Find Ancestors

Oooo! Really Heather, your mind is worse than mine!!

Just a thought though :) How old was Job Deacon when Job jnr was born? Perhaps the Deacon boys kept it in the family??

You dont know what Harriet looked like at that time pmsl

Luckily we can be pretty certain that your direct ancestor was the fruit of Bens lust and loins.

In the 1861 census, John(66) and Harriet Hooper(31) and their family are living next door to the Three Horse Shoes Inn, Southwick Street, North Bradley.
The Inn keeper is a John Deacon, he has a number of children, one is called Benjamin, age 17, another is named Job, aged 10.
Do you think it possible that Ben had his eye on her for all that time?
Is it possible that Ben 'popped round' to see Harriet while her old man was in his fathers pub getting sloshed? I put it to you that any 17 year old male would, given the chance!

We will never know!

Regards
Mike

But from the dates you have given it would seem that Ben was not Clara's father unless mum was dallying before her husband died. But then you have a gap after her for 3 years so I am hoping that that isnt the case.

Hello all,

Well, the marriage certificate has arrived, Job is listed as being 26 when he was married in Dewsbury Register Office, 3 October 1896. That gives him a birth date of 1870ish (it may be a 'best guestimate', as he may not have known any different), his occupation is given as Navvy, so he would have travelled around, following the work, he was living in Queen Street, Moreley at the time of his marriage. His father is listed as Ben Deacon, a general labourer, so with no other evidence to the contrary I am going with the Hooper/Deacon theory. I will now purchase his birth certificate, but if he was registered Job Hooper, I doubt if Bens name will be on it.
I believe that his mother, Harriets', first husband was John Hooper, an army pensioner from the 13th Light Hussars, who was aged 66 in the 1861 census. There is a John Hooper death registered in Q2 1865 Westbury, I think that is him, as Harriet is a widow in the 1871 census and Benjamin Deacon, aged 30, is a boarder in her household. It also means that, as John died in 1865, he cannot be the father of Job if he was born in 1868, it also brings into doubt the parentage of Jobs brother, Benjamin Q1 1870 and his sister Clara Q3 1865.
In the 1891 census, Benjamin Deacon is a widower, living with Harriets children, the eldest two, William and Frank, are listed as step-sons, but Clara, Job and Benjamin are listed as a daughter and two sons. Benjamins brother, Job Deacon c1850, an army pensioner, is also living with them.
I believe that Benjamins brother Job Deacon c1850 later marries his (possibly) niece Clara Hooper, Q2 1891 Melksham.
I have also found there is the death of a Clara Deacon registered Q2 1891 Westbury, she was 26 at the time of her death, the same age that Clara Hooper would have been, did she commit suicide when she found that her husband was also her uncle? Mills & Boon here we come!!

What do you all think?

Regards

Mike

Well lets hope the family memory of "dragged up in Yorkshire" was another of those things that change over the years. Fingers crossed.

Sorry for not responding before, I have had family to stay and I haven't been able to go on line, as the PC is in their bedroom!!Wow, there is certainly enough to be getting on with here!! Thank you all for your help and suggestions, I have sent for Jobs marriage certificate, so hopefully that will give me a lead, I am certain that one of the possible solutions given must be correct. His early life seems quite complicated, so it will be an interesting exercise.
Job died in Q1 1954, Ilford, so he had a really good innings if he was born in 1868.
When it arrives I will put the details of the marriage cert here for you all to see, if interested.

Lol to all
Mike

Closeness of Trowbridge to Southwick and North Bradley.

Victorian and older houses on the edge of Trowbridge.....Southwick only half a mile away.

Ditto for North Bradley.

Westbury only 3 miles away from Trowbridge at the most...depending which way you go.

Hmmm.............

I sent Michael a PM last night at 10pm to let him know he has had some replies.

Erm, Michael??

Well, it was a fairly unusual first name Whippet so it was a case of checking all Jobs born in a time span. I think the fact he named his son William Frank and there are two brothers with him with those names was a good lead.

Thing is, we may well find he names Ben Deacon as his father because he would have known him as that from being a toddler or it may be Ben is the real father?? (Mum got herself a toy boy there, didnt she! as I see Ben Deacons brother is a Job and there is a BIG gap between some of the older children and the younger ones and the two older boys take the name Hooper in the later census - may be Ben moved in some time before they made it legal.)
Michael, buy the marriage cert first to get what he gives as his fathers name to ensure this is the right family, though I feel quite confident. Then you can buy the birth cert for further info.

The birth cert will confirm his fathers real name hopefully.

Me too, aren't you lot clever.

Another one tied up nicely I think :)

Harriet's marriage

Marriages Mar 1876
Deacon Benjamin Westbury,W 5a 195
HOOPER Harriet Westbury.W 5a 195

I think thats probably your boy who has taken the name of the "lodger" who I think turns up as an husband later on??

Get his marriage cert to help further.

And 1871:

Mum is a widow

Name: Job Hooper
Age: 3
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1868
Relation: Son
Mother's Name: Harriett
Gender: Male
Where born: Southwick, Wiltshire, England
Civil Parish: North Bradley
Town: Southwick
County/Island: Wiltshire
Country: England
Street address:

Occupation:

Condition as to marriage:

Disability: View Image
Registration district: Westbury
Sub registration district: Bradley
ED, institution, or vessel: 3
Household schedule number: 47
Household Members: Name Age
Benjamin Deacon 30
Benjamin Hooper 1
Clara Hooper 6
Frank Hooper 10
Harriett Hooper 42
Henry Hooper 8
James Hooper 22
Job Hooper 3
John Hooper 24
Sarah A Hooper 11
William Hooper 14


View
Original
Record

View original image

Possibly his birth reference

Births Dec 1867
Hooper Job Westbury, W. 5a 121

Hmm, this may be why we cant find a birth ref for a Job Deacon :)

Name: Job Hooper
Age: 13
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1868
Relation: Son
Father's Name: Benjamin
Mother's Name: Harriett
Gender: Male
Where born: Southwick, Wiltshire, England

Civil Parish: North Bradley
County/Island: Wiltshire
Country: England

Street address: Southwick Farm H
Education:

Employment status: View Image
Occupation: Scholar

Registration district: Westbury
Sub registration district: Bradley
ED, institution, or vessel: 4
Neighbors: View others on page
Household Members: Name Age
Benjamin Deacon 39
Harriett Deacon 54
Benjamin Hooper 11
Clara Hooper 16
Frank Hooper 19
Harry Hooper 17
Job Hooper 13
Sarah Ann Hooper 21
William Hooper 26