Address: The Pound, St Nicholas

The exact date of his birth is uncertain. A year of birth calculated from the census returns for 1851-81 indicate that he was born between 1818 and 1820. However, as the censuses are taken in the early part of the year and if he had been born in the latter part of the year the calculated date would have been one year earlier. They all give his birthplace as Warwick. A search for his baptism produced only one baptism of a Hezekiah Dowell around that date, i.e. at St Nicholas' Church, Warwick on 27 October 1816. The name of his father is given as Thomas and on his Marriage Certificate his father's name is also given as Thomas. In addition his father's occupation is given as a sawyer and as Hezekiah was also a sawyer he may have well have followed in his father's footsteps. Thus on balance it is considered that the baptismal record is the correct one and as children were normally born within a few weeks of birth he was probably born in late September or early October 1816.

Address: Warwick, Warwickshire

Who else was there is not known.

Address: Warwick

He was baptised

The earliest record of his occupation comes from the Marriage Certificate for his marriage to Hannah Drew in 1839. After that every Census between 1841, when he was 20, and 1881, the year that he died, gives his occupation as a sawyer. Therefore it is assumed that he started working in a sawmill at an early age (nominally 12 in lieu of any other information) probably where his father worked as a sawyer in Warwick. What brought him to Shoreditch and when he moved is not known but it was before his marriage in 1839. He continued to work as a sawyer at least until just before he is forced into the workhouse in 1879.

Thomas' father and other surviving siblings Frances and Harriet were probably there.

Who else was there is not known but they probably took Frederick's older siblings.

Address: 3 Kingsnorth Place

The household consisted of Hezekiah, who is now a widower, and his six children Harriett (age 19), Charles (age 14), Harry (age 11), Hezekiah (age 8), Thomas (age 5) and Frederick (age 3). The three eldest children were working as fancy box makers almost certainly at home. As Hezekiah is working as a sawyer Harriett must have been cooking and cleaning as well as working as a fancy box maker. They shared the house with another family of 6. The size is unknown.

Address: Waterloo Road

In the 1881 Census he is described as a pauper which indicates that he was not working so he almost certainly entered the workhouse because he lost his job as a sawyer. There was a sawmill on the Regents Canal within a short distance of where he and his wife lived at 17½ Turk Street. Why he lost his job is not known. His death within two years of entering the workhouse at the age of 62 was due to chronic bronchitis. Possibly he has suffered from bronchitis for a number of years and this had affected his ability to work at what must have been a physically demanding job. However, he entered the workhouse in June 1879 when bronchitis would have been in remission so perhaps he lost his job the previous winter and his meager savings had been used up by June.

Address: Bethnal Green Workhouse, Waterloo Road, Bethnal Green

Although the census return shows his occupation as a sawyer he is also shown as a pauper as were all the other inmates. He is also shown as being married which means that he was separated from his wife. The whereabouts of his wife is not known as she was not recorded in the 1881 Census although she was still alive. She may have been living at 17½ Turk Street which is where Hezekiah was shown as living before entering the workhouse.

Cause: Chronic Bronchitis

Address: Waterloo Road, Bethnal Green, Middlesex

Address: the Bethnal Green district

W. L. Sturlevant was the Master of Bethnal Green Workhouse.

Hannah Drew (1820-1860)

Harriett Dowell (1841-1904)

Charles Edward Dowell (1846-1902)

Harry Dowell (1848-1897)

Thomas Dowell (1851-1851)

Hezekiah Dowell (1852-1901)

Thomas Frederick Dowell (1855-1919)

Frederick Dowell (1857-1927)

Address: Shoreditch, Middlesex

Matthew who signed with his mark was the bride's father. The relationship of Maria Coombs to the couple is unknown but was probably a friend. It is almost certain that Mathew's wife Susan (née Harrison) also attended, but who else was there is not known. Hezekiah's mother was dead and it is unlikely that his father who lived in Warwick would have made the journey to Shoreditch.

Address: City Gardens

The family consisted of Hezekiah, his wife Hannah and their three week old daughter Harriett. They shared the house with another family of three and two single men. Hannah's parents Matthew and Susan Drew also lived in City Gardens just 4 houses away.

Address: 4 City Gardens

The family consisted of Hezekiah, his wife Hannah, and their children Harriet (age 10), Charles (age 5), Harry (age 2) and Thomas (age 2 months). They shared the house with another family of 8 making 14 in all. The Census gives no indication of the size of the house.

Elizabeth Sparks (1824-aft1901)

Sarah Dowell (1862- )

William Dowell (1864- )

Address: in the Parish of Shoreditch, Middlesex

Edward Drew was the brother of Hezekiah’s first wife Hannah Drew. The relationship of Jane Goddard to the couple is unknown. Hezekiah's father may have been present but his mother had died in 1836. Elizabeth's parents may also have been there but who else attended the wedding is not known. Elizabeth was nearly seven monthe pregnant with their first child whn she went to the altar.

Address: 2b Queen Street, Pitfield Street

The household consisted of Hezekiah, his second wife Elizabeth and their son William Dowell; Hezekiah's two sons from his previous marriage to Hanna Drew, Fredrick and Thomas Dowell; Thomas English who was Elizabeth's son by her previous marriage to Joseph English; and a grandchild Elizabeth Quince who was the daughter of Elizabeth English (d/o Joseph English and Elizabeth Gill) and Henry Quince. Although Hezekiah was working as a sawyer, Elizabeth as a seamstress (almost certainly at home), Thomas English as a wire worker, and Frederick and Thomas as errand boys the total family income was probably very small. They shared the house with 2 other families and in all there were 18 people in the house. The size of the house is unknown.