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Hello fellow-members.

For some days now I've been researching my Hookway family tree in the Devonshire area - mostly centred around the town of Bideford, and it has proved to be something of a nightmare of complexity.

So far I have managed to find exactly 20 people with the Hookway surname, starting with John Hookway born in 1780.

I'm still finding other 'Bideford' Hookways who don't seem to connect with any of the other 'Bideford' Hookway family trees.

Every Hookway family seems to have at least 10 children in them.

Is there any chance that I can find someone who has actually succeeded in putting together the entire Hookway clan from the Bideford Devonshire area?

Ethel Sarah Taylor Hookway who married Rudolf Wilhelm Schmidt in 1904 (later changed to 'Munro-Smith) - was my father's mother.

Thanks for any help with this.

Allan Munro-Smith
Sydney Australia

Possible birth


Name: Ethel Sarah T Hookway
Year of Registration: 1880
Quarter of Registration: Jul-Aug-Sep
District: Bideford
County: Devon
Volume: 5b
Page: 501

Marriage ref


Name: Ethel Sarah T Hookway
Year of Registration: 1904
Quarter of Registration: Oct-Nov-Dec
District: Bideford
County: Devon
Volume: 5b
Page: 1069

1891 census

Name: Ethel S T Hookway
Age: 11
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1880
Relation: Daughter
Father's Name: Robert T Hookway
Mother's Name: Mary J Hookway
Gender: Female
Where born: Bideford, Devon, England
Civil parish: Bideford
Ecclesiastical parish: Bideford
County/Island: Devon
Country: England

Registration district: Bideford
Sub-registration district: Bideford
ED, institution, or vessel: 6
Robert T Hookway 50
Mary J Hookway 51
Blanche H Hookway 25
Annie L Hookway 22
Robert E L Hookway 17
Ethel S T Hookway 11
Florence G Steven 5
John E Lethbridge 48
John Colleary 22
Source Citation: Class: RG12; Piece: 1786; Folio 51; Page 5; GSU roll: 6096896.

1901 census


Name: Ethel S T Hookway
Age: 20
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1881
Relation: Daughter
Father's Name: Robert T Hookway
Mother's Name: Mary J Hookway
Gender: Female
Where born: Bideford, Devon, England
Civil parish: Bideford
Ecclesiastical parish: Bideford St Mary
County/Island: Devon
Country: England

Registration district: Bideford
Sub-registration district: Bideford
ED, institution, or vessel: 8
Neighbors: View others on page
Household schedule number: 54

Robert T Hookway 60
Mary J Hookway 61
Annie L Hookway 32
Ethel S T Hookway 20
Florence G Stevens 15
Majorie R H Stevens 12

Source Citation: Class: RG13; Piece: 2160; Folio: 94; Page: 8.

1881 census


Name: Blanche H. Hookway
Age: 15
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1866
Relation: Daughter
Father's Name: Robert T. Hookway
Mother's Name: Mary J. Hookway
Gender: Female
Where born: Bideford, Devon, England
Civil parish: Bideford
County/Island: Devon
Country: England
Street Address: 11 Quay

Occupation: Scholar
Registration district: Bideford
Sub-registration district: Bideford
ED, institution, or vessel: 7

Robert T. Hookway 40
Mary J. Hookway 41
Florence T. Hookway 17
Blanche H. Hookway 15
Annie L. Hookway 12
Robert E. L. Hookway 7
Ethel S. Hookway  
Anne Lethbridge 75
Susan Stapleton 50
Laura Manning 16
  
Source Citation: Class: RG11; Piece: 2258; Folio: 70; Page: 3; GSU roll: 1341543.

1871 census

Name: Blanche E Hookway
Age: 5
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1866
Relation: Daughter
Father's Name: Robert I Hookway
Mother's Name: Mary Jane Hookway
Gender: Female
Where born: Bideford, Devon, England
Civil parish: Bideford
Town: Bideford
County/Island: Devon
Country: England
Registration district: Bideford
Sub-registration district: Bideford
ED, institution, or vessel: 7
Household schedule number: 76

Robert I Hookway 30
Mary Jane Hookway 31
Ann I Lethbridge 65
Florence I Hookway 7
Blanche E Hookway 5
Anne L Hookway 2
Leah C Stricklin 75

Source Citation: Class: RG10; Piece: 2200; Folio: 78; Page: 14; GSU roll: 834864.

Marriages Sep 1862   (>99%)   
Hookway  Robert Taylor    Bideford  5b 890   
Lethbridge  Mary Jane    Bideford  5b 890   

There is a Will


Name: Robert Taylor Hookway
Probate Date: 23 Jul 1913
Death Date: 7 Oct 1912
Death Place: Devon, England
Registry: Exeter

Address Bath House, Bideford
Probate awarded to Robert Edward Lethbridge Hookway, Borough Surveyer and Vernon Boyle, Draper

Effects £3538 8s 2d. Resworn £3722 0s 10d

1861

Name: Robert T Hookway
Age: 20
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1841
Relation: Grandson
Mother's Name: Sarah Taylor
Gender: Male
Where born: Bideford, Devon, England
Civil parish: Bideford
Town: Bideford
County/Island: Devon
Country: England
Registration district: Bideford
Sub-registration district: Bideford
ED, institution, or vessel: 6
Neighbors: View others on page
Household schedule number: 26

Robert Taylor 67
Sarah Taylor 68
Sarah Taylor 43
Robert T Hookway 20
Dinah Hooking 17

Source Citation: Class: RG9; Piece: 1502; Folio: 63; Page: 4; GSU roll: 542823.

