Sarah HOOKINS (Tree 3Q)

Sarah HOOKINS was the 7th of 7 children born to Schoolmaster Robert HOOKINS and his wife Mary (nee JEFFERYS). She was also the first HOOKINS to be recorded on the registration of births which began in 1837 as her birth date was 25 August which was recorded in East Stonehouse in Plymouth.

She therefore appeared in the first UK Census in 1841 where she lived at East Street in East Stonehouse with her parents and her 6 remaining siblings.

By 1851 the family were still in East Stonehouse and, according to Kelly's Directory in 1852, still in East Street. At that point she is living with her parents and 3 siblings together with her maternal grandmother. In 1861 the residence is just shown as Plymouth when only 1 other sibling remained with her and her parents.

Although not married, Sarah had her first child Frederick Robert on 24 October 1863 at 10 Church Street in Stoke Damerel. It is also known that his birth took place at 2.30pm as it was closely followed 10 minutes later by his twin sister Bessie although she sadly died 20 months later. Things were obviously not going well for Sarah as her next son Alfred John was born in Borough Prison in Plymouth on 22 April 1867 and he died just 5 months later in Plymouth Workhouse.

In the 1871 Census her first son Frederick is living with his grandparents Robert and Mary in Factory Lane in Ermington just outside Plymouth whilst Sarah lived alone in Green Street, Plymouth. Historically there were some alms houses in this street along with a Mineral Water manufacturer, although Sarah is described as a shirt maker at the time..

By 1881 Sarah was still unmarried and living at Keaton, Ugborough although by 1891 she had moved in with her sister Anna at 3 Castle View in Totnes. In 1894 on 6 October in the Australian Town and Country Journal published in New South Wales under "Long Lost Relative" there appeared the following posting: "Sarah longs for news of her brother Samuel who moved into different diggings in South Australia and had not been heard from since he was in Alexandria 10 years before." She was therefore unaware that Samuel had died in 1885 in the District of Gaffneys Creek, a mining locality in Victoria, and was subsequently buried  in Enoch's Point Cemetery in Alexandria, County Anglesea in the state of Victoria in Australia seemingly also unmarried. Sadly Sarah's firstborn son Frederick also died at the end of that year.

in 1901 Sarah is again recorded as being a shirt maker on her own account but is still living with Anna at a cottage in Totnes. However Sarah was to die on 13 December 1903 sadly at the County Asylum in Exminster in Devon having suffered from colitis for 8 weeks. At death she was described as a Servant from Totnes and her burial took place in Exminster on 19 December.

A life of 66 years which seemingly encompassed so many difficulties and hardships and in the end even saw her surviving longer than each of her 3 children.

Samuel HOOKINS (Tree M)

 This Samuel HOOKINS was born on Christmas Day 1852 in Kings Brompton. He was the 2nd of 11 children born to William HOOKINS and his wife Charlotte (nee FARMER). His baptism, recorded as HOOKINGS, took place at the Blessed Virgin Mary Church in Brompton Regis just 4 days after his birth. He therefore first appears in the Census returns in 1861 with the family name given as HOOKINGS. The family were at Great Smallmoor in Kings Brompton where Samuel lived with his parents and 4 siblings.

By 1871, again under the HOOKINGS name, Samuel was an indoor servant at Vinnicombe towards Exeter with the family of James QUICK whilst his own family lived a few miles away in the hamlet of Bury.

On 25 September 1873 Samuel married Margaret Hannah HOWE at Kings Brompton Parish Church. At that stage Samuel is described as a Miner. Margaret already had a son, Henry WOOD born 1871, whose father was John WOOD. Further children were born as a result of Samuel's union with Margaret - William born as HOOKINGS in Kings Brompton in 1875, Elizabeth born in Luxborough in 1877, and James born Brendon Hill in 1879. 

The HOOKINGS name continues in the 1881 Census where Samuel is living at Brendon Hill, Old Cleeve with Margaret + Henery (spelling) now taking the HOOKINGS name, William, Elizabeth and James. Two more children, John in 1881, and George in 1885 were born before the next Census in 1891 where we find that Samuel had moved his family to the South Wales coalfields to pursue his mining career. He lived at Nailers Cottage in Risca with Margaret and all 6 children.

However a change of career seems to have happened at some time during the next 10 years as by the 1901 Census Samuel HOOKINGS was an Innkeeper in Risca where he lived with Margaret and 4 of their children. Daughter Elizabeth had married in 1895. Henry is now using his mother's maiden name of HOWE which he continues to use when with his own family in the 1911 Census.

