Wade & Webb Family History

Ellen Mathilda Marritt1875–1906

Loughton · Brooklyn · Kew Gardens

Born Ellen Mathilda Marritt at Loughton, Essex, in 1875, she came to Brooklyn as a child and was known there as Nellie Thompson, a soprano in the Ocean Hill Baptist Church. In 1893 she married William H. Wade Jr. in a double wedding with her sister Edith, and in 1894 the couple went to live at Richmond Hill. She died at Liberty, New York, in July 1906, after an illness of a year and a half.

On this page
  1. Family Record
  2. Life
  3. Documents (8)
  4. Places
  5. Timeline
  6. Open questions
  7. Searches made
  8. Notes

Birth

  1. 8 Jul 1875 Essex, England, United Kingdom 1
  2. 26 Sep 1875 Christening: Essex, England, United Kingdom 2

Marriages

  1. 18 Oct 1893 William Henry Wade Jr, at Kings, New York 12, 13

Death and burial

  1. Jul 1906 Death: place not recorded
  2. Date unknown Burial: Kew Gardens, Queens, New York

Family

Parents
William Thompson 1826–? (adoptive)
Eliza Keel 1840–1925
William Marritt 1826–?
Eliza Keel 1840–1925
Spouse, 18 Oct 1893
William Henry Wade Jr 1869–1945
Children
Frank Edward Wade 1896–1976
Ethel Ellen Wade 1894–1985

Line of descent Wade line

  1. Ellen Mathilda Marritt
  2. Frank Edward Wade, son
  3. William Albert Webb Wade, son

Grandmother of Webb Wade, from whom this history is traced. Why Webb Wade?

Life

Ellen Mathilda Marritt was born in Essex, England, on 8 July 1875, a date the FamilySearch tree gives without an attached source, the youngest of the daughters of William Marritt and Eliza Keel.1 She was baptised as Ellen Matilda Marritt on 26 September 1875, and the Essex parish register names her parents as William and Eliza Marritt.2 Her father, the son of a labourer, had been a shepherd when he married Eliza Keel, the daughter of a sexton, in the parish church of Hendon, Middlesex, on Christmas Day 1857; the tree records him later as a farm bailiff, the manager of a farm on its owner's behalf.3

Loughton

When the census of England and Wales was taken in April 1881, Ellen, aged 5 and at school, was living at Easton Cottage, Loughton, Essex, with her mother, who was described as married, head of the household and a shopkeeper, and three older sisters, Catherine Alice, Ada Eliza and Edith Alice; all five were recorded as born at Loughton.4 Her father was not in the household.4 The census-taker wrote her middle name as something like "Mathdala," and the FamilySearch index reads it "Mathdola."5

Ocean Hill and the Thompson name

Her obituary says that she came to the United States "when 8 years old" and that she lived for eleven years in the Ocean Hill section of Brooklyn, Kings County, New York.6 The tree, without a source, gives her immigration as 1890, while it records her sister Edith's as 1885.7 Inference The obituary's account, which would place the arrival in about 1883 or 1884, is the more consistent with her eleven years at Ocean Hill before 1894; the tree's 1890 has no stated basis, and a passenger list would settle the question.7

In Brooklyn she was known as Nellie Thompson.8 In November 1891 "Edith and Nellie Thompson" were at a basket sociable of the Young People's Society of Christian Endeavor of the Ocean Hill Baptist Church, with "Mr. and Mrs. William Thompson," and among the young men present were William H. Wade Sr., William H. Wade Jr. and Harry E. Wade.8 In May 1892 Miss Nellie Thompson sang soprano in the church's double quartet at a temperance entertainment, in which a William Wade and a W. Thompson sang tenor, and in February 1893 she was one of the performers, all "well known on the Hill," at a sociable and entertainment at the church, at Rockaway Avenue and Somers Street.9