Have you tried Search Trees on this site?
There are 134 Hookway's born in Devon between 1770 and 1790 listed.
You could write to contacts to see if they have a connection.

1851 census

Name: Rob J Hookway
Age: 10
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1841
Relation: Grandson
Mother's Name: Sarah Taylor
Gender: M (Male)
Where born: Bideford, Devon, England
Civil parish: Bideford
Town: Bideford
County/Island: Devon
Country: England

Registration district: Bideford
Sub-registration district: Bideford
ED, institution, or vessel: 2e
Neighbors: View others on page
Household schedule number: 51

Robert Taylor 57
Sarah Taylor 58
Sarah Taylor 33
Rob J Hookway 10
Wm Palway 5
Margt Pilifant 17

Source Citation: Class: HO107; Piece: 1895; Folio: 84; Page: 22; GSU roll: 221046.

1841 census. Image very faint so unable to get any other info

Name: Robert Taylor Hookway
Age: 7 MO
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1840
Gender: Male
Where born: Devon, England
Civil parish: Bideford
Hundred: Shebbear
County/Island: Devon
Country: England

Registration district: Bideford
Sub-registration district: Bideford
Neighbors: View others on page
Household Members:
Name Age
Robert Taylor Hookway 7 MO
Mary Branch 2

Source Citation: Class: HO107; Piece 242; Book: 9; Civil Parish: Bideford; County: Devon; Enumeration District: 4; Folio: 11; Page: 18; Line: 24; GSU roll: 241320.

You've made me feel guilty for not explaining myself properly, TootyFruity!

I've got all of those names, and a lot more!

It's a heck of a long-shot I know, but I was just wondering if someone has a family tree with ALL of the members of the Bideford Hookway clan showing in it.

Since posting the above request, I've found a dozen more Hookways that I've yet to sort out where they belong to on my family tree.

The Hookways are taking me ten times longer to sort out than any other branch of my family tree.

Thank you for your kind intentions, TootyFruity! :)

Regards
Allan

Did you know that Robert was a twin


Births Dec 1840   (>99%)
Hookway  Robert Tailor    Bideford  10 43   
Hookway  Sarah    Bideford  10 43   

Allan as Lynne suggested search the trees on the site but even so you will need to check all possible leads rather than rely on someone elses research. Just in case they have gone down a blind alley

Hi Lynne! Nice to see you again. :)

Yes, I've asked, but no replies yet.

One of the problems is that so many of the Christian names are the same.

I've even got children of the John Beer and Mary Taylor Hookway couple who have the same name of 'William'.... William Henry Beer and William A. Beer.

And then I've got people who have married cousins etc of the same surname.

To be honest, I think back then in the 19th century the Bideford area was a bit like what we saw in the movie 'Deliverance'. A lot of banjo players of doubtful parentage...

Best wishes,
Allan

(No, I don't play a banjo!)

TootyFruity - I posted off a message to the staff today that the VIEW button on someone's family tree wasn't working.

The Sarah Hookway and Robert Taylor Hookway 'twins' info is interesting. I don't have Sarah as Robert Taylor Hookway's sister.

I have 9 of Robert Taylor Hookway's (b. 1841) siblings - but not a 'Sarah'. She may have died soon after birth. I've got a few of those.

I get a lot of contradictions while researching the Hookway tree.

Everything proceeds normally until suddenly another research result contradicts what I've found out elsewhere.

A case in point is...

John Hookway m. Nancy Perkins (b.1780 , b.1780)

Their son: James Hookway (1806 - 1852) m. Mary Jane Taylor (1813 - 1869)

Mary Jane Taylor's parents are ... Robert Taylor & Sarah -- (b1794, b.1793).

Mary Jane Taylor's sister is... Sarah Taylor (b.1818)

Mary Jane Taylor and husband James Hookway (1813-1869 , 1806 - 1852) have son... Robert Taylor Hookway (b.1841)

The problem is that half my results say that James Hookway's wife was called Mary Jane Taylor ... while elsewhere it says it's a 'Sarah'.

Very confusing.

Allan

Allan

we ALL face the same problem that you do


.... think how much worse it is for someone who has Taylor or Smith, or Jones in Wales


You have it easy!



But, please, please, please


do NOT depend on someone else's work


You hae no idea as to whether that that tree or information has been thoroughly researched and proved.


As an example, I had a brother who was 10 years older than me


There was (maybe still is!) a tree around that has my brother married to my mother, and with me as their child ................. all birth years correct


so if you look at it closely, my 10 year old brother was married to my 35 year old mother when I was born


My father had completely disappeared



............ and that information was put together by a second cousin who published it in a One Name Study Group, that was put on a cd, and circulated around the world!



Believe me, it is much more fun, and much more satisfying, to sort it all out yourself, rather than taking the lazy way out




sylvia

Hello Sylvia.

Me lazy? Are you kidding?!

I've been working on this night and day for weeks now...

I now have 7x A4-sized sheets of paper covered in graphics of my family tree - with 98% of this coming from my own time and efforts.

If you read my post above, you'll notice I told TootyFruity that I have all of the names he listed for me here.... all from my own work.

So please don't jump to snide conclusions too quickly, my dear.

I now have around 100 names in my family tree - again, nearly all my own work.

Of the Hookways I now have 20 names, and I only asked the board here for some help because both Ancestor.com and Genes Reunited have not been solving the problem of the 'spare' Hookways I have which don't seem to connect with the ones that I do have.

Messages from you that scold me for some assumed laziness doesn't really help the situation I'm faced with, or contribute positively to the spirit of helpful cooperation here between us members.

Regards,
Allan