Charles Emil Sleeper

 Well, that did not take long.  Charles Emil was born Karl Emil Schlieper.  As a naturalised British citizen he changed his name to Charles Emil Sleeper by deed poll in November of 1938 in the same Quarter as marrying Pamela Suren's mother Maudie Lessor.

Courtesy of FindMyPast and the London Gazette.

His marriage registration, and death notice, connect them all together.  The following identifies him as both Schlieper and Sleeper as well as his spouse as Lesser and Suren:

This identifies Pamela as person to be notified at his death:

Another line bites the dust.

Pamela Sleeper (Suren)

 Lovely, confusing Pamela.  Listed in the 1939 Register as Sleeper then annotated later to be Hart, then annotated again to be McAlpin-Michell.  Actually it was McAlpin-MITCHELL, but no bother.  She was not a Sleeper in any case.  Her mother Maudie LESSER Suren remarried Charles Emil Sleeper when Pamela was 12.

So two more struck off the 1939 Sleeper list.  However, I will be following Charles Emil back to see if he connects to the Schleiper/Sleeper lineage or leads us elsewhere..

Not Dudley's Ancestors

My quest to research all the Sleepers in the U.K., especially England, stems from a long standing brick wall in my personal genealogical research.  My family Sleeper line is confidently researched back to Dudley Sleeper b. about 1771/d. 15 Nov 1837 Hartford, Windsor, Vermont, USA.  

photo by RonH from FindAGrave

Whilst having a male of the line yDNA tested, and matching several other yDNA tested Sleeper males, none have definitively traced back to a documented lineage in England.  Well, not that they've shared... So I'm approaching it the other way round - from England/U.K. to the U.S.

I reiterate this because my first research selection, Ada Sleeper, from all the identified Sleepers in the 1939 Register led me confidently to the progenitor Sleeper for that line in England:  Christian Frederick HENRY Sleeper (formerly Schlieper) of the Kings German Legion, b. abt 1788, Germany/d. 27 Jan 1849, Little Smith Street, Chelsea.  While not definitive until I can find a living descendant to test, I think highly unlikely Henry Schlieper's line is the same as Dudley's.

I think it now time to select another Sleeper from the 1939 Register...

Theresa Jane Sleaper

So far not much more has been found on our lone Nazareth House inmate.  1911 Census (via FindMyPast) does not list her as disabled, but she is in a Nazareth House.  This time in Hammersmith, London. 

Whilst it does not list her with any disability as on the 1939 Register, we are given her birth location of Woolwich.

I find it interesting the Nazareth Houses so far spell her name Teresa, no h. Yet her name as registered at birth spells it as Theresa.  Since it's on the birth record, that's how I've listed her in the Ancestry research tree: Sleaper Theresa Jane. 

To recap from the last post, the 1939 Register has Theresa residing at Nazareth House in Southend-on-Sea.

Birth registration from the General Register Office (GRO) states her mother's maiden name to be Kelly.  

Yay, another name.  I suppose I may need to spend the $ to gain a forename for Kelly and hopefully the father and his profession...  Before that though, I think a death registration might be in order here to bookend her life.  New search parameters through FindMyPast.com and we get:

Darn, smack dab in the middle of the no digital download records from the GRO.  So this be it for now.  Probably still at Nazareth House Southend-on-Sea.  But, now we know she lived until 1974.

Digital copy of the birth record gives us father, Frederick Sleaper, manual labourer; mother, Ellen Kelly Sleaper.  Birth location appears to be 94 Sandy Firth Road, Plumstead, Woolwich.

Now this raises a question or two... Frederick.  We have a Frederick Sleeper in our London Sleepers Tree who is a commercial traveler.  His death report in The Sunday People in 1893 states he has a widow, no children mentioned but that does not mean there were not any.  

Also of interest in 1882 his Britten Workhouse record states he is a Roman Catholic. Nazareth House Asylums were for those of RC faith at the time. 

To confirm we've got the same people, I need a marriage document between Ellen Kelly and Frederick Sleeper/Sleaper.  Roman Catholic...

Sleapers

Many of the various census entries I am looking at are written Sleaper rather than Sleeper.  This lead me to go back to FindMyPast and add this parameter to my search of the 1939 Register.  There are only four, so not a large impact.  

