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John STREAKS (1817–1863)
His wife Mrs Miranda STREAKS, née Aldridge (c.1819–1849)
Their son Thomas STREAKS (1847–1850)
St Paul section: Row 16, Grave A5 [St Paul ref. C13]

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The Sexton's book for St Paul's Church clearly shows that although this grave marker has only one inscription (to John Streaks), his wife and baby son, who predeceased him are also buried in exactly the same grave. John himself did not even live in the St Paul's District chapelry at the time of his death

 

John Streaks was born in the House of Industry (workhouse) at Rats and Mice Hill, Oxford (the Wellington Square area) in 1817 and baptised at St Thomas's Church on 11 July. He was the son of the labourer Charles Streaks, who on 23 December 1815 with the consent of friends had married the widow Mrs Avis Butler at St Ebbe's Church. John's elder brother Charles was born in 1816, also at the workhouse, and when he was baptised his father was described as a boatman; but when his younger brother George was baptised in 1819, the family was living in Butcher Row (Queen Street), and his father was working as a labourer. John himself worked as a labourer all his life.

Miranda Aldridge (or Aldrich) was born in St Clement's and baptised at St Mary Magdalen Church on 26 May 1822. (Either she was three years old at the time of her baptism, or her age at death is incorrect.) Her parents were the printer William Aldridge and his wife Elizabeth. Miranda's two siblings were baptised at St Clement's Church: Henry in 1826 and Elizabeth in 1830.

On 7 November 1836 at St Thomas's Church, Oxford, John Streaks married Miranda Aldridge: John was unable to sign his name, but Miranda could. They had the following children:

• Miranda Streaks (born in Oxford in 1839/40, reg. first quarter of 1840 with first name spelt Merranda)
• Charles Stanley Streaks (born in Oxford in 1841, reg. Headington district fourth quarter)
• John Streaks (born at Ward's Field in 1843 and baptised at St Paul's Church on 22 October)
• William Streaks (born at Ward's Field in 1846 and baptised at St Paul's Church on 10 May; died aged four months)
• Thomas Streaks (born at Great Clarendon Street in 1847 and baptised at St Paul's Church on 17 October; died 1850).

At the time of the 1841 census John Streaks and his wife Miranda were living in St Ebbe's with their daughter Miranda (1). They had probably moved to Ward's Field in the Jericho area by the time their next son Charles was born in 1841, and were certainly there in 1843.

Their son William was born in 1846 but only lived four months: he was buried on 9 August 1846 in St Thomas's churchyard (where people who lived in Jericho were buried until St Sepulchre's Cemetery opened in 1848). Their last child Thomas was born in 1847.

In 1847 their address is given as Great Clarendon Street, and then as Ward's Field again in 1849.

Mrs Streaks died in 1849:

† Mrs Miranda Streaks née Aldridge died at Ward's Field at the age of 30 on 19 May 1849 and was buried at St Sepulchre’s Cemetery on 22 May (burial recorded in the parish register of St Paul's Church).

The Sexton's records for this grave shows that she was the first buried here, in the area that St Paul's described as C.13, at a depth of six feet. Her death notice in Jackson's Oxford Journal read: “May 19, at Jericho, Miranda, wife of John Streaks, aged 30, leaving four children to lament their loss.”

Her youngest son Thomas died the following year and was buried with her at a depth of five feet:

† Thomas Streaks died at Ward's Field at the age of 2½ in February 1850 and was buried at St Sepulchre’s Cemetery on 27 February (burial recorded in the parish register of St Paul's Church).

At the time of the 1851 census John Streaks, a widower of 33, was working as a bricklayer's labourer and living with his children Miranda (10), Charles (9), and John (7) in New Hinksey (which is to the south of Oxford, and was then in the parish of South Hinksey and the county of Berkshire)

On 30 June 1851 at St Nicholas's Church, Old Marston, John Streaks of New Hinksey married his second wife, Ann Cantwell, the daughter of the Marston milkman William Cantwell, and they had two sons:

• Thomas Streaks (born at New Hinksey in 1854/5 and baptised at South Hinksey Church on 28 January 1855)
• Henry Streaks (born at New Hinksey in 1857 and baptised at South Hinksey Church on 1 November).

At the time of the 1861 census John (43) was working as a well-sinker and living in New Hinksey with his second wife Ann and their two young children Thomas (6) and Henry (3), and his son from his first marriage, John Streaks junior (17), who was a printer & compositor. His other surviving children from his first marriage, Miranda (20) and Charles (19) are hard to locate in that census.

