Henry Parks, Builder, and four prior generations of Parkses

St Mary Lenham

Today, five generations of Parkses back to the seventeenth century. And I think on much firmer ground than, say, for the Garritts. The eighteenth century records are consistent for name, place and timing of births, and show a family rooted in Headcorn, Kent before moving to Egerton, then Lenham and then Strood. But of course, the story here is told backwards...

The previous post, John Stroud, High Street Pork Butcher of Strood, traced John back to the 1841 England Census, which I repeat here, because this is the starting point for finding his family of origin.




Parks family, Strood High Street, 1841

In following the Parkeses further back, the question arises of the origins of Henry Parks, John's father the builder. The clues available consist of his year and place of birth from a couple of censuses (1851 and 1861), and that he has sons John and George in the 1841 England Census.

For the 1841 England Census, age was intended to be given rounded down to the nearest 5 years. So, someone who was 44 years old, would have been recorded as 40, while someone 46 years old, would be recorded as 45. This was not always adhered to, and in many cases census ages (1841 and otherwise) are wildly inaccurate through vanity or misreporting. In the 1841 census Henry's age is given as 46. Thereafter, the same computed year of birth of 1795 follows the decennial censuses. In 1851, he is given as 56, and in 1861 as 66. Other ages on the same census returns are corroborated by vital birth data where it's available. So, it seems reasonable to take the 1795 year of birth seriously.

And while in 1841, no place of birth, beyond the county of Kent is given, the next two census both have Lenham, Kent. Taking the repeated year and place of birth, searches in ancestry.com and familysearch.org revealed little of use for his origins. However, I did find in England, Kent Parish Registers 1538-1911, the following burial record:
       Henry Parks, year of birth 1795, burial 2 December 1863 in Strood, Kent

This corresponds to BMD Death Index:
       Henry Parks Dec1863 N Aylesford 2a 206

This is consistent with his presence in Strood in the 1861 Census, where he is Assistant Pork Butcher (to his son John), and his absence in the 1871 Census.

A search through http://forebears.co.uk/england/kent/lenham for Henry Parks, baptized in Lenham 1795 found a single entry. Without paying, I have: year, 1795; place, Lenham; and parents, John and Catharine Parks. Removing "Lenham" from the search shows an additional candidate: year, 1796; place, Headcorn; and parents, Thomas and Elizabeth.

Mid-Kent Marriages also found two marriages associated with the name Henry Parks:
       Henry Parks and Sarah Peckham 17 June 1815 in Lenham
       Henry Parks and Elizabeth Bridgland 21 July 1821 in Headcorn

Headcorn is about 10km from Lenham, and it's not inconceivable for someone stating Lenham as their place of birth on a census return to have been baptized in Headcorn. Thus, I looked both for children born to Henry and Elizabeth Parks, and children born to Henry and Sarah Parks.

For parents Henry and Elizabeth Parks, England, Births and Christenings 1538-1975 have the baptism of Ann in Headcorn 30 Dec 1821, and then 6 more children in Maidstone, Kent between 1823 and 1837. I take these to be the family of the second of these couples. none of them is a good match for John and George, who were 20 and 14 years old respectively in 1841.

For parents Henry and Sarah Parks, England, Births and Christenings 1538-1975 have the following baptisms:
       William Parks 26 June 1825
       George Parks 15 October 1826 (consistent with the 14-year-old George of the 1841 Census)

There is also the baptism in Lenham 18 October 1812 of Henry Parks, the son of Sarah Peckham - presumably a son of Henry Parks nearly three years before they were married. At the time of this baptism, Henry (the father) would have been 17 years old. I suspect they had to wait for the necessary permission to marry. By 1815, he would have been twenty.

On the day Henry Parks and Sarah Peckham were married, an army in Belgium, commanded by the Duke of Wellington, and composed of German, Netherlands and British soldiers, was making a withdrawal to the Plateau of Mont St Jean, south of Brussels. The next day, Napoleon Bonaparte was defeated at the battle of Waterloo by this army and Bluecher's Prussians. The Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars were effectively at an end. There is no obvious connection beyond timing between the marriage and the battle, but the battle does provide a historical context for the lives of this generation of Parkses.

Apart from the above-mentioned 1812 Lenham baptism of Henry Parks (from the pre-1813 register), familysearch.org and ancestry.com do not appear to have index coverage for Lenham in the years after. However http://forebears.co.uk/england/kent/lenham can fill in the gaps:
       Marianne Parks 1815 (this could be a variant of Mary Ann)
       Ketazah Parks   1818 (most certainly a transciption error for Keturah)
       John Parks       1820 (consistent with John Parks of the 1841 Census,
                                                                                     the future Pork Butcher)
       Elizabeth Parks 1823

I take this to be evidence that the Henry Parks, Builder employing 5 Men of the 1851 Census in Strood, married Sarah Peckham in Lenham in 1815. They relocated to Strood between 1823 and 1825. Further, I infer that his is the 1795 Lenham baptism (while Henry Parks, baptized in Headcorn in 1796, married Elizabeth Bridgland in Headcorn in 1821 and eventually settled in Maidstone).

