James Ivall (1832-96), charged with assault

The Surrey Comet dated 27 April 1861 reported the following case which was heard by Hampton Petty Sessions on 22 April 1861. The James Ivall referred to was the second son of David Ivall (1795-1850), a successful coachmaker. An article about James's life is on this blog. He married Sarah Benn in 1856 at Hampton Church. At the time of the incident described, James was one of three business partners running the London coachmaking firm Ivall and Large. He is shown in the 1861 census as a coachmaker master, meaning that he supervised apprentices. James was aged 29 and his wife Sarah was 22. They lived in Thames Street, Hampton with Sarah’s sister Charlotte, aged 34.

A NOVEL MODE OF TAKING TOLL :- LADIES BEWARE !

Mr James Ivall was charged with assaulting John White, Toll Collector of Hampton Court Bridge.

Mr Cann appeared for defendant.

The statement of complainant was that one evening last week, the two ladies passed through the toll gate without paying toll, and that he ran after them and stopped one of the ladies by catching hold of her dress at the back part and demanded the toll. The ladies said they would pay coming back, but he refused this and then they gave him a shilling to take his toll. Soon after this a gentleman (the defendant) returned with the ladies from the railway, and rushed up to him with his raised fist, shook it in his face, and called him “a beast” saying “how dare you kiss my wife, you scoundrel.” I strenuously denied this, and said I had my own wife to kiss, and did not want kiss his. Defendant was violent and would not listen to reason, threatening to summons me. I solemnly deny I took any liberties with his wife and did not put my arms around her. The accusation was so sudden on me, I scarcely knew what I was doing. It was about half-past nine in the evening.

Cross-examined: I have only taken toll at Hampton Court since January of this year. I have occasionally seen defendant pass over, but I don't recollect the ladies doing so. A solicitor called on me to ask my name so that be might summons me. I can’t say if I took out this summons after the solicitor called on me. I did not touch the lady's chin or shoulder, and said nothing about kissing.

Complainant’s son, a youth, corroborated some portions of his father's testimony.

Mr Cann addressed the bench, complaining that complainant had insulted Mrs Ivall when she passed over to meet her husband, who came regularly by the train from London, and she having told her husband of the treatment, naturally was incensed, but did not strike or in any way intimidate complainant. He certainly called him a “beast." but nothing more.

Miss Elizabeth Benn said she was sister-in-law to defendant and was with Mrs Ivall on the evening in question, going to meet Mr Ivall coming home by the mail train. In passing through toll bar she was first, and said they would pay on returning, as they frequently did before. Afterwards heard a scuffle, and saw complainant with his arms round Mrs Ivall, who said “unhand me, what are you doing ?” He let go with one hand, and with the other took hold of her chin and said “I want my toll.” Mrs Ivall said, then ask properly for it, and not serve me in this manner. She then gave him 1s. We met Mr Ivall and told him what had happened. Mr Ivall, on returning with us, demanded the toll keeper's name, as none was up at the bar. He did not go up to him with his fist or attempt to strike him, but he (defendant) did accuse complainant of insulting his wife, and complainant denied it. A female in the toll house made use of vary bad language, implying we were not respectable people. 

Cross-examined: I swear defendant did not raise his fist. I heard complainant say he had his own wife to kiss.

Mrs Elizabeth Rose was waiting for her sister at Hampton Court Bridge on the evening alluded to and saw what passed, and she stated positively defendant did not strike or raise his fist at complainant, but heard Mr Ivall call him a beast for attempting to kiss his wife, when complainant said in reply, he had something else to kiss, without kissing his (defendant’s) wife. She also heard very abusive language coming from the toll house, in a female voice.

Cross-examined: I have never worked as a dressmaker with Miss Benn. I have known her for some years. I have had no interview with her, except in the presence of Mr Ivall's solicitor.

Mr Cann was about to call more evidence, when the magistrates said it was unnecessary to do so, and immediately dismissed the case, granting a summons against White for assaulting Mrs Ivall, to be heard next sitting; condemning White in the costs of this summons.

The case against John White was considered at Petty Sessions held in May 1861. The same evidence was presented. Mr Gregg, Inspector of Weights and Measures, gave White, who he had known for many years, a good character. The evidence being contradictory, the case was dismissed.

