Albert Tom Rowsell was born on June 25, 1881 at 107 Flood Street, South Chelsea, Middlesex, England.
He was the son of
Robert Rowsell and
Martha Bartholomew, who created a large, London family of two boys and seven girls. For much of his life, he seems to have adopted the use of his middle-name, "Tom".
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| 1901 Census, Enfield |
In his late teens, Albert Tom went to live with the Tucker family in the Devonshire Dairy at 126 Baker Street, in the St. Andrew's part of Enfield. The 1901 Census finds him there at 19, listed as a "servant" and "milk carrier". Sometime between 1901 and 1908 he met and married
Agnes Elizabeth Muncey.
By the time of son Leslie's birth in 1908, he has graduated to "Master Dairyman". At that time, they were living at 48 Birkbeck Rd., Enfield, England.
His occupation is listed as a "Greengrocer" in Wilfred Albert's birth certificate in 1909. At that time, they were living (next door?) at 50 Birkbeck Rd., Enfield, England.
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| 1911 Census, London |
The 1911 Census finds Albert (30) and Agnes (26) living in a 3-room house at 4 Squires Lane in Edmonton, Middlesex. He is listed as a worker in the Dairy Trade. They have 3 children, Leslie (3), Wilfred ("1 and 8 months"), and Stanley (3 mos). Agnes, who signed the census sheet, reports that these are all of the children that she has had so far. If any of the persons then present were suffering an infirmity such as "Lunatic", "Imbecile" or "Feeble-minded", that information has mercifully been concealed.
Altogether, Albert Tom and Agnes had 6 children:
Leslie Rowsell (born: 1908, in Enfield).
Wilfred Albert Rowsell (1909 - 1977)).
Stanley Rowsell (born: 1911, in Hornsby, Middlesex).
Claude Rowsell
Lionel Rowsell
Douglas Rowsell
They had innumerable grandchildren, including the one pictured here in Albert Tom's arms, next to his daughter-in-law, Bessie (wife of Douglas).
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| Labour Corps Discharge 1917 |
In the First War, Albert Tom became a part of the Labour Corps (formerly the Royal Pioneer Corps), enlisting in October, 1916. At the time, he was living in Lower Edmonton, at the age of 35. The Labour Corps were used primarily for road building, clearing up areas and general duties. A granddaughter observes that this service may have prepared Albert well for his future years as a "hedger and ditcher". Besides, at 4'6", he would likely not have been too much of a threat to the enemy anyway. He was discharged about a year later.
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| Hertfordshire Cottage Where Albert lived in the 1940s. |
Albert Tom's grandson writes: "From a six-year-old grandson's perspective, Grandad was a grizzly old man, not that much bigger than me, but sporting a bushy grey mustache that tickled. I was evacuated with him in Hertfordshire during the first part of the Second World War when London was under siege. Unlike the reputation that preceded him as the strict disciplinarian raising six sons in extremely difficult circumstances, he was kind and gentle with me and we enjoyed many "country" experiences together. His house was a sixteenth-century stone farm labourer's cottage with no electricity or running water. I believed he lived there as part compensation for keeping local hedgerows clear from obstructions. Transportation was by pony and trap, frightening to me as the pony struggled to keep his feet on the winding road down to Hertford and then struggle back loaded down. Tom did show his intolerent side when uncontrollable laughter followed frequent equine flatulence during each journey. I was clearly not a country boy. I never knew my grandmother, she had died prematurely at age forty-six but my mother spoke kindly of her."
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| Death Certificate |
His death certificate in 1958 lists him as a "Roadman, retired", living at Penny Royal Cottage, Bayford, England. Albert died on February 9, 1958 at the age of 67. The cause of death was listed as "cerebral thrombosis". He was identified by his son, Wilfred Albert.