Henry's wife, Sarah (Peckham) Parks is last seen alive in about 1826, when she gave birth to her son George. She is not present with the household for the 1841 England Census, leading me to suspect that she had died in that interval. A search found the following burial record in England, Kent Parish Registers 1538-1911:
       Sarah Parks; burial 5 August 1838 Strood; born about 1795

And the corresponding civil death registration:
       BMD Death Index Sarah Parks Sep1838 North Aylesford 5 244

Mid-Kent Marriages has the following marriage:
       John Parks and Catherine Clark 9 March 1779 Egerton Kent

This is the only the only such John Parks and Catherine marriage. for children of parent John and Catherine Parks England, Births and Christenings 1538-1975 has the following baptisms in Egerton:
       John Parks 23 May 1779
       Catherine Parks 22 Oct 1780
       Bennet Parks 3 Feb 1782 (a different index entry has 1781
                                                    which is unlikely given the previous baptism)
       Chatherine Parks 1 Oct 1786 (presumably for Catherine)
       Sander Parks 5 Aug 1788
       Alice Parks 28 Oct 1792

And then in Lenham:
       Robert Parks 12 Feb 1797

Curiously, although the forebears site has the baptism of Robert Parks, the familysearch.org site does not have the Henry Parks 1795 baptism. These would be the children of my 6xgreat grandparents, who appear to have started their family in Egerton, Kent before moving the short distance to Lenham.

At which point, I found in notes from last year, that some of these names and dates had already been sent to me by Dawn Scotting, a Parks genealogist from New Zealand! Still, it's reassuring to find that I am able to find the same data and draw the same conclusions. Also through Dawn, from information researched by Jill French in England, the following is a transcription of a headstone in Lenham churchyard. So, thank you to Dawn and Jill for this information:

       Sacred to the memory of John Parks who died April 3rd 1826

       aged 69 years

       Also Catherine wife of the above died April 23rd 1829

       aged 73 years

From the headstone, the years of birth come out to about 1757 for John Parks, and about 1756 for Catherine Clark. Continuing along the Parks line, a search (familysearch.org) for a John Parks baptized around this time(1755-1765) in Kent, found the baptisms of  several by that name. One of them caught my eye because the parents' names are Sander and Bennit Parks, which are names given by John and Catherine to two of their children. Continuing in familysearch.org, I found the marriage in England, Marriages 1538-1973 of:
       Sander Parks and Bennet Coppins in Charing, Kent 30 January 1754

Bennet Coppins must be the origin of the subsequent Bennet Parkses, named for their common ancestor, my 7xgreat grandmother. Expanding the search years to look for their children, England, Births and Christenings 1538-1975 indexes the baptisms of the following children of Sander and Bennet (or Bennit) Park(e)s in Egerton, Kent:
       Elizth Parks        16 Apr 1756
       John Parks         30 April 1758
       Bennet Parks        6 April 1760
       Sarah Parkes      18 November 1764
       Sander Parks       2 April 1766            (burial 9 April 1766)
       Saunder Parkes  19 April 1767
       Henry Parks       29 March 1769         (burial 2 April 1769)
       Thomas Parks     3 June 1770
       Peter Parkes      13 October 1771
       Henry Parks        8 November 1772
       Ann Parks           5 June 1774
       Frances Parks   22 October 1775
       James                 6 July 1778

On the international stage, these baptisms span the Seven Years War (known as the French and Indian War in America), and into the American Revolutionary War.

England, Births and Christenings 1538-1975 indexes a Bennett Coppin, baptized in Egerton, Kent 1733/4, with parents John and Elizabeth Coppin. She would fit with other siblings whose last name is indexed as Coppins, and John and Elizabeth must be my 8xgreat grandparents on this line with children baptized at Egerton Church:
       Mary Coppins       10 June 1726
       Richard Coppins   27 April 1729
       Thomas Coppins    3 October 1731
       Bennet Coppin     27 January 1733/4

The baptism 1732 in Headcorn, Kent of "Sarnder" Parks, son of  Henry and Elizabeth, fits among the following sequence of siblings:
       Paul Parkes        4 February 1727/8
       Jemima Parks     1 March 1729/30
       Sarnder Parks   9 January 1731/2
       Sarah Parks        6 January 1733/4
       John Parks          1 February 1735/6
       Edward Parks   19 February 1737/8
       Jane Parks         30 December 1739
       Elizabeth Parks   1 March 1742/3

