My Stocking, Wales and Hill family lines converged in these two London streets on and off for more than two decades from the 1880s onwards. The street names seemed interchangeable and their history was apparently steeped in scandal. But what were the houses, the neighbours and the area like? Do family and other photos show … Continue reading Stocking homes: Bowles Road & Herman Road, Camberwell
Wales
Mary Alice Stocking (1899-1899): The ‘missing’ child
For years I thought I had traced all 19 of my 2xgreat grandparents' children, including three who died young. Recent (January 2025) research to verify earlier work shows just how wrong I was. I had incorrectly assigned Violet Stocking, born and died in 1899, to the family, but she was my great aunt Emma's illegitimate … Continue reading Mary Alice Stocking (1899-1899): The ‘missing’ child
Alice Caroline Stocking (1874-1928): A tragic end
Alice was the eldest of my 2xgreat grandparents' children and appears to have had a steady childhood, albeit one of 19 children. After leaving school, she worked as a needlewoman, making shirts and hat trimmings. Her home life after she married was also straightforward, although she only had two children, a small family for the … Continue reading Alice Caroline Stocking (1874-1928): A tragic end
London Waleses: Aaron & Catherine’s family
After their marriage in 1849 in Waterloo, South London, Aaron and Catherine Wales lived out their lives in Bermondsey and Southwark, close to the Leather Market South of the Thames. They raised nine children there, including my 2xgreat grandmother Alice Mary Wales. Aaron was originally from rural Norfolk, but married a girl from Newington. Were … Continue reading London Waleses: Aaron & Catherine’s family
Aaron Wales: A Norfolk lad
When I started researching my family history over 40 years ago, I thought my ancestry would be firmly rooted in London. A DNA test with Ancestry confirmed my years of paper-based and online research: London and the East of England were originally the lands of my fathers (and mothers). In the first half of the … Continue reading Aaron Wales: A Norfolk lad
Catherine Alice Stoney: A gent’s daughter?
My 3xgreat grandmother was born around 1829 in Newington, South London. When she married Saddler Aaron Wales in Waterloo, London, in 1849, her father is named as William Moorhouse Stoney, 'Gentleman'. Intriguing. Did she come from an aristocratic family? If so, they must have fallen on hard times, as their address, Waterloo Road, was not … Continue reading Catherine Alice Stoney: A gent’s daughter?
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
He married his deceased wife’s sister … was that legal?
At some point after the death aged 49, in 1907, of my 2xgreat grandmother Alice Mary (née Wales), her widower and their youngest children moved from their home at Herman Road, Camberwell, to Beechfield Road, Catford in South East London. They had been married for 32-3 years and had raised 19 children together. In 1919, … Continue reading He married his deceased wife’s sister … was that legal?
Alice Mary Wales: Bride at 17, mother to 19, dead at 49 [Updated]
When Alice Mary Wales married James Thomas Stocking in November 1874, she was just 17 years old (b1857). They were to become my 2xgreat grandparents, and parents of 19 children, 16 of whom survived beyond infancy. Her youngest son was just five when she died aged 49. Her early life proved difficult to piece together, … Continue reading Alice Mary Wales: Bride at 17, mother to 19, dead at 49 [Updated]
Did James & Alice have 21 Stocking children?
Early in the 2000s, my father received a type-written letter from someone researching the ancestry of one Ronald Stocking. The letter claimed that Ron's grandparents - my 2xgreat grandparents James Thomas Stocking and Alice Mary Wales - had had 21 children "all of whom were known to have survived". I was intrigued to find out … Continue reading Did James & Alice have 21 Stocking children?
My Stocking Roots 