Death of Elizabeth Ann Ivall (1817-92)

Elizabeth Ann Ivall nee Gibson was my great great grandmother. She married David Ivall (1816-67), a journeyman coachmaker, in 1837 and they had ten children, seven of which survived into adulthood.

The following item was in the Islington Gazette dated 30 March 1892.

DEATH FROM A FALL

At the Islington Coroner’s Court, on Friday, Dr Danford Thomas held an inquest on the body of Elizabeth Ann Ivall, aged 74, who died under the following circumstances:

George Ivall, son of the deceased, of 27 S Block, Beaconsfield Buildings, said his mother resided at 75 Pembroke Street, and enjoyed fairly good health considering her age. On the 21st inst, she came on a visit his house, and left in the evening. A few minutes afterwards she was found at the bottom of the flight of steps on the first landing. She was insensible and died soon afterwards.

By the Coroner - There were no rails either side the steps.

Dr John Thomas Slater, of 1 Thornhill Crescent, Barnsbury, who was called to see the deceased, said on arrival he found her dead. The nose was broken and the face bruised. In his opinion death was due to syncope, following concussion of the brain and shock.

The jury returned a verdict of “Accidental death”.

George Ivall (1853-1932) was Elizabeth’s 8^th child and my great grandfather.

Beaconsfield Buildings were situated off the Caledonian Road in the Barnsbury district of Islington. They were designed by Charles Barry jnr. and were built by the Victoria Dwellings Association in the late 1870s. They were named after the Prime Minister, Lord Beaconsfield (Benjamin Disraeli) and aimed to provide “healthy and comfortable housing for the labouring classes”. The 383 flats were an attempt to alleviate overcrowding and were designed to accommodate 2,000 people. Conditions later deteriorated and the buildings became known as 'The Crumbles'. The flats were demolished during the late 1960s and early 1970s, and the site became Bingfield Park. Pembroke Street is nearby.

Beaconsfield Buildings

Syncope is a word for a loss of consciousness resulting from a reduction in blood flow causing a shortage of oxygen to the brain. 

Henry Ivall (1842-99), Convict and Royal Navy Sailor

Henry Ivall was born on February 1^st 1842 at 22 Willsted Court, Somers Town. He was the third of ten children born to my ancestors David and Elizabeth Ivall. Somers Town was an area of mostly poor housing in London near St Pancras station where the British Library is now located. Henry was baptised at St Pancras church on February 27^th 1842.

The 1851 census lists David (aged 34, a coach maker) and Elizabeth (33) Ivall living at 29 Bull Place, St Pancras with their children Henry (9), Georgiana (7), David (2) and Elizabeth Ann (8 months). David and his family moved from St Pancras to Southwark sometime between 1851 and 1853.

Henry worked in the coach maker’s shop with his father. There is a story¹ that David showed Henry a piece of finished work and asked how long it would be before he could do as well. He answered “Never!” and was chased out of the shop.

On August 7^th 1856, Henry, aged 14, was tried² at Middlesex County Sessions for the offence of “Stealing from the person of Thomas Rickett Lovell, a handkerchief, value 2s, his property.” He was found guilty of “Larceny from person” and sentenced to 4 calendar months in the House of Correction, Cold Bath Fields. This prison was in Clerkenwell and was notorious for its very strict regime of silence and also for the way in which the treadmill was officially used. Today, the site is occupied by the Mount Pleasant Royal Mail Sorting Office. The court record says that Henry had been in prison before.

The National Archives has a record showing that Henry voluntarily joined the Royal Navy on November 10^th 1857. He was aged 15 and was assigned the rating “Boy Second Class”. He signed up until February 1^st 1870. The 1861 census shows him as a Royal Navy sailor, ordinary 2^nd class, on board HMS Narcissus, a wooden hulled frigate. This ship was launched in 1859 and was powered by sails as well as a steam engine (that drove a propeller). It was crewed by 540 men.

1859 painting of HMS Narcissus by J Wood (National Maritime Museum, Greenwich)

In 1864, Henry signed (as a witness) the marriage certificate of his sister Emily when she married William Ralph in Walworth, S E London. I can’t find Henry in the 1871 census.

