The Furniss Family
Part 2 – Thomas Senior And Thomas Junior

The children of William Thomas Furniss are shown in the chart below.

William Thomas’s eldest son, Thomas, was born in about 1827 and emigrated to the United States in 1849. Having settled initially in Yonkers, New York State, he established a building business. He married a girl called Elizabeth and she died during the 1860s. There were two daughters, both born in Yonkers, being Sarah (known as ‘Sis’), born c.1854, and Elizabeth (‘Lizzie’), born c.1861; Lizzie was unfortunately a hunchback. Little is known about Thomas’s life in the United States, but after the American Civil War began in 1861 he was attached to the Northern forces in the US Sanitation Commission. He was also once a member of a Masonic lodge in Louisiana. By 1870 he was back in Epsom with his two daughters.

Initially he and Lizzie lived with his father, William Thomas, and Sis lived next door with his brother, George. His brother James lived in the same row of houses, which were 94, 96 and 98 Yew Tree Cottages (Number 96 was the old Post Office run by the Andrews family). Next, Thomas bought a triangle of land in West Street, between the railway and Station Approach, and built himself a concrete Dutch-style house of the type found in Yonkers. He set up in business as a builder and corn and coal merchant and the West Street premises – numbers 26 and 28 – were his dwelling, shop, stores and offices: this business became T Furniss & Son.

Sarah ‘Sis’ Furniss.
Image courtesy of Bourne Hall Museum.

A portrait of Thomas Furniss, painted by his daughter Marian (“May”).
Image courtesy of Bourne Hall Museum.

In 1871 Thomas married Marianne (known as Marian), daughter of James Elliott, who was an ex- Metropolitan Police constable and Parish Beadle of Epsom. They had four children:

• in 1872, Thomas who – see below – grew up to take over the family business;
• in 1874, Marian Elizabeth (to avoid confusion with her mother, always known as “May”) who became a talented artist – see the appendix below;
• in 1877, Frances Mary who died aged 3 in 1880; and
• in 1885, William George (known as “George” – and the subject of Part 3) who joined his elder brother in running the family firm.

The original premises of T Furniss & Son in West Street c.1905.
Image courtesy of Bourne Hall Museum.

Thomas Senior died on 1 December 1908. As noted on his memorial in Christ Church Epsom Common, he had been a member of the choir there since 1876.

Thomas’s memorial plaque in Christ Church Epsom Common.
Photograph by Roger Morgan © 2019

The widowed Marian Senior died on 3 March 1917, and was buried with her late husband in Grave B64A of Epsom Cemetery and their daughter, Frances Mary. Neither Lizzie nor Sis married and they died in 1930 and 1937 respectively.

Furniss coal carts in Epsom High Street.
Image courtesy of Epsom & Ewell Local And Family History Centre 

By 1901 the newly-married Thomas Junior had already taken over the business; his wife was Edith Clara, daughter of local saddler Samuel Crocker. They had three children, being Ruth Edith (c.1902), Margery (c.1903) and Thomas (‘Tommy’ – born 1910). Thomas and Edith retired to Salcombe, Devon in 1924, dying in 1928 and 1965 respectively. They were both brought back to Epsom Cemetery for burial, in Grave B174A.

Furniss Graves in Epsom Cemetery
At the rear: Thomas senior, his wife Marian and their daughter Frances.
In the foreground: Thomas junior and his wife Edith
Photograph © Roger Morgan 2019

Thomas Furniss Junior
Image courtesy of Bourne Hall Museum.

Before continuing with the history of T Furniss & Son, we need to look at another family concern, which was G & J Furniss, builders and undertakers. ‘G & J’ were George and James, two younger brothers of the Thomas who had established T Furniss & Son.

James was born c.1834 and was originally a carpenter; he married Ann (Annie) Bradley, who had been orphaned in 1844 when her young parents, James and Sarah, both died. James and Ann had five children, who were James Bradley (1863), Marian (1866-71), Thomas (1869), Alfred Frederick (1872-1946) and William Thomas (1874) [See Appendix 2]. Alfred Frederick (‘Alf’), a builder and decorator, married Maggie Brewer and they lived at 98 Yew Tree Cottages until he died in 1946. James died in 1898 and Annie in 1914.

Grave of James, Annie, Alfred Frederick and Maggie, Epsom Cemetery.
Images ©Linda Jackson 2012

James Bradley Furniss was known as ‘Brad’. In 1887 he married Minnie Clara Chadband, daughter of local tailor and draper Alfred Chadband. Initially they lived in Clapham, where their first child, Annie, was born that same year. They then moved to Brighton, where Brad was in business as an undertaker, and their second daughter, Dorothy Bradley, was born there in 1891. In 1892 little Annie died and by 1901 the family was back in Epsom, with Brad now described as a builder. They then had a son, Ralph James Bradley (2 February 1901 – 1969). Brad died in Epsom on 26 June 1930, followed by his unmarried daughter, Dorothy, in 1936. Minnie died in 1954.

Grave of Brad, Minnie and Dorothy in Epsom Cemetery.
Image ©Linda Jackson 2012

Picking up the history of T Furniss & Sons, William George (known as George) joined his older brother, Thomas, in the business. George and family will be the subject of Part 3.

Linda Jackson © May 2012

Links to previous and next parts.

APPENDIX 1: Thomas senior’s daughter, Marion – known as “May” (1874-1957)

May Furniss became a talented artist. She exhibited at The Royal Academy and elsewhere from 1900, enjoying a wide circle of female artist friends, including Laura Knight. While studying at the Slade School of Art, she met fellow (and more famous) artist William Shackleton who was teaching there.

May and William married in the family’s Christ Church Epsom Common on 22 April 1915, when she (of “West Hill, Epsom”) was 40 and he (an “Artist” of “111 New Kings Rd, Parsons Green”) was 43. The couple divided their time between a house at 50 Chipstead Street, Fulham and “Hill Top Cottage” at Malham in Yorkshire. William continued his public art (in the late 1920s, turning to sculpture) and May taught privately.

It is reported that William’s repetitive use of a sculptor’s chisel caused the angina which led to his death. He died in Fulham on 9 January 1933 at the age of 61, and was buried in Malham. Disposing of his unsold works (which are to be found in all major Art Galleries in the North of England, particularly in his native city of Bradford) caused May to have a nervous breakdown and she went to South Africa to restore her health. While there, she painted both landscape and figure subjects.

After returning to England, May continued to paint into the 1950s. She returned to Epsom for the last few years of her life – dying, aged 83, at 27 Alexandra Road on 15 March 1957. She is buried with William Shackleton in Malham.

Roger Morgan © 2019

APPENDIX 2: William Thomas Furniss (1874-1918)

As mentioned above William Thomas was the youngest son of James and Ann Furniss.  He was a joiner/builder and in 1899 married Gertrude Mary Gilbert (born 1873) the daughter of Fredrick George Gilbert and Georgiana (née Farrow).   The marriage took place in Littlehampton parish church.

William Thomas and Gertrude Mary Furniss
By A E Long, Epsom (undated)

The couple were living in 26 Miles Rd, Epsom in 1911 along with Gertrude’s mother Georgiana Gilbert a widowed dressmaker. William died in 1918 in London and is buried in plot A522 Epsom Cemetery. Gertrude died in St Helier Hospital, Carshalton in 1950.

With many thanks to James Robbens
for providing the details and image.