The Foaden Family

Alfred Harry Foaden

The Foaden home in Madeleine Road, Durban

Photograph from Esme Fuller

known as "Harry"

Birth: 15 May 1856, at North Street, Ashburton, Devon, England

Father: John Foaden

Mother: Sarah (Dolling) Foaden

Married: Mary Ann Frances Tyzack on 20 February 1883, at Chelmsford House (the residence of the bride's father), Durban, Natal, by Rev. W. H. Mann.

Children:

May Foaden (c.1885 - 1959)
George Foaden (c.1888 - 1945)
Edgar Foaden (c.1888 - 1962)
Frank Foaden (1891/2 - 1916)

Occupation: Mercer (1881). In 1890, Harry is on the staff of the Engineer-in-Chief of the Natal Government Railways.

Notes: In 1890, Harry was a member of the Pietermaritzburg Savages Football Club

Census & Addresses:
1856: North Street, Ashburton, Devon (birth certificate)
1861: Mulberry Cottage, Ashburton, Devon
1881: West Street, Ashburton, Devon
1899: 116 St. George's Street, Durban, Natal
1916: 88 North Ridge Road, Durban, Natal (from death record of son Frank)

Sources:

Birth: Birth Certificate; England Birth Index (2Q1856 vol 5b p127)
Marriage: Natal Witness 27 February 1883, as transcribed at www.genealogyworld.net/witness/witnessm_1883.htmFoaden,Tyzack,20-Feb-1883,27-Feb-1883, At Chelmsford House Durban, the residence of the bride's father by the Rev W H Mann, Alfred Harry second son of the late John Foaden Esq. Of Ashburton, Devonshire, England to - Mary Ann Frances, third daughter of Mr E W Tyzack of Durban
Occupation: 1881 census; National Archives of South Africa (Database: National Registers of Manuscripts and Photographs)
Notes: National Archives of South Africa (Database: National Registers of Manuscripts and Photographs)

Clara Foaden

Birth: 1852, in Ashburton, Devon, England

Father: John Foaden

Mother: Sarah (Dolling) Foaden

Census:
1861: Mulberry Cottage, Ashburton, Devon

Sources:

Birth: England Birth Index (4Q1852 vol 5b p135); exact place from 1861 census

Edgar Foaden

Birth: 1849, in Ashburton, Devon, England

Father: John Foaden

Mother: Sarah (Dolling) Foaden

Census:
1861: Mulberry Cottage, Ashburton, Devon

Sources:

Birth: England Birth Index (1Q1849 vol 10 p146); exact place from 1861 census

Edgar Foaden

Edgar Foaden (one of the twins at back) with his siblings Frank, George and May

Photograph from Esme Fuller

Birth: circa 1888, in Pietermaritzburg, Natal

Father: Alfred Harry Foaden

Mother: Mary Ann Frances (Tyzack) Foaden

Married: Vera Winifred Blades. Vera was born in Johannesburg, Transvaal, and died in 1966.

Death: 1962

Notes: Twin brother of George Foaden

Sources:

Birth: Derived the combination of her brother Frank's birthdate, between July 1891 and July 1892, derived from his age at death in relatively reliable military records, and the family photograph opposite in which I believe Edgar is about 4 years older than Frank; place from National Archives of South Africa (Database: Pietermaritzburg Archives Repository)
Marriage: National Archives of South Africa (Database: Pietermaritzburg Archives Repository); Vera birth, death from National Archives of South Africa (Database: Pietermaritzburg Archives Repository)
Death: National Archives of South Africa (Database: Pietermaritzburg Archives Repository)

Frank Foaden

Frank Foaden (left) with his siblings George, Edgar and May

Photograph from Esme Fuller

Thiepval Memorial in France where Frank Foaden's name is inscribed

Photograph from Commonwealth War Graves Commission

Birth: 1891/2

Father: Alfred Harry Foaden

Mother: Mary Ann Frances (Tyzack) Foaden

Occupation: Frank was a private in the South African Infantry ("B" Company, 2nd Regt) during World War I. He served in German West Africa and Egypt and then in France where he died in the Battle of Delville Wood. Another account of the tragic few days in which 2,398 of the 3,153 South Africans who entered the wood died, can be found here.

Death: 18 July 1916, aged 24, at Delville Wood, France

Memorial: Thiepval Memorial, France. His name is found on the Pier and Face 4C. Frank is most likely buried in the Delville Wood Cemetery which contains 5,493 burials, almost two-third of which are unknown.

Sources:

Birth: Age at death
Occupation: Commonwealth War Graves Commission
Death: Commonwealth War Graves Commission
Burial: Commonwealth War Graves Commission

George Foaden

George Foaden (one of the twins at back) with his siblings Frank, Edgar and May

Photograph from Esme Fuller

Birth: circa 1888, in Pietermaritzburg, Natal

Father: Alfred Harry Foaden

Mother: Mary Ann Frances (Tyzack) Foaden

Married: Lillian Florabella Tonkin

Death: 1945

Notes: Twin brother of Edgar Foaden

Sources:

Birth: Derived the combination of her brother Frank's birthdate, between July 1891 and July 1892, derived from his age at death in relatively reliable military records, and the family photograph opposite in which I believe George is about 4 years older than Frank. place from National Archives of South Africa (Database: Pietermaritzburg Archives Repository)
Death: National Archives of South Africa (Database: Pietermaritzburg Archives Repository)

Herbert Foaden

Birth: 1858, in Ashburton, Devon, England

Father: John Foaden

Mother: Sarah (Dolling) Foaden

Census:
1861: Mulberry Cottage, Ashburton, Devon
1881: West Street, Ashburton, Devon

Sources:

Birth: England Birth Index (2Q1858 vol 5b p130); exact place from 1861, 1881 census

John Foaden

Birth: 1814 in Ashburton, Devon, England

Baptism: 10 June 1814, in Ashburton, Devon, England

Father: Thomas Foaden

Mother: Ann (Easton) Foaden

Married: Sarah Dolling on 22 June 1843, in the Parish Church, Ashburton, Devon, England. The marriage was witnessed by Thomas Dolling and Emma Foaden. John is recorded as a woolcomber, a bachelor, of full age, of Ashburton, the son of Thomas Foaden, an inn-keeper. Sarah is recorded as a spinster, of full age, of Ashburton, the daughter of Thomas Dolling, yeoman.

