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Children of William Foden

Glennys Jean

master brummie
Please can anyone help me finding the children of this couple:
William Foden b Aston1830 d 1885 who married Eliza Horton in 1850; have found only one child Ellen Horton Foden b 1851. (In 1881 they were in the Royal Oak, Perry Common, Handsworth). I am trying to trace other children & specially if Caleb Foden (Junior) b1852 was one of theirs.
Hopefully Yours
Glennys
 
Hello

1871 RG10/2973 folio 57 page 14
Perry Barr Staffordshire

Royal Oak

William Foden age 41 Licenced Victualar & farmer of 50 acres employing 2 men born Erdington

Eliza wife age 43 born Great Barr Staffordshire
Ellen dau age 20 assistant rest born Perry Barr
Caleb son age 18 waggoner
Elizabeth dau age 16
William son age 14
Isaac son age 11
Louisa dau age 9
John son age 7
Emma dau age 5

King Standing Farm where Caleb is 1881 was next door to the Royal Oak 1871 John Garland Waggoner was there 1871

Pam
 
1881 Great Barr
address The Common

William Foden age 24 born Perry Barr is a farm lab



Seems William did alright for himself between 1861 and 1871

1861 Rg9/2020 folio 136 page 12 Hansworth Staffordshire


address Perry Barr

William Foden age 31 born Aston ag lab
Eliza wife age 34 rest born Perry Barr
Ellen dau age 11
Caleb son age 8
Elizabeth dau age 6
William son age 4
Isaac son age 1

1851 Handsworth Staffordshire

William Foden age 21 born Aston
Eliza wife age 23 Perry Barr
Ellen dau age 1 Perry Barr

Is this Isaac??


1891 RG12/2257 folio 72 page 9 Great Barr Staffordshire

address Thornhill farm

Isaac Foden age 31 born Perry Barr farmer
Ellen wife age 28
William son age 1 great barr
William Sandford servant
 
Thank you, great stuff Pam, am very pleased! The Foden family were on farms all over that area but usually ended up being licenced victuallers in beerhouses or inns (probably a much easier life than being farmers).
Glennys
 
Hi come across this surprised more people did not comment i lived on blakeland farm always interested about things about the farms round their i will send this to my son in australia his wife is a horton from erdington,not been their for a while think royal oak still their.martin
 
Hi come across this surprised more people did not comment i lived on blakeland farm always interested about things about the farms round their i will send this to my son in australia his wife is a horton from erdington,not been their for a while think royal oak still their.martin
Hi there ! My gt gt grandfather Caleb Foden from Erdington, lived on Blakelands Farm in the 1870's and William one of his sons married an Eliza Horton in 1850. Another of his sons took over the 180 acres farm in 1881. Does this farm still exist ??
 
Hi blakeland farm was bought by frank cadwallader shopfitters in the fifties is now perry locks care home where house stood top land is now a housing estate.
 
Extract from a 1945 history of the Home Guard in Streetly and Little Aston 1940-1944:

For various reasons outside anybody's control, the Spigot Mortar teams became dispersed to some extent, and to look after the training of fresh teams and to carry on the training of existing ones the C.O. gave permission for a Battalion Spigot Mortar School to be opened at Foden's Farm, Mill Green, Chester Road. Second Lieut. (now Lieut.) G. C. Richards was put in charge and in a short time we had a self-contained instructional unit complete with lecture room, stores, inert firing range with static and moving targets. This was due to Richards's keenness and to the ready assistance given by the Foden family. They had been our good friends since the "early days" and it was with genuine sorrow and regret that we learnt of Mr. Foden's tragic death while working on the land he had farmed all his life. His sons, three of whom were members of the Home Guard, will carry on the farm, but their father will be missed for many a day and his and Mrs. Foden's kindnesses will long be remembered among the Home Guards based on Foden's Farm.

Chris
 
Extract from a 1945 history of the Home Guard in Streetly and Little Aston 1940-1944:

For various reasons outside anybody's control, the Spigot Mortar teams became dispersed to some extent, and to look after the training of fresh teams and to carry on the training of existing ones the C.O. gave permission for a Battalion Spigot Mortar School to be opened at Foden's Farm, Mill Green, Chester Road. Second Lieut. (now Lieut.) G. C. Richards was put in charge and in a short time we had a self-contained instructional unit complete with lecture room, stores, inert firing range with static and moving targets. This was due to Richards's keenness and to the ready assistance given by the Foden family. They had been our good friends since the "early days" and it was with genuine sorrow and regret that we learnt of Mr. Foden's tragic death while working on the land he had farmed all his life. His sons, three of whom were members of the Home Guard, will carry on the farm, but their father will be missed for many a day and his and Mrs. Foden's kindnesses will long be remembered among the Home Guards based on Foden's Farm.

