Caroline Frances HOOKINS (Tree 3Q)

Much about Caroline has eluded me. She came on to my radar when she, as VICKORY, married George HOOKINS on 2 June 1862 in the Register Office in Exeter. Her marriage certificate indicates that she was 40 years of age at this stage and a widow. Her father was John HILL, a printer, who was by then already deceased. The address of both her and George at that stage was Melbourne Street in Exeter. The census which took place a year before her marriage found her to be a Dressmaker living at 12 Melbourne Street with her mother Mary Salter HILL who was a widow and at that time a Shopkeeper. George was also living at that address.

15 Melbourne Street Exeter

By 1871 George and Caroline (recorded as HOOKINGS) had moved a few doors away to 15 Melbourne Street as her mother had died in 1868. With them was Bessie WALKEY, Caroline's grand-daughter, whose parents were living in West Teignmouth with 3 more of their children. The occupier of No 12 was now a Grocer and his family so presumably this was the shop premises from which Caroline's mother operated her business. This plot has now been redeveloped but No 15 is still in situ as shown.









By 1881 George and Caroline had moved the short distance to 81 Holloway Street in Exeter. With them in the house were a daughter Mary DAVIS and grand-daughters Mary Ellen DAVIS and, again, Bessie, now shown as WALKLEY. Caroline is again shown as being a Dressmaker. This area of Exeter has been totally redeveloped so nothing of the original property now exists.

14 French Street, East Teignmouth

In 1883 George unfortunately died at Holloway Street and by 1891 Caroline was living at 14 French Street, East Teignmouth with her married daughter Elizabeth WALKLEY and her husband with one of their children. Her stay there was however fairly brief as she died there in the same year at the age of 75 recorded as HOOKIN.

Caroline HOOKINS (Tree G)

Caroline was born, I believe, in the September quarter of 1841 as Caroline BAKER, daughter of Builder and Bricklayer John BAKER and his wife Caroline. In the 1851 Census she is found living with her parents and 2 siblings at 4 Palmers Mews, Finsbury. By 1861 she was engaged as a Housemaid at the home of a Brewer, John TURNER, and his family at Honeage Street, Spitafields in London.

Christ Church Spitafields

5 years later she married Henry Charles HOOKINS at Christ Church, the Parish Church in Spitafields, on 15th October 1866, at which time she had been living at 10 King Street, Spitafields.
They were living at 162 Central Street, St Luke when their first child was born, followed 2 years later (almost to the day) by a second daughter, by which time the family were at 32 Rahire Street, St Lukes.









In the 1871 Census the family of 4 is indexed as HOCKINS and living at 19 Britannia Street in Shoreditch. By 1881 Caroline is described as a Laundress. The family now comprises 5 children although one of them is away at the John Cass School in Botolph and one other had been born and had died during the intervening 10 years. The family is here indexed as HOOKINGS and are living at 12 Worley Court in St Botolph, Algate. In 1891 the family is at 7 Royal Albert Buildings in St Botolph. There are 6 children present - the eldest daughter had by now married and another child was away as a Servant in Bromley.
By 1901 Caroline was widowed and is living in Newington at 11 Tarow Street with just her youngest son and 10 years later she is living alone at 29 Bedford Street in Walworth.
She appears to have died in Uxbridge at the age of 85 although 13 years previously in the 1911 Census she is recorded as being 68 years old, neither of which seem to tie up with her assumed birth year which can be the subject of further investigation at some point. During her married life she had given birth to 9 children, 5 boys and 4 girls

Arthur Lethbridge HOOKINS (Tree 3Q)

Arthur Lethbridge HOOKINS was born on 21st April 1859 at Larkbeare in Exeter which is probably not the current property of that name which is a building which had been used as a residence for Circuit Judges. There was I understand another dwelling on Holloway Street known as Larkbeare House which was, I believe, demolished or substantially altered in the 1870s.
Arthur was the 3rd of 5 children born to Henry Lethbridge HOOKINS and Mary Ann Brand HOOKINS (nee COCKERAM), Henry's 2nd wife. One of Arthur's 2 brothers born to this couple also bore the 2nd name of Lethbridge like their father but I have not yet established how that was important to them.
In the 1861 Census Arthur was living at 3 Lower Summerlands  in Exeter with his parents, a sister, a brother and their maternal grandmother.
By the time of the next Census in 1871 Arthur's father had become widowed for the second time and was living at Mont le Grand in Heavitree, Exeter with 3 of his children + Mary's sister Margaret COCKERAM. Arthur himself appears by then to have been at school in Christ's Hospital in London. By 1881 he was living at 92 Sumner Road in Camberwell at the home of step-brother Henry and his family and Arthur's brother Charles Lethbridge HOOKINS was also there although they had all been indexed as HOOKENS!

