Rebecca died in her forties and James
Thomas married a widow, Hannah Scott, in 1802. it looks as if theEdwards
genes had a tendency to early demise.
One of the grandsons of John Collis of Great Maplestead was Edward Ely
Coilis. Edward was born in Castle Hcdingham in 1783 and married Elizabeth
Sewell at Purleigh in 1807. They lived first in Prittleweil where they
had two children, Edward Bridgeman and Elizabeth.
They then moved to Great Baddow where they had five more children before
moving to Chelmsford in 1823 where they had three more. Edward opened
a bakery in Union Yard, off Tindal Street. Fie died in 1862 and his
son Samuel continued there as a baker.
Danbury
In 1820 Christopher Coilis, sixth child of William the Chelrnsford ironmonger,
married Sarah Orton in Danbury church and set up his carpenter's shop
at Runsell Green, Danbury. Sarah was the daughter of John Orton who
had a butcher's shop in Duke Street, Chelmsford. and lived in Little
Baddow.
Their first son William died in infancy but they had eight more children,
five sons and three daughters, one of whom also died an infant. The
eldest, Joseph George (b.1822), known as George, followed his fathers
trade as a carpenter but he soon went to South Ockendon where he married
Emma Mays, daughter of a local carpenter, on 9th August 1852.
The third son, Christopher John (h.1825) was an agricultural labou rer.
He married Ann Larnbert and they lived in nearby Woodham Mortimer. Edmund
(or Edward) (b~i827) was also an ag.lab. and settled south of Danbury
in Woodham Ferrers where he married Eliza Quilter in 1861.
William (b.1829) was another carpenter and he moved about ten miles
east to Southminster where he married Isabella Denning. They had five
children before she died in 1864. About 1870 William married a young
widow, Emma Batt, and they had another ten children! The last, Adelaide,
was born in 1888 when William was 59 and Emma 43.