According to family records, Elizabeth Shaw's mother's maiden name was Mary Snaith. Considering that one of the witnesses was named Joseph Smith, perhaps Mary's surname was also misspelled, although Snaith is a legitimate surname.

In the book, LUTTERWORTH MARRIAGES, 1837 - 1891, (no citation), the marriage record for Joseph and Elizabeth varies slightly, but it does correct the spelling of Joseph's surname to Choice. Instead of identifying Elizabeth's father as a "Stockingmaker', he is described as a "Framework Knitter" which, I am told, is a compatible term, considering that framework knitters made stockings.

Betsy and Joseph had at least eight children, all born at Lutterworth. Their names and the dates of their birth were preserved by their daughter Mary Ann, and are as follows: Maria, born 7 Nov 1842; Eliza, 29 Apr 1846; Caroline, 18 Jun 1848; Thomas, 16 Jul 1850; Mary Ann, 6 Feb 1854; Harriet, 7 Sep 1855; Charles, 29 May 1859; and Joseph Choice, born 8 Feb 1864.

At St. Catherine's House, London, there is a record of birth and death in 1861 for a Maria Choice at Lutterworth, and for a James Choice who was born and died in Lutterworth in 1865. Parents names were not included for those two children.
Family records compiled by Mary Ann Choice, and passed down to her progeny, indicate that her father, Joseph Choice, died 25 Jan 1901, which would place his age at 78 years. However, when Mary Ann's granddaughter, Lucille Hallam, sent for his death certificate, Joseph was recorded as having died 21 Jan 1900, at Lutterworth. His son, Joseph, was present at his death. Betsy died 31 Dec 1903, at Lutterworth.

Of the eight children born to Betsy and Joseph, I have no further information for Maria, Elizabeth, or Thomas; some information for Caroline and Harriet; some speculation for Charles; and detailed information for Mary Ann and Joseph. Most of this information was supplied by Lucille Hallam from statistics recorded by her grandmother, Mary Ann (Choice) Hallam, and through Lucille's own research over the years.

CAROLINE (CHOICE) AND JAMES BELL OF LUTTERWORTH AND WORTLEY

Mary Ann Choice, daughter of Elizabeth (Shaw) and Joseph Choice, was born 6 Feb 1854, at Lutterworth. Mary Ann married John Hallam, 15 Dec 1874, at Lutterworth. Mary Ann and John had ten children, all born at BurtononTrent, Staffordshire, some 30 miles northwest of Lutterworth. In 1893, this Hallam family emigrated to America, where they settled in the State of Utah. More information is included in, "A Thumbnail Sketch for the HALLAM Family", and on the Hallam Family Charts at the end of this chapter.

MARY ANN (CHOICE) AND JOHN HALLAM, BREWER, OF HUSBANDS BOSWORTH, LUTTERWORTH, BURTONONTRENT, AND UTAH

Mary Ann Choice, daughter of Elizabeth (Shaw) and Joseph Choice, was born 6 Feb 1854, at Lutterworth. Mary Ann married John Hallam, 15 Dec 1874, at Lutterworth. Mary Ann and John had ten children, all born at BurtononTrent, Staffordshire, some 30 miles northwest of Lutterworth. In 1893, this Hallam family emigrated to America, where they settled in the State of Utah. More information is included in, "A Thumbnail Sketch for the HALLAM Family", and on the Hallam Family Charts at the end of this chapter.

HARRIET (CHOICE), MR. CLARK, AND GEORGE BELL, OF LUTTERWORTH

Harriet Choice, daughter of Elizabeth (Shaw) and Joseph Choice, was born 7 Sep 1855, at Lutterworth. Lucille's records show that Harriet first married a Mr. Clark, and secondly married George Bell. No town names were given. Harriet died 26 Nov 1874.

CHARLES CHOICE, LABOURER, OF LUTTERWORTH(?) AND LEICESTER

Charles Choice, son of Elizabeth (Shaw) and Joseph Choice, was born 29 May 1859, at Lutterworth. Lucille had no information pertaining to Charles, however, family researchers may want to investigate the family of CHARLES CHOICE, LABOURER, OF LEICESTER in this book. Although I am not too optimistic that Charles of Leicester is actually the son of Elizabeth (Shaw) and Joseph Choice, it would bear checking out because of the dates involved.

FLORENCE (THOMAS) AND JOSEPH CHOICE, GROOM, MAILCART DRIVER, AND BRICKLAYER, OF LUTTERWORTH

Joseph Choice, son of Elizabeth (Shaw) and Joseph Choice, was born 8 Feb 1864, at Lutterworth. Joseph married Florence Thomas, 20 Jul 1887, at Lutterworth. According to marriage records, Florence would have been only 17 years old when she married. From the book, LUTTERWORTH MARRIAGES 18371891, we learn that Joseph was a "Bachelor of full age, Groom, of Lutterworth, son of Joseph Choice, Framework Knitter". Florence was described as a "Spinster, under age, of Lutterworth, daughter of John Thomas, Labourer".