48 Hatcham Park Road, Deptford

On 24th January 1891 Arthur married Jessis Florence SLEEP at Greenwich Register Office although his Lethbridge 2nd name was excluded form the record. At that time he was what is called a Manchester Warehouseman which was actually a Wholesaler of linen cloths made in factories around Manchester and they were living at 48 Hatcham Park Road in Deptford where they still lived at the time of the 1891 Census.

57 Kestral Avenue, St Paul, Herne Hill

By 1901 they had moved to a more desirable residence at 57 Kestral Avenue, St Paul, Herne Hill and Arthur was recorded as being a Private Secretary.







The 1901 Census described Arthur's Private Secretary role as being in a Tramway Undertaking whilst Jessie is recorded as being a Boarding House Proprietor. The address was 1 St John's Road, Brixton and present at the property were an aunt of Jessie's, 1 servant and 4 boarders whose occupations were (1) a Warehouseman in drapery (2) a Swedish clerk with a firm of barge builders (3) a Customs & Excise officer (4) a German Foreign Correspondent for a Piano? Manufacturer.
Arthur appears to have died in 1917 in Lambeth and 12 years later there is a reference to a Mrs J F HOOKINS with an address in Herne Hill on the Passenger List of a ship sailing to South Africa when she was 69 years old with South Africa indicated as the intended future country of permanent residence. She sailed on the ship "Ceramic" which was boarded at Liverpool.

Arthur Edward HOOKINS - Tree 3Q

34 Montague Road Hackney

Arthur Edward HOOKINS was born on 11th December 1896 at 34 Montague Road Hackney. He was the eldest of 14 children born to Henry Edward HOOKINS and his wife Grace Elizabeth (nee HALE) although it seems that despite carrying the HOOKINS name on her children's birth records and at Censuses Grace had not married Arthur until 1908 by which time 9 children had already been born.


In the 1901 Census Arthur was living at 80 Brook Street Lambeth with his parents and 1sister sibling although she was to die shortly after the Census was taken. By 1911 the family were at 4 Mason Street, Old Kent Road where Arthur lived with his parents and 6 siblings and by that time a total of 4 other siblings had died. 3 further children were born after that Census was taken.
In the first World War Arthur was a Private and subsequently found to be a Sergeant in the 24th London Regiment (Queens). He had volunteered in September 1914 and was sent to the Western Front in March 1915 where he experienced heavy fighting. He was wounded in action at Givenchy and invalided home after 2 months. On recovery he was supposedly engaged in "Special Duties" with the Military Police until 1918 when he returned to France. He was awarded the 1914-15 Star and General Service and Victory medals before being demobbed in June 1919.
He married Chralotte Elizabeth MASON on 17th October 1921 at Southwark Register Office and in the following 12 years they produced 5 children - all girls - who all grew up and married in the 1940s and 1950s. Arthur had been an HM Customs Officer in a Tea Warehouse and Charlotte a Waitress at the time of their marriage.
Arthur died on 14th August 1957 at St Helen's Hospital Carshalton pre-deceasing his wife by 19 years. At the time of his death they had been living at 283 Green Wrythe Lane Carshalton where according to old telephone directories they had been living since at least 1937 when their youngest child was just 4 years old.
                                                                                                               

Tree 2H - The Life of Arthur HOOKINS of Mitcham

Arthur was the son of James HOOKINS and his wife Ruth (nee WEST). He was born on 31st January 1842 as shown on his baptismal record on 4th January 1843 at St Peter & St Paul Parish Church in Mitcham. Curiously the Roman Catholic Church nearby also uses the names of these saints in its title.

