James HOOKINS, who appears on my own Family Tree, was born either in 1833 or 1834. He was the 2nd of 5 children born to John HOOKINS and his wife Sarah (nee HAYES), although the eldest son was to die in August 1834. James was baptised in the local Parish Church in the village of Brompton Ralph on 27 April 1834.
At the first nationally recorded Census in 1841 James was living (as HOOKINGS) with his parents and the remaining 3 siblings at Park Cottage, Brompton Ralph.
Park Cottage, Brompton Ralph
The family were still at Brompton Ralph in 1851 with the exception of James' sister Elizabeth, who was a Housemaid at the local Rectory.
On 12 April 1860 James married Catherine SLADE at Brompton Ralph, although her birth name seems to have been Caroline, and the 2 names are interchanged during their future life together. At their marriage James is shown to be a Master Shoemaker. Their first child, Mary Louisa was born in September 1860 in the same village and the family lived at Park Cottage in 1861.
Their 2nd daughter, Adelaide Caroline, was born in January 1862 in Brompton Ralph, followed by Francis John in February 1870, although he died just 8 months later. So, by 1871 James and Catherine (as Caroline) were living with their 2 daughters at Parks, with Catherine having become a Dressmaker.
Their 3rd daughter, Mabel Annie, arrived in January 1875 to complete the family. In 1881 Mary Louisa was elsewhere living as a Servant, but the remainder of the family were still resident at Parks.
In 1891 Catherine goes by the name of Caroline and is living with her husband and 2 daughters at the same address but by 1901 they had changed their address to the Carpenters Arms in the village where James is described as being an Innkeeper and Shoemaker. In the previous decade all 3 daughters had married but Mary Louisa is living with her parents at the pub under her married name of WILLIAMS.
James died on 7 October 1903 aged 68 years and was buried in the churchyard in Brompton Ralph 2 days later. Several references suggest that he was buried in 1902 but there are 3 years worth of burials on one page of the register ranging from 1902 to 1904 and the exact year can only be determined by the chronological entries for each actual month.
James' widow outlived him by a further 21 years and was buried in London under her birth name of Caroline.
