Genealogy Chat

No, I didn't ask her about aunts, uncles and cousins, didn't think I needed to at this stage

Did you ask her about any aunts, uncles or cousins?

Thanks.

That is a good question Potty, because I know she wasn't sure about his year of birth, so, how she knows the month is interesting, well, I suppose she remembers his birthday. She don't seem to know a lot, which I find a little surprising, I know people were not into family research like we are today, and World Wars going on etc... so, this maybe the reason she don't know much.

I see that in your first post you give a DOB as Aug 1895. Have you asked her where this date came from?

There were 3 born in the right time period - one died shortly after birth, leaving the 2 we have been looking at:

Births Dec 1893
Hitching William Charles St. Saviour 1d 43 - this is the son of Arthur William Hitching and Harriet Louisa Cottrell. He appears to have been a career soldier and not just a WW1 conscript. No definite sign of him after WW1 but does not seem to have been killed in it.

Births Sep 1895
Hitching William Charles Stepney 1c 389 - this one is the son of William Henry and Mary Ann; looks to have served in WW1; living with parents until 1924 when a William Charles Hitching marries Sophia Sarah Vickers in West Ham 1924 then disappears until 1964 when they appear in Hackney, in what appears to be Almshouses. Dies in 1969:

Deaths Jun 1969 (>99%)

HITCHING William Charles 29Jy1895 Hackney 5b 1038 - DOB is the same as on baptism record for William Henry & Mary Ann's son. The death cert should name the informant, who may have been a relative. This death cert I think would answer which William he was.

How many William Charles Hitching are there born about the same time, about 5 perhaps ? Does seem rather strange having the same names, and born abt the same time! To have the same middle name too, a case of strange but true! :-D

She seems sure about the 'Royal Engineers' but she may be wrong ?

Thanks for that Potty, family research can be a headache at times! lol

I am not sure that the grandparents were William Henry & Mary Ann - that William Charles seems to have married Sophia Vickers in 1924 and the first of the children whose births have been found was born in 1924.

The lady's birth cert would help (or probably better the birth cert of Viola 1924). That would have father's occupation and address.

Neither of the two men whose medal cards we have found was in the Royal Engineers, at least not during WW1, so maybe there is another William Charles Hitching!

I've had a further chat with her and gave her the info so far... Very pleased! She is not sure when her father died :-( However, she knew about 14 Lockner Road, told me her father: William Charles Hitching was in the Royal Engineers as a Regimental Sergeant Major at some stage. Don't know how this fits in with the other army info you have already found and posted on here... ? She told me her father got married in another country, may have remarried and done so over here... I told her that her grandparents could be: William Henry Hitching, and Mary Ann Ringshall, but need to confirm it, because of the other William Charles Hitching born abt the same time, in the nearby areas.

Thanks you all very much, especially you Potty, and spending time on this, seem to be getting very near to finding out her correct family line... I will ask her the info you posted, about Birth C and Death C etc... when I see her very soon... :-D

There is a tree on Ancestry which I think has been created by Winfred's son. There isn't much on it to be honest but the death for Ekaterina is given as 25th December 1967 in Dagenham Essex which is where i believe the death for Kathleen Hitching came from which was posted earlier.
He hasn't listed her spouse which I find very strange.

Possibly the Medal Card for the soldier in the 1911:


British Army WWI Medal Rolls Index Cards, 1914-1920
about William Hitchins




Name:
William Hitchins

Regiment or Corps:
Kings Royal Rifle Corps, Middlesex Regiment

Regimental Number:
2116, G/58529

The 1880 marriage is on Ancestry - spouse Mary Ann Ringshall.

GH, I have spent hours pouring over Electoral Registers and can find the William with father William Henry from 1918 to 1924 at 8 Monza Street, Limehouse, Stepney. On the 1918 he is shown as either Naval or Military and is on a different page to his parents. Assuming he is the one who married Sophia Vickers, he then disappears until 1964 when he and Sophia appear in Hackney.

From 1925 until 1927, there is William Charles & Kate living at 28a Rossington Street, Hackney and from 1929 to 1932 a William Charles & Ekaterina living at 14 Lockner Road, Hackney.

Do any of these addresses mean anything to your lady?

Also, it looks as if both the William Charles we have been looking at were in the Army but only one Medal card coming up.

I could only find 2 marriages for William Hitching prior to 1895. The other one didn't marry anybody called Mary Ann. I'm not sure about this one...

Record Transcription
Back to search results
England & Wales marriages 1837-2008
First Name WILLIAM
Last Name HITCHING
Gender Male
Year 1880
Spouse
Image Quarter 4
Country England
County London
District ST. SAVIOUR SOUTHWARK
District Number
Registry Number
Volume 1D
Page 283
Line Number 291
Entry Number
Category Births, Marriages & Deaths
Record set England & Wales marriages 1837-2008
Collections from Great Britain


Spouse Match

William Hitching married one of the people below:

Mary Ann RINGSHALL View
Ann HALL View

I think you need to get as much info as possible from her. Eg - where did she get his DOB from? Is it on a document or is it just from her memory? Any addresses where they may have lived. The names of any aunts or uncles. Buying the death cert I posted earlier might help - name of informant and relationship.

I have found the William who married Sophia Vickers on Electoral roll for 1964 and 1965, living in the Metropolitan Benefit Society's cottages on Balls Pond Rd, Hackney; Sophia is living with him, so he could be the William who died in 1969.

Keeping everything crossed that she does know.
It would also be interesting to know what her father's occupation was when she was born..............if she has a copy of her own birth certificate. That would tell us whether or not he was still in the forces.
Viola seems to have married in Berkshire so I wondered if the parents had moved as girls usually marry in their home parish.

The information about when her father died she should have, but if it was a case she doesn't have this info, (death C), will that mean we can't say who is her correct father out of the other William Charles Hitching mentioned ? No other way... ? Fingers crossed she knows when he died.

Thanks for that C ADD R b. (Rose) :-D

Her mother's death?

Deaths Dec 1967 (>99%)
Hitching Kathleen 67 Barking 5a 71

Rose