Parish Church of St Peter & St Paul Mitcham

 Arthur had 2 older brothers and one younger sister. When sister Emily was baptised on 4th October 1846, it seems that Arthur was baptised again! At first I thought this to be another sibling with the first Arthur having died but fortunately the birth date is included in both of Arthur's baptismal entries although the second one assumes a birth date of 1st February 1842 - maybe there was an error in the original baptismal entry regarding the birth date which is why the second entry was thought necessary. It does seem odd that this second entry is not adjacent to that of his sister.
By 1851 Arthur was living at Common Side East in Mitcham with his parents + 2 siblings, a younger brother having died at the age of 9 weeks between Arthur's 2 baptisms. As can be deduced this was an area situated to the East of Mitcham Common. By 1861 only Emily remained in the household with Arthur and his parents as they lived at 1 Smiths Place in Common Side.
In 1867 Arthur married Emma HOPE at Newington St Mary Parish Church on 10th April when Arthur was described as a Greengrocer. In 1871 they were living at Upper Green in Mitcham (now called Upper Green East and Upper Green West) with 3 of the 7 children they would eventually have together. Arthur's father was also with them following his mother's death in 1864. By this time Arthur was described as being a General Dealer.
Tragically their 2 daughters, Emily and Emma, were to die the folowing year leaving just George, but another daughter, Maria, was born in 1873, followed by Arthur in 1875, James in 1878 (when the family were living at 7 Sibthorpe Road in Mitcham), and Ann in 1880. All of these children were with their parents in 1881 when Arthur was a dealer in horses and the family were at 5 Concrete Cottages in Mitcham.
By 1891 the family had moved back to Sibthorpe Road (No 18). Emma is recorded as Emily in this Census but the 5 children were still with them and Arthur is now recorded as a Shop Dealer.
Arthur died on 25th November 1897 at 2 Smiths Terrace, Mitcham recorded then as a Drover. His death was caused by Cirrhosis of the Kidney and Liver with Acute Bronchitis and Emma survived him by almost 17 years.

Tree A Thoughtful, Relevant and Connecting Gift with my Ancestors

At last I have managed to make the shortish trip to Somerset to visit the ancestral home of my paternal great-grandparents. It has been loving restored to replace many of the original features which had been removed or covered up by a previous owner. I have mentioned elsewhere on the blog the inclusion of Bridgwater Bricks in recognition of the work undertaken by my great grandfather locally.

The gifts I was given on my departure after my brief visit were unique and provided a special connection with the family who had lived there. The property itself was probably rented in the days of that family but adjacent to the property was a piece of land know as The Common. This was mostly surrounded by trees, one of which was a maple tree, which is now huge as it occupies that same position. The Common itself was covered with cowslips which were also frequently found in the country area of Somerset in which I had lived.

To be therefore given the gift of a sapling from that very maple tree and a cowslip plant from the old Common was a very special one which re-established, in a material way, the connection with the family who had occupied that house.

Thank you to Denise and Pete for all the care you have taken with the old homestead, your interest in preserving the Hookins legacy there and, of course, these simple but special gifts.

Mrs Susan HOOKINS (Tree A)

As mentioned elsewhere on the blog posts Susan HOOKINS was married to William and they were my great grandparents.
After William's death in 1932 Susan went to live with her daughter Alice in Shrewsbury after spending 50 years in the village of Pawlett near Bridgwater.
She died in 1938 in Shrewsbury.

I am indebted to my cousin Ken HOLMES who has sent me the attached copy of the funeral account of our mutual great grandmother.
The mourners were her children Samuel, Frederick, Henry HOOKINS and Alice ROBERTS together with her Samuel's daughter Violet. Also present were Beatrice INDER (niece) and other nieces and a nephew I can't identify namely Mr C WILKINS, Mrs T WILKINS and Mrs E LANE (probably related to sister-in-law Alice who married William's brother Jesse). Susan's children Walter and Ada (now RODBER) were unable to attend.
Amongst the floral tributes were those from May and Bob ROBERTS (daughter and son-in-law), Daisy and Richard HOLMES (granddaughter and husband - also Ken's parents), Grace GRIFFITHS (granddaughter), Mr and Mrs KING (relatives of daughter-in-law Naomi?).
The Undertaker was W Inder & Son of Higbridge, the family into which Susan's granddaughter had married.
Susan was interred with the ashes of her late husband in the churchyard in Pawlett.

Arthur HOOKINS (Tree A)

Arthur HOOKINS was born on 11th August 1864 at 68 Marlborough Street, Chelsea. He was the youngest of the 10 children born to William HOOKINS and his wife Lydia Jane (nee BENNETT). The family stayed at this address for some time being recorded there in the Censuses taken in 1871, 1881 and 1891 by which time Arthur had followed his father's profession as a Master Bootmaker. He married Ella WRIDE on 1st August 1892 in Fulham and a daughter was to be born to them the following year only for her to die a year later. The Post Office Directories in 1899 listed Arthur as being 2 doors away at 70 Marlborough Street but this may be in question as most of his life seems to be linked to No. 68.
By the 1901 Census Arthur and Ella were still to be found at 68 Marlborough Street with children Florence (Flossie) born in 1895 and Lizzie born in 1898. By this time Arthur's father had been dead for more than 2 years and his mother for 10 years but Arthur's brother George was living with them at that time. Further Post Office Directories in 1904, 1906 and 1907 show Hookins Brothers as Bootmakers at 104 Landor Road, Stockwell which as the picture shows now appears to be a cafe.

