Henry HOOKINS (Tree 3Q)

Henry HOOKINS was born on 9th January 1845 (almost 175 years ago as I write this blog!). His birthplace was in Bartholomew Street, All Hallows on the Wall, Exeter being the outer wall of the city. He was the 4th child born to Henry Lethbridge HOOKINS and his wife Amelia (nee KINGWELL), although two of his siblings had already died by the time of Henry's birth.
When the 1861 Census happened just 6 years later, the two remaining siblings were living with their maternal grandparents at 46 Bartholomew Street whilst their parents were living in Topsham as Schoolmaster and Schoolmistress.

Bartholomew Street, Exeter

Sadly Henry's mother Amelia died in March 1853 of peritonitis during childbirth. There is no record of a child being born so he/she was presumably a stillborn. His father remarried just 5 months later but neither of his children were with him by the time of the next Census in 1861. Whilst sister Emily was a Governess in Tiverton, there appears to be no sign of (our)Henry, but their father is living in Exeter with his new wife and the 3 children born to them since their 1853 marriage.

Henry himself married on 13th June 1868 at St Mary Magdalene Church in Southwark by which time he was noted to be an Accountant. His bride was Clara Elizabeth HOLLAND. Their 1st child Emily was born the following year where Henry is described as a Commercial Clerk, and for the only time is given a second name of Adolphus in the birth registration. Their address was at 1 Nile Terrace off the Old Kent Road, where they were still living for the 1871 Census, indexed under the name of HOKIN and Henry with the title of Book-Keeper.

Their second child, Henry Edward followed in 1872, born at 25 Reverdy Road, Bermondsey. Father Henry is described as an Accountant but 5 years later, when Arthur Ernest was born at 92 Sumner Road, Peckham, his occupation reverted to Book-Keeper. He was however a Clerk in a Printer's Office in 1881 when the family were still at Sumner Road, indexed as HOOKENS. Son Henry was shown by his second name of Edward, and included in the household were two of father Henry's step brothers from his father's second marriage.

Later that year Henry and Clara's next child, Edith Violet, was born at Sumner Road and by the 1891 Census the family were at 23 Castle Street, Black Horse Yard in St Martins in the Fields. Henry is now the Manager of a Carriage Yard and 3 of his 4 children are recorded using their second Christian names - Henry obviously wasn't a budding Family Historian when having his family details recorded!!!!

By 1901 their second child, Henry Edward, is no longer living with the family, but is living as a Manager of Stables in Clerkenwell with his "wife" and 2 children, although records show that their marriage didn't actually happen for another 7 years! The rest of his parents' family are all together at 31 Northumberland Park in Tottenham where, thankfully all the children have reverted to their first names!

By the 1911 Census Henry, as Manager of a Carriage Hire Business, is living at 172 High Road in Wood Green with Clara and their 3rd child Arthur, and the other 3 children are all stated to be still living.

Henry was to die the following year at the age of 67 years and his widow Clara followed just 2 years later, both at 172 High Road.