In 1872, banns³ were read for the marriage of Henry Ivall (a bachelor) to Ann Eliza Butterby (a spinster) at St Mary’s Church, Lambeth. As Ivall is a very unusual surname, I am fairly sure that the Henry Ivall named is the subject of this article. It seems that the marriage didn’t take place (there is no record of it in London Parish Records on Ancestry or on Free BMD), but I don’t know why. To add to the mystery, I can find no other records of anyone called Ann Eliza Butterby.

I can’t find Henry in the 1881 or 1891 censuses. He died on May 2^nd 1899 at St Saviour’s Union Infirmary in Dulwich (the building is now Dulwich Community Hospital). The death certificate gives his age as 61, whereas Henry was actually 57. Incorrect ages at death are common, especially when family members are not available to give the correct information. I am fairly sure that this is the “right” death certificate, because Henry Ivall is an uncommon name and I have information on all Ivalls in England at that time and can rule out other possible candidates. Henry was a scaffolder living at St Olave’s Chambers, Newington. The cause of death was phthisis (another name for tuberculosis), granular kidneys and uraemia. It was notified to the registrar of deaths by the Infirmary Superintendent.

Henry was buried in Brookwood Cemetery (in Surrey). His name is not in probate records.

Notes

1. Recorded by Dennis Endean Ivall (1921-2006), in notes on Ivall family history he consolidated in 1986.

2. From “Digital Panopticon” website www.digitalpanopticon.org, accessed 15 Sep 2017.

3. London Parish Records collection on www.ancestry.co.uk accessed 16 Sep 2017.

Ivall Blog Statistics

I started my Ivall family history blog in 2007 with an article about the life of James Ivall (1745-1809), but didn’t add the next item until 2012. I have now posted a total of 83 items (including this one). The blog is published using Google Blogger, which provides statistics on the number of people who have looked at it.

The total number of page views so far is 43,428. This seems a surprisingly large number, as I would expect that the blog would only be of interest to those related to people called Ivall, a very uncommon surname. The largest number of page views came from the United States (12,045) followed by the UK (7,512), Russia (5,267), Germany (4,398) and France (2,436). Why my blog has been viewed in Russia, Germany and France is not clear to me, since Ivall is not a surname in these countries.

The items with the most page views are

839 : David Victor Dick (1924-2001), jump jockey

568 : Samuel Oram MD, FRCP (1913-1991), eminent cardiologist

542 : Dennis Endean Ivall (1921-2006), artist and art teacher

435 : Charles Ivall (1779-1832), 4th child of James Ivall

355 : Emma Heywood nee Ivall (1835-1886), New Zealand pioneer

206 : George William Ivall (1880-1934), bus conductor and caretaker

202 : Fred Gregory Bampton (1891-1917), soldier who died in World War One

189 : William Frank Ivall (1871-1953), postman

153 : David James Ivall (1830-73), artist and coach maker

147 : Kenneth Bolton Legg (1889-1990), surveyor and centenarian

Several people have seen my blog and contacted me with additional information and pictures, for which I am most grateful.

James Ivall (1885-1918), Canadian Soldier Who Died In WW1

This is a revised version of an item posted in 2013. It contains information from James Ivall’s war record (which has recently become available online) and about his homestead in Alberta.

James Ivall was a grandson of Alexander “Sandy” Ival (1831-1911), who emigrated from Scotland to Canada in about 1837 and had ten children. James was a son of the third child, also called Alexander (1855-1922) and his wife Sarah (1859-1941). James was the third of their six children. He was born on July 11^th 1885 in Morin Flats (now called Morin Heights), Quebec, about 50 miles north-west of Montreal. He was baptised by the Church of England in Quebec in 1886. The baptism record reads

James, son of Alexander Ival, of the township of Morin, Argenteuil County, Province of Quebec, farmer and of Sarah his wife was born on the eleventh of July in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and eighty five and baptised the fifth day of December one thousand eight hundred and eighty six. 

The 1891 census showed Alexander Ival, aged 36, a farmer, living in Morin with his wife Sarah (28) and children Joseph (11), James (6), George (3) and Thomas (1 month). I can’t find James or his parents in the 1901 or 1911 censuses. Other evidence indicates that James’s family moved to Rainy River, a small town in NW Ontario, near the US border, sometime between 1891 and 1907.  

The spelling of the family surname in Canada seems to have changed from Ival to Ivall over the years. In the 19^th century, Ival is the most common spelling in records that have survived. In the 20^th century, the name is normally recorded as Ivall.