104 Landor Road next to Newsagents with a door to the accommodation next to the shop

By 1911 the family, including brother George, are shown to be living at 104 Landor Road and another child, Arthur William, has been added to their number.
Further Post Office Directories in 1913-1915 show Arthur and George working together as Boot and Shoe Makers at 70 Draycott Road back in Chelsea just a few streets away from their former residence at Marlborough Street but the Directory in 1919 has them back in Landor Road but this time at No. 102 which now appears to be a house so that information may not be accurate either.
Arthur died in Lambeth in 1924 at the age of 59 although Ella was to outlive him by a further 30 years.

Anna HOOKINS - Tree 3Q

Anna HOOKINS was the 4th child of 7 born to Robert HOOKINS and his wife Mary (nee Jeffery). Her birth took place in 1827 or 1828 in Plymouth. The first Census available after her birth was 1841 when she was living in East Street, Stonehouse, Plymouth with her parents and 6 siblings. She was still living with them in East Stonehouse in 1851 although now only 3 siblings were at home. Her occupation at that time is described as a Milliner. By 1861 she was living as HOSKINS as a Lady's Maid at the home of Edmund EYRE who was a Lieutenant Governor in the Colonial Service and who, judging by the birthplaces of his children, had served in New Zealand and the West Indies. Their home was Dean House near Spelsbury, Oxfordshire. When the Census was taken in 1871 Anna was  a Lady's Maid with Frances ORMOND who was the mother-in-law of Edmund EYRE and who had been living as a Widow at Dean House when Anna was there 10 years previously. By this time Frances had moved to 28 Royal York Crescent in Clifton, Bristol pictured below.

By 1881 Anna was living as HOCKINS and as a Lady's Maid at 11 Osborne Street, St Andrews, Plymouth at the home of Eliza HEWKINS where Anna's mother is registered as a visitor at that time. In 1891 she is recored as being aged 63 and living as a Lodging House Keeper at 3 Castle View, Totnes with her unmarried sister Sarah and 10 years later, still with her sister she was living at a cottage in Totnes with Anna recorded as a Dressmaker and her sister as a Shirt Maker.
The Census record is completed in 1911 when Anna is living alone at 31 High Street, Totnes now 83 years of age but when she died on 25th August the following year she was living at 32 High Street, Totnes but died at 32 Oakfield Terrace Road, Plymouth which is pictured below:

Alfred HOOKINS (Tree G)

Alfred was the 8th of 11 children born to George HOOKINS and Caroline (nee TRASH) and was brother to Albert Henry HOOKINS mentioned elsewhere on the blog. Alfred was born on 14th February 1892 at the family home in Bath Road, Mitcham and was baptised in Mitcham on 2nd April that year.
In his first recorded Census appearance he was living at the same address with his parents + 7 siblings and his maternal grandfather. His father was to die 2 years later and in the 1911 Census he is still at the same address with his widowed mother and 5 siblings with an occupation as a Factory Hand which he ws still doing in 1916 when he married Florence Emily STALLARD at Mitcham Parish Church.
Just 1 year later Alfred ad enlisted in the Middlesex Regiment 29th Batallion and his attestation states that he was just 5'3" tall and weighed 110 pounds (less than 8 stone). At that point he was resident in Belgrave Road, in Mitcham and his occupation described as a Packer.
Once the war was over Alfred and Florence had 4 children and at various times his occupation is stated to be a Packer in a Varnish Factory (1930) and a Clerk in a Paint Factory (1951).
He died on 30 May 1956 in Surrey.