Henry HOOKIN(G)S Tree 2E

Henry was born as HOOKINGS in the June quarter of 1846 as the 5th of 6 children born to Thomas HOOKINS and his wife Susanna(h) (nee PHILLIPS). Thomas married in the name of HOOKINGS and one of their children had already died by the time Henry was born.
In 1851 Henry was living with his parents and 4 siblings in Cowick Street, Exeter but his father appears to have died just 3 years later. So Henry, by the time of the 1861 Census was an Engine Smith Apprentice and was still living in Cowick Street as HOOKINGS with his widowed mother and just 3 of his siblings as one appears to have married.
At the age of just 20 years Henry married Maria HUNT and their first child, Henry, was born in Dover in 1870. In the Census of the following year Henry, as HOOKIN, was now an Engine Fitter, a trade which 2 of his sons were to follow him into with another son becoming a Driver of a Stationary Engine which was often used to drive machinery etc. The family of 3 were living at that time at 23 Commercial Quay in Dover although the actual road no longer appears to exist.
Further children were to follow during the next decade, Thomas in 1872 and Edith in 1877, both born in Dover and William in 1879 who was born in Faversham. So in 1881 Henry still has the same job and is still known as HOOKINGS. The family of 6 are now living at 19a Adrian Street in Dover although William seems to be known by his second name of Charles. Adrian Street has clearly been redeveloped since that time.
The couples last child, Frank, was born later in 1881 in Dover in the HOOKINGS name and in the 1881 Census Frank is living with his mother and 3 of the other siblings at 26 Adrian Street. However our Henry is living with his second son Thomas in Plumstead at the home of Sarah BOOTY. Both Henry and Thomas were Engine Fitters and could have been plying their trade away from home although eldest son Henry seems to be working at the same trade but living in the family home.
By 1901 Henry and Maria were back together again at 26 Adrian Street and, as three of their children had now married and William was living away from home, only their youngest son Frank was with them. Frank himself was to marry in 1903 but Henry was to die in 1909. Two years later in the 1911 Census Maria was found to be in the Dover Workhouse where she died shortly after the Census was taken.

Henry HOOKINS (Tree 65A)

Henry HOOKINS was born on 23 November 1840 in Wellington, Somerset, the sixth of nine children born to Robert HOOKINS and his wife Mary Ann (nee FOXWELL). He was baptised a few weeks later on 13 December at St John the Baptist Church in Wellington.

St John the Baptist Church Wellington

By the time of his first appearance in the Census records in 1841, Henry was living with his parents and 4 siblings at Pitt Cottages in Wellington. During the next 10 years, three more siblings were born, although one of these unfortunately died after just 2 years. So by the time of the 1851 Census Henry was still with his parents and 4 siblings as three others were living away with their work. Henry's home at that stage was 59 Rockwell Green in Wellington.

59 Rockwell Green, Wellington

Sadly, Henry's mother was to die in 1859 very suddenly, and the following year another of his siblings also died. So in 1861 Henry is living at Rockwell Green with his widowed father and two of his siblings. Also present is a niece of Henry's who appears to be the illegitimate daughter of one of Henry's sisters who was herself not present at home at the time of the Census. One other sibling is by now serving in the Army and is also therefore not present. At this stage, too, Henry's occupation is described as Agricultural Labourer.

Henry's father was living alone at Rockwell Green in the 1871 Census and Henry himself has not been located at that time. This could be because he may have been at sea as by 1881 he was described as a Private Marine in Dartmouth. Also the Ashanti Medal was issued to a Henry HOOKINS in respect of the 3rd Ashanti War in 1873/4 on the African Gold Coast when he was serving on "Rattlesnake".

By 1891 he was classed as an Army Pensioner and was living with his nephew Walter HOOKINS and his family in Gloster Street, Cardiff.

9 Gloster Street, Cardiff

No death record has been positively identified for Henry although a death was recorded in Cardiff in 1907 when Henry would have been 66. This record however shows an age of 61 so will need to be clarified, hopefully by an identifiable informant at death. It would appear that Henry never married.

Henry HOOKINS (Tree A)

Henry HOOKINS is believed to have been born in the early part of 1804 as he was baptised in Brompton Ralph Parish Church on 22 April 1804. He was the 7th of 13 children born to William HOOKINS and his wife Anne (nee KNOWLES).
By the time of the first recorded Census in 1841 Henry had already been married for over 7 years. His bride was Maria SNOOK and their marriage took place on 9 October 1833 at the same church in which Henry had been baptised 29 years earlier.

Before that Census 4 children had been born to the couple. Anne was baptised on 3 March 1834 at Brompton Ralph as was her brother James on 9 October 1836 ( a third anniversary gift!). After this the family appear to have moved to Crowcombe as son William was baptised there on 17 March 1838 about a month after his birth, and George's baptism followed on 28 March 1841 just 23 days after his birth. The whole family were together at Leigh in Crowcombe for the 1841 Census which took place in June.