On November 6^th 1905, James married Katherine McCarthy in St Patrick’s Church, Montreal, which opened in 1847 and is known for its links with the Irish Canadian community. Katherine was a Roman Catholic born in Quebec and of Irish descent. She and James were both aged 20. 

Many inhabitants of Quebec, Ontario and the Maritimes moved westwards in the early 20th century in order to take advantage of the opportunities offered by the development of the Canadian prairies. In June 1911, James applied for a homestead grant in Alberta and was given initial permission to farm 160 acres of previously uncultivated land (NW Section 31 Township 59 Range 3 Meridian W5) at Glenreagh, a small settlement 3 km from the town of Barrhead, about 120 km north-west of Edmonton. A local history book (called “Links with the Past”) records that James was one of the first homesteaders in the district. The Canadian Encyclopaedia says that homesteading was a late 19th- and early 20th-century phenomenon in which immigrants were attracted to the Canadian West by government advertisements of "free" land. Under the Dominion Lands Policy, 160 acres cost only $10, but the homesteader had to build a house, often of log or sod, and cultivate a specified area within 3 years. A new homesteader required basic agricultural implements. Since horses were expensive, most used oxen to clear and break the land. A fireguard to protect farm buildings had to be ploughed, and a vegetable garden planted and game hunted to supplement the food supply. Homesteaders and their families were often separated from friends and relatives, and many suffered years of hardship and loneliness. One of the greatest difficulties was the absence of roads and bridges. Most trails were impassable when wet. In the autumn homesteaders waited until the ground was frozen before transporting their produce to the railhead.

The Alberta Provincial Archives contain documents relating to James’s homestead grant. They include sworn statements made in August 1914 by two of his neighbours detailing the progress he had made in cultivating his land. They say that James built a house out of logs in October 1911 and had lived there since November 1911. In 1912 he broke 6 acres and cropped 3 acres, in 1913 he broke 12 acres and cropped 10 acres and in 1914 he broke 12 acres and cropped 22 acres. In 1912 James had 2 cattle, in 1913 he had 6 cattle and 3 horses, in 1914 he had 9 cattle and 4 horses. By 1914 he had built a barn and cow barn, as well as drilling a well on his land. This progress resulted in a patent for the homestead being granted to James in October 1914.

The 1916 census shows James and Katherine, both aged 30, living at Glenreagh, Edmonton, Alberta. It seems that James and Catherine had no children, as none are listed with them. The census return says that James was a farmer, spoke English and French but could not read or write.

James joined the Canadian Overseas Expeditionary Force in Edmonton on 10^th May 1916. He must have volunteered, as conscription was not introduced in Canada until 1917. His attestation paper describes him as a carpenter and farmer. His height was 5 foot 11 inches, complexion ruddy, eyes grey, hair dark brown. James was given army number 231524. His war record can be viewed (free) on the Library and Archives Canada website.

James was assigned to the 202^nd Battalion. He spent 46 days in hospital between 26 June and 10 August 1916, suffering from otitis media, an inflammatory disease of the inner ear. On 23 November 1916, his unit sailed from Halifax, Nova Scotia on board the RMS Mauretania, a Cunard Liner that was used as a troop ship at this time. They arrived at Liverpool on 30 November 1916 and James was sent to Witley Military Camp (near Aldershot), which had been set up by the Canadian Army. James was transferred to the 28^th Battalion, Canadian Infantry and arrived in France on 25 May 1917. On 19 November 1917 he was admitted to a field hospital with bronchitis and discharged to duty on 4 December 1917. In February 1918, he was granted 14 days leave in the UK, after which returned to his unit in France.

On 25 May 1918, the 28^th Battalion were in Divisional Reserve at Bellacourt, a village 10 kilometres south-west of Arras. The Battalion’s war diary says that the enemy shelled the village, causing 14 casualties, 4 killed and 10 wounded, of which one (this was probably James) went to hospital. A Brigade sports event in Bellacourt went ahead that day, in spite of the shelling.

Extract from the war diary of the 28^th Battalion, Canadian Infantry

James’s service record says that he sustained shrapnel wounds to his face and left shoulder on 25 May 1918. They were probably caused by a shell that exploded near him. He was taken to No 56 Casualty Clearing Station, which was located at Gezaincourt (30 km south-west of Bellacourt) at that time. He died of his wounds on 28 May 1918 aged 32. Private James Ivall is buried at Bagneux British Cemetery, Gezaincourt. His gravestone is inscribed "Gone you may be but never forgotten by me."

