In the 1841 census, Benjamin Laflin, aged 15-19 (actually 16), was living with his parents in Red House, Ringshall.

He was living and working in the nearby village of Barking in 1847 when he married Charlotte Ellen Mullet. The records for Barking, Needham Market and Darmesdon are combined and contain the entry:

1847 December 25th. Benjamin Lafflin, labourer of Barking, son of Jonathan Lafflin, labourer married Charlotte Eleanor Mullet of Barking, daughter of John Mullet, labourer. Witnesses James and Hannah Lafflin. All made their marks instead of signing.
The certificate showed that a marriage was solemnized at Church in the parish of Barking in the County of Suffolk, 25th Dec 1847. Between: Benjamin Lafflin, of full age (22), single, labourer, living in Barking, son of Jonathan Lafflin labourer, and Charlotte Eleanor Mullet, junior (18), single, living in Barking, daughter of John Mullet, labourer. Benjamin Lafflin X his mark and Charlotte Eleanor Mullet X her mark in the presence of James Lafflin X his mark and Hannah Lafflin X her mark.

Charlotte Eleanor, daughter of John Mullet and Susan or Susannah had been baptised at Barking on 16th October 1831, and neither her age nor her date of birth were specified. She must have been born between September 1828 (when her brother James was baptised) and October 1831 and the age given in the 1861 census suggests she was born in 1829. This would make her 16 when her daughter Julia Ann was born and 18 when she married Benjamin.

Julia Ann Mullet had been born on 12th September 1845 in Barking. Her mother was Eleanor Charlotte Mullet and no details of her father were recorded. The birth was registered on 30th September by her mother (illiterate).
On 13th July 1848, Henry Laflin was born in Barking. His parents were Benjamin Laflin, agricultural labourer, and Eleanor (formerly Mullet) and the birth was registered on 14th August by his mother (illiterate).
Both Julia and their first two sons were baptised in Barking, suggesting that they lived there until 1850.

In 1851, Benjamin and Ellen Laflin were living in Ringshall and Benjamin was working as a farm labourer. With them were three children, all born in Barking. They were Julia (aged 5), Henry (aged 2) and James (aged 1).

In 1861, Benjamin and Ellen Saffin (should be Laflin) were living in Ringshall with six of their children and Benjamin was working as a farm labourer. Julia, now aged 16, was not with the rest of the family. Those living at home were Henry (aged 12) and James (aged 10), both working as drovers, Armen (aged 8 and working as a "stock boy"), Agnes (aged 5), Walter (aged 2) and Jonah (aged 5 months).

In 1871, Benjamin and Ellen Laflin were living in Ringshall and Benjamin (now 43) was still working as an agricultural labourer. Walter (aged 13) was still living at home and working as an agriicultural labourer. Ester (aged 6) was at school while Milly (aged 2) and the baby Arthur (4 months) were just living at home.

In 1881 Benjamin and Ellen Laflin were living in Barking Road, Ringshall and Benjamin was working as a "horseman". With them were Walter (aged 22 and working as a drover), Millie (aged 12) and Arthur (aged 10), who were at school. Esther (aged 17) was not living at home, but was working as a servant in Ipswich.

By 1891, Benjamin and Ellen Laflin were still living in Barking Road, Ringshall but none of the children was living with them. Benjamin was once again working as an "agricultural labourer". Charlotte Ellen died in August 1893 and was buried in Ringshall.

In 1901, Benjamin Laflin was living alone in Barking Road, Ringshall and working as a "horseman on a farm". He died in May 1907 and was buried in Ringshall. Their gravestone is in Ringshall churchyard, with the inscription:
CHARLOTTE-ELLEN,W OF BENJAMIN LAFLIN DIED 14 AUG 1895 AGE 66
BENJAMIN LAFLIN,DIED 14 MAY 1907 AGE 83

THEIR CHILDREN

1. JULIA ANN born on 12th September 1845 in Barking. Her mother was Eleanor Charlotte Mullet and no details of her father were recorded. She was baptised in Barking on 12th November 1848 as the daughter of Benjamin and Charlotte Helen Laflin. In the last quarter of 1871, Julia Ann Laflin married Alfred Richardson and they lived in Great Bardfield in Essex.

2. HENRY LAFLIN was born on 13th July 1848 at Barking and was the son of Benjamin Laflin, an agricultural labourer and Eleanor (formerly Mullet). He was baptised at Barking on 12th November 1848. In 1851, Henry (aged 2) was living in Ringshall with his parents and in 1861 Henry (aged 12) was still living in Ringshall with his parents and working as a drover. On 19th April 1864, "Henry Laflin of Ringshall, aged 15", was buried there.

