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.