Jesse HOOKINS (Tree A)

I have provided photographs of Jesse before but this is a lovely picture of the whole family possibly taken in the grounds of the house where Jesse was employed probably in the early 1920s. Jesse's wife Alice had died in 1915 at which stage Jesse was left with these 7 children aged then between 2 and 14 years. He seems to have done a good job in caring for them and bringing them up alone as well as fulfilling his duties to his employers.

Jesse HOOKINS (Tree A)

Several previous posts have related to Jesse HOOKINS and his family and Jesse's move to South Wales to work as a coachman for the Crawshay family based in Llantwit Major at Dimlands House. The picture below shows the road entrance to the Lodge where Jesse lived as well as the entrance to the estate. The top picture shows an advertisement which appeared in

recent years when the Lodge came up for sale. This highlights the prime location of their home with views over the Bristol Channel and the accommodation even boasted an en-suite bathroom at the time of sale - surely not a luxury which Jesse would have enjoyed. It is good to know though that the dwelling where Jesse made his home with his family still remains standing even if, as I understand it, the rest of the estate has been turned into housing.

Jesse HOOKINS (Tree A)

Jesse HOOKINS was born in 1867 at Pawlett near Bridgwater in Somerset. He was one of 9 children of Samuel & Eliza HOOKINS. In 1881 he is recorded as being a General Labourer living at home with his mother and her second husband as Jesse's father had died 11 years earlier at a time when he and all of his siblings were all under the age of 15. By 1901 Jesse had married and was living in Kilve in Somerset west of Bridgwater and is recorded as being a Domestic Coachman. His first child was born in Kilve in 1901 but by 1902 and the birth of their second child they were in Llantwit Major where Jesse had gone to work as Coachman to the Cranshay family who were Ironmasters fro Merthyr Tydfil. Jesse and his growing family lived in Dimlands Lodge in the grounds of Dimlands House where the remainder of his 7 children were thought to have been born. Unfortunately Jesse's wife died in 1915 when all of his 7 children were under 14 years of age in the same way that his own mother had been left but he seems to have done a marvellous job in bringing up those children. Later Jesse moved on to be a gardener for the Cranshays and subsequently went to live in Barons Close in Llantwit Major. He is said to have been a quiet man with a sense of humour. He died in 1950 and is buried in Llantwit Major churchyard.