John Stanley Brooke

John Stanley was the son of Mark Pearson and Florence Mary Brooke (née Huggins).

His parents were married at Nottingham St Mary on 6 October 1879 and had nine children, one of whom died in infancy. All the children were born in Nottingham: Frank Cecil birth registered 1880 (JFM), Florence Mary b. 1881, William Ernest birth registered 1883 (JFM), Mark Percy (Percy) b. 1884, John Stanley b. 1885, Ethel Maggie b. 1887, Frederick Harold b. 1889, Arthur Edgar b. 1890 (d. 3 June 1891) and Ellen Gertrude b. August 1892. Baptismal records have been found for all the children apart from the eldest daughter, Florence: Frank bap. 21 January 1880 Nottingham St Mary, and the other seven baptised at St Thomas: William, Mark and John on 27 May 1891, Arthur on 28 May 1891, and Ethel, Frederick and Ellen on 14 September 1892.

Mark Brooke, a surgeon dentist, and his wife were living at 60A Shakespeare Street, Nottingham, in 1880 when their eldest son was baptised and were at the same address at the time of both the 1881 and 1891 census.

Mark Brooke died on 12 May 1892, four months before the birth of his youngest child, Ellen. The probate record gave his address as 1 Argyle Terrace, Shakespeare Street.

His widow Florence married Francis Edward Watson, also a dentist, probably in 1896, and their only child, Arthur Edmund, was born in 1897 (reg. OND). Arthur also served in the War (see 'Extra information').

Florence, Francis and their son Arthur were living at 72 Shakespeare Street, Nottingham, in 1901. In the home were five of Florence's children by her first marriage: Percy a commercial clerk, John a telephone constructor and Maggie, Frederick and Ellen who were school age. Her daughter Florence was a visitor in the home of an aunt, Ellen Cullen, at 8 Shakespeare Street, but her sons Frank and William have not yet been traced on the census.

Two of Florence's children had married by the time of the 1911 Census: Florence to Arthur George Everitt at Nottingham St Andrew on 23 January 1904 (Notts. Guardian, 30 January) and Frank Cecil to Elizabeth Hall in 1911 (JFM).

By 1911 Francis and Florence had moved to 96 Goldsmith Street, Nottingham. In the home on the night of the census were their son, Arthur, who was school age, and Florence's children, William a dental mechanic, John a turner and Ellen a dentist's secretary. Listed as visitors were Florence's married son Frank and his wife Elizabeth, who were manager and matron of the Gordon Home for Boys, Cranmer Street, Nottingham.

Florence Everitt, her husband Arthur and their three children, John, Florence and Arthur, were living in York where Arthur was employed as a 'newspaper organiser'. Percy, a commercial traveller, was recorded as a boarder in a household in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire. Maggie was a nursery governess to the three children of Arthur Goodacrew, a hardware merchant, and his wife at Radcliffe on Trent, Nottinghamshire. Frederick, a warehouseman, was a boarder at 39 Ewart Road, Nottingham; he later married Winifred May Stevens (m. 1922).

John married Rosa M Odell (b. Dec. 1890) in 1913 (see below) and the youngest daughter, Ellen Gertrude, married Herbert Edwin Mills (b. 1889) in 1917 while Frederick Harold married Winifred Stevens (b. 1892) in 1922. Their sister, Ethel Maggie, probably never married.

Florence was still living at 96 Goldsmith Street in 1921; only Arthur, a dental student, and Percy, an unemployed commercial traveller, were in the home on the night of the census. Florence's husband, Francis, was a patient at the Nottingham City Lunatic Asylum, Porchester Road, Nottingham; his occupation was given as 'formerly dental surgeon'.

Percy died on 20 August 1921, the day before the anniversary of his brother John's death in 1915.

Francis Watson died on 15 October 1922 (burial 18 October), his son Arthur was his executor.

The later CWGC record gave Florence Watson's address as 8 Upton Drive, Sherwood, Nottingham. She died on 14 March 1939 aged 80 (burial 16 March) and was survived by six of her children by her first marriage and her son, Arthur, from her second marriage. Arthur had married Florence Taylor (b. 1901) in 1928 at Nottingham Holy Trinity, his occupation was given as 'stockbroker' on the marriage certificate, and in 1939 they were living at 96 Goldsmith Street.

John Stanley and his wife Rosa had two children, Rose M b. November 1913 and Thomas b. May 1915 . They lived at 52 St. Paul's Street, Radford, but the later CWGC record gives her address as 11 Mayfield Terrace, Curtis Street, Meadows, Nottingham.

Rosa married Tom Beck (b. 1887) in 1919 and they were living at 11 Mayfield Terrace in 1939 when the England & Wales Register was compiled. Tom was a stoker (Royal Ordnance Factory), Rosa hosiery mender, her daughter a hosiery worker and her son a telephone operator ('formerly sheet metal worker); both children had taken the surname of their stepfather. Tom Beck snr. died in 1966 and his widow Rosa in 1967.