Their next child Charles was born on 2 September 1843 and baptised at the beginning of October at Crowcombe. Sadly, however, their eldest child Anne unfortunately died accidentally when she was just 10 years old in 1844. The death record is difficult to decipher but seems to read "accidentally burnt".

Then came Ann in 1846, named no doubt after the daughter they had lost just 2 years before, and John was born in 1849 and baptised at Crowcombe on 5 August.
So by 1851 all the remaining children were living at Crowcombe with their parents. The following year they welcomed twins Mary and Sarah although Mary was to die one year later. Thomas then came in 1855 but again tragedy struck as Charles died before his 14th birthday.
By 1861 the HOOKINS family were spreading their wings as sons William and James had emigrated to Australia, and as George is not recorded in that Census, he must also have gone at some point because he married there in 1862 and he died there in 1930. John was also not with the family as he was a Workboy at a nearby farm.
In 1863 daughter Ann at the age of 17 had an illegitimate child Charles and by the time of the 1871 Census Charles was the only person remaining at the family home with Henry and Maria because his mother appears to be working as a Cook in Westbury on Trym, his Aunt Sarah was a servant in Lydeard St Lawrence, and Uncle Thomas an Indoor Servant at Kilton. His Uncle John has not yet been found in 1871.
By 1881 Henry and Maria's daughter Mary, who had been working as a Servant in Taunton 10 years before, was now back in the family home with her elderly parents. They could both have been suffering from declining health as Henry was to die in 1885 followed by Maria in 1889. Both were buried in the Churchyard at Crowcombe.

Griffith Arthur HOOKINS (Tree G)

Griffith Arthur HOOKINS was born on 26 August 1885 at Worley Court, St Botolph in the City of London. He was the 9th and last child born to Henry Charles HOOKINS and his wife Caroline (nee BAKER).
His first appearance in a Census occurred in 1891 when he was living at 7 Royal Albert Buildings, St Botolph with his parents + 5 of his siblings. However by the time of his 2nd Census appearance in 1901 his father had died and he was living with his widowed mother at 11 Tarrow Street in Newington being described as a Carman Coalman possibly as a man with a horse and cart delivering coal.
He married Rosina YOUNG on 15 May 1890 at St Crispins Church in Bermondsey and their first daughter Rosina Maud was born just a few months later in Walworth. So the 1911 Census shows the family of 3 living at 17 Bagshot Street in Walworth with Griffith still employed in the same role.

17 Bagshot Street, Walworth

In 1912 their second daughter Ellen Lilian was born in Bermondsey and 2 years later Griffith's address is recorded as 8 Alsace Street in Walworth where he was still living in 1918 by which time he was known as Arthur, a name he used during his army career which initially made his records hard to identify.

He joined the Army Service Corps on 23 September 1901 aged 18 years 1 month when in fact he was only 16 years 1 month! It wasn't his height that fooled them because he only measured 5'2¾" in height. Perhaps he thought using his second forename would somehow mask his correct age. His Service No. was T18516 and he was discharged on 22 September 1913. However he re-enlisted again joining the Army Reserve in October 1914 and became a driver with the 127th Brigade of the 201st Company. His Service No. was now T/2SR/01509 and he served in France and was awarded the 1914/15 Star Medal. He served until 18 March 1919, was judged to be of good character, a good horse transport driver, hard working, honest, sober and trustworthy. Nevertheless there were a few occasions where he was "Confined to Barracks" or under "House Detention" for misdemeanours usually related to absences, although one instance involved "neglect of duty while on Stable Picquet inattention while on Sentry".

