TIME LINE
J. E. CHILD / J. EDWIN CHILD
( John Edwin Child )

by Barry Weaver
Feb. 7, 2014
parents: John Griswold Child, born 7 Oct 1794 in Higganum, Conn. and Mary Ann (Ham) Child;   John d. 9 Oct 1876 in Prov., age 82 yrs of heart failure;  Mary, his wife, d. 8 Apr 1868 in Prov., age 46 yrs. of cancer. John G. Child was a shipbuilder in Providence, RI., and for a while was a partner in the firm of "Davis and Child" (shipbuilders)

1828 - birth of John Edwin Child in Providence on 5 Oct 1828

1830 - Fed. census; John G. Child, Prov. Cnty, pg. 083, Prov West Side

1840 - Fed. census; John G. Child, Newport, pg 213, Town of Portsmouth. (Note: not sure if this is the same John G. Child, however there is no John G. Child listed in Prov. in 1840)

1850 - Fed. census; Prov. Cnty. (Note: all below living at same address)
     John G. Child 55, shipbuilder
     Mary A. Child 48
     John E. Child 22, planemaker
     William Child 7
     Benjamin Child 7, (note that William & Benjamin are twins)
     Mary A. 2, (youngest daughter)
     Isaac Battey 33, planemaker
     Clarissa Battey 27 (wife of Isaac Battey & sister of John E. Child)

1857 - marriage of J. Edwin Child to Ellen Whitney of Eastford, CT, on 21 Oct 1857, civil ceremony Bk 57, Pg 680, Prov, RI

1859 - birth of Frank E. Child, 1st child & son of J. Edwin Child

1860 - Fed. census;  Prov. Cnty.
     John B.[sic] Childs [sic] 31, toolmaker ( $1, 500 net worth )
     Ellen Child 31
     Frank E.11 months
     Maria T. Whitney 56 (of Mass)
     Anna T. Whitney 26 (of Conn)

1864 - birth of Mary A. Child, 1st daughter & 2nd child of J. Edwin Child

1865 - RI State census
     John E. Child, age 36, b. Prov, toolmaker
     Ellen W. Child, age 37, Conn
     Alice  5, Prov.
     Frank E. Child 5, Prov.
     M. T. Whitney, female, 62, Mass
     Anna T. Whitney 31, Conn, teacher
*Note:  Isaac Battey, his wife Clarissa, and John G. Child are also living in this same house, listed as a separate family  unit.

1870 - Fed. census , Prov. Cnty.
     John G. Child 76, shipbuilder, CT ($3,000 net worth)
     Isaac Battey 51, ship carpenter [sic] , RI ($25,000 net worth)
     Clarissa Battey 46, keeping house

1876 - John G. Child (J.Edwin's father) dies, 9 Oct 1876, age 82 , of John & Clarissa. Prov. Death Records Bk76Pg1250

1881 - Prov. Almanac - J.E.Child, planemaker, Pine Street 

1888 - Ellen Whitney, wife of John E.Child, dies 22 Aug 1888 of cancer, age 61 yrs. 

1891 - Alice Maria Child  (J. Edwin Child's unwed daughter) dies on 10 Apr 1891 of acute tuberculosis, age 26

1890/91/93 - John E Child, planemaker, h.178 Clifford

1893 -  Frank Edwin Child, J. Edwin Child's son,  dies on 14 Apr 1893 of pneumonia, age 33

1898 - William D. Child, brother of J. Edwin dies on 18 May 1898, age 55 (gas-fitter; machinist)

1902 - Benjamin H. Child, brother of J. Edwin dies on 16 May 1902, age 59 (wire-worker; civil war hero; Chief of Police of City of Providence, RI)

1911 - John E. Child died on 2 Jun 1911, age 82 years (same age as his father) in Providence; buried in the Swan Point Cemetery 

SUMMARY   

     The important story or question here is; "Which planemaker did John E. Child learn his trade from ?"  In answering that question, there can be little doubt that it was his brother-in-law Isaac Battey.  If you look at the 1850 Federal Census entry above,  you'll see that Isaac Battey (33) and John E. Child (22)  are both living within the same household, and both listing themselves as planemakers.  Ten years earlier in 1840, when John was 12 years of age and near ready to learn a skilled trade, who better than his brother-in-law Isaac Battey, a planemaker who had just married his older sister Clarissa.
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