Margaret died in April 1902 in Newport at which time Samuel was the Innkeeper of the Western Valleys Inn in Pontymeister. Samuel remarried in 1903 as HOOKINGS with his wife Elizabeth WILSON being 20 years his junior.

After his mining days and subsequent dabbling in the pub trade, Samuel makes a further random career diversion for, by 1911 he is a Fish Fryer living with Elizabeth at 29 Clive Road in Cardiff!

29 Clive Road, Cardiff

Samuel died in 1920 in Newport.

Samuel HOOKINS (Tree A)

 This Samuel HOOKINS was my great great grandfather and was born on 3 December 1830. He was the 2nd of 8 children born to Robert HOOKINS and his wife Mary Ann (nee FOXWELL). He was baptised just 16 days later (as HOOKINGS - a common transcription error in our family's history) at St John the Baptist Church in Wellington, Somerset.

St John the Baptist Church Wellington

In the Census for 1841 Samuel was living at Pitt Cottages in Wellington with his parents and 4 siblings, all again recorded as HOOKINGS. In 1851 he is not living with the family and has not yet been located elsewhere but on 8 July 1854 he married Eliza SANDY at Pawlett Parish Church still recorded as HOOKINGS! The interior of the church pictured below shows where they would have stood to recite their vows to each other.

Interior Pawlett Parish Church

Their first child, James arrived in 1855 and he was baptised in the church where his parents had married the previous year (yes - as HOOKINGS!). 3 more children followed - William (my great grandfather) in 1857, Mary Ann in 1858 and Walter in 1859. Many congratulations to Walter as they at last got the family surname spelling correct. All the family were present and correct at the 1861 Census living in Pawlett village.

In the next decade 6 more children arrived - Anna Marie in 1861, Elizabeth in 1863, Fanny in 1864, Jesse in 1867, Frederick Edward in 1868 and Samuel Henry in 1870 with only one being bestowed the HOOKINS spelling. Up 'til now Samuel's work had been Agricultural Labourer (1857), Servant (1864), Labourer (1861-4) and Brickyard Labourer (1867). However he was never destined to set eyes on his final son who bore his name as father Samuel died at the beginning of 1870 whilst Eliza was pregnant with her 10th child. What an awful time for her. Her husband had died of inflammation of the lungs which was likely to have been caused through the inhalation of brick dust.

So the 1871 Census sees Eliza living in Pawlett with 9 of her 10 children as eldest son James was working as a Servant on a farm in the village. The ages of the children with her ranged from 14 years down to just a few months. After a further 6 years she was married again to Frederick SHUTE who had been living in the village at the previous Census so was probably know to her previous husband and the other family members. He was also an Agricultural Labourer and was 14 years Eliza's junior. They remained married for a further 25 years before Frederick's death followed the year after by Eliza's.

 

Samuel HOOKINS (Tree A)

 Samuel HOOKINS was my great Uncle Sam. He was born on Boxing Day 1881 in Huntspill. He was the eldest of 11 children born to William HOOKINS and his wife Susan (nee MASONS) and was baptised in the village church in Pawlett.

His first appearance in the Census occurred in 1891 when he was living at Puriton Road in Palwett near Bridgwater with his parents and 6 siblings. Ten years later he is found to be a servant at Brent Street, Brent Knoll at the home of the Sheppard family the head of which was a Road Contractor. Sam is here recorded as HOOKINGS.

On 31 August 1909 he married Alice PHELPS at Pawlett Church by which time Sam is recorded as being a Gardener. Their only child was Violet Lilian who was born in 1910 in Pawlett and I had the privilege of meeting with her at her home in Weston super Mare and having frequent correspondence with her prior to her death.

By 1911 Sam was a Carter for a Nursery and lived with Alice and Violet in Pawlett. For the First World War Sam joined the Army Service Corps No M1/077279 and served in France.

Samuel HOOKINS Army Service Corps

At some stage Sam separated from Alice as in 1939, whilst all the family lived in Weston super Mare, Alice was living alone in Moorland Road and Sam was with Violet a few streets away at Langport Road. At this stage Sam is recorded as being an Omnibus Driver which he seems to have continued with until retirement. Violet was a Teacher in a Private School.

Samuel HOOKINS standing right

Samuel HOOKINS

Alice died in 1954 in Weston super Mare and Sam 20 years later in the same town where he was subsequently cremated. Violet eventually entered a Nursing Home in the town and died in 2004.