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I suspect E M Atkins could be Clara's sister- Emma Mary.

I have to go out- back shortly

Oh, Bert could be Clara's brother.

The Album could have been gifted in xmas 1898 and photo's put in at a later date.

(4 children from second Marriage on Army image, but I have to go also, fence panels being put up this morning, wouldn't do to be out there in me dressing gown, lol)

Chris :)

(oh, quick version then!)

Rose Louise 25/4/01
Edward Hubert 19/2/03
Vera May 15/10/04
Jack Louis 13/7/06
Eric 30/7/08

(Address, 18, Coulsdon Road, Caterham)


Deaths Mar 1911 (>99%)
--------------------------------------------------------
Gibson Florence L 37 Godstone 2a 177


Deaths Dec 1933 (>99%)
-------------------------------------------------------
Gibson Walter E 61 Cambridge 3b 555

https://probatesearch.service.gov.uk/#calendar

(Probate 1934)


Deaths Mar 1968 (>99%)
-----------------------------------------------------------
GIBSON CLARA 79 CAMBRIDGE 4A 330

https://www.deceasedonline.com/servlet/GSDOSearch

(both on above)


(yes, Chinese now!, opposite St. John's College, just down from Magdalene Bridge/Quayside)


Always worth a check in 'Search All Member Trees' (top right of page here, under 'Search') to see if any other GR Members share names, to make contact.

So just to make it clearer:

Walter Edward Gibson was born 1872 Bottisham, Cambridge son of Edward & Elizabeth

He married Florence Louisa Willshire in 1900. They had Children:

Rose Louise 1901- married Victor Carter. Rose died 1957 Cambridge

Edward Hubert 1903- married 1939 to Kathleen A Smith- Edward died 1949

Vera May 1904- married 1929 to Leonard Doggett- Vera died 1941 Cambridge

Jack Louis 1906- died 1977 Cambridge

Eric 1908- died 1945 Cambridge

Their mother, Florence, died 1911 in Godstone Surrey.

Thier father, Walter, died 1933- Probate to his sister and brother-in-law (William Lancaster Robinson)
-------------------------------------------

After Florence died Walter then married his housekeeper Clara Atkins in 1912

This is Clara in 1901:

1901 England, Wales & Scotland Census Transcription
Rose Cottage, High Street, Caterham, Godstone, Surrey, England

John Atkins Head Married Male 50 1851 Gardener Landscape Caterham, Surrey,
Emma M Atkins Daughter Single Female 26 1875 - Caterham, Surrey, England
John W Atkins Son Single Male 23 1878 Gardener (Domestic) Caterham, Surrey, England
Albert Atkins Son Single Male 19 1882 Gardener (Domestic) Caterham, Surrey, England
Eliza J Atkins Daughter Single Female 14 1887 - Caterham, Surrey, England
Clara Atkins Daughter - Female 12 1889 - Caterham, Surrey, England
Charles Atkins Son - Male 10 1891 - Caterham, Surrey, England
Stanley A Atkins Son - Male 6 1895 - Caterham, Surrey, England
Evaline M Atkins Daughter - Female 4 1897 - Caterham, Surrey, England
Nelly Atkins Daughter - Female 2 1899 - Caterham, Surrey, England
----------------------------------------

So I assume that 'Bert' (possibly Clara's brother Albert) gifted a photo album to Clara's sister, Emma in 1898.

Edward and Clara also had children-

The 1939 register for Clara (posted by Choccy):

30 Bridge Street , Cambridge M.B., Cambridgeshire, England

Clara Gibson 27 Apr 1888 Female Leather Goods Shopkeeper Widowed
Sorry, this record is officially closed.
Jack L Gibson 13 Jul 1906 Male Repairer Bootmaker Single
Eric Gibson 30 Jul 1908 Male Repairer Bootmaker Single
Sorry, this record is officially closed.
Mavis A Gibson 12 Dec 1920 Female Unpaid Domestic Dut Single 51 6
Sorry, this record is officially closed.
---------------------------------

Daughter Mavis baptism:

First name(s) MAVIS ADELAIDE
Last name GIBSON
Year Of Birth 1921
Birth date 12 Dec 1921
Baptism year 1921
Baptism date 08 May 1921
Abode of 30 Bridge St
Place CAMBRIDGE, ST PHILIP
Mother's Given Name Clara
Father's First Name Walter Edward
Father occupation bootmaker
County Cambridgeshire

Mavis died 2005 Cambridge (still single)
---------------------------------

Also son Stanley W Gibson born 1918- married May E Bullock in 1956. Stanley died 1964.

Also daughter Betty Clara (baptised Elizabeth Clara). Other possible children too.
--------------------------------

There is a private tree on Ancestry that has the children of Walter and Clara:

Owner: MiJwli
Tree name: Baker and Atkins family tree

Even though Walter died in 1933, the shop retained it's name after that time:

1938 The Blue Book Cambridge Directory
Boot & Shoemakers, Dealers & Repairers
Gibson W. E 30 Bridge Street.
---------------------------------------------------------------------

All seems to fit, but AG could you take a look at 30 Bridge Street on Google street view. It's been modernised, but wondered if you could spot any similarities?

