My 2xgreat grandparents suffered the loss of two baby daughters before Ellen, their 11th child, was born. She grew up in Redbourn, and worked as a machinist in a waterproof clothing factory in nearby St Albans, Hertfordshire. War seems to have been a backdrop to much of her family life. WW1 saw her marry and … Continue reading Ellen Ephgrave (1889-1969): Wars and Waterproofs
World War I
Alice Ephgrave (1882-1945): Silk winder, servant, unmarried mother; emigrated to the USA
My great great aunt Alice grew up in Redbourn, Hertfordshire, where her father was a baker. She first worked locally as a silk winder before giving birth to an illegitimate son in her brother's house in London. After emigrating to Detroit, Michigan, she married and had two further sons, the first later joining them there. … Continue reading Alice Ephgrave (1882-1945): Silk winder, servant, unmarried mother; emigrated to the USA
William Ephgrave (1878-1949): Lifelong milkman, intriguing in-laws
Born in St Albans, Hertfordshire, William spent his adult life in London, where he worked as a milkman in the same dairy business as my great grandfather, his brother. William's marriage to Annie Looker led me to research her intriguing, much-married father, a coffee house keeper of London and later a publican. I believe William … Continue reading William Ephgrave (1878-1949): Lifelong milkman, intriguing in-laws
Arthur Ephgrave (1876-1943): Family puzzles
The fourth of my great grandparents' 13 children, Arthur grew up in St Alban's but raised his own much smaller family in Luton following a brief stay in London. He worked in two of Luton's major industries before and after WW1 service, but finished his working life at Vauxhall's Motor Works. Intriguingly, his wife appears … Continue reading Arthur Ephgrave (1876-1943): Family puzzles
Edward Thomas Ephgrave (1873-1932): A minor brush with the law
Ted was the second of my 2xgreat grandparents' 13 children, one of nine to survive. Unlike some of his siblings, he stayed close to his family and life seems to have followed a traditional pattern. A reported teenage misdemeanour, the impact of war and a description of his dilapidated rural home give a glimpse of … Continue reading Edward Thomas Ephgrave (1873-1932): A minor brush with the law
My great grandmother’s four surviving siblings
My great grandmother Susan Caroline Hill had seven siblings, but only four survived beyond their third birthdays. Research into the surviving four reveals stories of further loss and survival, changing circumstances, military and civilian war casualties and emigration. Some of them are told here. Loss and survival My 2xgreat grandparents, Elsted-born Labourer John Hill and … Continue reading My great grandmother’s four surviving siblings
Susan Caroline Stocking (1896-1971): A move to Tingewick and family tragedies [Updated]
Susan was 15th of 19 children. She was left with three youngsters of her own when her ex-serviceman husband Fred Smith died after ten years of marriage. In the early 1940s, she moved with her second husband Harry Catlow to Tingewick, Bucks, where they ran The White Hart. Tragedy struck when both her daughter and … Continue reading Susan Caroline Stocking (1896-1971): A move to Tingewick and family tragedies [Updated]
Alexander Edward Stocking (1902-1971): A career in the Tank Corps and WW2 PoW
Alexander was the youngest of 19 children, born in the Coronation year of King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra, after whom he was perhaps named. He joined the regular army aged 16 (lying about his age), married while based in Dorset, later being a Prisoner of War in Germany during WW2. Records of his life … Continue reading Alexander Edward Stocking (1902-1971): A career in the Tank Corps and WW2 PoW
Alfred Edmund Ilott Stocking (1898-1978): Military Medal Holder
Named for his older sister's husband, Alfred was the 17th of my 2xgreat grandparents' children. He followed his brothers into the Army in WW1, and was the second in the family to be awarded the Military Medal. Despite a shotgun wound to the face, and a work accident that damaged his shoulder, he lived a … Continue reading Alfred Edmund Ilott Stocking (1898-1978): Military Medal Holder
Archibald David Stocking (1894-1961): Driver in the Howitzer Brigade [Updated]
It was a letter from Archie’s son Ron that sparked my search for my 2xgreat-grandparents' children. Archie turned out to be the fourteenth of 19. He was a driver in the Howitzer Brigade in WW1 before returning to work on London's trams. Amongst his six grandchildren are a well-known journalist and author, and a mountain … Continue reading Archibald David Stocking (1894-1961): Driver in the Howitzer Brigade [Updated]
My Stocking Roots 