The gravestone of James Ivall

619,636 Canadians enlisted with the Canadian Expeditionary Force during the war, and approximately 424,000 served overseas. Of these men and women, 59,544 members of the CEF died during the war, 51,748 of them as a result of enemy action.

Records indicate that James was one of two Canadian born Ivalls who enlisted to fight in the First World War. The other was James’s brother George Ivall (born 1889), who deserted before being sent to Europe and survived the war (there is item about his life on this blog).

James’s wife continued to live in the same district for many years after his death and was highly respected and admired for the assistance she gave to others in the community (this information is from “Links with the Past”). 

George Marcos Ivall (1902-61), Migrant from Greece to USA

There is a small group of Ivalls in the USA who are not related to the Canadian and English Ivalls. They are descended from George Marcos Ivolotis who emigrated from Greece to the USA and changed his name to Ivall.

George was born on January 2^nd 1902 in Corinth, Greece. He was a son of Marcos and Ellen Ivolotis. George migrated to the USA in 1921, aged 19. In 1929 he married Hannah (later known as Ann) DuBree. He was aged 27 when they married, she was aged 16. She was born in Indiana, a daughter of James DuBree, a coal miner, and his wife Ellen.

The 1930 census shows George, a cook at a restaurant, and Hannah at 1421 E 69^th Place, Chicago. They were living in the household of John Ferrare (aged 30, a mechanic at a motor manufactory), his wife Wilma (25) and their four children. Wilma was Hannah’s sister.

In 1934 George and his wife were living in Kankakee, Illinois (a town 60 miles south of Chicago), when their first child Ronald George Ivall was born. Later that year they moved to Monticello, a small town (1940 population 2,523) in Illinois, 150 miles south west of Chicago, and George started work at a restaurant called Bill and Pete's on the north side of the town square. Their second child, Jerry, was born in 1940. The census that year shows the family living at a rented house in E Lincoln Street, Monticello. The household consisted of George (age given as 40, although he was actually 38), his wife Hannah (listed as Ann aged 26) and their sons Ronald (6) and Jerry (3 months). George was working at a chef in a restaurant and had been paid $960 for 52 weeks work in 1939. Also living with them were Hannah’s siblings Frank DuBree (19, a clerk in a grocery store), Thomas DuBree (21, a labourer) and Louise Nolan (25). In 1943 George took over the business and renamed it Ivall’s Cafe.

 

The 1950 census shows George, aged 47, divorced, as a lodger in Monticello, with his son Ronald, aged 15. The census record says that George was a cook in a restaurant, and worked 72 hours in the previous week.   

George's son Ronald started working with his father in 1952. Travel records show that George arrived on a flight to Chicago in 1959, when his address was 106 West Washington Street, Monticello. 

George died on September 9^th 1961 aged 59 in Kirby Hospital, Monticello and is buried in Monticello Cemetery. His wife died in 1980 aged 67.

George’s obituary published in a local paper

(IOOF = Independent Order of Odd Fellows, a fraternal order dedicated to helping others)

George's gravestone

Ivall's Cafe was managed by George’s son Ronald from 1961 to 1971, when the business moved to a new location south of  Monticello as Ivall's Country Inn. The reason for the move was to make room for the expansion of the next door National Bank of Monticello.

Ronald Ivall was Monticello's superintendent of city services from 1976 to 1996 and the town's mayor from 2001 until his death in 2003.

Meredith Alyssa Ivall (1990-2015), Pharmacy Student

Meredith Ivall was descended from Alexander Ivall (1855-1922), a son of Alexander “Sandy” Ival (1831-1911), who came to Canada from Scotland c 1837. She was born in 1990 and went to school in Atikokan, a township in the Rainy River District in Northwestern Ontario, Canada. Sadly, Meredith’s life was cut short by cancer. She died in 2015 aged 25, before she was able to complete her doctoral studies in Pharmacy at the University of Waterloo, Ontario.

An obituary for Meredith is at http://obits.dignitymemorial.com/dignity-memorial/obituary.aspx?n=Meredith-Ivall&lc=3771&pid=175408112&mid=6538398