Nothing further is heard about him until he appears in the 1939 Register, still as Arthur and still at 8 Alsace Street where he is living with his wife Rosina and daughter Ellen, their other daughter having married in 1932. Griffith is here described as a Railway Carman which probably involved deliveries to and from the railway station. Elsewhere he is described as a Horse Carman for British Rail.

Griffith died in the early part of 1969 with his widow Rosina surviving for just 3 years more.

George Joseph HOOKINS (Tree 2H)

George Joseph HOOKINS was born on 13 February 1869 in Upper Mitcham. He was the second child born to Arthur HOOKINS and his wife Emma (nee HOPE) and was followed by a further 5 siblings. George was baptised on 2 May 1869.
In the 1871 Census George was living at Upper Green, Mitcham with his parents + 2 siblings and his paternal grandfather. 10 years later the family were now at Eastfields, 5 Concrete Cottages in Mitcham with George now having 4 siblings at home with him and his parents. In 1891 the family is recorded as HOOKINGS and were living at 18 Sibthorp Road in Mitcham.
On 3 August 1896 George married Emma Rebecca FROST at St Mary the Virgin Church in Hampstead when George was described as a Labourer.

St Mary the Virgin Church Mitcham

Their first child was Ethel Ada Annie who was born on 4 May 1897 at 2 Lennard Road, Lonesome in Mitcham. George is now described as a Labourer at a Chemical Works where he was still working when their 2nd child was born on 5 February 1900 at 3 Rupert Terrace, London Road, Mitcham. It was a second daughter named Eva Florence Charlotte. The following year in the 1901 Census the family is to be found at 5 Smith Terrace on London Road although George's wife's name has been transcribed as Emily. George remains in the same job and the family are living next door to George's widowed mother and family.

By 1911 the family, transcribed again incorrectly as HACKINGS, are located in St Mawes Cottage in Fernlea Road in Mitcham together with a couple of boarders.

In the next 10 years both daughters were to marry and nothing more is heard of George and Emma until the 1939 Register where Emma is found to be a widow living at 42 Fernlea Road, George having died very recently on 3 August that year. With Emma were Amelia FROST and a lodger Raymond ROBINSON.

George was buried in Mitcham.

George Edward HOOKINS (Tree G)

George Edward HOOKINS was born on 21 January 1880 in Mitcham the son of George (whose biography I posted in February this year) and his wife Caroline (nee TRASH). He was the third of their 11 children. The following year in the 1881 Census George was living as HOSKINS at Bath Road in Mitcham with his parents + 2 siblings + his grandmother and step-grandfather. I visited a HOOKINS family in Bath Road a number of years ago but sadly the buildings now appear to have been demolished so I can't find any current images to display here.
By the 1891 Census the family was recorded as HOSKING and were still in Bath Road. By this time George had 5 siblings, the step-grandfather was still there, and they also had a lodger.
On 6 August 1900 George married Daisy WHITING at Mitcham Parish Church and their first child (also George Edward) was born on 12 January 1901. In the Census that year the family of 3 were together at 45 Bath Road, with George being recorded as a Labourer, and with George's parents living at No. 6.
Three more children were born before the next Census - Daisy Florence Margaret (known as Sally) in 1904, Frederick in 1907, and Elizabeth Caroline in 1910, all being baptised at St Peter & St Paul's Church in Mitcham.
By the 1911 Census the family were continuing their "tour" of Bath Road as they were now living at No.28, all 4 children still being at home. George is now described as a Gravel Digger. However Elizabeth Caroline was then to die at 2 years of age from TB whilst Daisy was pregnant with Albert who was born just 4 months later.
James followed in 1915, William in 1918 and Roy in 1922 but sadly Daisy was to die just a week after Roy's birth.
By the time of the 1939 Register George is described as a Road Mender and is still at 28 Bath Road along with James and his wife Nancy.
George died at the age of 73 in 1953 and is buried in the large cemetery in Victoria Road, Mitcham in an unmarked grave.

