Thomas (5) Hogger


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Brief biography

Thomas (5) Hogger was born to parents Thomas (3) Hogger and his first wife Mary Anne (nee) Hill, and was christened on June 28th 1829 at Milden, Suffolk [PR: Cosford DB].

The 1841 Census finds him at age "12" living with his parents in Brent Eleigh, Suffolk.

The 1851 Census finds him at age "21" living with his parents at Town Hill, Brent Eleigh and occupied as a blacksmith labourer.

In 1852 he married Mary Wesley Backhouse [Marriage Index: Woodbridge 4a 895, 1852 (Sept)]. She was born on May 19th 1830 to parents John Backhouse and his wife Ann, the birth being registered at the Wesleyan Chapel in Great Queen Street, Lincoln Inn Fields, Holborn in London [IGI: Batch C097041].

Thomas (5) and Mary often spelled their surname as "Hoggar", as did their children in their own adulthood. Many of the sources cited here use that spelling.

The 1861 Census finds him at age "30" living with Mary and two children at Lime Kiln Quay, Woodbridge where he was occupied as a journeyman blacksmith. His birthplace is given as "Maldon, Essex".

The 1871 Census finds him at age "41" living with Mary and five children in New Street, Woodbridge where he was again occupied as a blacksmith. His birthplace is given as "Milldam, Suffolk".

The 1881 Census finds him at age "51" living with Mary and three children in Castle Street, Woodbridge where he was again occupied as a blacksmith. His birthplace is given here as "Maldon, Essex".

The 1891 Census finds the family still in Castle Street and gives his birthplace as "Mildenhall, Suffolk". Clearly he had always been seriously confused as to his birthplace. He was now aged "61" and was still occupied as a blacksmith.

The 1901 Census finds Thomas (5) at age "72" again in Castle Street with Mary and gives his birthplace correctly, at last, as Milden. He was still occupied as a blacksmith, apparently specializing in bath making.

He died aged "71" very soon after this census [Death Index: Woodbridge 4a 536, 1901 (June) - indexed as "Hoggar"].

Mary died aged "81" in 1911 [Death Index: Woodbridge 4a 1207, 1911 (Sept)].

His children by Mary Wesley Backhouse

  1. William (14) Hogger - [Birth Index: Woodbridge 4a 501, 1854 (Dec)]
  2. Ann (5) Hogger - [Birth Index: Woodbridge 4a 607, 1856 (June)]
  3. James (9) Hogger - [Birth Index: Woodbridge 4a 545, 1858 (Dec)]
  4. Joshua (1) Hogger - [Birth Index: Woodbridge 4a 640, 1863 (March) - indexed as "Hoggarth"]
  5. Thomas Robert (1) Hogger - [Birth Index: Woodbridge 4a 652, 1865 (June)]
  6. Henry (5) Hogger - [Birth Index: Woodbridge 4a 579, 1867 (Dec)]
  7. Jane (2) Hogger - [Birth Index: Woodbridge 4a 621, 1870 (June)]
  8. Benjamin (2) Hogger - [Birth Index: Woodbridge 4a 610, 1871 (Sept)]
  9. and probably ... Charlotte Wesley (1) Hogger - [Birth Index: Woodbridge 4a 726, 1878 (Sept) - indexed as "Hoggar"]
  10. and possibly others ...

William (14) was christened at St. Mary, Woodbridge on July 17th 1856 [IGI: Batch C063251]. The 1871 Census finds him at age "16" living with his parents and occupied as a blacksmith. In 1875 he married Charlotte Playford [Marriage Index: Woodbridge 4a 1434, 1875 (Dec)]. She was born at Reedham, Norfolk in 1854 [Birth Index: Blofield 4b 201, 1854 (June)]. The 1881 Census finds them living with their child Thomas William (2) - [Birth Index: Woodbridge 4a 721, 1876 (June)] - at St. John's, Woodbridge where William (14) was occupied as a blacksmith. The 1891 Census finds the family including a second son Peter Alic (1) - [Birth Index: Woodbridge 4a 769, 1881 (June)] - living in Castle Street, Woodbridge where William (14) was now occupied as an iron moulder and his son Thomas William (2) as a baker. Neither he nor Charlotte has been found in any subsequent source and their fates are as yet unknown. The 1901 Census finds Peter Alic (1) aged "20" living at the Brompton Barracks, Gillingham in Kent where he was serving as a sapper - with service number 7301 - with the Royal Engineers. He died on August 14th 1916, and is commemorated at the Ipswich Cemetery [Grave/Panel BA.1.37].

