We visited the Vintage Trading Post on a day out to Ottery St Mary last month. I couldn’t resist these five wonderful old photos belonging to one family. It was lucky that three had some names on the backs.

The last two below really grabbed my attention, I do love a wedding photo. The first three are about two feet tall and the two wedding photos are just slightly smaller.

On the back of the first photo above, it says: Smaller child, Minnie Alice Garner 1911-1990. Larger Child, Ernest George Garner 1910-1914.

I started a family tree on Ancestry with Minnie Alice Garner and her brother Ernest, entering the dates I knew and with a father, surname Garner. I soon came across the 1939 register, with her full date of birth as 2 December 1911, so after the date of the 1911 census, although the 1939 register gave me loads of great family information.

I found out she wasn’t married and lived at 37 Crafton Avenue, Rochester, Kent and her Occupation was a Motor Engineer Stores Stenographer. On 1 January 1944 Minnie married Ernest Henry Moon, 1902–1988 and guess what, he was a Works Foreman at a Motor Engineering Garage on the 1939 Register.

Also living in the same household in 1939 were Ernest J Garner, likely her father, b20 May 1874, a Retired Licensed Victualler (Retired) Hannah Garner, likely her mother, b21August 1879 and what looked like a sister Betty J Garner b21 February 1915, a Ladies Hairdresser who later went on to marry a Mr Bessant.

After I had entered all these details I found the 1911 census for the family before Minnie was born and included their son Ernest George Garner in the photo above who had died in 1914.

Little Ernest George Garner‘s cause of Death was Tubercular Meningitis, he was just three years old, so sad.

When I found Minnie and Ernest’s parents’ marriage it answered the main question I had, was Hannah a Johnson? and the same lady whose photo I had below. Yes she was, the couple had married on 23 Mar 1908 at St Mary and St Sexburga Minster on Sea, Kent. Checking photos of the Church now, and it matches. So that also matches with the rough date I thought for the wedding photos below too.

Hannah Johnson was born on 21 August 1879, her father was John and her mother was Emma. She died on 6 October 1967 in Chatham, Kent, at the age of 88.

One of Hannah’s brothers was George Marshall Johnson who was born on 14 July 1875.

According to a public family tree on Ancestry George became a Licensed Victualler/Landlord firstly about 1896, of the pub The Royal Oak, Minster, Kent. (I’ve confirmed this and a new landlord was in place by 1903) Then secondly he ran the George Hotel/Inn, 41 High St, Sittingbourne, Kent. I’ve found that the original George was closed in 1912 and the name transferred to the Falstaff that was across the road. Both with the help of his sister Hannah Robinson before she married in 1908.

During the First World War, George was a Voluntary Ambulance Driver with an exemplary record. I found this record shared on a public family tree on Ancestry.

He married Maud Errington Robinson in 1917. They had two daughters during their marriage. By 1939 he was the Director of an engineering company, that was a total change wasn’t it! He died on 18 April 1950 in Chatham, Kent, at the age of 74.

Now I know this was 23 Mar 1908 at St Mary and St Sexburga, Minster on Sea, Kent. The marriage of Ernest James Garner 1874-1951 and Hannah Johnson 1879-1967.

On the 1911 census back at the beginning of this blog you will see that the family lived at 1 Ross Street, the Masons Arms, Rochester as Ernest James Garner was also a Licensed Victualler.

Don’t the family and friends look absolutely splendid!

Here’s the small family tree I have compiled for this family: Garner/Johnson Family there does seem to be quite a few people who are researching them, so I shall send a message to a couple of them that I think could be descendants.

Till next time then…….