Emma Grace Turner
Emma
Grace Turner (left) seated in an invalid carriage with her sister, Elizabeth
Kate standing behind.
She was known in the family as Amy, probably after her grandmother, Amy Toomer, but in written sources she is often named as Emma.
Her birth, as Emma Grace, was registered in the June quarter 1865 in the East Hampstead district, which includes Bracknell.
In the 1871 census Emma was at home with her parents, aged 5, born in Berkshire.
In spite of extensive searching, ‘Emma’ has not been found in the 1881 and 1891 censuses.
In the 1881 census, however, in Bassingham, Lincolnshire, Amy G. Turner aged 15 and born in Bracknell, was a visitor to Robert Sherlock aged 38, a gardener born at Cranleigh, Surrey, and his wife, Sarah aged 47, born at Ottery St Mary, Devon.
In The 1891 census, at 44 Queensborough Terrace, Paddington, Amy Turner was aged 25, single and born in Bracknell, as a housemaid domestic servant in the household of widow Katherine B Wheeler, aged 61, living on her own means and born in Hull, Yorks.
In the 1901 census indexes, Emma Turner was a servant, living in St Jude, Kensington, single, aged 35, a housemaid (domestic), born in Bracknell, in the household of William (67) and Louisa (67) Cumberland. There was another servant in the household, Elizabeth Turner, aged 40 and born in Bracknell (clearly Emma's sister).
In 1911, Emma was still with the Cumberlands at 21 Bramham Gardens, Earls Court. She was a housemaid, aged 45 and born in Bracknell. Her sister Elizabeth was also there as a parlour maid aged 50 and born in Bracknell.
The two spinster sisters lived together at Littlehampton in retirement, probably because Emma needed someone to look after her as she had suffered a stroke.
Emma Grace Turner died on 2 April 1923 at 38 East Ham Road, Littlehampton. She was aged 57 and a housemaid (domestic) spinster. She died of 1. morbus cordis (heart disease) and 2. cerebral embolus (blood clot in the brain or stroke). Her sister E.K. Turner of the same address registered the death.
Emma was buried in Littlehampton Cemetery 6 April 1923. The monument consisted of a stone cross (now detached) on top of a stepped square plinth and is inscribed, in lead lettering, ‘In Loving Memory of Emma (Amy) Grace Turner, entered into rest April 2. 1923 aged 57 years’.
Administration (with will) of Emma’s estate was granted to Elizabeth Kate Turner, spinster, at London 12 May 1923.
On the left is Emma’s grave in 1923 and on the right is the grave in 2011.
Revised April 2012