Prior to that, there is a marriage of Henry Parks and Elizabeth Apps in Staplehurst, Kent on 7 November 1727, which is about 5km west of Headcorn. If this is the marriage of my 8xgreat grandparents, then that would be a place to look for Elizabeth's family. Prior to that is another series of baptisms of children of Henry and Mary Parkes:
       Mary Parkes     25 June 1721
       Henry Parkes     3 February 1722/3
       Anna Parkes    15 November 1724

Followed by the burial of Mary wife of Henry Parkes on 8 December 1725 in Headcorn. These are likely to be the children of the same Henry Park(e)s from a first marriage.

Back another generation of Parkses, England, Births and Christenings 1538-1975 has the following series of baptisms of children of Alexander and Anne Parks in Headcorn. Sander, then, is a shortened form of Alexander:
       Mary Parkes          11 September 1681
       Alexander Parkes  21 March 1682/3
       John Parkes           26 September 1684
       Anne Parkes          24 March 1686/7
       Judeth Parkes          4 March 1687/8
       Elizabeth Parkes     3 March 1689/90
       Anne Parkes         24 July 1692
       Hannah Parkes       6 September 1694
       Henery Parkes      9 February 1696/7
       Stephen Parkes       3 February 1698/9
       Elizabeth Parkes     8 April 1701

These baptisms preceded by the marriage on 21 October 1680 in Headcorn, Kent of Alexander Parkes and Anne Herden.

In a wider historical context, these baptisms span the reigns in England of Charles II and James II, followed by the Glorious Revolution and the reign of William III and Mary. The children grew up hearing about the victories of the Duke of Marlborough.

And there I stop for now with five generations of Parkses:
       Henry Parks and Sarah Peckham (5xgreat grandparents)
       John Parks and Catherine Clark (6xgreat grandparents)
       Sander Parks and Bennet Coppins (7xgreat grandparents)
       Henry Parks and Elizabeth Apps (8xgreat grandparents)
       Alexander Parks and Anne Herden (9xgreat grandparents)

John Parks, High Street Pork Butcher of Strood

A little earlier than the 1850s

It's been a while since I even saw a butcher's shop, let alone shopped in one. In England I enjoyed walking from store to store, the butcher, the baker and the greengrocer, each with its distinctive aroma. The town center was fairly small - I'm thinking of Clifton in Bristol in the 1980s - I was shopping for one without a car, and there were no children in tow. Since settling in the USA, I have tended to use the meat counter at the grocery store, and the bread aisle and the produce section, etc. While much more time-efficient this way, I miss the traditional high street, which doen't seem to have any real stores at all!

The previous post followed George William Parks to the family in which he was born. Census data show his father, Henry John Parks, a Customs Officer. He died in 1896 at the young age of 49. The family of his mother, Phoebe Higgins, we will turn to in a future post. Today we continue back along the Parks line.

We had already seen the marriage of Henry John Parks and Phoebe Higgins in 1869, and the subsequent censuses. Prior to that I have the census data for households including Henry John from 1851 and 1861. I also have censuses including his father John from 1841 (before Henry John was born) and 1871 (after he left home). They are all on Strood High Street in Kent, and I wonder if they are at the same address. Generally, I search for them in reverse order; I present them here chronologically for a change.

First 1841:
        Henry Parks   46   Builder               Y
        John     Do     20   Bricklayer App  Y
        George  Do     14           Do             Y

Then 1851:
        John Parks         Head       M  30 Builder & Butcher            Kent Lenham
        Mary Parks         Wife               28                                         Kent Gillingham
[new page]
        Katurah Parks     Daur               7                                           Kent Strood
        Henry Do           Son                 5                                                Do
        John McNeil       Nephew          9                                           Scotland Whitbourn
        Henry Parks        Father  Widr 56 Builder employing 5 Men   Kent Lenham
        Susan Fawcett     Servant M    30                                           Kent Strood
        Priscilla Fawcett Visitor U       19                                               Do
        Elizabeth Bryant     Do             71                                          Kent Gillingham

And 1861:
       John Parks     Head     Mar      40   Pork Butcher    Kent Lenham
       Mary Parks      Wife      Mar      38                            Kent Brompton
       Keturah Parks  Daur      Un       17                            Kent Strood
       Henry Parks   Son        Un       15   Scholar                Do    Do
       Frances Parks   Daur                   6   Scholar                 Do    Do
       Elizabeth Parks Daur                   4      Scholar               Do    Do
       William Parks  Son                      1                                 Do    Do
       Henry Parks    Father  Widower 66 Pork Butcher's Assistant  Kent Lenham
       Jane Powers    Servant   Un       16  House Servant Domestic  Kent Chatham