Children:

Edgar Foaden (1849 - ? )
John Foaden (1851 - ? )
Clara Foaden (1852 - ? )
Sarah Catherine Foaden (1854 - ? )
Alfred Harry Foaden (1856 - ? )
Herbert Foaden (1858 - ? )

Occupation: Woolcomber (1843), then Relieving Officer, Registrar of Births, Deaths and Marriages and Insurance Agent. A Relieving Officer was the person responsible for the distribution of parish relief.

History, Gazetteer & Directory of Devon, 1850 lists in Ashburton:
North Street Foaden John, relieving officer

The 1870 Morris and Co.'s Commercial Directory and Gazetteer lists, in Ashburton:
Foaden John, relieving officer, registrar of births, deaths, and marriages, and agent for the Clerical, Medical, and General Life, and the Manchester Fire Insurance Companies, West street

History, Gazetteer & Directory of Devon, 1878-79 lists in Ashburton:
Foaden John, stamp distributor, and agent for Clerical, Medical, and General Insurance Company, West Street

Death: 28 October 1878, at West Street, Ashburton, Devon, England, aged 64. The cause of death is listed as (a) Uremic poisoning from Kidney disease (b) Apoplexy

Census & Addresses:
1850: North Street, Ashburton, Devon
1856: North Street, Ashburton, Devon (birth certificate of son Alfred)
1861: Mulberry Cottage, Ashburton, Devon
1870: West Street, Ashburton, Devon (Morris and Co.'s Commercial Directory and Gazetteer)
1878: West Street, Ashburton, Devon (History, Gazetteer & Directory of Devon; Death Certificate)

Sources:

Birth: 1861 census
Baptism: IGI baptism extracts batch C050201
Marriage: Marriage Certificate; England Marriage Index (2Q1843 vol 10 p236)
Occupation: Birth certificate of son Alfred (1856); 1861 census; death certificate
Death: Death Certificate; England Death Index (4Q1878 vol 5b p101)

John Foaden

Birth: 1851, in Ashburton, Devon, England

Father: John Foaden

Mother: Sarah (Dolling) Foaden

Census:
1861: Mulberry Cottage, Ashburton, Devon

Sources:

Birth: England Birth Index (1Q1851 vol 10 p139); exact place from 1861 census

May (Foaden) Ford

May Foaden (standing left) and her mother Mary Ann (Tyzack) Foaden

Photograph from Esme Fuller

Birth: circa 1885, in Pietermartizburg, Natal

Father: Alfred Harry Foaden

Mother: Mary Ann Frances (Tyzack) Foaden

Married: Joseph Clifford Ford

Death: 1959

Sources:

Birth: Esme Fuller gives a date of 1882 (from memory), but I believe this is off based on the combination of her brother Frank's birthdate, between July 1891 and July 1892, derived from his age at death in relatively reliable military records, and the family photograph (see Frank Foaden) in which I believe May is about 6 or 7 years older than Frank.; place from estate record
Marriage: estate record
Death: National Archives of South Africa catalogue (Pietermaritzburg Archives Repository) Ref: 1515/1959; Text: FORD, MAY. (BORN FOADEN). BORN IN PIETERMARITZBURG. S/SP FORD, JOSEPH CLIFFORD. DECEASED ESTATE.. STARTING 19590000 ENDING 19600000; death notice of Joseph Clifford Ford

Sarah Catherine Foaden

Birth: 1854, in Ashburton, Devon, England

Father: John Foaden

Mother: Sarah (Dolling) Foaden

Census:
1861: Mulberry Cottage, Ashburton, Devon
1881: West Street, Ashburton, Devon

Sources:

Birth: England Birth Index (2Q1854 vol 5b p135); exact place from 1861, 1881 census

Thomas Foaden

Married: Ann Easton on 18 November 1813, in Ashburton, Devon, England

Children:

John Foaden (1814 - 1878)
Thomas Foaden (1815 - ? )

Occupation: Innkeeper at the Sun Inn, Ashburton

Sources:

Marriage: IGI marriage extracts Batch M050201
Occupation: 1861 census lists his widow as "Widow of an Innkeeper"; lists of Victuallers Recognizances and Certificates of Suitability to Hold a Licence held at the Devon Record Office record, in Ashburton, "Thomas Foaden, Sun Inn" in 1824, 1825, 1826 & 1827 (References: QS/63/3/12/027, QS/63/5/01/115, QS/63/7/10/009 and& QS/63/7/06/020)

Thomas Foaden

Baptism: 12 October 1815, in Ashburton, Devon, England

Father: Thomas Foaden

Mother: Ann (Easton) Foaden

Sources:

Baptism: IGI baptism extracts batch C050201

Return to Chris Gosnell's Home Page
Return to Chris Gosnell's Genealogy Page

If you have any comments, additions or modifications to the information on this page, please feel free to email me.
Created and maintained by: chris@ocotilloroad.com