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.

Tree 2W - Number of Trees Reduced by One More

Additional people have been located to add to Tree 2W but finding them has confirmed that the suname in the case of this family is actually HOOKINGS. Tree 2W has therefore been deleted from the list of Trees and all the records have been transferred to the Miscellaneous Tree records.

Tree 2I transferred to 2L

Tree 2I has now been deleted from the list of Family Trees as it has been amalgamated into Tree 2L. The new Tree 2L has now been updated on the blog.

Another Tree Amalgamation

The number of Trees being worked on has just been reduced again by the amalgamation of former Tree 2R into Tree D. This takes the current number of Trees down to 27.
Tree 2R will however remain in the Family Tree link until the next update takes place.

Tree Updates

All Trees have been updated as at 1st December to reflect my records at that date. The current number of Trees produced is 28 although 2 more are in the process of being deleted as they are amalgamated with other Trees. Current number of individuals is 1654 and records are currently being updated in connection with various Census returns and the US Census of 1940.

Frederick John HOOKINS (Tree A)

Frederick John HOOKINS was my grandfather. As previously mentioned in the blog posts he was a Wheelwright by trade. At some time however he began a business of building, decorating coupled with undertaking. This picture shows him dressed for a funeral and he obviously took great pride in performing this duty with the required dignity of such a role. I remember stories of him going to his work using a handcart as it was long before his firm was able to make use of any motorised transport. He took 2 of his sons into the business. One of these was Bill (William John) who was a carpenter and the other was my father, Fred (Frederick Charles) who was a decorator but also later became involved with the undertaking side of the business. When their father died Bill and Fred continued with the business. Bill seemed to have an aptitude for the business side of the firm as well as his skills in the work required of the firm. There was often a coffin being made in their workshop and I remember and loved the smell of the wood shavings as the finished article took shape. The firm was well respected in the local area and my father rarely completed an uninterrupted week's holiday in our usual destination of Weymouth before being called back for a funeral which he never refused to do. It was inconvenient but very good to know that the families didn't want to entrust their loved ones with anyone else.

Willie, Henry & Walter HOOKINS (Tree A)

Willie (left), Henry (right) and Walter (front) were all sons of William and Susan HOOKINS and brothers of my Grandfather Frederick John HOOKINS. The three brothers were all enlisted in the Royal Gloucestershire Hussars for the 1st World War. Two other brothers served in the Army Service Corps (Samuel) and as a Bombardier in the Royal Field Artillery (Charlie).

Children of Frederick John & Emma Selina HOOKINS (Tree A)

Fred and Emma HOOKINS produced 6 children born between the middle of 1906 and the beginning of 1920. Their youngest was Jesse and his exlusion from this photograph either means he had not yet been born or was considered too young to be included. Consequently the dating of this photograph is either 1920 itself or perhaps more likely a few years later in that decade. A date of 1922 would make young Bert on the front left 4 years old, my father Fred (front right) aged 8, Daisy (middle left) aged 12, Bill (middle right) aged 14 and Grace at the back aged 16. These children eventually married with Fred and Daisy both staying in the village in Somerset where their parents lived. Grace moved to Swindon, Bert to Devon and Bill into Bath although later returning to the same village as Daisy and Fred. Incidentally Fred and Emma lived in a house for a large part of their lives called "Dilkusha" which apparently is a Hindi word meaning "Peace in the Heart" but who named the house I don't know.

1871 Census

I have now completed my check through the 1871 Census noting all the references for HOOKINS of which there were 120 which is the sort of number usually found in the different Census returns. In addition there were another 80 with the HOOKINGS name some of which seem to have been transcribed incorrectly by the enumerator as they refer to people on the HOOKINS Trees. Others indexed under the name of HOOKINS seem to be HOSKINS - there are 11 of these some of which I have been able to check back to previous records to prove as incorrect.
Elizabeth, James, John, Sarah and William feature perhaps more than others.
Now I will start the process of recording each one so that I can show where each was living at Census time and then to establish who wasn't there who perhaps should have been. In doing this in another Census I found one indexed as ROOKINS - only one letter different but a mile away on the index!

