Person Page 621

Malcolm E. Regester was born on 6 June 1936 in Westerly, Washington County, Rhode Island. He died on 6 June 1936 at age 0. He was buried in First Hopkinton Cemetery, Old Cemetery Road.

Edward Van Vechten was born in 1846 in New York.

He was a locomotive engineer, and the family was living in Williamsburg, Hampshire Co., MA in 1880.

Francis L. Van Vechten was born about 1879 in Vermont.

Alfred Empson was born in 1839 in Birmingham, Warwickshire, England. He and Sarah Rigby were married on 16 October 1859 at Saint Peter and Saint Paul in Aston Juxta Birmingham, Warwick, England. He died before 1871.

In the 1861 Census, Alfred was 22, a brassfounder, living with his wife Sarah, also 22, and infant son Thomas Alfred, 1, at Ct. 8, 2 Coleshill Street, St. Peter's, Birmingham, with the Joseph Rigby family. He disappears from later censuses. His wife, Sarah, 31, same birth place, appears as a lodger at 2 Lester Street, Chelsea, London, in the 1871 Census, no occupation, no other Empsons at the address. She doesn't appear as Sarah Empson in later censuses.

Fielding Empson was born about 1730 in England. He and Elizabeth Call were married on 30 July 1756 in Saint Paul Convent Garden, Westminster, London, England. He died before 13 March 1792 in Saint Marylebone, Middlesex, London. He left a will, but can't read it (old script).

He might have been the child of John and Sarah Empson, born May 17, 1729, and christened June 4, 1729 at Saint Martin in the Fields, Westminster, London, or the child of Henry and Katherine, born January 31, 1734, and christened February 13, 1734, at Saint Luke Old Street, Finsbury, London.

A John Empson m. Ann Lutton 24 Aug 1732, Highgate, London.

A John Empson was born 14 Jan and bapt. 16 Jan 1706, St. James, Westminster, Middlesex, fa. John, mo. Sarah.

A John Empson was buried 24 Aug 1681 at St Botolph Aldgate, London. A forebear?

There was also a Fielding Ampson who married Ann Booth 3 Oct 1750 at Westminster, London, England.

A John Empson was born 1699, m. Sarah Constable 22 Feb 1728 in London, had Charles b. 1730, Charlotte b. 1738, William b. 1735, d. 1808, School Master, Salina Jane b. 1736?

William, b. 1735, m. Mary Masters 30 Sep 1764 and had: Mary b. 1765, Carlotte Elizabeth b. 1767, d. 1777, Jane b. 1769, William Charles b. 1772, d. 1850, lawyer, John Masters b. 1772, d. 1802, ships surgeon, Ann Empson b. 1776, d. 1811, m. Harrell, Charlotte Elizabeth b. 1778.

William Charles m. Mary Ann Featherstone 17 Jan 1804 and had: Mary Anne b. 1805, Ellen b. 1809, William Featherstone b. 1814, Henry b. 1816, d. 1874, Frederick b. 1817, d. 1878, Charles Ernest b. 1809, d. 1875.

The William Empson born 28 Dec 1749, chr. 1 Feb 1750 at St Marylebone, Middlesex, London, was probably not their child.

Did he have a brother, Thomas Empson, who married Elizabeth LNU and had a son, George, bap. 18 Dec 1757, at St. Mary's Whitechapel, Middlesex?

Fielding Empson and Elizabeth Call were married on 30 July 1756 in Saint Paul Convent Garden, Westminster, London, England.

Thomas Pennington and Mary Ann Carless were married on 12 September 1825 in Saint Martin, Birmingham, Warwick, England.

Most of the Penningtons seemed to come from Lancashire. There were lots of Thomases.

Mary Ann Carless was born before 27 December 1802 at St Philip in Birmingham, Warwickshire, England. Thomas Pennington and she were married on 12 September 1825 in Saint Martin, Birmingham, Warwick, England.

She was christened December 27, 1802, The Carless family had been in the Birmingham area for more than a century.

David Carless and Margaret Nevitt were married on 8 June 1797 at Saint Phillips in Birmingham, Warwickshire, England.

David Carless and Margaret Nevitt were married on 8 June 1797 at Saint Phillips in Birmingham, Warwickshire, England.

