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In August 2001, while staying with
friends near Bristol, I visited the George Müller
Foundation and Orphanage Museum and was taken into the
reception room. In the middle of the room was a large and
rather lovely rectangular table on which were placed books
where the details of admissions had been recorded in
beautiful copperplate handwriting – some 18000 orphans in
all since the 1840’s.
The admission books are opened at a
random page each morning, and the one straight in front of
me read:
| “2911 Emily SOUDEN,
born on the 25th April 1960 and registered in the
District of Whitstable” |
This was followed by a similar entry
for her twin sister, Ellen (2912).
I was astounded because Ellen SOUDEN
was the first wife of my grandfather, Frederick ALLEN, and
Emily the wife of his brother Hubert. I had no idea that
they, as children, had been at the Orphanage and the fact
that the book containing their Admission Record was that day
laid out and opened at random at the very page on which
their names appeared was absolutely incredible.
The Director of the Museum offered to
give me photocopies of all the correspondence in their
files, from which I discovered their story.
Back in the 1860’s, a certain Mrs.
Caroline White came to Whitstable to stay with friends. She
obviously new Mr. Müller personally and spoke to them of
his orphan work. Her hosts were very interested
because they had friends who had three orphan nieces left
quite unprovided for. They could not bear them to go to the
Union (i.e. the workhouse) and so, with much difficulty,
they made do with a small allowance of one shilling a week
for each child from the parish, as when the parents died
they left only furniture which was sold to cover debts. On
their behalf, Mrs. White wrote on 1st July 1869 to Mr. Müller
requesting his help. The story is as follows.
The children’s father James
SOUDEN, a mariner, was drowned at sea on 18th December 1862.
The owner of the vessel wrote:
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“I James Amos of
Whitstable in the County of Kent hereby Certify that
I was the Owner of the Ship ‘Gem’ belonging to
this Port and that the late James SOUDEN was Master.
That the said Ship ‘Gem’ left the port of
Hartlepool on 12th day of December 1862 coal laden
and bound for Rochester. That on the 18th day of
December 1862 the Ship encountered a very heavy Gale
of Wind and was driven on the Gunfleet Sand where
she was totally lost and the said James SOUDEN and
the whole Crew were drowned. None of the bodies to
my knowledge were ever picked up.
As witness my hand
this 29th day of November 1869, James Amos” |
Then, on 31st May 1868, the
children’s mother, Martha née BELL, died of catarrh
(bronchitis). Emily was sent to live with one of her
mother’s sisters, Eliza COTTON née BELL, and Ellen to
another sister, Amelia HALL née BELL. The third
child, Annie, born on 22nd July 1862 went to live with an
uncle, who later refused to part with her when a place was
offered at the Orphanage as he had become very much attached
to her, the attachment apparently being fully reciprocated.
He promised while living to keep the child.
This situation was however a source of
worry to the other relatives as the said uncle was only a
Day Labourer and getting very low wages, and one family
member even said that the dear child would be better off in
the Union. By the end of 1869 Amelia HALL had died so
both the twins were living with Eliza COTTON:
In a further letter to Mr. Müller
dated 6th November 1869 Mrs. White said:
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“With deep pleasure I
received the papers respecting the dear orphans at
Whitstable, which I at once forwarded and last
evening late I had a note to request me to thank
you. Also to name that one of the little girls
will not be able to accept the benefit of your kind
home inasmuch as the uncle who has her under his
care will not part with her......but.......the twins
are delighted at the prospect of going. (The
family) will very shortly be able to forward all
needful papers....” |
From this point, the correspondence was
taken up by Eliza COTTON, the aunt with whom the children
were staying. She forwarded all the necessary
documents and, on 21st January 1870, she took Emily and
Ellen to Bristol. They were admitted into the Girls’
Department of No. 1 at Müller’s Orphanage.
They left the Institution on 6th March
1877 aged 17 and went to an aunt who wished to place them in
situations near her. From here on, there are traces of the
three SOUDEN sisters in service with different Whitstable
families: Emily in the home of William Exton ALLEN
(married to Eliza COTTON’s daughter), Ellen to James
Wallace GANN’s family, and Annie in service at the home of
Absalom ANDERSON and his wife Ellen née GANN.
Emily eventually became Mrs. Hubert
ALLEN, Ellen Mrs. Frederick ALLEN, but Annie never married.
Diana
Suard
October
2008
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