Phoebe Sharpe (born Laflin) 1824-1865.

Phoebe was the daughter of Benjamin Laflin and his wife Phoebe Gosling. She was born in Bildeston on 31st May 1824.

By 1841, Phoebe (aged 17) had moved away from Bildeston, possibly to London in search of work. She has not yet been found in the 1841 census.

A marriage was held on 27th January 1851 at St Marys Church, Paddington by licence. The bride was Phoebe Laflin, a spinster of full age, living in the St Marys district of Paddington and the daughter of Benjamin Laflin a yeoman. The groom was Joseph Sharpe, a bachelor of full age and a gentleman living in the same district and the son of Joseph Sharpe, gentleman. The witnesses were Arthur Pearson and Robert Ford and all four signed.

They have not been found in the 1851 census, but were living in Paddington in March 1851.

Edgar Sharpe was born on 18th March 1851 at 69 Westbourne Park Villas, Paddington. His parents were Joseph Sharpe, a government officer and Phoebe (formerly Laflin) and the birth was registered on 28th April 1851 by his father.

The births of their other children have yet to be found, but there was a Horace Henry Sharpe born in Pancras in the second quarter of 1859.

In 1861 Joseph and Phoebe Sharp were living at 1 East Dulwich Road, Camberwell and Joseph (now aged 43) was a clerk (Fire Insurance) and had been born in Calcutta. With them were two sons, Horace Sharp aged 13, and Edgar Sharp aged 10 and a servant Suttor Sharp aged 12 - all of whom had been born in London and were now were at school. There were also two daughters, Clara Sharp aged 7 and Alice Sharp aged 1, both born in Peckham Rye. Finally there were two servants, both from Bildeston, Jane Hill Ward (aged 24) and Phoebe Laflin (aged 17, who was Phoebe's niece).

Phoebe Goslin Sharpe died on 27th October 1865 at 103 Camberwell New Road, Kennington. She was aged 41 and the wife of Joseph Sharpe a gentleman and the cause of death was consumption. The death was reported on 27th October by John O. Trueman from the same address.

Sources for this section.

Baptist Meeting House, Wattisham (Transcript in Ipswich Record Office).
Civil Registration Indexes available online from FreeBMD
Civil Registration Indexes and Census Data available online from Findmypast

Page maintained by Susan Laflin. Last updated in January 2008.