The Tener Family

This is a journal kept by Dennis Holmes and friends concerning the Tener Family.
The links below will take you to the "Tener Blue Book" - "TENER: A History of the Family in France, Ireland and America"; and to a Finding Aid.


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Monday, January 28, 2008

John Wallis and his family - brother of George Tener I's wife

We know a lot about James Wallis and his work as a publisher of the British version of Alexander Campbell’s (and the Church of Christ’s) Millennial Harbinger. This short series of Wallis family stories is born from us having available to us copies of some photographs of his children. I thought having the photographs cries out for some explanation so we get to ‘know’ these folks!

(Photo Courtesy of Kathleen Tener Smith)

John Wallis’ photo comes to us from John’s great grand niece – Kate Tener Smith. The photo is one of a large number which came from the photo album of Maud Tener Johns – Tener family history book page 74 – Maude was a granddaughter of James Wallis. (This photo was taken in Nottingham by A. W. Cox & Son, St. James St. It is undated.) John Wallis was the nephew of Susan Wallis who married George E Tener I.

John Wallis was born about 1833, in Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England. He was the seventh, of ten children, of James and Susan Wallis.

He is first located in an 1841 English Census. At that time he was about 8 years of age – and living with his parents and siblings in Nottingham.

I was unable to locate him – with any degree of certainty, from searching through the England 1851 Census.

By 1861 John Wallis was married to Sophia Griffiths, and they were living on Clarendon St, Sherwood Ward, Nottingham Township, England. John was listed as a “master clothier” who had some 45 people in his employ: 34 men and 11 women. He was only 28 years of age at the time.

In 1861 John and Sophia Wallis are listed with a son John M – 3 years of age; a son Stephen – 2 years of age; a third son, Charles G. – 2 months; and a daughter, Mary S. – 1 year of age. From this, I surmise that John and Sophie were married prior to 1858. The Wallis family also had three domestic servants enumerated as living with them.

By 1871 – according to the 1871 English Census, John and Sophie Wallis were listed as living on Mansfield Grove, in Nottingham. John is listed as a “taylor” (tailor?) and he has 25 working for him – 12 men and 13 women. Their family has grown with the following enumerated in the home: Stephen – 12; Mary – 11; Charles – 10; Arthur – 9; Gertrude - 7; and Amy – 1. In addition, there were three domestic servants – a cook, a housemaid, and a nurse.

In 1881, the English Census documents place the family living at 25 Mansfield Grove, Nottingham. John is listed as head of household, and his occupation is ‘lace manufacturer’. Son John M. is again listed in the home – 23 years of age, and he too is a lace manufacturer. Son Stephen, 22 years of age, has a job as a warehousemen. Son Arthur is 19 years old, and working as a ‘solicitor’s clerk’. Daughter Amy is 11 years old, and is attending school. There were also two domestics – a cook and a housemaid.

By 1901, John is 67 years of age, Sophie 65, and they are living with their son Arthur. John does not have any notation for his occupation, but interestingly Sophie is listed as a “stock broker agent’.

Sophia died in 1902 - and she was buried in the General Cemetery, Nottingham. John died July 29, 1910 - also in Nottingham - and he too is buried in the General Cemetery, Nottingham.