Find Ancestors

I'm trying to trace the whereabouts of William Gorton Brooker born Maryport, Cumberland in 1842, the son of James.

I've got him in 1871 as an Art Student living in Chelsea with wife Frances (nee Hudson).

He created the memorial sculpture (which sits in Mowbray Park, Sunderland) of the Victoria Hall disaster in Sunderland when far too many children died.

I don't know what happened to him after that but I think I found a death for his wife, Frances, in the Whitehaven (Cumbria) District in 1904.

Nothing, however, which gave me a lead on William.

Can anyone help, please?

Don't know where you looked

This is on freebmd!


Deaths Dec 1885 (>99%)

BROOKER William Gorton 43 Kingston 2a 191

Looks like he was married before as its a different bride
Name: William Gorton Brooker
Age: Full Age
Marriage Date: 9 Jun 1866
Parish: Everton, St George
Spouse's Name: Jane Bell
Father's Name: William Brooker
Spouse Father's Name: Edward Bell
Reference Number: 283 GEV/3/6

1881 census can be found free, in full, on familysearch site

Well, I know I'm terrifically short-sighted but I'm now beginning to wonder whether I need glasses for reading as well as driving!

Thanks Jacqueline.

Seems to be two with the same name
1881 England Census about William Gorton Brooker
Name: William Gorton Brooker
Age: 43
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1838
Relationship to Head: Head
Spouse: Jane Brooker
Gender: Male
Where born: Liverpool, Lancashire, England
Civil Parish: Worksop
County/Island: Nottinghamshire
Country: England
Street address: 24 Park Street
Marital Status: Married
Education:

Employment status:

View image
Occupation: Dentist
Registration district: Worksop
Sub registration district: Worksop
ED, institution, or vessel: 2
Neighbors: View others on page
Piece: 3305
Folio: 24
Page Number: 3
Household Members:
Name Age
William Gorton Brooker 43
Jane Brooker 34
Florence Mary Brooker 13
William Alfred Brooker 10
Annie Louisa Brooker 9
Henry Gorton Brooker 7
Lucy Gertrude Brooker 4
Robert Bernard Brooker
(not transcribed)

Source Citation: Class: RG11; Piece: 3305; Folio: 24; Page: 3; GSU roll: 1341787.


England, Select Births and Christenings, 1538-1975 about William Gorton Brooker
Name: William Gorton Brooker
Gender: Male
Baptism Date: 4 Feb 1838
Baptism Place: St Nicholas,Liverpool,Lancashire,England
Father: William Brooker
Mother: Mary
FHL Film Number: 93834

And another possibility!


Marriages Jun 1864 (>99%)

Brooker William Gorton Sunderland 10a 653
Lander George Sunderland 10a 653
Rathey James Sunderland 10a 653
Vasey Adah Bella Sunderland 10a 653

No, Shirley. He's a cousin of the William I was after. I think that William became a Dentist. I have a note somewhere but many members of the family carry the middle name Gorton.

Thanks.

No probs, Joy....................it can happen to anyone. ;-)

Yes Jacqueline.

The William Gorton Brooker who married at Sunderland was the one I was searching for. He married Frances Hudson on 1 June 1864 at the age of 22.

Addendum to marriage post

First name(s) FRANCES
Last name HUDSON
Marriage quarter 2
Marriage year 1864
Registration month -
MarriageFinder™ FRANCES HUDSON married one of these people
WILLIAM GORTON BROOKER, JAMES RATHEY, ADAH BELLA VASEY
Spouse's last name -
District SUNDERLAND

freebmd transcription is obviously innacurate

Could this be Frances?
1901 England Census about Frances Brooker
Name: Frances Brooker
Age: 56
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1845
Relation to Head: Boarder
Gender: Female
Birth Place: Middleton, Cumberland, England
Civil Parish: Leamington Priors
Ecclesiastical parish: Leamington Priors All Saints
Town: Leamington
County/Island: Warwickshire
Country: England
Street address:17 Avenue Road. (Boarding house)

Occupation:living on own means

Condition as to marriage:widow

Education:

Employment status:

View image
Registration district: Warwick
Sub-registration district: Leamington
ED, institution, or vessel: 03
Neighbors: View others on page
Piece: 2931
Folio: 59
Page Number: 10
Household schedule number: 58
Household Members:
Name Age
Mary Mammel 40
Ellen Yelland 55
Frances Burrow 65
Louisa Catterall 46
Frances Brooker 56
Madeline Wylde 80
Frances Threlfall 50
Mary Howell 47
Thomas Berridge 39
Lee Goodier 35
Ada Pell 23
Harriet Wilkinson 24

Source Citation: Class: RG13; Piece: 2931; Folio: 59; Page: 10.

1881 England, Wales & Scotland Census Transcription
Milestone Cottages, Esher, Kingston, Surrey, England


First name(s) Last name Relationship Marital status Gender Age Birth year Occupation Birth place
William G Booker Head Married Male 30 1851 Sculptor Maryport, Cumberland, England Transcription
Frances Booker Wife Married Female 40 1841 - Middleton, Cumberland, England Transcription

Yes, Shirley, thank you. I think I found that entry and believed it could be Frances. They don't seem to have had any children - but at one stage I found a George Brooker in Warwickshire whom I believed could have been their son.

Jacqueline, thank you. I did not find that one at all but they're the couple (my gt, gt . gt uncle) that I was searching for.

I'll have another search to see if there were any children from the marriage.

Jacqueline,

What am I doing wrong?

I've searched the 1881 Census for William & Frances - using the 1851 birth-year given in that Census for William, then given a 10-year range for both, then simply entered Cumberland for both of them and I still can't find the Esher pair.

You are right, though, I can see that it's them, so thank you.

Ha! I've spotted your 1881 remark earlier, Jacqueline, so I'll go onto the Family Search site.

Although the Victoria Hall tragedy occurred 1883 the statue in commemoration wasn't erected in Mowbray Park until 1888 so presumably W G Brooker was still alive at that point.

ADDED:
No! He did die 1885. There's a letter in the Sunderland Daily Echo and Shipping Gazette dated 04 December 1885 from an F.J Williamson offering to complete the sculpture following the lamentable death of W.G. Brooker. Williamson explains that his own studio is not far from Brooker's in Esher.

Thanks Marie Celeste.

That was information I did not have.

There were several carvers and mariners in the Brooker family and its offshoots - many got a mention in booklets etc. I've seen some pictures of various carvings but I've not seen anything 'in the flesh' so to speak.

Joy

Look again, closely, at the 1881 info I posted (from FMP, incidentally) and then try another search. ;-)

Now I see it!


Thanks, Jacqueline.