Florence and Joseph had eight children: Herbert Thomas Choice, born in 1888; Elizabeth Mary, 1890; Hilda Edith, 1892; Sydney Joseph, 1894; Frederick John, 1896; Leonard Henry, 1899; James Linnett, 1901; and Ivor Choyce, 1906. Joseph's occupation was given as a groom when he married, but by the time his first child was born, he was a mail cart driver, and still later, when his first son married, he was described as a bricklayer.

I understand from family members that Florence and Joseph separated when Ivor was two-years-old. That would have been about twenty-two years after they married, leaving Florence still a relatively young woman of some 39 years. I know nothing more about Joseph Choice. The Death Index at St.Catherine's House does carry an entry for one Joseph Choice who died at Leicester in 1943, at the age of 78 years. This age would have been compatible with the year of birth of Florence's husband. Family members say that Florence (Thomas) Choyce took her children to Southampton, England, where they lived at Castle House before making their way to the United States. Mattie Bernice Choice says, "According to Martha Choice, Bert was from Luton and lived with his father a few years after the marriage breakup."

There are towns named Luton in Bedfordshire, Devonshire, and Kent; and towns named Lutton in Devonshire, Lincolnshire, and Northamptonshire. We have yet to learn in which town Joseph lived.

In an effort to learn more about Castle House, I received a response from H. A. Richards, Divisional Librarian, Southampton Public Library, who enclosed a copy of the entry for Castle House in the 1911 Street Directory, which he said was identical to the entry in the 1912 directory. Mr. Richards explained that Castle House, "Earlier...had been described as a boarding house, and in the nineteenth century an inn, The Globe, and later Castle Hotel". He went on to describe the history of the building: "It was built into the remains of the medieval watergate at the bottom of High Street".

The four names listed in the street directory were those of Thomas Emms, Jules Save, James Choyce, and Frank Living, plus the business of Edmonds Brothers. "ship and yacht painters & house decorators". If this were James Linnett Choyce, he would have been only nine or ten years old at that time. Mr. Richards said only people over age 21 would have been listed. If he were not James Linnett Choyce, who was he?

Mr. Richards enclosed a copy of a newspaper article which described the early history of the original building, Watergate Tower, dating to preVictorian days. He enclosed copies of photographs of Castle House taken about 18701875, and again in 1910.

I wrote to Mrs. Joyce Yates of Marchwood, Southampton, England, who had offered to conduct limited research. Based on Mrs. Yates's research, it would also appear that Herbert was the only family member to have married at Southampton. It is rather strange that the name of Florence (Thomas) Choyce does not appear in the Southampton street listings. As we shall later learn, she must have lived there with her children long enough for them to have accumulated early memories which never left them.

It would appear that Martha Leather (Williams) and Herbert Thomas Choice (or Choyce) were the first members of the family to emigrate to the United States. They settled in the Chicago, Illinois, area where the rest of their family later joined them.

When Florence (Thomas) Choyce died, 2 Mar 1951, at Chicago, she was survived by all of her children, as well as by "12 grand-children and 12 greatgrandchildren" according to her obituary in the CHICAGO TRIBUNE. She is buried in Acacia Park Cemetery, Chicago.

MARTHA "MATTIE" LEATHER (WILLIAMS) AND HERBERT "BERT" THOMAS CHOICE, MECHANICAL ENGINEER, OF LUTTERWORTH AND CICERO

When redheaded Herbert Thomas Choice was born at Lutterworth, 5 Apr 1888, to Florence (Thomas) and Joseph Choice, his surname was spelled Choice, and he was called Bert. When Bert married, his surname was spelled Choyce. However, after emigrating to the United States (or perhaps before sailing), he reverted to the Choice spelling which his progeny use today.

Herbert Thomas Choyce married Martha Leather Williams, 7 Jul 1910, in the Congregational Church on the corner of The Avenue and Dina Road, Southampton, England. At the time of his marriage Herbert was, "age 22 years, Bachelor, Mechanical Engineer". His residence was listed as "Castle House, High Street, Southampton". Herbert was identified as the, "son of Joseph Choyce, deceased, a Bricklayer".

Martha, according to their marriage record, was "age 22 years, a Spinster, confectioners assistant, residence 147 Earls Road, Southampton". Martha was described as, "the daughter of John Williams, a Carpenter". His granddaughter, Mattie Bernice Choice, describes her maternal grand-father's occupation a bit further: "He actually was a ship's carpenter and spent much of his time at sea".

Witnesses to the marriage of Martha and Herbert were John Charles Headland and Mary Gertrude Leather.