His daughter Miranda Streaks died at Oriel Street at the age of 19 at the end of 1856 and was buried in St Sepulchre's Cemetery on 2 January 1857. Her St Paul's grave reference is C.13, and it is possible that she too was buried in this grave, but the sexton did not record it.

John Streaks died in 1863 and was buried with in the same grave as his first wife and son, with no depth recorded:

† John Streaks died at New Hinksey at the age of 45 on 23 March 1863 and was buried at St Sepulchre’s Cemetery on 29 March (burial recorded in the parish register of St Paul's Church).

His death notice in Jackson's Oxford Journal read: “March 23, at his residence at New Hincksey, Mr. John Streaks, aged 45.“ His effects came to under £20, and his second wife was his executor.

Two of his sons by his first wife were married in the mid-1860s:

• On 22 May 1865 at St Peter-in-the-East Church, Oxford, John Streaks, described as a stereotyper of St Paul's district, married Frances Elizabeth Williamson, the daughter of the clerk John Williamson.
• On 2 June 1867 at St Mary's Church, Lambeth, Charles Stanley Streaks, described as a porter, married Emily Nutt, the daughter of the carpenter John Nutt: both were then living in Broad Street, Lambeth.

His younger son by his second marriage, Henry Streaks, died in Oxford at the age of 17 in 1875 (reg. third quarter as Streakes).

At the time of the 1881 census John Streaks's second wife Ann (64) was living at 9 Pembroke Street in St Aldate's with their surviving son Thomas (26), who was a grocer's assistant. Thomas was married the following year:

• In 1882 (reg. first quarter) in the Bicester registration district, Thomas Streaks of Abingdon married Elizabeth Dumbleton of Wendlebury.

Mrs Ann Streaks née Cantwell died at 9 Cranham Terrace at the age of 69 and was buried on 5 February 1887. Her burial is recorded in the register of St Barnabas Church, and so she too may have been buried in St Sepulchre's Cemetery.

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Surviving children of John Streaks and his first wife Miranda Aldridge

• Charles Stanley Streaks (born1841) and his wife Emily had six children born in the London area: Charles William Streaks (1868), Edith Emily Streaks (1870), Lucy Streaks (c.1876), Miranda Lilian Streaks (1880), Edwin Edgar Streaks (1882), and Florence Streaks (c.1884). At the time of the 1871 census Charles (29) was a chemist's porter, living in part of 38 Gilbert Street, London with his wife Emily (23) and their first two children. In 1891 he was a packer, and he and his wife were living in part of 4 Duke Street with all their children: Charles (23) was a compositor, and Edith (16) and Lucy (14) were assistants in a card works. Charles Stanley Streaks died in London at the age of 58 in 1899.
• John Streaks (born 1843) and his wife Frances had seven children: the first two were Miranda Frances Streaks (born in Oxford in 1866) and Alice Bertha Streaks (born in St Clement Danes parish, Westminster in 1868). The rest were born in Cowley St John parish: Helen Streaks (1871), Kate Caroline Streaks (1874), Mignonette Streaks (1877), Margaret Lucy Streaks (1879), and John Albert Alexander Streaks (1881). At the time of the 1871 census John (27) was living at 53 Walton Street with his wife and first two daughters. By 1881 they had moved back to Walton Street and were living at No. 116 with six daughters; their only son was born later that year. By 1891 they were living at 116 Cowley Road: their daughter Helen (19) was a milliner, Kate (16) was a dressmaker, and Mignonette (13) was a pupil teacher. In 1901 they were at 258 Cowley Road with four of their children; and in 1911 they were there alone, and john was retired. John Streaks died at 37 Southfield Road, Oxford at the age of 80 on 5 April 1924. His effects came to £1,504 11s. 11d., and his executors were the controller of Oxford University Press Frederick John Hall and the chemist's assistant Henry Charles Beckley.

Surviving son of John Streaks and his second wife Ann Cantwell

• Thomas Streaks (born 1854/5) and his wife Elizabeth had five children, all baptised at St Barnabas's Church: Cecil Montague Streaks (1886), Archibald Basil Streaks (1887), Edith Beatrice Streaks (1889), Gilbert Evelyn Streaks (1891), and Dora Elizabeth Streaks (1897). At the time of the 1891 census Thomas (36) was a grocer and college servant, living at 9 Cranham Street with his wife Elizabeth and four of their children, plus two lodgers. Archie (6) and Edith (4) both died in January 1894. Thomas Streaks died at 67 Cranham Street at the age of 43 and was buried on 29 December 1900. His burial is recorded in the register of St Barnabas Church, and so he may have been buried in St Sepulchre's Cemetery.