My Great Grand Mother Rose Rees

Rose Rees was born in Spitalfields, Whitechapel, London on the 24th May 1859 the eldest daughter of seven children born to Jewish parents Benjamin and Rebecca Rees.

The photo above show Rose after she married Charles Hall at the St James Church, Clerkenwell, London on the 3rd August 1875.  Charles Hall was a Glass and China dealer born in Shelton, Hanley, (now Stoke-on-Trent) on the 27th March 1853. He came from a 'Potteries' family and later became a China Auctioneer.

Rose and Charles had four children, three girls and one boy all born in the East End of London

Rose and Charles separated in the 1890's where-apon Rose took up a life with James Berwood Smith a wealthy property owner who started out as a Lodging House keeper in the East End of London. He  was a member of the London Sporting Club famous for putting on top class boxing matches. He became a financial backer to Thomas 'Pedlar' Palmer a previous world bantam weight boxing champion who happened at the time to be Rose Hall's daughter Rebecca's partner!

Rose and James Smith had a daughter Eliza born in 1897 but unfortunately their daughter died young in 1898.
She was buried in the Smith family plot in the St Patricks RC Cemetery in Langthorn Road, Leytonstone, London.

James Smith owned four Lodgings houses in Spitalfields - Nos. 5, 56, 57 and 58 Flower and Dean Street with a home address at No 1 Bancroft Road, Mile End. In later years James and Rose would be seen driving around the East End of London in a beautiful chauffeur driven Humber car with their Pomeranian dog.

Charles Hall died on the 31st January 1918 in the Bow Institution, London. This allowed Rose and James Smith to marry on the 14th February 1918 at the Mile End Register Office London. They retired to Brighton and set up home at 34 Bedford Square, Brighton. They both died in 1925 whilst living at 27 Cannon Place, Brighton, Sussex.
James is buried in the Smith family plot at St Patricks RC Cemetery in Langthorn Road, Leytonstone, London.

 Rose is buried in her family plot at the Marlow Road Jewish cemetery, East Ham, London

Photo below owned by Rosetta Anish shows Rose in the back seat with grand daughter Rose Brown (nee Hall) with believed to be her husband Henry Brown in the front with the chauffeur. James Smith believed to be the gentleman standing next to the car.

Brian J Whipp 2023                                                                                                                                                       Return to Welcome page