Emma was born between 1852 and 1855. The date is unclear at present due to variant spellings of her surname. She was born in St James Westminster and her father was known to be John CANE and her mother Anne.
In the 1861 Census Emma was aged 6 and was living with her parents and 2 siblings at Noel Street in Westminster. Ten years later in the 1871 Census she is at her parents' home at 31 Stanley Street in St Georges Hanover Square where there were also 3 other siblings + 3 visitors and Emma's own 3 month old daughter, also called Emma. In the same month as the Census took place Emma married William HOOKINS at Eccleston Square Chapel in St Georges Hanover Square where Harriet, one of Emma's sisters was a witness.
At the end of the following year Emma's second daughter, Kate Emmeline, was born at 107 Stanley Street, followed by William Edward who was born there in 1875, Louisa Ann in 1877 and Florence Harriet in 1879.
By the time of the 1881 Census only Louisa was missing from the family as she was with her maternal grandparents at 14 Winch Street. The remainder of her family were together at 57 Motley Street in Battersea and Eliza, one of William's sisters, was also there.
Child No. 6, Walter Sidney, was born at 510 Wandsworth Road in Clapham at the end of that year, followed by Albert Frederick in 1884 at 150 Heath Road, Clapham, but by the time of Daisy Beatrice's birth in 1886 the family had moved to Gillingham in Kent at 9 Duncan Terrace. Ellen Mabel (1888) and Sidney Arthur (1889) were also born in Kent in an area of Gillingham called Brompton. Percy George came along at the beginning of 1891, born in the same house as his sister Daisy was born 5 years previously!
By 1891 the family were at 9 Station Road in Gillingham, although Kate was a servant at 631 Wandsworth Road back in Clapham and young Emma was also in Clapham with her married paternal aunt Louise TOURNER and family.
In the 1901 Census the family is indexed as HOSKINS and were living at the London, Chatham & Dover Railway Station in the High Street in Rochester. Three more of the family were no longer with them. Florence had apparently died in 1898, William had married the following year, and the whereabouts of Louisa is unknown although she does appear in the next Census.
Emma's husband, William, was then to die in 1907 shortly before his 61st birthday and in 1911 the widowed Emma was living at 377 High Street in Rochester with her two youngest, Percy and Sidney, Daisy, the returning Louisa and a servant.
Emma herself died at the age of 70 in 1921 having borne 11 children and moved to countless addresses.