However, given that the first Sleeper I began investigating was Ada down in Faversham whose husband's line ended up in London for generations and all descendants need to be eliminated from a potential YDNA testing pool as they are ultimately Schliepers from Germany, I need to broaden my reach I fear.

Yes, I'm still working down the Schliepers to eliminate from the original pool...  Prolific, but since there are so few Sleepers in the 1939 Register, I wonder how many lines will have daughtered out or are actually connected to this line.  

To give myself a break, I think I'll take a peek at these Sleapers...  Immediately this list gets cut in half.  One, Susanna E is married to Walter, so she is not a Sleaper per se.  

Then Teresa Jane is duplicated - interestingly they are indexed differently, but the images are identical and identified as Southend-On Sea, County Borough, so that will be the location I use.  Next to find information on the institution she was as.  

According to the record, Theresa Jane Sleaper was born 20 April 1892 which means she was 47 when the Register was compiled. She is single, disabled, and residing at Nazareth House in Southend-on-Sea.

A quick search on Nazareth House in S-on-S and we find it has been demolished for new housing.  The Children's Homes website has an article on this site specifically which states it was mostly for boys.  However, looking at the 1939 register, there are pages of single disabled women and other working adults.  A bit confused, but perhaps more will come clear later.  I need to find parents for this lady...

Schlieper not Sleeper

Working back from Ada Mary Coumbe Sleeper's husband William Sleeper, we come to one Christopher Frederick HENRY Sleeper, born, according to the 1841 Census, in 'Foreign Parts'.  I was hesitant to ascribe Foreign Parts to truly foreign, but the census is quite clear in the choices provided for the enumerator as to the Birth Location field: 

His occupation being Pensioner is interesting as it infers having been employed in a profession that actually granted pensions... in the 1840s. Could be military...  Other possibilities? 

Since this was the earliest record I had for this Henry Sleeper (married to Lucy Blandford), It figured it might be the most accurate.  Not a given, but a good lead. 

Next were the baptisms for their first two children listed in the 1841 census, which occurred on the same day.  They clearly record the father's occupation as 'soldier'.

1 Oct1826, St Luke's Parish Church, Sydney Street, Chelsea, Middlesex: both Edward Thomas (13 Oct 9:1823) and William (13 Aug 23:1826) sons of Henry (and Lucy), Pensioner of Little Smith Street.

However, the eldest child appears to be Jane Sleeper, 20.  Her baptism record shows she is baptized Jane Rebbecca the same day, 21 February 1819, as her brother Frederick William.  Again, at the same parish church as the later siblings.  Again Henry and Lucy Sleeper of Little Smith Street as parents.  However, this time Henry's occupation is clearly identified as SOLDIER: 

Marriage document next.  Let's confirm Lucy's maiden name, as well as when...  Hopefully married prior to the birth of Frederick William and Jane Rebecca.  Unfortunately, no clues to their respective birth dates save prior to their baptism dates.

I found this obscure document, well barely a document, on Ancestry which may or may not be our Henry and Lucy.  Chelsea is a common denominator and the 1815 fits. However, while Hy is common abbreviation for Henry, his surname appears to first be Sohiper and then crossed out and rewritten as Schliper or Sohliper, which is how it is transcribed into Ancestry. 

Needing more..finding the parish record, again from St Luke's on Sydney Street, Chelsea, for the marriage, 27 February 1915, of Lucy Blandford we can see how Henry's surname is written and still leaves me unclear as to the actual spelling.  Definitely not Sleeper, but phonetics were the basis of all records during this time, except Henry signed for himself.  This is definitely NOT Sleeper.  It appears to be Schlieper.  In fact, they both signed.  Not an illiterate couple.

Says banns were posted.  I wonder if I can find those and glean more information?

Back to the surname question. 

A quick search on FindMyPast came up with only 7 Henry Schlieper entries using England as the location.  Five are for British Army Service Records, two for incoming passengers.  

Of the incoming passengers, the one in 1899 is for H. Schlieper, age 56, Merchant, who boarded at Rio (de Janeiro) and disembarked in Cherbourg, not Southampton. Birth year estimated to be 1843 - scratch.  The one in 1913 for H. Schlieper, waiter, age 19 citizen of Germany, last residence also Germany, intending England as permanent residence.  That would make his birth about 1894.  Not a candidate, either.