Frederick John HOOKINS (Tree A)

My grandfather Frederick John HOOKINS was apprenticed to James WENSLEY as a Wheelwright and Carpenter by the above Indenture.
James lived in the village of Mark on the main road leading through the village called Blackford Road in the 1901 Census with his wife and 5 children although as his eldest son was only 8 years younger than James' wife I guess this was James' 2nd or subsequent marriage. On that Census his property was listed next to the entries for the Parish Church and Post Office. The current Post Office is situated directly opposite the Church so it doesn't seem to have moved far if at all since 1901. James was born in Brompton Ralph which is interestingly where Fred's ancestors had lived with his great-great grandfather Robert having been born there about 100 years prior to this Census.
Fred, as an 18 year old minor, needed his father William's permission to enter into this apprenticeship and William is seen to be a party to this document with various obligations to fulfill. Fred, you will see, was paid the princely sum of ten shillings per week for the first year of his apprenticeship which increased to fifteen shillings for his second and final year. His working day is stipulated as ten and a half hours and he has to work 6 days each week - I wonder how the youth of today would feel about that!!!! He was due to start on 1st June although the Indenture was not signed until 3rd August so possibly he was being tried out during the interim period.
Elsewhere on the blog is a picture of Fred outside a workshop bearing his name as a Wheelwright so he obviously made the grade and enabled him to maintain a family as he was married just 5 years later.

1851 Census

I have now completed the copying of the relevant 69 pages for suggested HOOKINS names mentioned in the 1851 Census. Pages copied included 177 people with the HOOKINS name whilst another 8 look as though they are HOSKINS. 91 others have the HOOKINGS surname although many are already in my records so are likely to be HOOKINS and 2 others appear to be HOOKING. I will find out more as I begin to add the details of the Census pages to the individual records of each person as I can carry out more checks on what the surname should be and establish those who do not seem to have appeared but should be there.

New Slide Shows on Family Photographs Tab

Grateful thanks to my West Africa based IT Consultant (daughter Sharon) who has provided a marvellous addition to the blogsite. A number of photos accompany the various articles written since the website began and these have now been added ...

as slide shows for each Family Tree so all of the photos are together for my own Tree A and all the others. So if you are linked to a particular Tree you can just click on Family Photos and select your Tree to view all the pictures relating to it. Brilliant!

Some Hookins Interlopers Identified

In my Hookins Family History records there are 126 family units and a total of 553 individuals who don't belong to a particular Tree because I haven't located a link. I have completed a check of all of these Miscellaneous families and by reference to Census and birth, marriage and death details I have been able to identify quite a few as other names like HOSKINS where poor writing by the person who completed the transcribing for the Census or other record has been continued into other records. So I've found more than 100 who could not be confirmed as HOOKINS although it is quite possibe that some of the HOOKINGS could be as it's a mistranscription which often occurs. Part of the probem of Family History is that all original records are created by humans whom we thank for their help in transcription but these are always open to that dreaded "human error" which affects us all.

Names the Hookins Family have links with

Hookins Family Trees don't contain people who have always been or who will necessarily always be Hookins. Some people are very fortunate to marry into the family!!! Others have adopted the name and still others get married - like my 2 daughters - and take on another name. But all of those people in my records - more than 1630 - are linked to the name past, present or future and this will contimue to evolve. Needless to say therefore that it isn't just people who currently hold the Hookins name who can provide useful information about the Hookins Family History. My most recent new contact who was very helpful in this respect married a Hookins lady and lives in Canada where there are others still holding the Hookins name or have descended from a Hookins.
So these other names are important to help understand how all the Hookins people fit together and are a very help source of knowledge. I have recently been through my records and have compiled a list of surnames with which we have or are connected and they total 457 although some are duplicated and I am going to upload this to the blog and keep it updated so that people other than the current Hookins may also be aware of this and maybe share information which will be mutually beneficial.

Trees Updated

All the Family Trees according to my records as at 7th August 2012 have now been updated and an up to date list of the "miscellaneous members" not linked to specific Trees has been included.
It should be noted that after communications with Jim in America two Trees are being amalgamated. I am in the process of transferring data from Tree 2S to Tree I after which Tree 2S will be deleted.
The up to date Trees incorporate some of the additional information I have obtained during the year so far from the various Census returns I have been going through. This task is still proceeding and the next update will hopefully include all of these changes.

No Post Since March - What have I been doing?

Well...........I have been busy making the most of an annual subscription I took out with a Family History site where I can access information and indices without having to pay each time. It has given me much more freedom to check things out rather than to use up precious purchased units.
So I have been checking out the Census records for all Hookins and Hookings entries for 1841, 1951, 1871 and 1911. This involves finding them all, taking a print of the page, indexing them, identifying which families they belong to (sometimes checking other records and finding that they are Hoskins thanks to the writing of the Census enumerator!), recording on individual records and then trying to find out why some people are missing (maybe indexed by the Family History site under a completely different name like Kookins thanks to handwriting or mis-transcribing). So I am at various stages with each of those.
I have also recently been able to check all the Hookins/Hookings births from 1837-2006 with their GRO references - I had many of them but it needed completing. Then I'll move on to the marriages and deaths which are not so complete.
Different surnames crop up from time to time which I know I have come across before linked to a family tree member so to help myself locate them I have started to pull together an index of all those names - I'm about halfway through my 400 odd families now as I log maiden/other surnames. Quite a list - it's amazing how many different surnames the Hookins clan have become involved with over the years.
Access to the Family History site records also enables me to check some of the family records I have where they do not appear to be connected to any other family and working through these with the help of that website has identified that some had surnames which were definitely not Hookins so I have been able to note their records to that effect.
So new people are being found all the time - we are up to 1627 now - and I will soon be uploading up to date versions of all of the Trees which will include all the additional information I have discovered.
So although I've been quiet I have still been beavering away with the research.

