Eliza Ann Rowe ( 1864-1923 )

Millie's mother, Eliza

Eliza Ann Rowe was born in Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire, in 1864. Her mother was Caroline Rowe, but although she grew up with George Bliss as her father, Eliza's parentage isn't clear, and she refers to herself as a Rowe. In fact, the issue of parentage is rather confusing throughout Eliza's family, across generations of Rowes. Surnames are used fluidly in this family!

Regardless, Eliza grows up as the eldest child, with a younger brother and sister. George works as a labourer, and Caroline as straw plaiter, a trade which Eliza also takes up.Straw plaiting is very prominent in this district, and the work is plentiful and paid well in these years. At 20 years, Eliza gives birth to a son, Frederick William Rowe in 1885. His birth certificate gives father as 'unknown', and Eliza as a single straw plaiter. She marries a local labourer, George Rainbow, in 1887, and settles down to family life in Two Waters Rd, Hemel Hempstead. She and George have 2 girls, Annie (1891) and Lily (1893).

Eliza and George Rainbow

Eliza Ann Rowe/Bliss  c1884

Of course, tragedy strikes, as it usually does for working class families in the 19th century, and George dies in 1895, leaving Eliza to raise 3 children alone. The straw plaiting industry suffered a sharp decline through the 1880s, and the work for this trade had all but dried up in Hertfordshire, so Eliza's plaiting skills are probably not much value to her family anymore. She must have found work however, because in 1901 she and her girls are still living in Two Waters Rd, along with a new partner, labourer Tom Cave, and their baby, Thomas.

Frederick, Eliza's illegitimate son, is no longer living with her, and there is no clear evidence of him elsewhere. Perhaps Frederick also died, or maybe he just moved away? There's a photograph of a young man on a bicycle, taken in Newport, which was kept with the portraits of Eliza and the Cave family.There is I think, a family resemblance and it's possible that this was Frederick. Definitely some further research required here.

Eliza and Tom don't appear to have married, and the 1911 census record confirms this. Although they claim married status, Tom has left blank the column for length of marriage in years. In this census, they have 4 children- Annie and Lily Rainbow, Thomas, now 11, and Millie, aged 6.  Tom is working as a groom, and the older girls in the paper mill. In 1911, the Cave family were living at 153 Lower Marlowes, still in Hemel Hempstead.

The  1911 Census included for the first time, information about the length of the marriage, and number of children both dead and surviving. It was completed by the householder themselves.

View here-   Cave's household census

As head of the house, Tom Cave completed the census form, and was clearly  a bit confused by it. Perhaps he wasn't fully literate, as there are several spelling errors, including his own name. Although the numbers of children are confused, it appears that there have been two of Eliza's children die before this time. In fact, given that all 4 living children are accounted for in this household, it would appear that Frederick and one other child had died.