And 1871:
       John       Parks   Head   Marr  50  Pork Butcher    [Kent] Lenham
       Mary         Do      Wife     Do    48                                Do  Gillingham
       Frances S   Do    Daur  Unm  16  Assistant                Do  Strood
       Elizabeth A Do    Do     Do    13  Scholar                  Do     Do
       William     Do    Son               11    do                        Do    Do

So three generations of Parkses. The plain bold type indicates the future customs officer, Henry John Parks. His father, John, is the head of household in 1851 and 1861 is in italic bold type, and his grandfather Henry is in italic type. Henry Parks is my 3xgreat, John Parks my 4xgreat, and Henry Parks my 5xgreat grandfathers.

John Parks, Pork Butcher of Stroud High Street does not appear in the census of 1881. His must be the death recorded in:
       BMD Death Index John Parks Mar1881 North Aylesford 2a 302 Age:60

By that time, he was probably already a widower, if the following, as seems likely, is the death record for his wife:
       BMD Death Index Mary Parks Dec1877 North Aylesford 2a 254 Age:54

From the standpoint of occupation, it would seem that Henry, the elder, is in business as a builder. His son, John, starts out in the trade as well, but then changes occupation to butcher. And by 1861, it is Henry the elder assisting his son in the butcher's shop. John's wife is Mary Adams. According to England, Select Marriages, 1538-1973, they were married in Gillingham, Kent on 13 April 1842, corresponding to BMD Marriage Index Jun1842 Medway 5 415.

The following children, baptized in Strood with parents John and Mary Parks, are indexed in England, Births and Christenings, 1538-1911:
       Keturah Jane Parks
              BMD Birth Index Jun1844 North Aylesford 5 408
                                        (as Ketturah Jane Parks)
              Baptism 5 May 1844 Strood near Rochester, Kent
              BMD Marriage Index Jun1870 North Aylesford 2a 621
                                         (to John Harris King)
              BMD Death Index Mar1893 Camberwell 1d 607 Age:48
                                         (as Keturah Jane King)

       Henry John Parks
              BMD Birth Index Mar1846 North Aylesford 5 42
              Baptism 22 March 1846 Strood near Rochester, Kent
              BMD Marriage Index Mar1869 Canterbury 2a 812
                                         (to Phoebe Higgins)
              BMD Death Index Mar1896 Stepney 1c 293 Age:46

       John Parks
              BMD Birth Index Mar1848 North Aylesford 5 441
              Baptism 20 Feb 1848 Strood near Rochester, Kent
              He does not appear in the 1851 Census, and I suspect he died before 1851
                      probably this one
                              BMD Death Index Dec1850 North Aylesford 5 282

       Mary Ann Parks
              BMD Birth Index Mar1852 North Aylesford 2a 262
              Baptism 18 Apr 1852 Strood near Rochester, Kent
              She does not appear in the 1861 Census, and I suspect she died before 1861
                     probably this one
                             BMD Death Index Sep1857 North Aylesford 2a 171

       Frances Sarah Parks
              BMD Birth Index Mar1855 North Aylesford 2a 264
              Baptism 4 Mar 1855 Strood near Rochester, Kent
              BMD Marriage Index Mar1888 Medway 2a 643
                                         (to William Edward Harlow)
              BMD Death Index Mar1893 Medway 2a 403 Age:38
                                         (as Frances Sarah Harlow)

       Elizabeth Ann Parks
              BMD Birth Index Jun1857 North Aylesford 2a 267
              Baptism 28 Jun 1857 Strood near Rochester, Kent
              I have found no record beyond 1871

       William Parks
              BMD Birth Index Mar1860 North Aylesford 2a 324
              Baptism 4 Mar 1860 Strood near Rochester, Kent
              I have found no further record I can attribute to him beyond the 1911 census,
              at which time he is living in Gillingham and single.

And before all these:
       John Henry Parks             
              In addition, England, Kent, Parish Registers 1538-1911 has John Henry Parks
              born 1843, and buried 20 April 1843 at Strood.
              Corresponding to this event are:
                     BMD Birth Index is Jun1843 North Aylesford 5 375, and
                     BMD Death Index Jun1843 North Aylesford 5 299.
              It seems likely that this also is a son of John and Mary Parks (all other Civil Birth
              Registrations from North Aylesford from this time until 1860 correspond to
              children of this couple, baptized in Strood), whose baptism is not recorded at
              the church parish register.