Albert Edward HOOKINS - Tree G

Albert Edward HOOKINS was born on 13 February 1883 at 12 Worley Court, St Botolph in London. He was the 8th of 9 children born to Henry Charles HOOKINS and Caroline (nee BAKER). His christening took place at St Botolph in Aldgate on11 March 1883.
By 1891 he was living at 7 Royal Albert Buildings, St Botolph with his parents and 5 of his siblings. He joined the Army Service Corps in London on 10 April 1899 and was allocated a service number of 14649. He served in South Africa from 1899-1902 and was decorated with the Queens South Africa medal (3 clasps) and the Kings South Africa medal (2 clasps).
He married Lilian Ada WHITEHEAD on 23 April 1905 at Christ Church in Stepney and when their first child was born the following year they were living at 55 Great Dover Street, Trinity Street, Newington North although this child sadly died in the following year.
In the 1911 Census Albert and Lilian were living at 1a Alsace Street, Bagelot Street, Walworth with 3 more children although the son born early in 1911 was also to die towards the end of 1912. Also with the family in 1911 was Sidney who was a brother to Lilian. Albert's job is recorded here as a Carman for a firm involved in blacking which is thought to be related to the coating placed on itmes such as stoves. This possibly fits in with his brother-in-law's occupation as a farrier. Lilian's occupation at this time was as a cigar maker.
In the 1st World War Albert is listed again with the Army Service Corps and is recorded as being a Driver.
Lilian died on 11 February 1954 at St Helen's Hospital in St Leonards, Sussex with Albert to die 4 years later on 21 October 1958 also at St Leonards. They were survived by a married son and married daughter and 3 grandchildren.

Ada HOOKINS (Tree A)

Ada HOOKINS was born on 27th Jan 1862 at Theatre Place, Bridgwater the 6th and last child - all daughters - born to John HOOKINS and Mary Jane HOOKINS (nee MOGFORD). By the time of the 1871 Census the family had relocated to Cheyne Walk in Chelsea on the banks of the River Thames being recorded as HOSKINS. Four of the daughters were present as one had died prior to Ada's birth, and a cousin William LYDDON was also there together with a boarder John WEBBER. By the 1881 Census the family had moved the short distance to 48 Park Walk Chelsea although Ada's sister Annie was not with the family. Ada's profession as a Dressmaker is recorded here for the first time which was continue up to and including the 1911 Census. This was the occupation of her mother and two of her sisters. By 1891 the family had moved yet again within the Borough of Chelsea to 40 Gertrude Street. The three remaining sisters were still at home as Annie had married in 1888 although at the time of her wedding her recorded address was Gertrude Street.

2 Edith Terrace Chelsea

In 1893 Ada's father died at Gertrude Street so by 1901 the family had moved the short distance to 2 Edith Terrace. The three unmarried sisters remained at home with their widowed mother.

25 Fernshaw Road Chelsea

The last Census current available for 1911 show the widowed mother with her three unmarried daughters in another part of Chelsea at 25 Fernshaw Road. At some stage the film director Alexander MacKENDRICK had lived at this address. The daughters' mother was by now 85 and was to die in 1916.

At her death on 17th December 1933 Ada was living at Rose Bank Cottage, Hawkhurst in Kent although her two remaining sisters living with her in 1911 both seem to have died in London in 1928 and 1929 respectively.

Dimlands House and Lodge Llantwit Major

I have mentioned before about Jesse HOOKINS who left Somerset with his wife Alice and their 2 children to become a Coachman for the Crayshaw family in Llantwit Major. 5 other children were born in South Wales between 1904 and 1913 but sadly Alice died early in 1915 leaving Jessie to raise his 7 children alone. They lived in Dimlands Lodge attached to Dimlands House and estate and I was privileged to be able to visit the property at the invitation of the current owner last year.

Dimlands House was built by Rev Robert Nicholl Carne at the end of the 18th Century. As well as being a Rector, Robert was a Magistrate and Deputy Lieutenant of Glamorgan.

Pictures currently on display at the Lodge show the mode of transport favoured by the owners of the house although the photograph is not dated.

The Lodge at Dimlands was built by Robert's son John Whitlock Nicholls Carne FSA, JP, DCL, a Welsh Landowner, Magistrate and Barrister in 1853. It has since been extensively renovated and extended by the present owners.








The scroll on the outside of the tower indicates that it was started on 12 August 1864 and Nicholls Carne's name is included. Inside were quaint rooms for the 9 members of the family of Jesse and Alice to squeeze into.

















Inside the property there are stone steps leading to the first floor. These were believed to be on the outside of the original building possibly as access to the roof but have now been incorporated within the revised accommodation.












My grateful thanks to Ian for allowing me to have a look around together with two of my Family Tree relatives who still live in the area. Earlier in the day I had also had the opportunity of meeting up with a grandaughter of Jesse together with her husband and son who all still live in the vicinity and who were able to provide more insight into those who at one time lived at Dimlands Lodge.

