Mary Ann was the third born child of William Henry Day and his first wife, Elizabeth (nee Everett). Born in the September quarter of 1843 in the Epping Registration District, another three siblings followed before the 1851 census – William in 1845, Emily in 1846/7 and Frederick in 1850/1. However, William Henry was widowed by this time and had just three of his children at home along with a servant, Frances Everritt, to manage the house. Mary’s location has not yet been definitively identified.
On 18 March 1861, she married Nathan Burgess in Cheshunt and in the census, less than a month later, they were residing at Reckless Lane, Cheshunt (RG9/802/163/12) with a daughter, Maria E. Burgess aged 2 months:
Well, that would actually be Maria Emily Day born March quarter 1861 in the Edmonton Registration District, if truth be told!
Nathan is noted in this census as ‘deaf from birth’ although oddly, this is not referred to in any future census schedule. The couple had two children together – Ellen (b. 1863) and John (b. 1866). It is not clear whether Maria Emily Day was Nathan’s daughter or not, but she is always recorded as Burgess in the censuses.
The family settled in Cheshunt in a property on St James’ Road for several decades, with ‘Emily’ and John still living at home in 1881, aged 20 and 15 respectively. The photograph of Mary Ann, below, is believed to have been taken in the late nineteenth century:
Mary Ann lost her husband in 1890 at the age of 52. To date, her death has not been confirmed. More research is needed on this branch of my tree…..
