Caroline (1) Woodhurst

Brief biography

Caroline (1) Woodhurst was born the illegitimate daughter of Elizabeth (3) Woodhurst. She was christened at Fairlight on May 23rd 1824 [Fairlight Parish Register].

She married at Pett on September 4th 1844 to Reuben Foster, a step-brother of her step-father James Foster. The marriage certificate [Marriage Index: Hastings 7 499, 1844 (Sept)] names her father as "James Woodhurst". She probably intended to name her step-father, whose name is correctly cited as (the mark of) James Foster in the witness field.

Reuben was born in Mountfield, Sussex around 1822-23.

Descendants report that he and Caroline (1) produced the children listed below, all born at Pett.

The 1851 Census finds them with the first four children living in Pett Street, Pett where Reuben was occupied as an agricultural labourer.

Caroline (1) died in 1854 [Death Index: Hastings 2b (page unclear), 1854 (Dec)].

Descendants report that Reuben subsequently married a further three times and fathered at least one further child.

Her children by Reuben Foster

1. Elizabeth Ann Foster - [Birth Index: Hastings 7 (page unclear), 1844 (Dec)]
2. Alfred William Rufus Foster - [Birth Index: Hastings 7 593, 1846 (Sept)] - christened August 30th 1846
3. Jonathan Foster - [Birth Index: Hastings 7 391, 1847 (Dec)] - born December 9th 1847
4. James Edgar Foster - born about December 1849
5. Maria Caroline Foster - born about September 1851
6. Faith Foster - [Birth Index: Hastings 2b 13, 1852 (Dec)]
7. Naomi Foster - born about 1854