John Lyddon HOOKINS was born in 1849 in Bridgwater, Somerset, the 3rd of 10 children born to William HOOKINS and his wife Lydia Jane (nee BENNETT).
2 years later in the 1851 Census he lived at Angel Crescent in Bridgwater with his parents + 2 siblings, his maternal grandmother and a paternal Aunt. The family seem to have been temporarily in Weston-super-Mare as John's brother George was born there in 1853 but by 1856 when sister Elizabeth was born the family were far away in Chelsea in London initially in Chelsea Terrace but by 1861 at 4 Ambrose Place where John is found with his parents and 6 siblings. By the time the next sibling arrived in 1862 the family appear to have moved again to 68 Marlborough Place. John is here described as a local Methodist Preacher and is living with his parents and 4 siblings.
In 1872 John was accredited as a candidate for the Methodist New Connexion and attended Ranmoor College for a period of 2 years.
Following his training John was a Minister in Truro in 1874 before moving to Nottingham in 1876. It was there that he married Sallie Sophia WOOLLATT in 1878 shortly after which the couple moved to John's new post in Batley. Their first child Evelyne was born there in 1879 who was followed by Marion in 1881. The subsequent Census found the family at Warwick Road in Batley where they are joined by John's mother Lydia. John is now a Methodist New Connexion minister and the family moved to his new post in Sheffield later that year. John and Sallie's 3rd child, Frank Woollatt was born on the last day of 1882 at Brightside in Sheffield but their stay there was also brief as they moved on to West Halifax in 1883. Their 4th child, George Lyddon, was born there towards the end of 1884. However, tragically Sallie died on 21st November which was quite possibly as a result of George's birth.
Widower John was to marry again in 1886 to Sarah Charnock LUMB and their only child, Lyddon Charnock, was born the following year at Berry Brow in Yorkshire. The reconstituted family was on the move again in 1890, this time to Newcastle upon Tyne.
The family is all over the place in the 1891 Census! John is living as a visitor at the home of Dental Surgeon Tom STOREY in Carr Lane, Kingston upon Hull although his ministry seems set to be in Newcastle for a further 3 years. His wife Sarah was lodging with children Lyddon and Evelyne at the home of Jane EDEN at The Terrace, Corff, Darlington. Children Frank and George aged 8 and 6 years old were with a General Servant and Nurse Housemaid at 20 Oxford Street in Newcastle and the remaining daughter Marion was living as a visitor at the home of James THOMPSON and family at 4 Stannington Avenue, Heston. I would love to know what was going on there!!
In 1894 John's ministry took him to Hurst (not totally sure where this is situated) for a period of 4 years before he moved on to Kingston upon Hull. Strangely enough in 1901 all but one of the family are living in Carr Lane where John was 10 years earlier! Frank was the only family member missing as he was living as a boarder with John JACKSON and his wife at 21 Prospect Place, Ashton under Lyne where he was a Warehouse Apprentice in a Glove Department. Later that year John's ministry took him back to his Methodist beginnings in Cornwall with his appointment to St Ives where he served for 5 years before moving to Dudley in the Midlands.
In 1911 he lived at Fernleigh, Russell Street in Dudley with Sarah, son George and a Servant. John is now a Minister in the United Methodist Church. Daughter Evelyne had by now married and her sister Marion was staying with her in Hull. Frank had also married and was living in Stockport and Lyddon was lodging in Loughborough. John was utilised as a Supernumerary Minister in the Birmingham for the next 10 years.
John's 2nd wife Sallie died in 1932 in Bickenhill and 2 years later John himself died in Hampden in Arden at the age of 85.
John Lyddon HOOKINS