The Hookins Home in Pawlett

As previously mentioned William and Susan made their home in Pawlett and raised 11 children there from the late 1800s although 2 of them didn't survive into their teens. Pictures posted before show the property like this:















I am greatly indebted to Denise who is is the current occupier of the property and who has transformed it whilst acknowledging that it was the home of the Hookins family and she has taken great interest in the family who made this a home albeit very cramped for their large family. Here are some more up to date pictures:

We know too that William and at least one of his sons worked at the local brickworks and Denise has been able to locate a Bridgwater brick which she has had incorporated into the renovations of the building in recognition of the connection with the previous occupants. Prior to living in this property William and Susan had been living in Brown's Buildings in Pawlett which turned out to be owned by the Dunball brickworks for their employees and armed with this knowledge Denise has obtained one of the Dunball bricks too:

Details of the Hookins occupants have also been included in a time capsule hidden in the renovations which will ensure that their memory lives on.
Thank you Denise for taking an interest in the history of your new home and thereby of the Hookins family.

Nothing Like a Personal Visit Tree A

Over the many years I have been researching the family name, a lot of contacts have been made and although we continue to keep in touch over the Christmas festivities with cards and newsletters it is nowhere near as satisfying as meeting people face to face. So after many Christmas cards I finally made the trip to South Wales to meet other members included on my Family Tree.
Thank you all for your welcome, your friendship and the hospitality of Jemma and Audrey. Altogether I was able to meet with 5 people who have or have had the Hookins name plus another 3 who are related by marriage or relationship. We even recognised similarities in appearance. Three of us were then able to visit a house which about 100 years ago was the home of one of the first Hookins members to leave North Somerset and venture to South Wales. Grateful thanks to Ian, the current owner of the house, who kindly arranged for us to have a look around even though he was away at the time and thank you to his parents who managed our visit and provided information about the transformation that had occurred since the Hookins family were there.
The Hookins member was Jesse HOOKINS who has been mentioned several times in the blog over the years having lost his wife when she was only 38 leaving him with 7 children aged 13, 12, 10, 8, 5, 4 and 1. Described as a quiet man with a sense of humour he never re-married, bringing up 4 sons and 3 daughters single-handed. He died just short of his 83rd birthday 35 years after the death of his wife and 6 of his children were still alive at that point.

Bernard Lyddon Hookins International Sportsman

Bernard Lyddon HOOKINS was born on 16th November 1883 at 15 Mansfield Grove, Nottingham to William HOOKINS and his wife Ellen Jane (known as Nellie) (nee FISHER). He was the 3rd of 7 children and his second forename, Lyddon, was the maiden name of Bernard's paternal great grandmother. Bernard's father was a Methodist Minister as was William's brother John Lyddon HOOKINS and consequently this involved regular changes of address for the family over the years.
None of the family can be found in the 1891 Census but by 1901 Bernard was living at 27 Steade Road, Eccleshall, Sheffield with his parents, 5 siblings, a visitor from the LYDDON family and 1 female servant. At that time Bernard was a Bank Clerk.
In 1909 Bernard married Lucy CLARK in Tadcaster and by 1911 they were living with an Uncle and Aunt at 5 Whetley Grove, Bradford by which time Bernard was the Manager of the Yorkshire Penny Bank in Pontefract. In 1912 their daughter Betsy was born in Pontefract.
From the 1920s Bernard became involved with table tennis at local and national levels and I am indebted to Diane Webb from the English Table Tennis Association for information and photographs relating to Bernard. Bernard was an English International in table tennis and took part in the World Championships in 1926, 1928, 1930 and 1935. He competed in the Swaythling Cup in 1930 and was positioned 6th and reached the last 16 in the Men's Doubles in 1928 and 1930 with Adrian HAYDON and Victor BLANDFORD respectively. He played at international level against Wales in 1925/6 and the Irish Free State, when he was captain on both occasions, in 1929-31. He took part in the English Open in 1928, 1930 and 1933, the Men's Doubles in 1930 with Frank AMIE and in 1933 with AJ WILMOTT and in the mixed doubles in 1930 with Miss BURTON and in 1933 with Mrs AMIES.

Bernard (centre) with AJ WILMOTT & anor

From 1928 Bernard became involved in other official capacities within the game both locally and nationally. He was President of the West Riding Table Tennis League in 1928/9, Secretary in 1928/9 and President in 1934/5 of the Yorkshire County Table Tennis Association, Chairman of the newly founded Whitby & District Table Tennis Association 1934-6 and its English Table Tennis Association Representative in 1934-5 and Chairman and English Table Tennis Association Representative of the newly formed Doncaster & District Table Tennis League in 1937/8.
On a national level he represented West Riding in 1928/9 and the Northern Area in 1931/2, was Representative and Secretary for the Northern Counties, became Honorary Secretary and Treasurer of the English Table Tennis Association and latterly in 1931 was elected as Vice President.
He appears in the centre rear of a photograph at a reception by the Mayor of Pontefract celebrating the first Hungarian tour of England which is reproduced here.

