Lives of the First World War

1881 - 1916

Alfred was born in the first quarter of 1881 and registered under the name Alfred Spencer Harper (Nottm 7b 249) and appeared in the 1881 census, aged 3 months, as Alfred S Harper. He was living with his widowed grandmother, Mary Tomlinson, and his mother Annie Tomlinson at 20 Alfred St, Radford, Nottingham. Also living there as a boarder was his father, Thomas Spencer, a bricklayer who had been born at Cropwell Bishop, Nottinghamshire in 1851. Annie was born Ann Maria Tomlinson at Basford, Nottinghamshire in 1856 and in 1874 married Arthur Harper. However, by 1881 they appear to have separated; but never divorced (divorce being only for the wealthy at that time) and so neither could remarry - Arthur appears to have taken . Some time after April 1881 Annie and Tom moved in together, and she and Alfred took his name; I have found no trace of a marriage record. Annie and Tom went on to have six daughters, but no other sons. Tom moved to the USA by 1901 leaving Annie in Nottingham.

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