Chris
This is really interesting, I've never got as far as WW2 with the large family history, & I don't know of the farm on Mill Green, Chester road !! Lets see what I can find. Thanks Chris for that?
 
A jokey map, created by the Adjutant of the local Home Guard Battalion, referring to the artillery school at the Foden family's Mill Green Farm (located halfway up the right hand side of the map, to the right of Aldridge)....

Chris

p06bmap.jpg
 
I would love to know who those Fodens were in Mill Green farm, maybe they belong to my tree!
Could any good body help me with a look up on the 1939 census please?

I know from Chris' info above there are Fodens in Mill Green farm but not exactly who / how many.
For the research, Borough is Aldridge UD, County Staffordshire, Address: Mill Green farm Chester Road
Thanks for any help!

Glennys
 
Arthur Edgar Foden was at Mill Green Farm on 1939 register.

He was b1886 Perry Barr, the son of George Frederick Foden and Alice Eliza Lees.

George Frederick Foden was b1862 Perr Barr, the son of George Foden and Sarah Goodwin.

Arthur's mother Alice and some siblings are at another farm on the Chester Road in 1939.
 
Last edited:
Arthur Edgar Foden was at Mill Green Farm on 1939 register.

He was b1886 Perry Barr, the son of George Frederick Foden and Alice Lees.

George Frederick Foden was b1862 Perr Barr, the son of George Foden and Sarah Goodwin.

Arthur's mother Alice and some siblings are at another farm on the Chester Road in 1939.
Thank you for the quick reply. The people you mention are all known to me & on my tree!
But to find the others, is it possible to search by the address: Mill Green Farm or Mill Lane on Chester Road?
 
Thank you for the quick reply. The people you mention are all known to me & on my tree!
But to find the others, is it possible to search by the address: Mill Green Farm or Mill Lane on Chester Road?

Yes, you just enter Foden in the Last Name Box and Chester Road in the Street Box on the 1939 register search page. and leave everything else blank. Should be 27 results.
 
Arthur Edgar Foden was at Mill Green Farm on 1939 register.

Thanks for that interesting information, MWS.

I am also interested in this family, not so much from a family history point of view but rather because of their association with the local Home Guard during the war.

My post #8 suggests that it was Arthur Foden who died tragically on the farm. This would have happened between 1942 and 1944 when Arthur was in his late fifties. The inference is that he had more than three sons and three of them served in the local Home Guard unit. Where these 3+ fellows were living at the time, nor their names, isn't clear so far. The eldest could have been around 30/35 at the time of his father's death.

There is the mention in your later post that the boys' grandmother, Alice, lived at a nearby farm with other relatives. Is there any information identifying the precise location and the names of the occupants, please?

I have a lot of information about Home Guard members locally (all in the Aldridge Home Guard) but the Foden name has only cropped up in relation to Arthur's death. With regard to the latter, I wonder if any member, adept at newspaper searching, could help us with regard to any details of the accident and the inevitable funeral and inquest? I should like make a note in my HG website of their names, in honour of their service - and also of the father who rendered such service to the cause from 1940 onwards.

I understand that Mill Green Farm - once the host to a Home Guard artillery school - is currently on the market (as a rather nice gentleman's residence/family home, rather than the rough-and-ready farmstead which it probably once was!) which adds interest to this current story.

Chris
 
I have been able to glean info from the 1939 registry (even tho' having no paid access!) and have followed up as best I could:
At Mill Green farm, I found 8 people:

Arthur E Foden 1886 - 1944 head
Nellie Downes / Foden 1888 wife
Frances M Foden / May Dau
William G Foden 1915 son
Edgar T Foden 1916 son

*Frank I Foden 1919/1920
Robert Brown 1899
Daisy E Brown 1897
----------------------------------------------
All the above Fodens are descendents of my Caleb Foden 1805-1885

* Frank Isaac Foden = son of Frank Foden 1895-1951 + Harriet Emily Brown b: 1894
I don't know the relationship, if any, of the 2 x Browns living there also.

Chris, as for the missing third son of Arthur, it may be Peter J b: 1928 who was not at the farm in 1939. Maybe we'll hit home soon !

Glennys
 
Very useful, thanks, Glennys.

I assume you have added the death date of Arthur as 1944. It can hardly have come from the 1939 register!

Chris
 
Arthur Foden's death was registered Dec 1944.

Peter Foden might not show up on 1939 register because he was born after 1920.
 
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