Lily Elizabeth Nixon 1880-1968

Lily Elizabeth Nixon was the eldest daughter of John Nixon (1860-1921) and Elizabeth Julia Nixon (1859-1928). She was born on the 16th July 1880 at Bromley-by-Bow and she appears on the 1881 census as an eight-month-old infant living with her parents at 22 Merchant Street (below) in the civil parish of St Leonard which was within the municipal borough of Bromley and the parliamentary borough of Tower Hamlets. John Nixon is recorded as a customs officer.

Merchant Street, "Mixed. Some comfortable, others poor." 
Charles Booth's poverty map of London 1898-1899

By the time the 1891 census was taken, the family had grown considerably and had moved further east to 212 Cronnfield Road (or possibly, Crownfield Road) in Wanstead. John Nixon is recorded as a wheelwright and he and Elizabeth now had five children living with them. In age order they are recorded as: Lily L Nixon (aged 10), Elizabeth Nixon (aged 8), Edgar A Nixon (aged 4), Mabel E Nixon (aged 2), and John F Nixon (aged eight months).

Ten years on and the family had moved again. The 1901 census records John Nixon (a wheelwright's wheel-maker) and Elizabeth living at 49 Adelaide Road, Leyton.  Lily E Nixon, aged 20, is recorded as a gentleman's tie-maker. Her siblings are recorded as Elizabeth J Nixon (aged 18), Blanche G Nixon (aged 17), Edgar A Nixon (aged 14), Mabel E Nixon (aged 12), John F Nixon (aged 10), Walter L Nixon (aged 8), Sidney H Nixon (aged 6), Alfred A Nixon (aged 4), and Ethel B Nixon (aged 1).

In 1903 Lily married Bartholomew George Maisey (1878-1950). For Bartholomew this was his second marriage. He had married Sarah Ann Nicholls (1877-1902) in the parish of St George, Camberwell on the 20th May 1899. Sarah died in 1902 and Bartholomew married Lily the following year, their marriage registered at West Ham in the fourth quarter of 1903.

Up until the 1911 census was taken, Lily would give birth to four sons: Walter Maisey (born 1904), Bartholomew George Maisey (born 1907), Ernest Maisey (born 1908) and Stanley Maisey (born 1909). The 1911 census shows the family living at Hillside, 72 Greenwich Road, West Croydon, Surrey. Bartholomew's trade is recorded as "gas apparatus fitter and expert". The census notes that the couple had been married for seven years and had had four children, two of whom had already died. Walter's death, aged 1 year, was registered at West Ham in the first quarter of 1906, whilst Bartholomew, whose birth had been registered at West Ham in the first quarter of 1907, died shortly afterwards as his death was registered in the second quarter of 1907.

When the 1939 Register was taken, Lily was living at 138 Forester's Drive, Beddington and Wallington Metropolitan Borough, Surrey. Bartholomew is noted as the works' superintendent of a gas company and their son, Ernest, is also recorded at the same address.

By 1963, Lily was living at Le Chateau, Chatsworth Road, Croydon and she appears at this address on electoral registers for 1963 and 1965. I am guessing that this was probably an old person's flat.

Lily Elizabeth Maisey died in 1968, her death registered at Croydon in the second quarter of that year. Her name is registered as Lilian E Maisey and her age recorded as 87.

Get in touch

If you are related to Lily Elizabeth Nixon, who was my great aunt, or to any of the other people mentioned in this blog post, I would love to hear from you. Please contact me at paulcanixon@yahoo.co.uk.