John HOOKINS was born on 16 January 1846 in Wellington, Somerset. He was the 4th and last child born to John HOOKINS and Mary (nee BUBEAR), although the second of the siblings appears to have already died by the time John was born. John was baptised at St John the Baptist Church, Wellington.
St John the Baptist Church Wellington, Somerset
5 years later in the 1851 Census John was living at Birts Farm in Wellington with his parents, his one remaining brother + a lodger and a servant. In the 1861 Census the family of 4 lived at Champford Lane in Wellington with John still being at school.
By 1871 John was boarding with the family of Caroline WITHYCOMBE at Townsend Farm in Carhampton and where he is described as being a Road Surveyor. Just one month after that Census was taken John married Elizabeth Ann Hurford HENSON at Temple Church in Bristol.
the former Temple Church in Bristol
Their first child, William Henry John, was born in July 1871 at Old Cleeve in Somerset. Unfortunately William died a year later but he was followed by Georgina Ethel in 1873 at Old Cleeve, and Muriel Marie in 1878 in Trowbridge.
So by the time of the 1881 Census John was living at 43 Hilperton Road, Trowbridge with Elizabeth, Georgina and Muriel as well as a servant Selina DEANE. Shortly after that Census their 4th child, Charles Stanley was born at Hilperton Road, followed by John Cecil in January 1889 but he died of bronchopneumonia before the year was out.
The 1891 Census shows that John and Elizabeth were living with their 3 remaining children at a very imposing house at 25 Tower Road, Dartford with John now holding the position of District Surveyor of Highways.
25 Tower Road, Dartford
It was in Dartford that the couple's final child, Francis Nevill was born in May 1893 although their son Charles Stanley had died the year before that.
In 1901 John and Elizabeth were living with Georgina and Francis at the grand-sounding address of Gartley House, Dartford Road in Dartford which I have not yet been able to locate an image of. There are buildings called Gartley Cottages on that road so this may indicate that they belonged at one time to a larger property but no evidence has surfaced as yet. Muriel was absent from the household for this Census and has not yet been located but she was with her parents (although her mother is recorded as Annie), Francis and a servant in the 1911 Census still at Gartley House. Georgina was however not with the family in 1911 as she had married in 1904.
Elizabeth died in 1914 in Dartford and presumably John continued to live there at Gartley House for, although he died in 1931, daughter Muriel is recorded as being at the house in 1939.
