My 2xgreat grand uncle William Thomas Stocking (1864-1923) had 13 children with his wife Elizabeth Ellen Smith. By the time he died in 1923, aged 58, they had been married 38 years. Four of their children died in infancy. World War I also took its toll, on a son, daughters and sons-in-law. Their stories are … Continue reading The lost family of William Thomas Stocking
3xGreat grandparents
William Thomas Stocking: Life near the Thames
For several generations my Stocking ancestors lived and worked just South of the Thames, finding work in the building and decorating trades, London's Leather Market, Bermondsey's food and packaging works and in and around the docks and the areas South of Tower Bridge. Following the various jobs of my 2xgreat grand uncle William Thomas Stocking … Continue reading William Thomas Stocking: Life near the Thames
George Thomas Stocking: A long-stayer
My 2xgreat grand uncle George Thomas Stocking (1862-1947) was a Bermondsey Leather Dresser/Finisher. He and his wife had 17 children, but are said to have lost seven of them in infancy. He was also the first of his siblings to be able to sign his name. After marriage, he raised his growing family, staying put … Continue reading George Thomas Stocking: A long-stayer
The brides of Aylesbury Street: A mystery
While exploring the lives of my 2xgreat grand uncles Frederick James Stocking and George Thomas Stocking, I came across an interesting connection between their two brides, who they married at All Saints Walworth in the early 1880s. Both gave their home addresses as 6 Aylesbury Street, Walworth. When I looked closer at the parish registers, … Continue reading The brides of Aylesbury Street: A mystery
George Thomas Stocking: Prolific Witness
My 2xgreat grand uncle George Thomas Stocking (1862-1947) was the first of his ten siblings to be able to read and write, although his signature is invariably shaky. He and his wife Fanny are said to have had 17 children, but suffered the loss of seven of them as children, and two more to WW1. … Continue reading George Thomas Stocking: Prolific Witness
Frederick James Stocking: Naming the Roses?
My 2xgreat grand uncle started life with a slight identity crisis, being baptised Frederick William on 10 March 1861 (exactly a month after his birth), but named as Frederick James Stocking when his birth was registered. Nothing too mysterious there. But I struggled to fully identify the woman who was to be his wife, and … Continue reading Frederick James Stocking: Naming the Roses?
The children of Robert Matthew Stocking in WW1
My Stocking great grandparents had over 127 direct descendents, so it is no surprise that many of their children, grandchildren and great grandchildren were affected by the two world wars. The children of their fifth child, Robert Matthew Stocking (1859-1945) and his wife Martha Silverlock were no exception. The parents' story is told in this … Continue reading The children of Robert Matthew Stocking in WW1
Robert Matthew Stocking: Life in the Land of Leather
There were many Leather Workers in my family in mid-late Victorian London, and my 2xgreat grand uncle Robert Matthew Stocking was one such. He lived in Bermondsey, 'the Land of Leather'. He and his wife Martha raised seven children, all of whom lived to maturity, unlike very many of his nieces and nephews. Why was … Continue reading Robert Matthew Stocking: Life in the Land of Leather
Richard Daniel Stocking: The loss of six children
My 2xgreat grand uncle Richard Daniel Stocking was born in 1857 and worked for a Tripe Dresser in Bermondsey. He married in 1880, but by 1895, he had been widowed. He lived until at least his 80s. Sadly, the same cannot be said of his children: of the eight born between 1880-1894, six had died … Continue reading Richard Daniel Stocking: The loss of six children
Aaron and Catherine Wales: A crime in the family
My 3xGreat grandparents Aaron Wales and his wife, Catherine Alice Stoney, lived their married life in and around Bermondsey and Southwark, South London, close to the Leather Market - convenient perhaps for Aaron's trade as Harness Maker and Saddler. He was originally from the Burnhams in Norfolk, but was in London by the time they … Continue reading Aaron and Catherine Wales: A crime in the family
My Stocking Roots 