgolian.
I have purchased the marriage certificate of Anne Maria Durrant and John Callant in 1888, she states her father is Samuel Richards 'deceased'. His occupation is stated as 'Factor' which is a scottish word for an Estate Manager.
I have close family in Kiwiland, I have visited twice, it's a beautiful place to live.
kind regards DG
 
Dear DG & Pomgolian

I hope it's okay if I respond to the both of you since the Durrants, Richards & Callants are closely interelated with my current research. Following on from the my conclusions drawn from John Callant's marriage to Anna Maria Durrant, there appears to be a gap in John's life from around 1888 to 1891 where no further mention is made of Anna Maria Durrant. Interestingly, a 'Callant Family' is identified in Birmingham the 1891 Census, which I alluded to yesterday. This Callant family are identified cryptically by initials only, which is very unusal in my experience. The head of the family is WJ Callant (F), the next person is H Callant, then followed by NG Callant & JH Callant. The ages are (from memory, since I haven't printed out the document and thus don't have a copy in front of me) are identical to John Callant, [John Callant's, twin brother's wife (I think it's Henrietta from memory)], with NG being fifteen, and JH being two and a half. If you look at the County of origin, WJ & H Callant have identified themselves correctly, as well as their age, which means that the descrepency is that WJ Callant is a Female (he isn't). If these people or family group data is deemed real i.e., the information is taken as gospel, it falls over as no such Callant family exists. My hunch is supported by the following: H Callant is John's Sister in Law and she has provided the truth to her identity, she also presents as an adult female (this is important). Since NG Callant cannot be the offspring of WJ Callant or H Callant she must have some other relationship to them both... JH Callant is a child. I suspect that NG Callant is the Common Law Wife of John and JH Callant is her child. This assumption makes sense if the names were disguised. This assumption is further supported by the fact that H Callant & her husband William Callant (John Callant's twin), have a child of their own called Nellie Gertrude. From this I suspect that NG Callant may have died (in child birth later) and William & Henrietta named their next child after NG Callant. The only hole in my thought process is whatever happened to JH Callant? Finally, the fact that NG Callant is very young to be the mother of JH Callant, it is not impossible, and would justify the need to keep a low profile from the law i.e., with Henrietta's assistance. The supposed death of NG Callant is also supported by the fact that by 1895 John had a relationship with Mary Anne Jarvis... Kind regards Corrosionist.
 
Hi Corrosionist
Not sure if you received my recent reply, I reached for my tea and it disappeared!
William G Callant, John's twin married Henrietta in 1889.
Their offspring were Nellie Gertrude 1890 - 1968 married Clarence Carpenter in 1919, Henry George 1891-1939 married Agnes Bryant, Frederick 1897 -1969 married Beatrice Chapman, & William George 1893-no date of death as yet, possibly WW1? Or maybe the flu epidemic shortly afterwards. It is possible that what we read as 'J' is an old style 'G' as they often wrote 'G' and 'F' backwards in those days.
In the 1891 census NG is listed as 15m (ie 15 months old and JH as 2 months). I had to get up close and personal with the old fashioned handwriting to establish this.
In the 1911 census William is 50, Henrietta is 43, Nellie is 21, Harry (aka Henry) is 20 William jnr is 18 and Frederick is 14. In my research I have found that William and Henrietta usually fill in the census forms, if John is living there quietly they would simply leave him off! I have tried to corroborate my research with the certificates if possible and printed lots of census pages and families to help me. My written tree is about 6ft long with lots of notes and scribbles but I can usually find most of the stuff. it is all very absorbing but....did Ernie beam down from outer space?? If not was he John Callant's child with Anne Maria Durrant or Annie Maria Jarvis' child 'adopted' by John? Will we ever find out?
One day I will get a breakthrough, it's just ploughing through the information and testing the evidence. Have a look at the ancestry site 'public trees', you will spot mine, it's not locked.
Happy hunting
Regards DG
 
Dear DG

I am very aware of our separate time zones, so I expect you'll be heading for bedtime soon. In the ancestry.com public folder 'Callant Family' I have established a fairly rigorous (documented) tree, but I have added assumptions to test theories before deleting these when no 'leaf' hints emerge or documentary evidence exists. The 'Aston' Callants are my primary reserach interest and I have already sourced many public records of which I'm contributing in due course. At this stage, I have not yet downloaded all my paper records, but I'm well advanced. Thanks for the clarifying update on Nellie Gertrude Callant and J H Callant (this tends to confirm that my assumption was quite crazy, but that's the fun of research... going into suppositions and emerging with further clarification). At this stage I only subscribe to Ancestry.com 'UK', and have decided not to upgrade to 'UK Plus' or 'World' given that I'm still inputting my raw data. But I do intend to update later. You have provided me with a rich treasure trove of 'hard evidence' which will mean that our two families will now interconnect as the 'leafs' present themselves . I tend to do much of my genealogical work on the week-end, and since you're real rather than a lost ancester, it makes sense if I communicate with the living at this stage! At this point I'm guessing that you're a 1st cousin of mine, maybe removed two times or so (or however it works), it's been a pleasure communicating with you... Kind regards... Corrosionist
 
