George Whiting 1867-1940

Parents: William Whiting and Elizabeth Jacobs (1,2)
Born: 1867 in Withersfield (1)
Baptised: 25th December 1872 at St Mary's Church, Withersfield (2)
Married (1): Elizabeth Webb, 42, spinster, of 29 Eden Road, Haverhill, daughter of Charles Webb, gardener, on 25th December 1903 at St Mary's Parish Church, Haverhill. Witnessed by Elliott Webb and Kate Mary Ann Watson. (4,10)
Children: None
Married (2): Alice Cornell, 53, spinster, Tailoress, of Haverhill. Daughter of John Cornell, gardener, deceased, in Haverhill in 1924. (6)
Children: None
Died: 8th February 1940 in Haverhill. Buried at Haverhill Cemetery on 13th February 1940.(7,8)

Bio: George was born in 1867, but not baptised until he was five years old. This took place on Christmas day 1872 along with his sister Mary Ann.

He appears first on the 1871 census, living in Withersfield with his parents William, a labourer, Elizabeth and siblings John, Susan, Samuel, Sarah and Mary Ann.

George is still present at the family home on the 1881 census, although by now his father is dead. He lives with his widowed mother and sisters Susan and Mary Ann along with two younger brothers Charles and William. He is working as a labourer.On the 1891 census George remains at home working as a labourer. Several of his siblings are also present, along with Edith the five year old daughter of his half-sister Susan.

The 1901 census finds him working as a horsekeeper on a farm, aged 34, still living with mother Elizabeth and younger brother William, a hairbrush weaver.

Two years later, on Christmas day 1903 George was to marry Elizabeth Webb of 29 Eden Road, Haverhill. She was the daughter of Charles and Ruth Webb.

At the time his mother sought help from the Risbridge Union in 1907, George was reported as being a merchants carter with no family.(3) It is odd that his wife is not mentioned, but the 1911 census goes on to show George and Lizzie (as she's known here) living at 29 Eden Road, Haverhill. He is a carman for a corn merchants and she is a hair weaver. They have no children.

George Whiting was almost certainly the same George Whiting, carter, of Haverhill, who was in the employ of John Radford, and was driving a van towards Haverhill from Little Wratting when he witnessed a fatal bike accident at the bottom of Farm Hill in April 1914. The report on the inquest featured in the Bury Free Press.The unfortunate victim was Leonard Sampson Chapman, 14, who appeared to have got his finger stuck in the open end of one of hande-bars and in trying to extricate himself, was thrown off the bike (11).

George's wife Elizabeth died of acute bronchitis and heart failure on 31st January 1924 at 29 Eden Road, Haverhill. George Whiting, corn and coal carter, was present at the death(5) She was buried at Haverhill Cemetery on 4th February 1924, although the burials search incorrectly lists this Elizabeth Whiting as the wife of Charles.

After this George married again, later in the same year in fact.(6) His second wife was Alice Cornell, 53, a tailoress at Gurteen's who was a still a spinster. Her parents were John and Emma Cornell, John having died the previous year aged 84. He had also been the father of Elijah Cornell, who had married Christiana Whiting, only a distant relative of George's.

George died on 8th February 1940 at 29 Eden Road, Haverhill, and he was buried at the local cemetery on 13th February 1940. His wife Alice survived him by seven years, and died at Walnuttree hospital in Sudbury in 1947. She was buried alongside him.(8)

Sources:

(1) Birth Register. 3rd Quarter 1867, Risbridge District, Volume 4a Page 412
(2) Suffolk Baptism Register, SFHS, Clare Deanery, 1813-1900
(3) Suffolk Record Office, Bury St Edmunds branch, 2746/4/3, Risbridge Poor Law Union, Collector's report books.
(4) Marriage Register. 4th Quarter 1903, Risbridge District, Volume 4a Page 1528
(5) Death Register. 1st Quarter 1924, Risbridge District, Volume 4a Page 1182. GRO death cert PDF.
(6) Marriage Register. 4th Quarter 1924, Risbridge District, Volume 4a Page 2021
(7) Haverhill Cemetery, Compartment S, Grave Space 101, Reference 5320.
(8) Death Register. 1st Quarter 1940, Newmarket District, Volume 4a Page 2597
(9) Death Register. 1st Quarter 1947, Sudbury District, Volume 4b Page 1369
(10 Suffolk Record Office, Bury St Edmunds, Parish Registers of St Mary's Church, Haverhill, 1892-1924, FL578/4/19
(11) Bury Free Press, 11th April 1914, p.2, Findmypast.co.uk