On this day in 1867 my 3x great uncle, John Eldridge, married Ellen Andrews in Bodiam, Sussex, England. John, a labourer by trade, and Ellen were both of full age. In the same year suffrage groups began to be established across Britain when the London National Society for Women's Suffrage was formed.
John Eldridge was the son of Thomas Eldridge (1807-1884) and Maria Hawkings (1807-1871). He was born about1829 in Ewhurst, Sussex, England. He died in Ticehurst Reg Dist, Sussex, England in 1886.
John’s younger brother, my 2x great-grandfather William Eldridge, died at 24 from what we now think was anemia. He left behind a wife and two young children, with another on the way. William's death would have greatly affected John, highlighting the tough realities of health in the 19th century. Despite this, John lived into his late fifties, which was considered a good age given the times. John died in 1886.
John’s life covered important historical periods. On December 1, 1887, Arthur Conan Doyle published his first Sherlock Holmes novel, "A Study in Scarlet." This was part of the cultural developments of the time, but it's unlikely that John, an agricultural laborer, would have had the time or ability to read such literature.
Another notable event was the admission of Lady Nancy Astor as the first woman Member of Parliament on 1st December 1919. This landmark event in gender equality occurred after John's death but reflects the social changes that were beginning even in his lifetime.
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