Of the eight children listed above, I find three who died before they were ten years old (John Henry, and, most probably, John and Mary Ann), three who died as adults under 50 (Keturah Jane, Henry John and Frances Sarah), one unaccounted for after the age of 13 (Elizabeth Ann), and only one who I know for sure lived beyond 50 (William).

Which rather puts into perspective my nostalgia at the loss of the high street, I think.

Remembering George William Parks

Seventy years ago this month a new weapon fell from the skies on London. By the end of World War Two, about 9,500 V1 launches had caused nearly 23,000 casualties, of which 6,184 died, among them George William Parks, Waterman of London, my 2xgreat grandfather. Previous posts have mentioned his daughter, Edith Violet Parks, known to me as Nan Mum, who married Henry Stroud, veteran officer of the Royal Flying Corps from the Great War (seen here).

The V1 was an unmanned flying bomb. Its crude guidance system shut off the engine after a preset interval, sending the bomb into a dive on its target, primarily in London. At the time it was noted that some areas were hit more than others. I remember from a math class in university that a statistician demonstrated the distribution of hits was consistent with their falling with randomly over London. Although reassuring, maybe, that V1s were not being aimed at particular places, I cannot imagine this was much consolation to those who suffered from their effects.

A 1911 England Census transcript for the Parks family may be found here. Of interest is the name of his wife, Edith Simmonds Parks from Gravesend, Kent. From this information, their marriage is easy to locate.
       BMD Marriage Index Mar1893 Gravesend 2a 600
              (George William Parks and Edith Simmonds Hardman)

The earliest census record for George William Parks comes from 1871, when he, his mother, brother and an aunt are at 39 Augustine Road, Milton, Gravesend, Kent
       Phebe Parks         Wife  Married       22  Customs Officer's Wife  Kent Strood
       John Parks            Son                      2                                            do       do
       George Parks      Son                      9 mos                                    London
       Charlotte Hidgins  Sister Unmarried 23                                        Kent Strood

The brother is John Henry Parks, which England Select Births and Christenings 1538-1975 records as baptized at Strood near Rochester on 16 May 1869, the son of Henry John and Pheobe Parks. England and Wales Christenings 1530-1906 has George William Parks baptized at Milton near Gravesend on 28 August 1870.

According to the BMD Marriage Index, Hidgins should read Higgins, since the marriage record Mar1869 Canterbury 2a 812 is for Henry John Parks and Phoebe Higgins.

In the 1871 England Census, I found Henry John Parks on board the Onega, 673 ton steam ship on the Hamburg trade, but in Bermondsey on census night.
       Henry John Parks  Married  25  Outdoor Officer H.M.C.s   Strood Kent

For the census in 1881, the family are together at 18 Range Road, Milton in Gravesend, Kent
       Henry      Parks     Head    Mar  35  Outdoor Officer HM Customs      [Kent] Strood
       Phoebe       "         Wife      "      29                                                             "         "
       John H        "          Son     Un   11  Scholar                                               "         "
       George W  "            "          "     10      "                                                Middlesex Stepney
       Thomas A   "            "         "      2                                                           Kent Gravesend
       Ernest K     "            "          "      1                                                                "          "
       Lily E          "         Daughter "   2 mths                                                         "          "
       Thomas K Curling Boarder  "  39  Outdoor Customs Officer HM Customs  "   near Romney

By the census of 1891 George William is away from home found on the steam tug Agincourt (20 tons):
       G W Parks  Mate  S  M[ale]  21  Mate  London  Stepney

Meanwhile in 1891, the family of his parents Henry John and Phoebe Parks are in London at 46 Clemence Street, Limehouse:
       Henry J Parks  Head  M    45   Asst Eo H M Customs  Kent Strood
       Phoebe   Do     Wife   M    39                                            "         "
       Thomas A Do   Son    S     12                                           "   Gravesend
       Ernest K   Do      "      S     11                                            "           "
       Lily E     Do      Daur   S    10                                            "           "
       Daisy B  Do         "      S      9                                             "          "
       Henry A  Do      Son   S      4                                             "           "
       Ethel J   Do       Daur  S      2                                         London  Limehouse
       Violet A Do          "      S     9 mos                                      "             "
       Fanny Porter               S    16    Servant Domestic             "         Stepney

I do not find Henry John Parks in the next census, although I do find Violet Parks born in Limehouse with mother Phoebe Jarvis from Strood and her husband William. The reason is Henry John Parks dies in 1893 (BMD Death Index Mar1896 Stepney 1c 293 Age:49). Phoebe remarries (BMD Marriage Index Sep1898 Mile End Old Town 1c 690 to Joseph William Jarvis). The parish register has the marriage on 26 September 1898 at Bow Common:
       Groom: William Joseph Jarvis  54  Widower  Clerk  50 St Pauls Road
                            father: Joseph Jarvis (dec'd)  Shipwright
       Bride:   Phoebe Parks  47  Widow     50 St Pauls Road
                            father: Edward Higgins (dec'd)  Mariner
       Signed: William Joseph Jarvis and Phoebe Parks
       Witnesses:  John William Coley and Selina Coley X her mark