First Hungarian Tour of England 1928

Bernard died in Whitby in 1946 by which time his daughter Betsy had been married to John BUTTERFIELD for 8 years and had presented Bernard and Lucy with 2 granddaughters. He pre-deceased Lucy by 13 years when she died also in Whitby.

Human Error Maketh Huge Work for Family Historians

One of the major headaches in Family History is that old records were written by hand and records available today either involve trying to decipher the rushed scrawl of say a Census enumerator wanting to get to the warmth of his home and to replenish his belly or looking at perfectly clear typed records which over the years has been subject to so much transcription. Either way bad handwriting, writing down what an ear hears from illiterate individuals with an English accent with which they are not familiar, or making an erroneous transcription all heaps confusion, frustration and time to Family History research. Consequently not only do we need to seek out records relating to the actual name we are researching (in my case Hookins) but we also have to an eye out for the many cases of Hookings, Hoskin(g)s, Hukins or even in once case Horkins all of which because of their spelling means they are often contained in lists far apart from each other.
I was very fortunate to make contact with Neville and Glenda in South Australia who kindly told me about and sent me copies of a number of records in South Australia including copies of actual gravestones. Many of these were Hookings or Hooking folk and when I began delving into the South Australian records to which they gave me the links I ended up with:

6 Birth Notices and 24 death notices from newspapers
17 Marriage records
36 Death Records
37 Birth records
15 Cemetery Memorials
3 Gravestone photographs

When I began pulling all these pieces of information together I was able to form 17 separate family units to which these records referred.
One of the most significant was a record of Thomas Hookings who was born in 1855 in Crowcombe in North West Somerset in the area where much of my research has centered. Familiar also because the names of the parents quoted matched people in my own records and when I looked at that record I saw that I also had Thomas there as one of their children but they were all Hookins then. However after Thomas left these shores and arrived in Australia in 1874 on board a ship called Darra his name changed to Hookings which name his descendants then took from that time onwards.
There follows a photo of that ship which was described in its day like this:
"The Darra was a speedy clipper ship--130 feet long and 33 feet in the beam. Built in Aberdeen,
Scotland in 1865 for the tea trade with India, the ship had more lately carried immigrants from
England to Australia. A recent run from London to Adelaide had been made in seventy days—a
record time."

Pawlett Then and Now

 My great grandparents William and Susan were married on Christmas Day 1880. By 1881 they were living in Brown's Buildings in Pawlett and Williams' mother was living between Pawlett Farm and the then Shoulder of Mutton pub in the village. William had I believe worked in the brickworks at Puriton but there appears to have been a small brickworks in Pawlett and the terraced houses at Brown's Buildings were constructed for the workers there and it seems therefore that he moved to that place to work. By 1891 they have moved to Puriton Road which at that time appears to have been the current Bristol Road and seems to be the property above and to the left where they lived with 7 of their children. Susan is seen at the door above right. Next door were William's mother and step-father Eliza and Frederick Shute. In 1901 they appear to be in the same property which is by now called 3 Common Cottages and in 1911 it is just labelled as being between "No 9 Pawlett" and "Pawlett"!! having 6 rooms but only 2 of their children remained with them. I understand that William and 5 of his children were buried in Pawlett Churchyard  with William having died in 1932 and despite this there was I understand a bit of a battle having Susan interred there as she had moved to be with her sister in Shrewsbury until she died in 1938. I am not therefore sure at what stage the property left their hands.

       It has been wonderful to be in touch with Denise in Pawlett who has forwarded these up to date photos of the property and welcomed having information about the history of the family who lived there just over 100 years ago as I indeed welcomed her contact. The property has been sensitively restored and even a Bridgwater brick has been incorporated in the upgrade to remember the brickyard workers within the Hookins family who had lived there.

Frederick John Hookins Family and Siblings Tree A

 Willie HOOKINS brother of Frederick John                  Charlie HOOKINS brother of Frederick John
                       both died of consumption after 1st World War 1924 and 1919 respectively

 Frederick John and Emma Selina HOOKINS with children Daisy as a baby Will and Grace

Ada Jane RODBER (nee HOOKINS) sister of Frederick John with Fred's wife Emma Selina

Albert Henry HOOKINS (Tree G)

Back in the early part of 2012 I posted pictures of the memorial at Thiepval in Belgium where Albert Henry HOOKINS is remembered from his fall at the Somme. I am now indebted to William Cuthbert who has supplied 3 more photographs of the memorial and the grounds.