George Bennett HOOKINS (Tree A)

George Bennett HOOKINS was the 5th of 10 children born to William HOOKINS and his wife Lydia Jane whose maiden name had been given to George as his 2nd Christian name. He was born in 1853 in Weston-Super-Mare where his father was a Master Shoemaker.
At his first Census in 1861 George was living at 4 Ambrose Terrace in Chelsea where the family seem to have moved to shortly after his birth as siblings births from 1856 took place in Chelsea. Three children had been born between George's birth and the Census but one had died shortly after her 1st birthday so Ambrose Terrace housed Gordon and his parents plus 6 of his siblings.
By 1871 George had followed his father into the shoemaking business. By this time the family had moved again to 68 Marlborough Road in Chelsea and now consisted of George himself plus his parents and 4 other siblings. Whilst two more children had been born, one of these again died in infancy. One other sister had married and a brother was away from home training to be a Methodist Minister.
The family was still at Marlborough Road 10 years later listed as HOOKING with George living at home just with 3 other siblings although George's mother was missing. George's brother John had by now been ordained as a Methodist Minister and had married a few years earlier and was living in Batley in Yorkshire with his wife who had just given birth to their 2nd child and Gordon's mother was there obviously assisting the young family. They are listed there as HOOKINGS. Also staying at Marlborough Road was a niece of Gordon from his sister's family the rest of whom were living at their family home in Islington.
Unfortunately at the beginning of 1891 George's mother died so at the Census a short while later George remained at home with his widowed father and younger brother who was also by now a shoemaker. A domestic servant had also employed to care for the three shoemakers.
George's father was also to pass away 7 years later so in 1901 George was still at Marlborough Road together with his brother who had by now married with a young family, and the two brothers continued in their shoemaking business.

104 Landor Road, Stockwell

By 1911 they had all moved to 104 Landor Road, Stockwell and in 1915 the brothers continued their business at 70 Draycott Avenue in Chelsea. George's brother died in 1924 just short of his 60th birthday whilst George continued on until 1932 when he died in Battersea having never married but seemingly devoted to his shoemaking craft. His brother only had one son but he did not follow the employment of his father and uncle.

George HOOKINS (Tree G)

George HOOKINS was born on 27 October 1853 at the Union Workhouse in Croydon

Union Workhouse Croydon

His mother was Caroline HOOKINS who was a single girl in her early 20s and who 2 years previously had been employed as a Laundress. No father is recorded on George's birth certificate.

By 1861 Caroline was living with her widowed mother in Palestine Grove in Mitcham. Here George is recorded as the son of the Head of the Household which is Caroline's mother but his birth certificate confirms that his mother is Caroline herself although his age is only 5 years different from Caroline's brother, Frederick, an uncle therefore of George.

In 1863 George's mother married John COLLINS but, after the births of a son and a daughter, John unfortunately died. So, by the time of the 1871 Census, George, described as a Labourer, was living as COLLINS with his widowed mother and his step-brother and step-sister at Church Buildings in Mitcham.

In February 1874 George (as HOOKINS) married Caroline TRASH at Merton Parish Church. Her father was quoted as being George TRASH which was the name of the man who was to marry George's mother Caroline. So Caroline TRASH became HOOKINS and the former Caroline HOOKINS became a TRASH. It also turns out that George TRASH also had a son George so between them George and Caroline are causing a lot of confusion here!!

Later in 1874 George and Caroline HOOKINS celebrated the arrival of the first of their eventual 11 children who was a daughter called Florence. She was followed in 1877 by Alice and in 1880 by (you've guessed it!) George who was given Edward as a second name. So by the 1881 Census the family of 5 were living at the home of George's mother and her husband George TRASH at Bath Road in Mitcham.