Lawrence Willmore Pennington was born on 26 February 1852 in Birmingham, Warwickshire, England.¹ He and Selina Cashmore were married on 6 September 1871 in Birmingham, Warwickshire, England.² He and Lucy Philinda Chaffee were married on 20 June 1905 in Worcester, Worcester County, Massachusetts.³ He died on 11 December 1944 at age 92 in Los Angeles, California.

He was living with his mother in the 1861 Census, but no later U.K. censuses list him. Is he the Lonn Penn, an artist, whom my grandmother, Edith Regester, referred to as her mother's brother? Yes!

He came to the United States first with his father and mother in 1854. His father died on the voyage over, and his brother Arthur was born on the same voyage. His mother and her two sons stayed in Boston for two years and then returned to Birmingham, England.

He was schooled in Birmingham. In 1873 he received a Master of Arts from Midland Institute, specializing in draughting and design, where in he showed a special talent. He learned the trade of manufacturing jeweler. In 1870 and 1871 he was designer and pattern maker for Joseph Joseph & Son, St. Paul's Square, Birmingham, which had the reputation of making the highest grade and most costly precious stone and diamond jewelry of any maker in England. In 1871 he patented his first invention, a reversible "E" ring top, and sold 43 designs at considerable profit. In 1872 he patented a scarf stud and sold 61 designs. In 1873 he patented 18 designs new in the jewelry trade, a window curtain pulley, a new suspender buckle, a separable cuff button.

In 1873 he came to Providence, RI, and worked as foreman for a number of large manufacturing establishments, including Thomas Quaid, Medina & Hutchins. In 1874 he returned to England for 3 years and patented several more inventions that earned him considerable money. There is a record of his wife and daughter making that trip on the Siberia in 1873, but no record of him and no record of their return to England.

He was a jeweler with Whately & Pennington in Birmingham, according to the 1876 City Directory.

He returned to the United States in 1878, working for a short time in Newark, NJ before returning to Providence, RI. Here he taught the workmen of Day Wilcox the tradeof diamond ring manufacturing. He opened his own shop on Peck Street, Providence, in 1878 and began to manufacture jewelry. Much of his work was applying his process of coloring and lapping to to the work of other Providence jewelry manufacturers. Twice he enlarged his shop, moving first to Dyer Street and then to 227 Eddy Street. In 1879 he sold his process for inlaying and producing colors to George Mason. From 1878 to the time of his removal to Worcester, he produced a series of valuable inventions used by manufacturers of jewelry.

In 1887 he transferred his business to Worcester. His first location was at 81 Mechanic Street, where he made all kinds of jewelers' goods to order. soon moving to a larger store on Main Street. He lived at 21 Hudson St. He continued to invent and patent his inventions. He moved to a retail store at 6 Elm and then in 1904 to 377 Main Street.

In the 1900 Census, he is living in Worcester with daughter Selena and an aunt, Mary A. Priestland.

He had a talent for graphic arts, winning a prize for a pencil drawing of his teacher in 1869 and a prize for a bronze design in 1870. He became interested in burnt wood pictures, pyrography, and became famous for his large, elaborate works, winning prizes at exhibitions in New York, Chicago, and Boston. See the Worcester book referenced below for a list of his more famous works.

Lawrence W. Pennington, born February 1852 in England of English parents, a jeweler, was living Worchester at the time of the 1900 Census. He had come to the United States in 1873 (age 22). He was living with his daughter, Selena L., born January 1876 (24 years of age) in England. She had come to the US in 1878. Also living with them was an aunt, Mary A. Priestland, 73, born September 1826 in England, who had come over in 1890. (A Rose A. Priestland was living with her husband, Henry, and their 4 children in the town of Warwick, Warwickshire, in 1861, 1871, and 1881 Censuses). They were living at 164 Pleasant Street, Worcester, with a Harwood family. In the 1888-90 Worcester City directory, he was listed as a jeweler and diamond setter at 81 Mechanic St., living at 102 Elm and 21 Hudson. They also lived at 13 June Street from about 1890 to the early 1900's.

In the 1910 Census, Lawrence W. Pennington, 57, born in England of English parents, who had come to the US in 1854 (age 2), was a transfer illegible word in jewelry as a profession. He was married to Lucy P. Pennington, 40, born in Vermont of Vermont parentage. They were living at 288 Belmont Street, Springfield, Hampden Co., MA. In the 1910 Springfield City Directory, he was a jewelry manufacturer with plant located at 332 Main and home at 300 Belmont Ave.

