Elizabeth Foster

Elizabeth Foster

born 1773

c St. James Piccadilly July 18 , 1773

m Robert Mollett 1783 or 4 - 1866

February 12 1804, St Mary, Lambeth

Children

Robert 1804-1876

John 1804-1869

William 1806-1868

Documentation

Christening record - assuming this is the 'right' Elizabeth

Marriage record

Burial record - a guess perhaps from the date and the location

Elizabeth

origins

Hebrew meaning ‘God is satisfaction’ or ‘God is satisfied’. Obviously our top queen name and John the Baptist;s mother too.

variations

Elisabeth, Elspeth, Isabelle

abbreviations

Liz, Lizzie, Bess, Bessie, Betty, Eliza

The portrait is by Eva Gonzalez, a French Impressionist of Spanish descent. It's actually a self-portrait. So from a slightly later period, but also somewhat timeless - it could even be a portrait of someone from today. She has a rather sad but at the same time placid, even determined look about her.

There is quite a large body of evidence to suggest that I have the right Elizabeth - most of it gleaned from the marriage record. But there is still a niggling doubt because of the age difference between herself and her husband Robert Mollett. She is some ten years older than he, which is unusual is it not? But then maybe she was a remarkable woman - her husband certainly was and her children all grew up to be remarkable as well in their somewhat different ways. Not to mention the multitude of grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Alas she never saw any of them grow beyond the age of five.

But hers was a short life - she died at the age of thirty six, maybe even thirty three.

I do not know much about her - she is a woman after all and born before there were censuses. I will try to construct a life for her from the little I know.