Ann (5) was christened at St. Mary, Woodbridge on May 1st 1856 [IGI: Batch C063251]. She died the following year [Death Index: Woodbridge 4a 384, 1857 (June)].

The 1881 Census finds James (9) occupied as an able seaman on board the Royal Navy ship "HMS Champion", a new Comus Class Corvette that had been launched on July 1st 1878. The location of the ship is not known. He appears to have first married in 1890 to Louisa Elizabeth Osborne [Marriage Index: Woodbridge 4a 977, 1890 (March)]. The 1891 Census finds him at age "32", apparently cited as married, occupied as an attendant in the Suffolk County Lunatic Asylum in Melton. Extensive attempts to find Louisa in this census have not succeeded. He appears to have remarried in 1899 to Mary Jane Robertson [Marriage Index: Southampton 2c 84, 1899 (Dec) - indexed as "Hoggar"]. Mary Jane was born in Liverpool, Lancashire around early 1871 [Birth Index: Liverpool 8b 101, 1871 (March)]. The 1901 Census finds them, together with Mary Jane's widowed mother Jane Robertson, living at 4, Anderson's Road in St. Mary, Southampton where James (9) was again occupied as an able seaman. There were no children with them.

The 1881 Census possibly finds Joshua (1) occupied as an able seaman on board the vessel "Queen" in Harwick St. Nicholas, Essex. His age is given as "32", perhaps a misreading of "22" (itself somewhat inaccurate). The 1891 Census finds him at age "28" and unmarried, living with his parents and occupied as a domestic groom. He has not yet been located in the 1901 Census.

The 1881 Census finds Thomas Robert (1) at age "16" living with his parents and occupied as a sailor. In 1888 he married Annie Elizabeth Levett [Marriage Index: Woodbridge 4a 887, 1888 (March)]. She was born in Pettistree, Suffolk in 1867 [Birth Index: Woodbridge 4a 581, 1867 (Dec)]. Around early 1890 they produced a daughter Annie Elizabeth (3) [Birth Index: Woodbridge 4a 977, 1890 (March)]. The 1891 Census finds the family living at 26, Gower Street, St. Peter in Ipswich, where Thomas Robert was occupied as a steam sawyer. He died aged "28" around early 1894 [Death Index: Ipswich 4a 563, 1894 (March)]. The 1901 Census finds his widow living with two children in Castle Street, Woodbridge where she was occupied as a tailoress. Boarding with her was her widowed father Isaac Levett aged "69".

Henry (5) was christened at St. John, Woodbridge on December 10th 1867 [IGI: Batch C132131]. He died in infancy [Death Index: Woodbridge 4a 377, 1867 (Dec)].

The 1881 Census finds Jane (2) at age "11" living with her parents. In 1889 she married a labourer George William Blake [Marriage Index: Woodbridge 4a 928, 1889 (March)]. He was born in 1867 [Birth Index: Woodbridge 4a 650, 1867 (June)]. The 1891 Census finds them living next door to her parents in Castle Street, Woodbridge where George William was occupied as a general labourer. The 1901 Census finds them with three children living at Lime Kiln Quay in Woodbridge where George William was occupied as a timber sawyer.

The 1881 Census finds Benjamin (2) at age "9" living with his parents. The 1891 Census finds him at age "19" still living with them and occupied as a bricklayer. He appears to have married in 1897 to Ellen ("Nellie") Caroline Butcher [Marriage Index: Fulham 1a 359, 1897 (March)] and to have produced children Benjamin (3) - born about 1896/97 - Maud Wesley (1) [Birth Index: Fulham 1a 252, 1897 (June)], Harold Robert (1) [Birth Index: Fulham 1a 324, 1899 (Dec)] and - possibly - George (4) [Birth Index: Fulham 1a 338, 1901 (Sept)]. Maud Wesley (1) died aged "1" [Death Index: Fulham 1a 203, 1898 (Sept)]. The 1901 Census finds the family living at 8, Liutaine (or Luitaine) Flats in Fulham, where Benjamin (2) was again occupied as a bricklayer (and employer). His birthplace is given wrongly as "London".

Charlotte Wesley (1) died near the end of 1878 [Death Index: Woodbridge 4a 464, 1878 (Dec) - indexed as "Hoggar"]. She was buried at age "4 months" at St. John's in Woodbridge on January 1st 1879 [National Burial Index].