3. JAMES LAFLIN was born in the third quarter of 1850 and baptised in Barking on 8th September 1850. In the third quarter of 1877, he married Deborah Emsden in Ringshall, but they later moved to Buckinghamshire.

4. HARMEN LAFLIN was baptised in Ringshall on 3rd July 1853. "Armond Laflin" had been born in the first quarter of 1853. He moved to Bury St Edmunds where "Armen Laflin" married Helena White in the second quarter of 1876. They ran a public house (the Crown and Anchor) in Prospect Row, Bury and lived there with their five children.

5. AGNES LAFLIN was born in the second quarter of 1855 and baptised in Ringshall on 23rd December 1855. Agnes, aged 5, was living with her parents in Ringshall in the 1861 census but was not there in 1871, when she was 16 or in 1881 when she was 26.
On 17th November 1881, Thomas William Hornsbegg, aged 22, from Great Walthamstowe married Agnes Laflin, age 26, of Ringshall, daughter of Benjamin Laflin, in Ringshall parish church. The marriage was witnessed by Esther Laflin and Thomas "made his mark" instead of signing.
In 1891, Agnes and Thomas W. Hornsby were living at Farmers Green, Great Waltham, Essex and Thomas was working as an agricultural labourer. With them were three children, Ellen C Hornsby (aged 8) and Milly A. Hornsby (aged 5), both at school and Benjamin K Hornsby (aged 7). All the children had been born in Great Waltham.
Agnes was said by her nieces in Bentley to have "lived up north" while Molly Johansen said they had four children - Arthur and the three in the census.

6. WALTER LAFLIN was born in the last quarter of 1858 and baptised in Ringshall on 31st July 1859. Later he moved to Bury St Edmunds, where he married Amelia Heard and they had three children.

7. JONAH LAFLIN was baptised in Ringshall on 12th October 1862, aged 2 years. He had been present as a "son, aged 5 months", with his parents in Ringshall in the 1861 census. Jonah Laflin died, aged 3, in the first quarter of 1864 and was buried on 29th March in Ringshall.

8. ESTHER LAFLIN was born in the second quarter of 1864 and baptised in Ringshall on 25th December 1864. In 1871, Ester (aged 6) was living in Ringshall with her parents and attending school. By 1881, she had left home and was living at 97 London Road, Ipswich in the household of William Groom (a hop merchant) and working as a general domestic servant. In the last quarter of 1883, Esther Laflin and Harry Last Pyke were married in the Bury St Edmunds registration district.
In 1891, Harry Last was living at The College, The Grove, Chevington, Suffolk and working as a farm Labourer. With him were his two sons, George (aged 7) and Arthur (aged 5), both at school. Also in the same household was his brother-in-law Arthur Laflin. Esther and her daughter Ellen J. Last (aged 2) were staying with her brother James Laflin and his wife and family.
We were told that "Granny (Arthur's wife) couldn't stand her", but not told why.
According to Molly Johansen, they had five children George (born 1874), Arthur (born 1876), Ellen (born 1889), Ernest and Edmund.
According to Lynn Claridge-King, in 1883 Esther Laflin married Harry Last Pyke (born Ringshall 1865 son of George Last & Jane Pyke who didn't marry until 1866) usually known as Harry Last. They had eight children Bert, George, Arthur, Ellen, Ernest, Edmund, Harold and Cyril. Lynn's grandfather was Harry's brother.

9. MILLIE LAFLIN was born in the third quarter of 1868 and baptised in Ringshall on 6th March 1870. In 1871, aged 2, she was living in Ringshall with her parents. In 1881, Millie Laflin (aged 12) was living in Barking Road, Ringshall with her parents and attending school.
In 1891 she may have been living in Birmingham. One Millie Laflin (aged 24 and born in Ipswich) was living at 81 Francis Road, Edgbaston in the household of John S. Whale and working as a general domestic servant.
Millie Laflin was married in the first quarter of 1892 in the Aston registration district. Her husband was either Thomas Taylor or William Henry Wincott.

10. ARTHUR LAFLIN was born on the 18th November 1870 and baptised in Ringshall on 15th October 1871. He married Charlotte Mary Welham on 9th October 1893, and they had ten children. They lived in Woodbridge, Abberton, Layer-de-la-Hay, Mistley and finally settled in Bentley.

Sources for this section.

Parish registers for Ringshall and Barking - available in Ipswich Record Office.
Civil Regsitration Indexes available online from FreeBMD
Civil Registration Indexes and Census Data available online from Findmypast
Various certificates purchased online.
Private communications from Molly Johansen, Lynn Claridge-King and various comments from my grandfather Arthur Laflin and other members of his family.

Page maintained by Susan Laflin. Last updated in December 2007.