William Foster

William (Willie) was the son of William and Catherine (Kate) Foster (née Chamberlain). His father William was born in Ruddington in about 1858. His mother Catherine was born in Bradmore, Nottinghamshire, on 9 October 1859, the daughter of John Chamberlain, a framework knitter, and his wife Mary Ann of Bradmore. She was baptised at Bunny parish church on 31 October 1859. William and Kate were married at Ruddington St Peter on 25 December 1877 (O/N/D Basford). According to the 1911 Census they had six children of whom only two had survived: Ethel May b. 1888 (J/F/M Basford) and William b. 1895 (O/N/D Basford, both of whom were born in Ruddington. Although Ethel's birth was registered in the first quarter of 1888 the 1939 Register and the registration of her death give her date of birth as 24 December 1888. The four children who died in infancy were probably: Martha Ann b. 1880 (J/A/S Basford) d. 1881 (A/M/J Basford); Mary Ann b. 1881 (O/N/D Basford), John b. 1884 (J/A/S Basford) d. 1884 and George b. 1897 (O/N/D Nottingham d. 1898 (J/A/S Nottingham). All the registrations of birth give the mother's maiden name, Chamberlain. In 1881 William (24), an agricultural labourer, and Catherine (21) were living at Private House, Bradmore with their daughter Martha Ann who died later that year. They were still living in Ruddington, at Marlpit, in 1891, with their fourth and only surviving child, Ethel (3). However, by 1901 William, a farm labourer and Kate (sic), a hand seamer (hosiery), had moved to Nottingham and were living at 15 Kelly Street with their two surviving children, Ethel and William (6). A third son, George, had died in 1898. The family was living at 32 Goodhead Street, Meadows, Nottingham, by 1911. William was now working as a wagoner on a farm but Catherine was still a hosiery worker. Also in the household was William, an office boy in a solicitor's office, and William and Catherine's grandson, George Barnes (5, b. 4 July1906 J/A/S Nottingham). Their daughter Ethel May had married William Cull Barnes in 1906 (A/M/J Nottingham) and their son had been born the same year. By 1911, though, Ethel was living with Joseph Walters (27) single, a coal miner, at 8 Salisbury Terrace, Hawthorn Street, Meadows, together with their two children Kate Barnes (2) and Ellen Barnes (under 1 year). The children's births were registered as Barnes, mother's maiden Foster, Catherine in 1908 (O/N/D Nottingham) and Ellen in 1910 (J/A/S Nottingham). William married Mary Elizabeth Wakefield (b. 21 May 1896) in 1914 (J/A/S Nottingham) and they had one son, William (Billie) b. 3 August 1914. An 'In Memoriam' notice published in 1918 gave his address as 'late Buxton Street' [Meadows]. Mary Elizabeth married secondly George Smith in 1919. They lived at 18 Goodhead Street, Meadows, Nottingham. In 1939 when the England & Wales Register was compiled, Ethel (Barnes) was living at 11 Barton Terrace, Meadows, Nottingham, with her widowed father, William, a retired farm labourer, and her two children Joseph William Walters (b. 25 January 1924, J/F/M Nottingham-Foster), a riveters' labourer, and Ethel M Walters (b. 8 June 1927, J/A/S Nottingham-Foster). Catherine/Kate Foster has not yet been traced after 1911 but she was not included on 'In Memoriam' notices for her son from 1917 onwards. William Foster died aged 85 on 20 April 1942 (A/M/J Nottingham and his daughter Ethel May (Barnes) in 1974 (J/F/M Nottingham).

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