The FamilySearch tree records William Thompson, born in Norway in 1826, as her adoptive father, that is, the man who raised her as a daughter rather than her father by birth, and as the second husband of her mother.10 The tree also dates that marriage to 1858, but in the census of 1881 her mother was still Eliza Marritt, a married woman, so a Thompson marriage must have come after April 1881.11 Inference Her use of the Thompson name in Brooklyn most likely followed her mother's remarriage, though no record of that marriage has been found.11

Marriage

On 18 October 1893, in the City of Brooklyn, she married William H. Wade Jr., a carpenter aged 24, born at Yonkers; the Rev. George F. Warren, pastor of the Ocean Hill Baptist Church, performed the marriage, and the witnesses were the two fathers, W. H. Wade and W. Thompson.12 The certificate gives her name as Ellen M. Thompson, her age as 17 and her birthplace as England, and names her parents as William Thompson and Eliza Keel; she signed it "E. M. Thompson."12 The same pastor married her sister Edith A. Thompson to Matthew P. Frost the same day, and both certificates were stamped by the Brooklyn Department of Health on 20 October 1893.13

Two children were born: Ethel Ellen on 17 August 1894, a date the tree gives without a source, and Frank Edward on 12 April 1896 at Richmond Hill, Queens County, whose birth is indexed under the name Frank Edwin Wade, with his mother as "Nellie Thompson Wade."14 Her obituary says that in 1894 she "went with her family to live in Richmond Hill, residing on Lefferts, near Jamaica avenue."6 The federal census of 1900 lists Ellen M. Wade in the household of her husband in the fourth ward of the Borough of Queens.15 The tree also attaches to her an entry for an "Emma Thompson" in the household of William Thompson in Brooklyn in the census of 1900.16 Inference Since Ellen was then enumerated as Ellen M. Wade in her husband's household in Queens, the Emma Thompson entry is probably another member of the Thompson household and is left out of this account.16 In October of that year "Mr. and Mrs. William H. Wade" were among the guests when her husband's brother, Harry E. Wade, married Martha H. Lynas at the bride's parents' home on Rockaway Avenue, Brooklyn.17

Death

Ellen M. Wade died on Monday 16 July 1906 at Liberty, Sullivan County, New York, aged 31, "after a lingering illness of a year and a half"; she left her husband and the two children, Ethel E. and Frank E., then aged 11 and 9.6 Inference Liberty was then a resort for people suffering from tuberculosis, and an illness of eighteen months fits that disease, but the cause of her death awaits her death certificate.6 The tree records her death only as July 1906, without a place.18 The Find a Grave index, under the name Ellen M. Thompson Wade, places her burial at Kew Gardens, Queens.19 In 1909 her widower married Josephine Lynas, the sister of his brother Harry's wife.20 When Elizabeth Jane Marritt, the eldest of the Marritt sisters, died in 1942, Ellen's widower petitioned for the probate of her will, the court process of proving it, and Ellen's daughter Ethel was the informant on her death certificate.20

Documents

  1. 1881 1881 census of England: Eliza Marritt household, Easton Cottage, Loughton, Essex 1881 Census of England and Wales, RG 11/1735 · image
  2. 7 November 1891 A Basket Sociable (Ocean Hill Baptist Church) Brooklyn Times Union (Brooklyn, New York) · clipping
  3. 20 May 1892 "For Mother's Sake": Presented Under the Auspices of the Bethel Branch, W.C.T.U. Brooklyn Times Union (Brooklyn, New York) · clipping
  4. 10 February 1893 A Sociable and Entertainment (Ocean Hill Baptist Church) Brooklyn Times Union (Brooklyn, New York) · clipping
  5. 18 October 1893 Certificate of marriage no. 4669: William H. Wade Jr. and Ellen M. Thompson City of Brooklyn, Department of Health, certificates of marriage · vital record
  6. 5 November 1900 Wade—Lynas Brooklyn Times Union (Brooklyn, New York) · clipping
  7. 18 July 1906 Ellen M. Wade (obituary) The Brooklyn Daily Eagle (Brooklyn, New York) · clipping
  8. 2 January 2019 Find a Grave memorial: Ellen M. Thompson Wade Find a Grave · headstone photographed by Athanatos

