James Wall (b. 1869, d.1904) was born in Bethnal Green, London (in “the east end”). His parents were William Wall (b.1839, d.?) and Elizabeth Brown (b.1839, d.1899). William was born in Shropshire, England, and the couple were married in 1865 in Bethnal Green, London (signing their names with X marks). Based on census records, Elizabeth may have been under age at the time. The couple appear to have moved from London to Everton in the 1870’s and William is listed in the 1881 census as being a master tailor.
William’s father, William Wall (b.1805, d.1888) was born in Worstershire, England, and appeared to start his career as a mason. He was then listed in the 1851 census as having the occupation, rat catcher, and by the time of the 1881 census, his occupation had changed again and he was a rabbit catcher. He died in Shropshire in 1888. William’s wife was named Hannah (b.1806, d.?), and she was born in Shropshire but little further information is known about her.
James was a hawker (travelling salesman) and he spent some time in Liverpool, where he married Emily May (b.1879, d.?) in 1900. He had a son, James Walter Wall (b.1899, d.1979) with Emily May fifteen months earlier. Four years later, James senior died in Mile End, London. Research continues into Emily May, who may have remarried.
James Walter Wall was a steamship fireman in the English merchant navy. He married Wilhelmina Althoff (b.1901, d.1971) in West Ham in 1922. They were the parents of Nina Wall (b. 1922, d.1988).
Nina emigrated with her family to Australia on the steamship, SS Barradine on 3rd February, 1924 at the age of 2. She married Stanley Thomas Perry in Marrickville, NSW, in 1940 and they had four children. Read about their recent family here.
The Althoffs and Linfields
Wilhelmina was the daughter of Frederick Phillip Althoff (b.1869, d.1946) from Hannover, Germany and Marian Linfield (b.1875, d.1951) from West Ham, London.. They were married in 1897 in West Ham. Marian’s parents were Charles Linfield (b.1830, d.?) and Julia Weaver (b.1840, d.?), who were married in Woolwich, London in 1861.
Frederick’s father, Heinrich Althoff (b.1826, d.1869), died the year he was born. He was 17 years older than his wife, Eliza Syer (b.1843, d.?), the daughter of Murrell Syer (b.1813, d.?) and Catherine Caton (b. 1819, d.?). After Heinrich’s death, Eliza may have remarried as she would have only been 26 when he died.
Murrell Syer was the son of Henry Syer (b.1782, d.?) and Mary Murrell (b.1785, d.?), about whom little is currently known.
The family’s roots
The earliest Wall ancestor that I have found so far is William Wall, who was born in Knighton, Worcestershire in 1805. In the 1851 census of England he is listed as a rat catcher, but had progressed to being a rabbit catcher by 1881 (according to the 1881 census), probably until his death at the age of 83 in 1888.
Arrival in Australia
My grandmother, Nina Wall, was fond of telling the story of how her family ended up migrating to Australia. Her father, James Walter Wall was an English merchant seaman and had sailed the world, seeing many cities.
Apparently, he sailed to Australia on one trip and on returning to England, packed up his family and moved them out there, saying he had found the best place in the world for them to grow up in.