Hi Corrosionist,
As our Grandfathers are brothers we are second cousins!
There are a few clusters of the surname around the country. The closest one is the Bridgnorth family of Callants. These were shopkeepers with a grocer, Hatter & Gents Outfitters all owned and run by the Callant family. These can be traced back to 1749, but I can't find them moving out of their own area. They were rather well off so didn't need to move to find work. I know this because of references to them hunting, leaving a will etc. The vast majority of the inhabitants of Aston did not have this lifestyle - in fact they still don't.
If you are researching your Grandfather I would suggest some caution as they also had a George Leslie Callant born 1890 -1970 It would be very easy to confuse his life events with your ancestor 1900-1974 (You may think he married twice for example or ascribe children to the wrong George).
Albert Edward Callant lived with Ernie for a while and shows up on the 1911 census as living and working alongside him aged 15. He was killed in WW1. When I looked on the Commonwealth War Graves Commission site he is listed as having been killed 25/01/1915 age 19. I was always told Ernie had a brother killed aged 19 in the Great War. There is also reference to William George Callant killed 08/03/1915. His memorial is at Ypres, which is probably where he fell. Looking further I discovered that his next of kin was named as 'Polly' Callant. Polly is a nickname for Mary. Polly Callant also appears on the 1911 census with George Leslie aged 10 where she claims her age is 28!
Let me know if you would like to share any more information

Kind regards your second cousin DG
 
Dear DG (2nd Cousin)

There are a few clusters of the surname around the country... [there are indeed, in fact the Shropshire family are actually strongly connected with the Warwickshire family... i.e., the usual proginity laws given the the eldest son the inheritence with the younger sons having to make their own fortune i.e., they moved to Birmingham. I'm closely related to both branches (Bridgnorth & Aston). The girls of course just had to get married]. The shopkeepers, grocer, hatter, gents outfitters & licensed houses were all owned/operated by the Callant family [but this wealth was steadily disipated to other family names via marriage]. These can be traced back to 1749, but I can't find them moving out of their own area [they are still there until at least 1900 and some today...]. They were rather well off so didn't need to move to find work [killed during WW1 and one or two emigrated to the USA and SA)] . I know this because of references to them hunting, leaving a will etc. Yes, the successful The vast majority of the inhabitants of Aston did not have this lifestyle - in fact they still don't [That was my outcome, being an Aston Callant, I was (like the Irish), obliged to emigrate. The London Callants are quite distinctly separate and despite a lot of effort I 've not been able to demonstrate any link whatsoever. Given that the Callants origins cease circa 1749 or there abouts, I can only assume that they originated from the Scottish events assocociated with the 'Clearings' or they sided with the English during the Scottish Wars and were obliged to join the enemy... i.e., a good survival strategy in war time, particularly if you lived in the Border counties].
If you are researching your Grandfather I would suggest some caution as they also had a George Leslie Callant born 1890 -1970 It would be very easy to confuse his life events with your ancestor 1900-1974 (You may think he married twice for example or ascribe children to the wrong George). [Thanks for the tip, but while I've demonstrated outrageous theories regarding John & Uncle Frank, the other Callants have been quite easy to tie down with real evidence. The commonality of the name: George, Lesilie and William requires some diligence but the fact that my G'father is personally known to me, made this task easier].
Albert Edward Callant lived with Ernie for a while and shows up on the 1911 census as living and working alongside him aged 15. He was killed in WW1. When I looked on the Commonwealth War Graves Commission site he is listed as having been killed 25/01/1915 age 19. I was always told Ernie had a brother killed aged 19 in the Great War. There is also reference to William George Callant killed 08/03/1915. His memorial is at Ypres, which is probably where he fell [I can confirm that William George & Albert Edward were first cousins and I can understand why they signed up.... i.e., either to escape poverty, or seek advanture, since both did not enjoy the 'rich lifestyle of the other Callants]. Looking further I discovered that his next of kin was named as 'Polly' Callant. Polly is a nickname for Mary [I didn't know that]. Polly Callant also appears on the 1911 census with George Leslie aged 10 where she claims her age is 28 [I'll have to check that out]. This WE, I will delete the third (fake) John Callant Family that I postulated about above, and will key in William Francis Callant's death details... this will link me to your site and you'll be able to access my side of the Callant family tree. Kind regards... Corrosionist
 
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