Sarah and Jane Gillings

-or Gillins or Jellings. Several versions appear.

At the time of the 1841 Census, Sarah and Jane (born 1836 and 1833) were living with their mother, Martha, and their two elder brother, John and Aaron. Martha had been widowed at the time of Sarah’s birth, and John, her husband, a labourer, was buried only four days before Sarah was baptised (named Sarah Clark, Martha’s maiden name). Martha worked as a charwoman, and was on Parish Relief in 1851. By then, she was living alone. Sarah was a servant at Nibley House, Jane has disappeared from view, John is in Wotton under Edge, and Aaron is elsewhere in the parish, working as a farm labourer.

Martha died in 1852, aged 51.

In 1871, the sisters are working as servants, in Liverpool, barely half a mile from each other.

Jane sailed from Liverpool to New York, on the SS Colorado, arriving in March 1871, but then returned to Liverpool, as she was buried at Arnfield Cemetary in November 1874, aged 40.

Sarah married Thomas Elltoft, a joiner in February 1862. They sailed to from Liverpool to New York, arriving 20th June 1886, moving on to Los Angeles with their sons Thomas, Samuel and William and daughter Sarah Jane. The 1887 and 1890 Directories for Los Angeles listed ‘Thomas Elltoft, carpenter’. In the 1894 he is recorded as ‘Elltoft Thomas, stair builder, Alta Planing Mill, r. east side Evergreen Avenue, nr Brooklyn Avenue.’

Then Samuel died, and the family moved back to Liverpool., where they can be found in the 1901 Census. Sarah died in January, 1915, aged 79, and was buried in Arnfield Cemetery. Thomas died three months later.