More children followed in 1882 (William Frederick), 1885 (Albert Henry), 1887 (Ernest James) and in 1891 (Rose) so by the Census of 1891 the family of 8 were living with George TRASH who is now a widower as Caroline had died the year before. Also with the family is the step-brother of George HOOKINS called John COLLINS from Caroline's first marriage. This Census record was very difficult to find as the Census indexers obviously had great difficulty in  transcribing the awful handwriting of the Census enumerator. George's wife was transcribed as Caro or Cars.

Alfred arrived in 1892, Frank in 1894, Louisa Caroline in 1897 and Daisy in 1900. So moving on to 1901 George HOOKINS Junior, Florence and maybe Alice too had married so just 8 children were left in the family home at Bath Road in Mitcham with Caroline being recorded as Clara and the family name HOOKIN. Caroline's father was still with them at the age of 83 and was to outlive George who died in 1903 before his burial at Church Road Cemetery in Merton. George TRASH was to die in 1910.

Bath Road in Mitcham was to be regularly occupied for several generations onwards. I visited a HOOKINS family there myself some years ago. 

Frederick John HOOKINS (Tree M)

Frederick John HOOKINS was born at the end of 1875 as far as I can ascertain because no trace has been found of his birth in the birth index. Even a search of the registers of the Registration District in which he was allegedly born have brought no clues, nor has there been any indication in those records that he may have been born to a child of the family with whom he as brought up.
The first record of Frederick I can find is when he was less than 4 years old and being admitted to the local school on 5 May 1879 in the name of HOOKINGS. He joined the school on the same day as his brother Henry, their address was given as Smallmoor near Brompton Regis in north west Somerset and their father was quoted as being William. Consequently the brothers can be linked as children to William and Charlotte (nee FARMER) as evidenced from Henry's birth certificate. The school admission register itself however causes confusion. Fred's date of birth is entered as 19 December 1875 having been altered from 20 December. Henry's birth date has also been changed from the correct date of 31 October 1873 to 29 Oct 1875 which is just 2 months before his brother Fred was born!!!!
In their first appearance in a Census in 1881 the brothers are with their parents and 2 other siblings at Higher Smallmoor where Fred's age of 6 would suggest a birth at the end of 1874! Further controversary arises in the 1891 Census when Fred is living with his parents and 1 sibling at Somerset Terrace in Treborough which is up towards Minehead and Fred is there described as William's grandson!! Fred's father William died in 1900 in South Wales and in the 1901 Census his widowed mother was living there with her daughter Lucy and her husband. Fred however was in Ibstock in Leicestershire, recorded as HOSKINS, living with the family of Joseph GRECOCK who is possibly a work colleague as Fred is recorded as a Railway Plate Layer.

St Peter & St Paul Church Bleadon

Just 5 months later Fred had married Emma
HART in the Parish Church at Bleadon and in 1904 their first son, Charlie, was born at The Globe Inn at Higbridge where Fred was now the publican and where he remained until at least 1922.

The Globe Inn  Highbridge

A second son , John William, was born in 1908 and Lucy Emma, again born at The Globe, followed in 1910. The whole family were still there in the 1911 Census, although Lucy Emma seems to have been recorded as Emily. There is also an indication that another child had been born and had died during their marriage. There are no HOOKINS births although several HART births occurred in that Registration District prior to the marriage and a James HART who was born and died in the December quarter of 1900 could be a possibility.

Emma was to die in 1922 in a Nursing Home in Highbridge aged just 44. Fred went on to be a publican at The Blue Boar (possibly the one now known as The Old Market in Bridgwater) and then The Podymore Inn in Ilchester which was formerly known as The Butchers Arms.

The Old Market Bridgwater

The Podymore Inn

The pub was renamed Pody (which is the Saxon name for frog as there used to be a Moor of frogs next to the pub). So whilst the village name was Podimore, the pub took the name Podymore.

Fred was at the Podymore in 1936 but, by 1939 he was living with Lucy at Church Street in Yeovil. He died in 1951 at Higher Odcombe near Yeovil and he is buried in the village churchyard.