The real Edwin Fox was born in London
in 1820, the son of Ebenezer Fox, who
sold supplies to artists and Mary Ann
Goodhugh. there is now a new mystery: when and
how did Thomas Reeves and Edwin Fox
meet? And what was the nature and
extent of their relationship?” Boyd says.
Through their detective work, Adrian and
Boyd gradually put the puzzle pieces
together, building a clearer picture of The co-editor of The Journal of the
Gilded Age and Progressive Era, Boyd
returned to Canada alongside Adrian
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the man behind the name; a man with a
family, with a career and a minor public
figure.
“It seems Edwin Fox started out as
an architect; that is the profession he
gave in the 1841 census. Later in life he
worked as an auctioneer, a surveyor and,
eventually, a property developer.
“In 1848, he married Elizabeth Allport, and
they would have four sons. Elizabeth died
in 1872 and Fox remarried; the only thing
known about her is her first name: Mary.
“Fox was initiated into the Masons in
1857. He was also something of a minor
public figure: a member of the Common
Council of the City of London and a
Land Tax Commissioners in the 1860s,
and Chairman of the Grand Junction
Waterworks Company in the 1880s.
The real Edwin Fox was
born in London in 1820,
the son of Ebenezer Fox,
who sold supplies to
artists and Mary Ann
Goodhugh.
last month. Still reeling from their find,
the pair are delighted they had been
able to divulge the Fox’s secret.
Vessel of Globalization: The Many
Worlds of the Edwin Fox will be
published in the next couple of years.
But it was Fox’s friendship with Thomas
Reeves that ultimately lead to the honour
bestowed upon him, the naming of a ship
in recognition of the esteem in which he
was held. “The book wouldn’t exist without the
Edwin Fox. And probably no other ship
would do. The idea came during a
visit to the Edwin Fox Museum in 2017.
Watching the video that tells the ship’s
story, there was a sudden realisation that
this was also the story of globalization
that was taking place between 1850 and
1914.
“It was really helpful that his middle name
was Goodhugh, because there were more
Edwin Fox’s than you might imagine”.
“There can be no doubt that this is the
man for whom the ship was named. But
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Titanium Watches!
“Because of her exceptional longevity,
we have the opportunity here to tell that
larger and hitherto untold story, and
that’s really exciting,” says Boyd.
He died in 1891, leaving an estate valued
at 21,344 pounds, which is worth about
NZD 4.9 million today,” says Adrian.
Uncovering the connection between
the Edwin Fox mentioned in the will and
Edwin Goodhugh Fox of St Helen’s Place
was the conclusive evidence needed.
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“In telling the story of the Edwin Fox,
we are telling the story of globalization
from the deck of a single ship. Without
a remarkable ship like the Edwin Fox,
whose career was so long and so varied,
it would not be possible,” says Boyd.
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