Born as Isabel Esther Farmer on 24 August 1876 she was the fourth of the five children of Denne Farmer (1835-1893) and Isabel Farmer née Theobald (1838-1907). Her birth was registered in the 4th quarter of 1876 in the St. Saviour registration district, Southwark.
In the 1881 census she is shown as Esther Farmer, a scholar, living above the Yorkshire Grey public house, 134 Great Suffolk Street, Southwark, with her parents and four siblings: Minnie Josephine Farmer (1867-1941), Elizabeth Alice Ada Farmer (1869-1939), Charles Edwin Farmer (1874-1956) and John William Farmer (b.1880). Her father's occupation was recorded as a carman.
On 21 March 1883 she, together with her brothers Charles and John, were jointly baptised at St Saviour's Church, Southwark, where the baptismal register shows the family abode as 'Worcester Park' and lists her father's occupation as a coachman.
The 1891 census shows her as Isabel E. Farmer, living at 4 Osborne Street, Walworth, Surrey, the home of Edward Smith and Minnie Josephine Smith née Farmer (her sister) and their son Thomas E. Smith. In the 1901 census she is shown as Esther Farmer and described as cocoa packer living at 162 Southwark Bridge Road, Southwark, with her widowed mother together with two siblings: Charles and John.
On 25 December 1904 she married Daniel Long (1878-1940) at St Saviour's Church, Southwark, where the marriage register describes her as Isabel Esther Farmer, a spinster of 108 Union Street, Southwark and her husband as a bridge builder of the same address.
The 1911 census shows her as Esther Isabel Long living with her engineer's fitter husband at 108 Union Street. Also at the address was her husband's parents Daniel Long (1849-1931) and Amy Long née Bush (1858-1923), three brothers-in-law: Alfred Long (b.1891), Edward John Long (b.1894) and George Thomas Long (1882-1963), together with George Thomas Long's wife Alice Jane Long née Jenkins (1881-1951) and their three children, Edith Amy Long (b.1907), George Albert Long (b.1908) and May Long (b.1911).
Electoral registers from 1918 to 1933 lists her as Esther Isabella Long, but from 1934 to 1938 she is shown as Isabella Esther Long. However, the 1939 electoral register records her name as Isabel Esther Long.
The 1939 England and Wales register confirms her as Esther I. Long and that she was still living at 108 Union Street with her husband and that his occupation remained as an engineer's fitter.
She died, aged 64 years, on 10 September 1940, as a result of enemy action when a bomb fell on the Ewer Street air raid shelter. Her death was registered as Isobel E. Long in the 3rd quarter of 1940 in the Southwark registration district. Her name, as Isobel Esther Long, can be found on the Commonwealth War Graves Commission's website and it is also recorded as such in The Civilian War Dead Roll of Honour 1939-1945 that is kept just outside the entrance to St George's Chapel at the west end of Westminster Abbey. These incorrectly show that she was aged 63 years and for some unknown reason gives her address as 108B Union Street.
Credit for this entry to: Andrew Behan.
