Susan Crack was born 3 June 1803, a daughter of Thomas Crack and his wife Susan (formerly Marshall). She was baptised 5 June 1803 at Whepstead.
Her child was:
Sarah Spark, baptised 19 July 1835 at Ixworth, the base born child of Susan Crack, singlewoman.
In 1841 at Saxham Farm, Whepstead, in the home of her parents Susan was aged 34, a female servant, and with her daughter, Sarah, aged 6.
Thomas and Susan Crack had moved to Busses Farm, Wickhambrook by 1851.
Susan (X) married John Meadows at Ixworth on 20 October 1845, after banns. Susan was of full age and a spinster and servant of Ixworth, a daughter of Thomas Crack, a farmer. John Meadows was of full age and a bachelor and butcher of Bardwell, a son of John Meadows, a cooper. The witnesses were Thomas Muskett Green [brother-in-law to John Meadows] and Eliza Manister (X).
John Meadows may have been working for Robert Buckenham who was a butcher at Bardwell and at Ixworth (White's Directory of Suffolk 1855, there was no mention of John Meadows at Bardwell or Ixworth). This may explain how John met Susan, for John may have been working in the Ixworth shop. However, Bardwell is only 3 miles north of Ixworth. John probably learnt his butchering skills from his mother’s family as at least one of them was a butcher at Walsham-le-Willows, or possibly from a more distant Meadows family member, Robert Meadows of Thetford, who was also a butcher at Walsham.
Thomas Muskett Green confirms the link between John Meadows, husband of Susan Crack, and John Meadows, cooper, and Elizabeth at Wickham Skeith and thus verifies that the census information for Thomas and Susan Meadows in 1851 and 1871 is correct in spite of the poor fit of their ages, John’s occupation and Susan’s place of birth. Thomas married first Elizabeth Hastings at St Margaret with St Nicholas, Kings Lynn 1 April 1832. As Thomas Green, a widower and grocer, he married secondly Caroline Meadows, daughter of John Meadows, cooper, at Wickham Skeith 17 April 1840. In 1871 at Church Street, Eye, Thomas Muskett Green was aged 62 a grocer journeyman born at Burgate. His wife, Caroline was aged 52 and born at Wickham Skeith and their daughter was Ann Elizabeth aged 29, single and a dressmaker born at Burgate. Thomas was buried at Eye 11 December 1883 aged 75. Caroline was born 30 June 1818 and baptised 10 November 1822 at Wickham Skeith, a daughter (twin with Ann) of John Meadows (cooper) and Elizabeth Younger of Wickham Skeith. John Meadows, cooper, was at Wickham Skeith in the censuses of 1841, 51, 61 and 71.
In 1851, at Union Street, St Mary Stoke, Ipswich, John Meadows was aged 36 (should be c. 40 from age at death), a railway porter born at Wickham Skeith and his wife Susan was aged 38 (should be c. 47 from baptism date) and born at Wickhambrook. There were no children with them. There was also a married lodger, Henry (?) Simpkin aged 28 a railway porter also born at Wickhambrook. It is to be noted that Thomas and Susan Crack, Susan’s parents, moved from Saxham Farm, Whepstead to Busses Farm, Wickhambrook between 1841 and 1851.
John and Susan Meadows have not been found in 1861.
In 1871, at Audley End, Burston, Depwade, Norfolk, John Meadows was aged 61 (according to the transcript, but the image has a thick stroke through the second figure) a railway gateman born at Wickham Skeith and Susan Meadows, his wife, was aged 62 (should have been c. 67 according to baptism date) and born at Wickhambrook.
In the Bury Free Press and The Ipswich Journal, both editions dated 30 October 1875, it is recorded that John Meadows, only son of John Meadows of Wickham Skeith, died at Burston, Norfolk, 24 October 1875 aged 65. He was buried, aged 65, at Depden St Mary, 29 October 1875. The register states that he was of Burston, Norfolk, and this confirms that the burial is that of Susan’s husband.
In 1881 at Grocers Shop, Depden, Susan Meadows was a widow, aged 76, an annuitant born at Whepstead, living with her daughter, Sarah Challis, and her family. The census states that she was the mother of George Challis but this is clearly an error.
Susan was an annuitant in 1881 but a search in the probate indexes (wills and administrations) from 1881 back to 1875 gave no suitable entry for John Meadows. However her annuity may have been from the estate of her father-in-law, John Meadows, cooper of Wickham Skeith. His will benefitted his surviving children and the issue of children who had predeceased him, though his will does not specifically mention Susan.
Susan was buried at Depden, 4 August 1888 aged 85 years. These burials of John and Susan Meadows are the only Meadows burials at Depden between 1821 and 1901.
Susan’s will was dated 18 March 1878, and she is described as a widow of Depden. She left everything to Sarah, her daughter, and if she predeceased her then to George, and Sarah and George’s children. Her will was proved on 23 August 1888, at Bury St Edmunds by Sarah Challis, wife of George Challis, grocer, of Depden, her daughter, the sole executrix. Susan died on 29 July 1888 at Depden, a widow, and she left £97 8s. 2d.
It seems that John Meadows and Susan Crack had no children. None are mentioned in her will and she was aged about 42 when she married. There are none in the censuses of 1851 and 1871.
Posted 31 March 2016