Places

  1. 1875Essex
  2. 1881Loughton
  3. 1893Kings
  4. 1900Queens
  5. 1900Brooklyn
  6. undatedKew Gardens

Timeline

  1. 8 Jul 1875BirthEssex, England, United Kingdom
  2. 26 Sep 1875ChristeningEssex, England, United Kingdom
  3. 1881ResidenceLoughton, Essex, England, United Kingdom
  4. 1890Immigration
  5. 18 Oct 1893Marriage, William Henry Wade JrKings, New York
  6. 1900ResidenceBorough of Queens, Election District 4 New York City Ward 4, Queens, New York
  7. 1900ResidenceBrooklyn, New York City, New York
  8. Jul 1906Death

Open questions

Who was her biological father?

FamilySearch records William Thompson as her adoptive father (see research/relationships.toml). The 1881 census (1881-census) shows her as Ellen Mathilda Marritt, aged 5, with her married mother Eliza Marritt and three Marritt sisters at Loughton, Essex; William Marritt was absent. She was born a Marritt. Whether William Marritt (b. 1826) was her biological father is not proven: find him in 1871/1881 and check her 1875 baptism (Loughton) for the father's name.

Death and burial

Died Monday 16 July 1906 at Liberty, N.Y., after an illness of 18 months (1906-07-18). Liberty was a tuberculosis resort: get the New York State death certificate (Liberty, Sullivan Co., July 1906). The tree has no place.

Searches made

  1. 2026-11-08Bulk review of Matt's OneDrive genealogy folder (Phase 3): all documents transcribed and compared with the tree7 document(s) name this person; see Documents above. Conflicts and new facts are in each document record and in research/sources/document-review-2026-11-08.md
  2. 2026-11-08Correction made in FamilySearch by MattMatt recorded her birth name, Marritt, in FamilySearch (1881 census).
  3. 2026-11-09Find a Grave search: Ellen Marritt, b. 1875 ±3, d. 1906 ±3: 0 results; Ellen Wade, b. 1875 ±3, d. 1906 ±3: 1 resultsbest: [Ellen M. Thompson Wade (1875 – 16 Jul 1906), Maple Grove Cemetery, Kew Gardens, Queens County, New York](https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/195758527/ellen-m-wade); score 17 (high, before review)
  4. 2026-11-09Find a Grave memorial recorded[memorial 195758527](https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/195758527), high confidence: [record](../documents/findagrave/195758527-ellen-m-thompson-wade.md); 1 headstone photo(s)
  5. 2026-11-09Find a Grave headstone photoheadstone photo 180356434 by Athanatos chosen for the website (the memorial's only one)
  6. 2026-11-09Internet Archive: "Ellen Mathilda Marritt", New Yorkno matches
  7. 2026-11-09Internet Archive: "Ellen Marritt", New York3 pages; first: [Cauldron, 1968, p. ](https://archive.org/details/cauldron1968nort?q=%22Ellen%20Marritt%22); [Who's who in frontiers of science and technology, 1985, p. ](https://archive.org/details/whoswhoinfrontie0000unse?q=%22Ellen%20Marritt%22); [Who's Who in Frontier Science and Technology, 1st Edition 1984-1985, n.d., p. ](https://archive.org/details/whoswhoinfrontie0000vari?q=%22Ellen%20Marritt%22)