The 1901 census is at 15 Garford Street Poplar
       William Jarvis  Head  M  59  Carpenter   Kent Chatham
       Phoebe    do     Wife   M  50                       "     Strood
       Violet Parks     Daur   U  11                      Middlesex Limehouse
               and several visitors

And in 1911 at 17 Auberon Street Woolwich
        William Joseph Jarvis  Head  69  Married  Carpenter Elec Cable Works  Chatham Kent
        Phoebe Jarvis               Wife  59  Married 12 (None)                                 Strood Kent
              and lodgers

The BMD summary for this family follows:
       Henry John Parks
              BMD Birth Index Mar1846 North Aylesford 5 42
              BMD Marriage Index Mar1869 Canterbury 2a 812
                                         (to Phoebe Higgins)
              BMD Death Index Mar1896 Stepney 1c 293 Age:49
       Phoebe Higgins
              BMD Birth Index Sep1851 North Aylesford 5 469
              BMD Marriage Index Mar1869 Canterbury 2a 812
                                         (to Henry John Parks)
              BMD Marriage Index Sep1898 Mile End Old Town 1c 690
                                         (to Joseph William Jarvis)
              BMD Death Index Mar1916 Woolwich 1d 1393 Age:64
                                         (as Phoebe Jarvis)

And children:
       John Henry Parks
              BMD Birth Index Jun1869 N Aylesford 2a 398
              Baptism 16 May 1869 Strood near Rochester, Kent
              BMD Marriage Index Jun1892 Gravesend 2a 860
                                         (to Amelia May Hardman)
              BMD Death Mar1942 Ilford 4a 605
              Natl Prob Cal England and Wales
                     Death 19 February 1942; Probate 20 August 1946 to Percy John Parks

       George William Parks
              BMD Birth Index Sep1870 Mile End Old Town 1c 493
              Baptism 28 August 1870 Milton next Gravesend
              BMD Marriage Index Mar1893 Gravesend 2a 600
                                         (to Edith Simmonds Hardman)
              BMD Death Index Sep1944 Stepney 1c 295
              Natl Prob Cal England and Wales
                     Death 12 July 1944; Probate 30 August to Edith Simmonds Parks

Note: Amelia May and Edith Simmonds Hardman are sisters, who as seen above marry the two brothers John Henry and George William Parks.

       Phoebe Maria Parks
              BMD Birth Index Sep1872 Gravesend 2a 414
              Baptism 6 October 1872 Milton next Gravesend
              BMD Marriage Index Dec1892 Hoo 2a 1009
                                         (to George Edward Ayers)
              Ontario Death Certificate
                      Date of Death: 7 July 1932; Date of Birth 22 August 1872

       Annie Kirby Parks
               BMD Birth Index Dec1874 Gravesend 2a 414
               Baptism 24 January 1875 Milton next Gravesend
               BMD Death Index Sep1875 Gravesend 2a 226 Age:0

        Thomas Kirby Parks
               BMD Birth Index Jun1876 Gravesend 2a 441
               Baptism 12 May 1876 Milton next Gravesend
               BMD Death Index Jun1876 Gravesend 2a 242 Age:0

        Thomas Alexander Parks
               BMD Birth Index Sep1878 Gravesend 2a 454
               Baptism 19 July 1878 Milton next Gravesend
               BMD Marriage Index Jun1898 Stepney 1c 631
                                          (to Rose Alice Clark)
               Probably died in New Zealand after 1946

       Ernest Kirby Parks
              BMD Birth Index Mar 1880 Gravesend 2a 463
              Baptism 22 February 1880 Milton next Gravesend
              BMD Marriage Index Jun1917 Greenwich 1d 1626
                                         (to Alice M Wills)
              BMD Death Index Mar1952 Stepney 5d 652 Age:72

       Lily Esther Parks
              BMD Birth Index Mar1881 Gravesend 2a 489
              Baptism 13 March 1881 Milton next Gravesend
              BMD Marriage Index Dec1897 Poplar 1c 1061
                                         (to Robert French)
              BMD Death Index Dec1969 Lambeth 5d 23 Age:88
                                         (Date of Birth 29 January 1881)

       Daisy Beatrice Parks
              BMD Birth Index Jun1882 Gravesend 2a 496
              Baptism 2 June 1882 Milton next Gravesend
              BMD Marriage Index Dec1904 Mile End Old Town1c 613
                                         (to Alfred George Moulton)
              No record beyond 1911 discovered so far

