Betsy Williams, Oldest Resident of Chesterton, -1910

My eye is always drawn to statements of "the oldest resident of" pieces in old newspapers, so Betsy Williams of Chesterton caught my eye this morning.

In 1910 Betsy Williams of Chesterton died and the newspapers announced her death, along with the fact that she was the oldest resident.  I love it when the newspapers give a long obituary/biography - so handy for today's family history researchers. So I had to look her up!

The Cambridge Independent Press reported the occasion as

Death.— The death occurred Tuesday morning of one the oldest inhabitants of Chesterton. Mrs Betsy Grove Williams, widow of the late Mr Benjamin Williams. The deceased lady, who was 90 years of age, was well known and much respected in Chesterton.

Her husband, who was formerly in the employ of Mr Philip Beale, Cambridge, died twenty two years ago, but there are nine children surviving. One served for twenty seven years in the Scotch Royal Rifles, going through the Zulu War. Another, who in twenty one years in the Army Service Corps, saw service in Zululand and in Egypt, and the husband of her eldest daughter served for twenty-two years in the Royal Navy. 

There are about sixty grand-children, while the great grand-children number even more. The funeral takes place to-day, Friday, Old Chesterton.  

Looking at FreeBMD, the death was registered with an age of 89 years.

Betsy was buried on 14 October at St Andrew's Church, Chesterton.  Benjamin Williams had died, aged 69, in 1888 and was buried 6 September at St Andrew's Church, Chesterton.

A quick look through the IGI showed that, from Censuses, Betsy had been born in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk.  The 1881 Census had Betsy and husband Benjamin living at 10 Albert Street, Chesterton, with two of their children: Albert L Williams aged 19, born in Bury, Suffolk; and Mary L Williams aged 16, born in Cambridge.  Benjamin was listed as an ironmonger's porter and had been born in Lambeth, Surrey, so they were both "incomers" to the village.

I love thinking about the fact that my great-grandmother might have known of Betsy - although she had been living in the St Luke's area of Chesterton, which is about a mile from Old Chesterton where my great-grandmother was bringing up her own family.  She'll have heard the news of Betsy's death and, who knows, maybe watched the funeral from the cemetery wall.  The news will certainly have been the talk of the week.

The social history surrounding ancestors really helps to build up a good local picture of what life was like, people they might've known, events they might've attended - and more!  After a while you even begin to feel you "know" these people!

Sources: FindMyPast, FreeBMD, FamilySearch

Image: FreeBMD