  8. 2026-11-09Internet Archive: "Nellie Thompson", New York2428 pages; first: [The genealogy of Joseph Linnell : a soldier of the American Revolution, 1963, p. ](https://archive.org/details/genealogyofjosep00linn?q=%22Nellie%20Thompson%22); [Annual reports of the auditors and other town officers of the town of Chelsea, Vermont, for the year ending .., 1912, p. ](https://archive.org/details/annualreportsofa1912chel?q=%22Nellie%20Thompson%22); [More than mere survival : conversations with women over 65, 1980, p. ](https://archive.org/details/morethanmeresurv0000sesk?q=%22Nellie%20Thompson%22)
  9. 2026-11-09Internet Archive: "Marritt", inside nybirthindexnot searchable: nybirthindex is not a scanned text
  10. 2026-11-09Internet Archive: "Marritt", inside nydeathindexnot searchable: nydeathindex is not a scanned text
  11. 2026-11-09Internet Archive: "Marritt", inside longislandnewyo187889lainno matches; 0 with the given name (Ellen, Mathilda)
  12. 2026-11-09Internet Archive: "Marritt", inside 1887BPLno matches; 0 with the given name (Ellen, Mathilda)
  13. 2026-11-09Internet Archive: "Marritt", inside brooklyn-city-directory-1858-1859-lain-yale-university-librarynot searchable: brooklyn-city-directory-1858-1859-lain-yale-university-library: No hOCR or Abbyy file present
  14. 2026-11-09Internet Archive assessment: "Ellen Mathilda Marritt", New YorkNo matches.
  15. 2026-11-09Internet Archive assessment: "Ellen Marritt", New York (3 pages)A 1968 college yearbook (Cauldron) and two 1984-85 Who's Who in frontier science volumes: later namesakes; not her.
  16. 2026-11-09Internet Archive assessment: "Nellie Thompson", New York (2,428 pages)First 20 hits reviewed: a Linnell genealogy (b. 1862), Chelsea, Vermont town reports, a psychoanalytic archivist, North Dakota, Wilmington and Ohio papers, yearbooks; none in Brooklyn or Queens, none her. Too common a name to pursue here.
  17. 2026-11-09Internet Archive assessment: "Marritt" inside the 1878 Long Island and 1887 Brooklyn directoriesNo Marritt in either; the family went by Thompson in Brooklyn, and wives are not listed in directories. nybirthindex, nydeathindex and the 1858-59 Brooklyn directory are not searchable text: nothing assessed.
  18. 2026-11-09Internet Archive hits assessed: 8 searchesNo match.
  19. 2026-11-09DPLA: "Ellen Mathilda Marritt"no matches
  20. 2026-11-09DPLA: "Ellen Marritt", New Yorkno matches
  21. 2026-11-09New York Times: "Ellen Wade", 1906–1907no matches
  22. 2026-11-09New York Times: "Ellen Mathilda Marritt", 1890–1907no matches
  23. 2026-11-09New York Times: "Ellen M Marritt", 1890–1907no matches
  24. 2026-11-09DPLA assessment: 2 searchesNo match: no hits.
  25. 2026-11-09New York Times assessment: 3 searchesNo match: no hits (no Times notice of her death in July 1906).