       Henry Albert Parks
              BMD Birth Index Dec 1883 Gravesend 2a 503
              Ontario Marriages 29 February 1912 Newmarket, York
                                       (to Annie Elizabeth Bacon)
              No further record discovered so far

       Ethel Jane Parks
              BMD Birth Index Mar1888 Stepney 1c 468
              Baptism 26 Feb 1888 Limehouse St Ann
                       Born 1 February 1888
              No record beyond 1891 discovered so far

       Violet Annie Parks
              BMD Birth Index Sep1890 Stepney 1c 406
              Baptism 13 July 1890 Limehouse St Ann
                       Born 18 June 1890
              BMD Marriage Index Mar1911 Poplar 1c 623
                                         (to Ernest A Hobdell)
              BMD Marriage Index Sep1954 Poplar 5d 708
                                         (to George A Petrie)
              BMD Death Index Sep1956 Woolwich 5d 691 Age:66

I return now to George William Parks. We left him in 1891 as the mate on the steam tug Agincourt. He married Edith Simmonds Hardman in 1893. The 1901 England Census finds him and Edith at 69 St Albans Road, Ilford:
       George W Parks  Head  Mar  30  Waterman Lighterman   Middlesex Stepney
       Edith S       Do     Wife   Mar  25                                          Kent Gravesend
       Edith V      Do      Daur             7                                            Do       Do
       George W  Do     Son              6                                          Middlesex Limehouse
       Sidney J    Do      Son              4                                             Do               Do
       Harold B   Do      Son              2                                              Do               Do
              and a boarder

And in 1911 at 52 Eastwood Road, Goodmayes, Ilford:
       George William Parks  Head     40  Married Waterman & Lighterman Stepney Middlesex
       Edith Simmonds Parks Wife      35  Married                                        Gravesend Kent
       George William Parks  Son       16  Single   Lighterman's Apprentice Limehouse Middlesex
       Edith Violet Parks        Daughter17 Single  Clerk                                Gravesend Kent
       Sidney John Parks        Son       14  Single Clerk                               Limehouse Middlesex
       Harold Bertram Parks   Son       12             School                             Limehouse Middlesex
       Gladys Irene Parks       Daughter 9             School                            Ilford Essex
              and a boarder

George William Parks worked as a Thames waterman and lighterman from at least 1891 until 1944. He was probably apprenticed a few years before 1891. He would have been 16 in 1886, the age of his son, an apprentice lighterman in 1911. By July 1944, George William senior was nearly 74 years old and had worked over 50 years on the river. He was captain of the steam tug Naja. According to the website London Lighterage tugs, Naja was owned by Gaselee and Son Ltd. On 12 July during a shift change as Tower Hill tug, Naja was struck directly by a V-1 and all six crew were killed. The body of George William Parks was found the next day.

George William and Edith Simmonds Parks are buried at Barkingside Cemetery in the London Borough of Redbridge.

from London Lighterage Tugs website

Sailing Three Generations

For my first fourteen years, we lived close to the Thames: Benfleet, Canvey Island, Leigh-on-sea; and then we moved inland to Norfolk. I spent many days on the beaches in Leigh, Chalkwell and Southend, playing in the sand, and, at low tide, wading the silty creeks that provide waterways for some of the smaller craft. My father was a captain in the merchant navy, so there is more than a little salt in my blood.

The family tree I have in mind, concentrates mostly on parents, grandparents, great-grandparents and back, basically a kind of pedigree chart. In addition, I would like to add the siblings at each generation. Occasionally, I might trace some of these lines closer to the present. The pedigree chart is already a large project, since at each generation the number of great-grandparents doubles. The generation born in the late 18th century appears to be that of my 5th great-grandparents of which I have one-hundred-and-twenty-eight.

The UK research breaks down into three periods: recent oral family history; the census era; and the pre-census era. Systematic household censuses in the UK began in 1841, and were enumerated every ten years thereafter. However, UK censuses are not published until 100 years have passed, so the most recent census data are from 1911. Before the Census and central indexing of birth, marriage and death records, there are parish records.