Frances Louisa HOOKINS (Tree T)

Frances is significant for the fact that she is the 1600th name to be added to my Family Tree database. Her parents were John HOOKIN(G)S and Amelia (nee FINCH). John seems to have been registered in the name of HOOKINGS as was their marriage in Salperton Parish Church in December 1874 when John was a Servant but later he became a Coachman Domestic Servant and later still a Domestic Gardener. Frances Louisa was their firstborn being born at the beginning of 1875 in the name of HOOKINS but has not previously appeared on my records of the family as she was not with the family in the 1891 Census. I do not appear to have found the family yet on the 1881 and 1901 Censuses but she did turn up with the family in 1911 when they lived at Trelawney Road in Brislington, Bristol. Her siblings were Edmund George born in 1877, Ellen Mary born in 1879 both born in the name of HOOKINGS, Desmond born in 1885 recorded it seems as HOOKINGS and HOOKINS but one may have been a correction, and Florence Beatrice born 1890 as HOOKINS. In 1911 Florence was a Parlour Maid to the family of a retired Vinegar Maker in Clifton, Bristol as HOOKINS. Ellen Mary was in Queens Gate in London as Housemaid to the family of a Barrister as HOSKINS. I may have to follow some of the lines on to the next generation to find out which name they actually all ended up with but I am glad that the 1911 Census enabled me to restore Frances to her rightful place in the family.

Transcriptions

Numerous transcriptions abound prepared by devoted people to help others find relatives lurking in past records but be very wary about relying on them without reference to original sources. I am currently benefiting from an annual subscription to Find My Past which enables me to constantly refer to original records to see where transcribers have strayed by giving us HOOKINS people we shouldn't have and depriving us of those who are rightly "ours".
I have just altered all my records for the family of a Caleb HOOKINS who was recorded as such as a widower with his 3 children in the 1891 Census on a transcription. Having now looked at the original Census page image on Find My Past I am inclined to transfer him and his family to the HOSKINS fraternity and a further check on the birth index for all 3 children reveals that they were all recorded as HOSKINS so he has been truly despatched to that clan.
Another plot by people to infiltrate our elite family has been foiled!

Caroline HOOKINS (Tree G)

This is a bit of a Caroline and George HOOKINS run around. Having just almost tied myself in knots with Carolines and Georges I'll attempt not to lose you in the explanation. It all started with Caroline HOOKINS born in 1831/2 judging by the 1881 Census but that varies it seems at each Census or record I found! She had an illegitimate child called George at the Union Workhouse in Mitcham in 1853 - although when George got married he gave his father's name as George (but more of that in a moment). George then proceeded in 1874 to marry someone else called Caroline (nee TRASH and whose father was George TRASH) who had been born in Cove Hampshire and they had at least 11 children one of who was a George but it seems no Caroline. 3 years before her marriage this Caroline (TRASH) had been a Nurse Maid at the Dog & Fox Hotel in Wimbledon. George died in 1903 and his wife in 1925.
George's mother Caroline had married John COLLINS in 1863 at Streatham but as this was 10 years after young George's birth he is unlikely to have been the father. Although I haven't prove it I assume that John COLLINS died because in 1873 (1 year before son George's marriage)Caroline COLLINS married George TRASH the father of her daughter-in-law so as George TRASH therefore became young George's step father I guess may have used his name on his marriage certificate rather than leave it blank - He id call him Hookins though! In the 1881 Census both families are living in Bath Road - a common address for Mitcham Hookins' - next door to each other and George TRASH and his wife had George's 2 children living with them.
There we are - wasn't that fun?!!!!!

Albert Henry HOOKINS (Tree G)

Albert Henry HOOKINS was born in 1885 in Mitcham. He enlisted at Kingston-upon-Thames and joined the first Batallion East Surrey Regiment as Private No. 6353. He was despatched to the Somme in the First World War and it was there that he died on 28th July 1916. Thanks to Steve who tells me that he visited the area in which Albert died and discovered that about 70 of Albert's colleagues died with him that day at Longevalle/Delville Wood. Steve took these 2 photos of the Thieval Memorial and the inscription which is included and which relates directly to Albert. Our grateful thanks to Albert and his mates for the scrifice they made that day. I am hoping that Steve with his Dad's help will be able to prove their link to Albert because that will enable me to join 2 Trees together and will change the Tree Steve is on from a 6-page to a 20-page Tree.