Notes

  1. FamilySearch Family Tree, profile GMST-6LB: birth 8 Jul 1875, Essex, England, no source attached; parents William Marritt and Eliza Keel 1881 census of England: Eliza Marritt household, Easton Cottage, Loughton, Essex, 1881 Census of England and Wales, RG 11/1735: Ellen Mathilda Marritt, Daur, 5, youngest of the four daughters at home back to the text
  2. "England, Essex, Parish Registers, 1538-1997", FamilySearch, Ellen Matilda Marritt, 26 Sep 1875. Record: Ellen Matilda Marritt, Essex parish registers, 26 Sep 1875 "England, Essex, Parish Registers, 1538-1997", FamilySearch, William Marritt in entry for Ellen Matilda Marritt, 26 Sep 1875. Record: William Marritt in entry for Ellen Matilda Marritt, 26 Sep 1875 "England, Essex, Parish Registers, 1538-1997", FamilySearch, Eliza Marritt in entry for Ellen Matilda Marritt, 26 Sep 1875. Record: Eliza Marritt in entry for Ellen Matilda Marritt, 26 Sep 1875 back to the text
  3. 1857-12-25-marritt-keel-marriage: William Marrott, bachelor, shepherd, of Hendon, father James Marrott, labourer; Eliza Keel, spinster, father William Keel, sexton; December 25th, after banns FamilySearch Family Tree, profile GHY8-937 (their page): occupation Farm Bailiff, no source attached back to the text
  4. 1881 census of England: Eliza Marritt household, Easton Cottage, Loughton, Essex, 1881 Census of England and Wales, RG 11/1735: Easton Cottage, Loughton; Eliza Marritt, Head, Mar, Shop Keeper; Catherine Alice, Ada Eliza, Edith Alice and Ellen Mathilda Marritt, daughters, all born Essex, Loughton; no husband present "England and Wales, Census, 1881", FamilySearch, Ellen Mathdola Marritt in entry for Eliza Marritt, 1881. Record: Ellen Mathdola Marritt in entry for Eliza Marritt, 1881 back to the text
  5. 1881 census of England: Eliza Marritt household, Easton Cottage, Loughton, Essex, 1881 Census of England and Wales, RG 11/1735: Ellen Mathilda is written something like Mathdala "England and Wales, Census, 1881", FamilySearch, Ellen Mathdola Marritt in entry for Eliza Marritt, 1881. Record: indexed as Ellen Mathdola Marritt back to the text
  6. Ellen M. Wade (obituary), The Brooklyn Daily Eagle (Brooklyn, New York): Ellen M. Wade, aged 31 years, died on Monday, at Liberty, N. Y., after a lingering illness of a year and a half ... came to this country when 8 years old ... for eleven years a resident of the Ocean Hill section of Brooklyn, and in 1894 went with her family to live in Richmond Hill, residing on Lefferts, near Jamaica avenue ... two children, Ethel E. and Frank E., aged 11 and 9 years; notes on Liberty as a tuberculosis resort back to the text
  7. FamilySearch Family Tree, profile GMST-6LB: immigration 1890, no source attached FamilySearch Family Tree, profile GMWV-JZ5 (their page): immigration 1885 Ellen M. Wade (obituary), The Brooklyn Daily Eagle (Brooklyn, New York): came to this country when 8 years old; eleven years at Ocean Hill back to the text
  8. A Basket Sociable (Ocean Hill Baptist Church), Brooklyn Times Union (Brooklyn, New York): Mr. and Mrs. William Thompson ... Edith and Nellie Thompson ... William H. Wade, Sr., William H. Wade, Jr. ... Harry E. Wade FamilySearch Family Tree, profile GMST-6LB: also known as Nellie Thompson back to the text
  9. "For Mother's Sake": Presented Under the Auspices of the Bethel Branch, W.C.T.U., Brooklyn Times Union (Brooklyn, New York): Miss Eleanor Pearson and Miss Nellie Thompson, sopranos ... Messrs. William Wade and W. Thompson, tenors A Sociable and Entertainment (Ocean Hill Baptist Church), Brooklyn Times Union (Brooklyn, New York): Ocean Hill Baptist Church, Rockaway avenue and Somers street ... all of whom are well known on the Hill ... Nellie Thompson back to the text
  10. FamilySearch Family Tree, profile GMST-6LB: William Thompson recorded as adoptive father (research/relationships.toml) FamilySearch Family Tree, profile GMWV-63F (their page): born Sep 1826, Norway; husband of Eliza Keel back to the text
