His Mother
David’s long life is probably attributed to his mother’s genes. She was
PHOEBE MAVITY born Aug 1797 in Birmingham, Bap. St Phillips (now Birmingham cathedral), and death registered at Aston 1878 aged about 80-81. An unusually advanced age for the time.
She was buried in Saltley St Saviour’s churchyard. There apparently is a grave monument or headstone.
Information on the monumental inscription (and other Birmingham MIs) can be obtained from Midland Ancestors:
http://midland-ancestors.shop/index.php?route=product/search&search=I066D for about £3.
In 1850 in England and Wales life expectancy at birth was 42, but that was because over 25% of children died before the age of five (and by 1900 it was mostly unchanged). For those who did survive life expectancy rose to 57. Only 10% of people born around 1850 lived to be over 80.
Phoebe’s parents were William Mavity 1768 – 1819 who died at Loveday street Birmingham aged 50 and Sarah Goold c.1773 – 1824 aged about 51.
The Mavity’s had been a prosperous, Quaker family who had lived in Birmingham for at least the best part of a century but also had close links with Leicester with some of Phoebe’s ancestors being born there. The men were skilled tradesmen and/or small businessmen with impressive social connections through their Quaker networks.
In 1823 Phoebe married a David Trevor.
1841 she is living with her husband and their ten children at their corn dealership business in Coleshill street, Birmingham.
1847 her husband dies. Their son David is 19 at the time. There is no welfare state and she has many mouths to feed. She will have to work.
1849 she is running her husband’s business which is now a grocer's and general provision shop at 85 Coleshill street, Birmingham (street now within the Birmingham Aston University campus).
1851 is a provisions dealer at Park Road, Aston, Birmingham with some of her children.
1861 her address is now Nechells Park Road. Maybe this is the same place as Park Road? Now 64 (quite old for the time) she was described by the enumerator as a huckster (i.e. a seller of small articles). She has two remaining children with her and has taken a lodger so maybe she is struggling a bit.
1871 Her eldest son William has come to the rescue. They are now living in the village of Yardley, Worcestershire with his family and may have remained there until her death in 1878. So why was she buried in a Saltley churchyard?