In the 1920 Census, Lawrence W. Pennington, 67, born in England of English parents, a jeweler, living at 72 North Street, Natick, MA, with his wife, Ada L., 55, born in Massachusetts of Massachusetts parents. No record of his death has been found.

See Worcester County Massachusetts Memoires, Vol. I - Historic Homes and Institutions and Genealogical and Personal Memoires of Woorcester County, Massachusetts, pp. 193-195, for an extensive article on Lawrence. Lawrence Willmore Pennington was baptized on 26 February 1855 at Saint Martin's in Birmingham, Warwickshire, England.

Sarah Rigby was born before 7 July 1839 at St. Mary's in Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire, England. Alfred Empson and she were married on 16 October 1859 at Saint Peter and Saint Paul in Aston Juxta Birmingham, Warwick, England.

Thomas Alfred Empson was born in 1860.

Thomas Bird was born in 1838 in Sheffield, Yorkshire, England. He and Elizabeth Regester were married about 1858 in Sheffield, Yorkshire, England.

They were living with Elizabeth's mother and sisters and brothers at 60 Harriet Lane, Brightside Bierlow, Yorkshire, in the 1861 Census. Thomas was a file grinder.

Sophia Bird was born in 1859 in Sheffield, Yorkshire, England.

Selina Cashmore was born in 1850 in Birmingham, Warwickshire, England. Lawrence Willmore Pennington and she were married on 6 September 1871 in Birmingham, Warwickshire, England.¹ She died in January 1898 at age ~48 in Worcester, Worcester County, Massachusetts.

Selina, 20, arrived in New York City on 13 November 1873 on the ship Siberia. A child, Florence Pennington, age 1, was also on the Siberia. Selina Cashmore had person sources.²

Edward Cashmore was born about 1826 in Birmingham, Warwickshire, England.

In the 1861 Census, he was a steel pen tool maker and the famly was living at 36 Edsal Street, Lady Wood, Birmingham.

In the 1861 Census, the family was living at 16 Scott Building, Lower King Edwards, Lady Wood, Birmingham. Selina and Emily were living at home and were fancy steel toy makers. Edward Henry was a jeweller's die maker.

In the 1891 Census, Edward and Elizabeth were living at 5 Darnley Road with a housekeeper, Agnes Jane Leaver, as they were ten years later in the 1901 Census. He was apparently still living in 1910.

Elizabeth Cashmore was born about 1826 in Birmingham, Warwickshire, England.

Elizabeth Cashmore was born in 1849.

He was a professor of metallurgy at the Midland Institute at Birmingham, England, and author of a number of text books on metallurgy.

There was a Joseph Hioms family in Birmingham in the 1871 Census, with a child, Arthur, 1.

Selina Lavinia Pennington was born on 16 January 1876 in Birmingham, Warwick, England. Dr. Nicholas William Hoffman and she were married on 29 January 1904 in Worcester, Worcester County, Massachusetts. She died in January 1967 at age ~91 in Newton, Middlesex County, Massachusetts.

She went by the name of Lavinia. She was also a talented artist, like her father.

She arrived on the Mauritania 2 Sep 1908 from England, presumably returning from a trip there.

Lawrence Pennington was born on 24 February 1873 in Birmingham, Warwickshire, England. He and Lillian O, Wheeler, were married in 1894 in Grafton.¹ He and Marie Skipp were married after 1900. He died on 11 December 1944 at age 71 in Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, California.

Lawrence was a jeweller and made a number of trips to America. In the 1900 Census, he was a lodger living the the Boyntons in Worcester. On some of the trips in the 1900's, he was accompanied by his wife, Marie, and gave a home address in England in care of his wife's mother, Mrs. Skipp, 51 Hopers Place, Northampton, England. In his 1919 trip, he was headed to Natick, MA.

In the 1930 Census, he was living with wife, Marie, at 811 Pine (?) Avenue between West 8th and West 9th Streets in Long Beach, Los Angeles Co., CA. He was a jeweller with his own shop.

Lillian O, Wheeler, was born in Grafton. Lawrence Pennington and she were married in 1894 in Grafton.¹