Oh, and fabulous description on the photos AG

I believe this is Mavis Adelaide Gibson talking about her war experience: It mentions she was 18 at the start of the war and lived in Bridge Street. Her Mum owned a shoe shop and she had a sister Betty:-

http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ww2peopleswar/stories/84/a6613184.shtml

Ok, comparing the shop photo with the Chinese restaurant -

The shop and restaurant don't bear any similarity to each other - obviously there's been a lot of modernisation.
The width of the frontage looks about right.
The windows above the restaurant are two sash windows separated by a bit of wall about as wide as one of the windows. However, the window above the shoe shop is one centrally-placed wide window with two large panes side by side.
But the long ridges of stonework above and below the windows above the restaurant could be the same length as the wide window above the shoe-shop - they maybe just replaced windows in a different arrangement. Unfortunately the photo doesn't go far enough up to see if there's a ridge above the window or not.

The shop to the left of the restaurant is set back a bit, and not in line with the restaurant, whereas the wall to the left of the shoe shop is in line with the shop.

However, the shop window to the right of the restaurant could be the same as the window to the right of the shop, although the photo only shows the first (ie - left-hand) pane of the window. Both windows have painted wooden panelling below them, and the height of the windows, in relation to the height of the shop/restaurant frontage is about the same.
An interesting thing is that the shop to the right of the Chinese restaurant has a grating of some sort in the pavement just in front of the window, and there's the end of a very similar grating visible in the photo, in front of the window to the right of the shoe shop.

If it's the same place, you can see in the pavement in front of the restaurant and other shops , a line which would have been the original edge of the pavement before it was widened. In the photo, the pavement is only one paving slab wide, plus kerb.

Well done on the family research, Chris, AQ, and Choccy!

Haven't got time just now, but must look into who the six daughters in the family group were, assuming the man in the group was Walter Edward.

I just had another thought AG, but wondered, when you get the chance, if you could pm the shop front photo to me.

I believe some alterations were made to the street in 1939 and it was widened at some point- still looking into it- also, the chinese is number 30 & 31- just wondering if numbers were also altered?

EDIT: Numbering looks to be fairly consistent. An article in 1901 places number 21 & 22 on the corner of Thompson's Lane. This is now 'Cotes' 21- 24 Bridge Street- leading to the corner of Thompsons Lane.

(if it weren't so hot, I'd nip down the Town and have a nosey, lol)

Lovely article that Mavis Gibson, right area, with mention of Thompsons Lane, she died soon after.

Chris :)

http://www.alamy.com/stock-photo-street-scene-in-bridge-street-cambridge-with-anatolia-turkish-restaurant-24789107.html

(previous to Chinese, google images can be useful, was looking for old photo's)

AQ -

the photo is too big a file to attach to a GR message.

If you like to send me your email address, I'll send it to you that way.


Having trawled up and down Bridge Street on Google, I can't see any other building which looks any more like the one in the photo than the Chinese restaurant does.

Thanks AG- have sent you my e-mail.

Chris H- too hot to do anything today!

(yes, and don't suppose there would be a square inch of space on pavement down Bridge Street, this time of year, full of tourists, and punt touts, lol)

Think Jonsey had better start contacting some of these names, quite a few...

Chris :)

Well done you guys!!

:-D

Well done all this is absolutely fabulous as they say - the sash worn by the gentleman sad down says independent order of Manchester unity around the edge adn odd fellows across the middle.

So fascinating, I will have to read the replies over and over..... thanks so much, hopefully will find a descendant that is interested in seeing this album....

oh and a special thanks to AG for the work and the descriptions of the photos

You poor hot people down there!

Here in the west of Scotland we've had a whole depressing week of chilly, grey weather with non-stop rain. But this afternoon, at last, we've had some actual warmth - sunshine and a good breeze - lovely! Hope it lasts for a few days.

Photos sent, AQ.

Nit-picking -

I don't think "Bert" can be Clara's and E M's brother - he would only have been 10 in 1892, and the handwriting isn't a child's.

Those 6 daughters -

As the album belonged to E M Watkins, it would seem reasonable to assume the family group and wedding photo are of Walter with Clara, rather than Florence. In which case, the group outside the house must have been taken not too long after their marriage, judging by the style of the clothes.

If so, the two older daughters could possibly be Walter's daughters Rose and Vera - so Vera would have been about 15 in the photo, which would make it approx. 1919-20. It must be before Mavis's birth in 1921, as there's no baby in the photo.

From a fashion point of view I wouldn't think it could be any later than that. In fact, it looks earlier.

But who the four younger girls are, goodness knows.

EDIT:

Jonsey has just sent me some other photos from the album - unidentified people. They seem to be a collection of photos taken over a wide range of time. A couple are of men in WW1 uniform, but then there are some of women in leg-o-mutton sleeves, clearly from a much earlier era.
One photo is dated 1912.

Just taking a break from work so not stopping- thought the album inscription was 1898? (not 1892).

It's not nit picking AG- we have to get this right- and there is a possibility that these names/ occupations are coincidence,

I'll be back on the case tomorrow!

Edit: Thanks for the photo AG- I think it's the right place, but I get back to it in the morning.