The Gray Family

The Grays had a rough time of it. They were raised in the East End, by older siblings (their parents died in 1873) and had to scrounge just to survive.

Thomas Gray and Rebecca O'Shea married in 1858, and their first child, Franklin Timothy Gray (Frank) was born in 1858. The second Gray child., James (Jim), was born in 1860. After Jim came Conor (born 1863), Sean Patrick (born 1864), Sophie Theresa (born 1867), and Kevin Corey (born 1869). Finally, the baby of the family, Marion Kathleen, was born in 1870.

Thomas and Rebecca died in 1873 of consumption, and the children were sent to an orphanage.

In 1877, Frank died (at age 18) in an accident at the docks, and Jim became the head of the family. Conor begins working. The children have resorted to begging.

1880 marks the year of Kevin's death at 11. He caught pneumonia after he and Marion went out in the cold one night. Sean has become a skilled pickpocket, and taught Marion (age 10). Conor finally has enough of that life, and marries Emma Strathern and moves to America with her.

The very next year, Sophie becomes a prostitute (or a "tart") at age 14. Marion resorted to pickpocketing, and Jim still worked at the docks.

In 1882, Marion was sent to a school to learn how to be a domestic servant. In Jim's words, "Someone in this bloody fam'ly better get a decent job..." Jim began to smuggle, particularly opium.

In March of 1886, Marion moved to work at the Hunter home, a prestigious aristocratic family in London. Sean got married to Angela Johnson. Sophie got married also--to Charles Moran, a man 3 times her age. They have a child, Polly, 5 months later.

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