The gap between 1911 and now can often be completed through asking family elders about their siblings, uncles and aunts. Failing that, I have found the free BMD indexes helpful (www.freebmd.org.uk). For example, for the Stroud-Parks line I can easily find the marriage of Henry Stroud and Edith V Parks (Dec1916 Romford 4a 975), my great-grandparents. If I wanted, I could use this information to order their marriage certificate, but for now it gives me the registration district and quarter in which they were married. I can also search for children of last name Stroud and mother's maiden name Parks, and this search shows me:

     Unity G Sep1917 Romford 4a 7?9

          (my grandmother "Nan Stuart" - her mother, Edith was known as "Nan Mum")

     Olive V Sep1920 Romford 4a 1109

     Audrey P Jun1922 Romford 4a 966

     Myrtle S Dec1924 Romford 4a 838

     Ian RH Jun1927 Romford 4a 830

     Particia J Sep1932 Romford 4a 825

     Henry J Mar1935 West Ham 4a 463

I can likewise easily find Edith V Parks birth registration in the BMD Birth Index; in fact she is Edith Violet Parks born (at least registered) Sep1893 Gravesend 2a 625. Searching on the ancestry database, her 1901 and 1911 England Census records show up. In 1911, the household unit is at 52 Eastwood Road, Goodmayes, Essex:

     George William Parks  Head 40         Waterman and lighterman born Stepney, Middx

     Edith Simmonds Parks Wife 35                                                  born Gravesend, Kent

     George William Parks  Son 16           Lighterman apprentice       born Limehouse, Mddx

     Edith Violet Parks        Daughter 17   Clerk - Solicitor's              born Gravesend, Kent

     Sidney John Parks       Son 14           Clerk - Engineer's              born Limehouse, Mddx

     Harold Bertram Parks Son 12            School                              born Limehouse, Mddx

     Gladys Irene Parks      Daughter 9      School                             born Limehouse, Mddx

     Thomas Charles Cooper Boarder 44 Clerk - Steamship Company born Rio de Janeiro

Watermen in London ferried people across the Thames, and lightermen used tide, current and human might to unload ships out in the river - a cheaper option for the owners who could avoid costly wharf fees.

In 1901, they are at 69 St Albans Road, ten years younger, minus Gladys Irene. Even the same boarder lived with them. Knowing the names of father and mother, searching the Free BMD Marriage Index finds the marriage of George William Parks and Edith Simmonds Hardman Mar1893 Gravesend 2a 600 - my 2nd great-grandparents. Further searching on the ancestry database show her 1881 and 1891 England Census records, and her family of origin.

Her father, John is from Worcestershire, and her mother, Amelia from Great Yarmouth, Norfolk - my 3rd great-grandparents. In 1881 at 2 Elliot Street, Milton in Gravesend, Kent they are:

     John Hardman Head 49 Pensioner (He had previously been a Coast Guard)

     Amelia            Wife  38

     John                Son 14

     Amelia M         Daughter 13

     John A            Son 12 (or, given the other census returns, Jonas A)

     Emily              Daughter 9

     Edith S           Daughter 5

     Joseph O        Son 4

     (and in addition Matilda F and Emma E in 1891)

In 1861 a thirty-year-old John Hardman from Worcestershire was "Captin Miz Top" on board HMS Encounter (14-gun corvette) in Yokohama, Japan, which, in its tour of duty, had been engaged in the Second Opium War against Imperial China.

The only recorded marriage between John Hardman and Amelia (any name) between 1860 and 1870 is

with Amelia Hatt Sep1865 Orsett 4a 160 - my 4th great-grandparents. Searching once more in the census record finds the Hatt family unit in Kessingland, Suffolk, 1861 and Lowestoft,1851:

     Cyprian Hatt b1818 in Harwich, Essex Coast Guard R.N.

     Emma           b1816 in Filby, Norfolk

     Emma           b1838 in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk

     Thomas        b1840 in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk

     Amelia          b1842 in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk

     Jonah           b1846 in Lowestoft, Suffolk

     Eliza             b1850 in Lowestoft, Suffolk

     Joseph          b1852 in Lowestoft, Suffolk

     Emily            b1853 in Kessingland, Suffolk

     Alma            b1855 in Kessingland, Suffolk

Cyprian was also a coast guard; the salt was in their blood. No record of Cyprian Hatt's marriage is in the BMD database, indicating a marriage before 1837, which will force me to rely on parish records - Filby or Great Yarmouth, Norfolk would be good places to start looking for a marriage record of Cyprian Hatt and Emma. From the BMD Death Index Cyprian Hatt died in 1883. A member tree in ancestry notes an unconfirmed newspaper obituary for him, and an item concerning his entry of a model life-boat to the Great Exhibition of 1851.

Previous research has demonstrated generations of lawyers; and here are three generations of river- and seamen. Moving from Norfolk to Essex and London - somewhat akin to my move in the other direction. I remain, however, a convinced landlubber!

Taking stock, so far I have all direct ancestors (and for the most part their siblings) back to my 2nd great-grandparents (there are 16 of them), and 28/32 names for the next generation. Thereafter, I have 14/64 4th great-grandparents, 6/128 5th great, and even a couple of 6th great-grandparents (out of 256). For many family lines the census era is plain sailing.