  11. FamilySearch Family Tree, profile GMWV-2K3 (their page): marriage to William Thompson, 1858, as given in the tree 1881 census of England: Eliza Marritt household, Easton Cottage, Loughton, Essex, 1881 Census of England and Wales, RG 11/1735: Eliza Marritt, Head, Mar; notes: the Thompson marriage must be after April 1881 Research log (their page): open question: when did she marry William Thompson? back to the text
  12. Certificate of marriage no. 4669: William H. Wade Jr. and Ellen M. Thompson, City of Brooklyn, Department of Health, certificates of marriage: certificate no. 4669, City of Brooklyn, 18 October 1893, George F. Warren, Pastor, Ocean Hill Bap. Ch.; witnesses W. H. Wade, W. Thompson; groom carpenter, 24, born Yonkers; bride Ellen M. Thompson, 17, born England, father William Thompson, mother's maiden name Eliza Keel; signed E. M. Thompson "New York, New York City Marriage Records, 1829-1938", FamilySearch, William H Wade, Jr and Ellen M Thompson, 18 October 1893. Record: William H Wade, Jr and Ellen M Thompson, 18 October 1893 back to the text
  13. 1893-10-18-edith-thompson-frost-marriage-certificate: certificate no. 4656, Matthew P. Frost and Edith A. Thompson, 18 October 1893, Geo. F. Warren, Pastor; stamped Oct 20 1893 Certificate of marriage no. 4669: William H. Wade Jr. and Ellen M. Thompson, City of Brooklyn, Department of Health, certificates of marriage: stamped Oct 20 1893 back to the text
  14. FamilySearch Family Tree, profile GMST-9PH (their page): Ethel Ellen Wade, born 17 Aug 1894, no source attached "New York, Births and Christenings, 1640-1962", FamilySearch, Nellie Thompson Wade in entry for Frank Edwin Wade, 12 Apr 1896. Record: Nellie Thompson Wade in entry for Frank Edwin Wade, 12 Apr 1896 "New York, Births and Christenings, 1640-1962", , FamilySearch, Nellie Thompson Wade in entry for Frank Edwin Wade, 1896. Record: Nellie Thompson Wade in entry for Frank Edwin Wade, 1896 FamilySearch Family Tree, profile 9N2F-N1M (their page): Frank Edward Wade, born 12 Apr 1896, Richmond Hill back to the text
  15. "United States, Census, 1900", FamilySearch, Ellen M Wade in entry for William Wade, 1900. Record: Ellen M Wade in entry for William Wade, 1900 FamilySearch Family Tree, profile GMST-6LB: residence 1900, Borough of Queens, Election District 4, New York City Ward 4 back to the text
  16. "United States, Census, 1900", FamilySearch, Emma Thompson in entry for William Thompson, 1900. Record: Emma Thompson in entry for William Thompson, 1900 "United States, Census, 1900", FamilySearch, Ellen M Wade in entry for William Wade, 1900. Record: Ellen M Wade in entry for William Wade, 1900 back to the text
  17. Wade—Lynas, Brooklyn Times Union (Brooklyn, New York): home of the bride's parents, 100 Rockaway avenue, Brooklyn, on Wednesday evening, October 31 ... Mr. and Mrs. William H. Wade back to the text
  18. FamilySearch Family Tree, profile GMST-6LB: death Jul 1906, no place back to the text
  19. "Find a Grave Index", FamilySearch, Ellen M. Thompson Wade. Record: Ellen M. Thompson Wade, Find a Grave Index FamilySearch Family Tree, profile GMST-6LB: burial Kew Gardens, Queens back to the text
  20. 1909-08-06-william-h-wade-josephine-lynas-marriage-license: William H. Wade, 40, of Richmond Hill, and Josephine Lynas, 31 Wade—Lynas, Brooklyn Times Union (Brooklyn, New York): attended by her sister, Miss Josephine Lynas 1942-08-03-william-h-wade-notice-of-will: William H. Wade, who resides at 118 Puritan Ave., Forest Hills, has presented a petition ... last Will and Testament of Elizabeth Jane Marritt 1942-06-02-elizabeth-marritt-death-certificate: informant Ethel E. Wade, niece back to the text
Every FamilySearch record attached to Ellen Mathilda Marritt (9)
  1. 26 Sep 1875Ellen Matilda Marritt, "England, Essex, Parish Registers, 1538-1997"
  2. 1881Ellen Mathdola Marritt, "England and Wales, Census, 1881"
  3. 18 October 1893Ellen M Thompson, "New York, New York City Marriage Records, 1829-1938"
  4. 1896Nellie Thompson Wade in entry for Frank Edwin Wade, "New York, Births and Christenings, 1640-1962"
  5. 12 Apr 1896Nellie Thompson Wade, "New York, Births and Christenings, 1640-1962"
  6. 1900Ellen M Wade, "United States, Census, 1900"
  7. 1900Emma Thompson, "United States, Census, 1900"
  8. 1891 England and Wales Census
  9. Ellen M. Thompson Wade, "Find a Grave Index"