Abraham 1893

Although not yet fully researched, this Margrett family descends from a Jewish family who escaped persecution in Russia during the 1800's.  Because we have not traced the marriage or birth of his father, their immigrant origin seems to be confirmed to have been in the 1880's. When they arrived in London their family name might have been Mogret or a similar sound and they adopted the use of the Margrett/Mogaret spellings as the years passed. None of Abraham's biography has previously been published in Margrett magazines.

He appears in the 1911 Census return, aged 18 and working as a cabinet maker, living at 41 Nelson Street, Commercial Road, Stepney.  The dwelling he shares with his mother aged 44 (working as a tailoress), is also home to 7 siblings, although his mother records that she has had 10 children, all of whom were still living in 1911.  Their accommodation is only three rooms, excluding (as the Census Return directs, scullery, landing, lobby, closet, bathroom" and the like.

On Sunday 19th June 1921, Sarah Margrett, 'head' of the household aged 32, completed their Census Return for the household at 4 Nelson Street, Stepney. She records the details of the other six people, five as a 'Brother' and one as 'Sister'. Extraordinarily, she enters "Orphans" for herself and each of the others. Second, listed by age, is Abraham now 27 recorded as a labourer of no fixed place of work or employer.  Then possibly the main breadwinner is Maurice Victor born September 1897 and aged 23.  He is employed in the Accounts Office of the Public Trustee at Cornwall House, a civil servant.  David aged 21 is a "leather cutter" but not working. Meyer aged 19 is a "plater hand" also not working.  Louis aged 17 is a shop assistant, working for Mr Clifford at 8 Stoney Lane, Hounsditch. And lastly, is Linda aged 15, born in August 1905 down in Bristol, working as a clerk with Marcus & Sons, also in Hounsditch. These are people of industry in hard times.

Great alarm climaxes at the beginning of September 1939 as war is declared against Germany, and consequently also Russia because of the German/Russian treaty.  Then, the UK government demands an alternative to the regular Census Returns, so that it can determine who is living at each address, their sex, birth date, marital status, and their current employment, to be able to issue Ration Books, call-up papers, and any other matter which authorities need to handle a population in wartime.

We therefore have a list of everyone at 180 Kyverdale Road, Stamford Hill, Hackney.   Head is Myer Margrett aged 38, married to his wife Alice aged 35 employed as a fur machinist.  Our Abraham, born 7th October 1893 is 45, unmarried, working in the docks as a crane driver. There are five people of the family “Boorman”, a married couple in their 70’s and a younger couple in their 30’s.  The youngest “Boorman” is 33 also a fur machinist and therefore one of the family. They are all going to have to handle living in the capital as the war develops.

Abraham lived to his early sixties dying on Guy Fawkes day in 1957 at the Prince of Wales Hospital, Tottenham, Middlesex.  His estate was proved by his brothers Myer Margrett, a tailor, and Maurice Victor Margrett, assistant production manager.  Either he had not made a will or his executor(s) had died because the brothers had to apply for Letters of Administration for his £263 estate.

None of the life of Abraham appears to have been published previously before the above record was created. 

None of the Margrett Magazines from 1986 to 2012 included any of his experiences and therefore those experiences were not previously recorded in the public domain through the magazines deposited at the British Library under the I.S.S.N. 0269-0284 in those years.