That leaves the army records:

• Hy Schlieper: Royal Hospital Chelsea records of King's German Legion, a rate of 1/3, no date for admission, Residence: 2 West London, dates of pension payments: 31 Mar, 30 Jun, 30 Sep, 31 Dec. Looks like a pencilled death date of 27 Dec (18)48 in (?) lot.  There is an additional notation in the transcript of Hanoverian.
• Hy Schlieper: Pension year 1815 and death as 1849. When evaluating the document itself: Date of admission: 2 February 1815, Residence London (2?); Died 27 January1848. 
• Henry Schlieper: Returns of Payment of Army and Other Pensions, I Legions, Aug 1847, London 1st East. Document Heading: II. Pensioners Transferred to the District. Rank S., from district (?)W London, date to which pensioner was paid previous to transference: Not paid in this Division transfer returned.  There is also a note: Cancelled, see other side. This note refers to the entry immediately below.
• Henry Schlieper: Document Heading: Monthly Return of changes which have take place among the Out-Pensioners of Chelsea Hospital in the 1st Eastern D London 1st to the 31st August, 1847, inclusive. I. Pensioners transferred from District.
• Henry Schlieper: Monthly Return of changes which have take place among the Out-Pensioners of Chelsea Hospital in the 2nd West District London 1st to the 31st August, 1847, inclusive. Pensioner transferred FROM district, Henry is crossed out with notation: Transfer cancelled.

Then the death record, which I am still searching for an official document, but the closest I could find was for Christian F. Sleeper, from Little Smith Street buried 2 Feb 1849 at Brompton. This from the St Luke's Parish register, Chelsea. 

I guess right now I just might be conflating this Henry Schlieper of Little Smith Street married to Lucy Blandford, with my Henry Sleeper of Little Smith Street married to Lucy (?)  Seems like an unlikely coincidence to have both sets of Henry and Lucy's living in the same place and time. I looked through all the 1841 census entries for Smith Street and Little Smith Street, St Luke's Parish, Chelsea.  No Schliepers.  The only other Sleeper family is Henry (20 yrs) and his wife Elizabeth and their children.  Further research confirms this second Henry is the son of Henry and Lucy. 

Add to this all the records I found for Henry give his address as St Luke's Parish, Little Smith Street, Chelsea, Middlesex, London, England.  Or some variation thereof.  Seems he moved in and stayed put. 

But what of this Christian F. Sleeper?  Is that also Henry? Seems so as the England and Wales Civil Registration Death Index for the 1st Quarter of 1849 list Christian Frederick Henry Sleeper, Chelsea.

I think this is a document I should get an image of from the General Register Office...

Oh, how sad.  Lots of clarification though, including that he was a German and a Sergeant in the King's German Legion, lived at 4 Little Smith Street, when found dead: 27 Jan 1849 and was reported to be 61 years of age.  

All in all, I don't know if this is a good find or not.  I will finish all his male descendants through to the 1939 Register for elimination purposes. 

Ada Coumbe's husband

That would be William Andrew Sleeper.  So using the 1939 Register, Ancestry searches, and FindMyPast, I have developed a tree identifying nine Sleepers as listed on the Register - and a still as yet unidentified redacted person who may or may not be a Sleeper. Whoop! Whoop!

The tree is public and searchable on Ancestry as Sleeper Ada Faversham Kent.  Here is a screenshot with the possibly still living persons redacted.  If you click on it, it will come up bigger.  Still a bit fuzzy, but you can read the other names.

Not a deep tree as I've only gone back to William's grandfather George, but I have gone through his son William Benjamin Sleeper to child that could just be a grandson.

There are the other two lines to follow as well, if I can sort them out.  One of what might be a sibling to William (a redacted name on the Register which I have yet to figure out), UPDATE! (19 Dec '25) this is definitely a sibling to William as confirmed by a grandson of William's sister.  Unfortunately, I do not yet know if the eighth child is male or female. 

 and another one who might be a child of his brother Frederick John Sleeper, as hinted at by the redaction tape over several lines of the children of the soldier section.  

The Pauline A Smith (later Sleeper) on the Register in Faversham with Ada, is Frederick's wife in the tree.