Tree J

Tree J consisted of just 4 families but a link has now been made with Tree M to which all the records have now been transferred. This will show on the next Tree update when Tree J itself will be deleted.

Frank Bryan HOOKINS (Tree Misc)

Frank Bryan HOOKINS was an isolated member on my Family Tree records. I had located a record of him as an acting Sub Lieutenant with the Fleet Air Arm in torpedo spotter reconnaissance in the 2nd World War. Thankfully the note I put about him in the blog has come to the attention of one of his few relatives and I am grateful to Jonathan for making contact and giving me more information and photographs.



Frank's aircraft was lost in June 1940 when it was operating from a Dutch airbase. Frank was only 20 and was buried in Holland. His sister and only sibling was due to be married just weeks after his death. I am delighted to have a photo of Frank in his Fleet Air Arm uniform.











His sister's wedding went ahead in the uncertainties surrounding them during wartime and I have also been given a copy of their wedding photograph which appears here.











From the initial record of Frank I have now details of their family unit which has led me to the 1911 Census after his parents had married in 1910. His father Frank Woollatt HOOKINS was born in 1883 in Sheffield and worked for only one employer throughout his life. He was with S & J Watts of Manchester which was a very large haberdasher and linens wholesaler where he eventually rose to their buyer in the Manchester warehouse. Before that he had been a Commercial Traveller with the firm which is presumably how son Frank came to be born in Northern Ireland. I am now proceeding to obtain his birth certificate to ensure that other members can be added to this small Family Tree or maybe can be added to one of my existing Trees. Thank you Jonathan for the copy of the photograph of his grandfather as well as each of the others and it is good to be touch with a descendant.

Poppy HOOKINS (Tree M)

An unbelievable addendum to the story of the discovered air-raid shelter.
George McCleish was the person who took the photographs and he had a son who was born just a months or so ago called Archie. I have just been informed that Archie's Mum is in fact one of the Plymouth HOOKINS'.

Poppy Hookins (Tree M)

 I reported some time ago about the sad occasion during World War II when newlyweds Ted HEMPKINS and Polly (Pauline Madge Louvaine nee HOOKINS) just 2 or 3 days after their wedding in 1941 took cover in an air raid shelter during a raid on Plymouth. They chose or ended up in a shelter apart from the rest of the family but whilst the rest of the family re-emerged from their shelter after the raid Ted and Polly's shelter took a direct hit and both were killed.
I am indebted to William Cuthbert a current relative by marriage of the Plymouth HOOKINS' who has informed me that the public shelters in Plymouth were filled in but that last month one of these was uncovered virtually intact in the grounds of what is now Plymouth University. The location of this shelter is adjacent to the one which took the direct hit (because that is well documented) but a member of the family is pretty certain that the location is that of the shelter he occupied as a young lad in the raid which killed his sister Poppy and her husband.
I am also indebted to George McCleish who was one of the workmen involved with the discovery of the shelter because he captured these images of the shelter so that we can retain this pictorial record to supplement this story.
It is sad that Plymouth City Council and the University have decided to fill this preserved shelter with concrete rather than save it as evidence of the city's past sacrifice and commitment to and involvement in the war effort.
As William has indicated, when you look at the pictures, you can imagine that the direct hit would have given Ted and Poppy no chance at all and would have brought shudders to those in this nearby shelter. However these pictures are significant because without them I would probably be not communicating with any HOOKINS folk in Plymouth or those linked to them by marriage like William.

Where have the Hookins Families lived?

I've recently completed an exercise going through all the records of families I hold to document separately where the Hookins families have lived throughout the years covered. In total they were found to be inevidence in 35 different counties in addition to London. The biggest number of instances were found to be in London where I have 139 different addresses with the most popular areas being Chelsea followed by Islington.
After that the largest gatherings are in Devon (66), dominated by Exeter and Plymouth, followed by Somerset (51), in no fewer than 28 different towns and villages, and Surrey (46), mostly in Mitcham.
If these addresses had been historical I would have posted them separately on the blog but as some are currently still occupied by Hookins folk I cannot make this publicly available. It is however the ideal tool for me to use to perhaps back up the written evidence with photos of buildings occupied by the Hookins' of the past which I could add as time goes on.