John Arthur Whiting 1886-1948

Parents: Joseph Whiting and Alice Lucy Moore (1,2)
Born: 6th September 1886 in Burton End, Haverhill. (1,2)
Baptised: 19th February 1887 at St Mary's Church, Haverhill. (1)
Married: Agnes Martha Edey, 25, spinster, cook, of 34 St. Ann's Road, daughter of William Charles Edey, stoker,(deceased) on 25th December 1916 at St James Norlands Church, Kensington. Witnessed by Herbert William Whiting and Margaret Whiting(3,4)
Children: None.
Died: 19th March 1948 at St Charles Hospital, Kensington. Living at Flat D 36 St Ann's Road, Kensington.(5,6)

Bio: John was born at Burton End on 6th September 1885 and baptised at St Mary's church along with his brother Herbert on 19th February 1887.

Sometime after this date John's parents Joseph and Alice took the family down to live in London because their fourth son Reginald is born at 21 Hurstway Street, Kensington in 1890.

On the 1891 census John is living at 22 Hurstway Street, Kensington, with his parents and three brothers Fred, Herbert and Reginald. Father Joseph is working as a general labourer. His eldest brother, Frederick, is listed as 'blind' on this census.

The next census in 1901 sees the family still living in Kensington, at 12 Hurstway Street. Joseph is now a horse keeper, and John and Herbert are working as van guards.

On the 1911 census John is working as a general dealer and is still at 12 Hurstway Street with the rest of his family apart from Herbert who had got married in 1907 to Eliza Storey and was now living in Notting Hill.

On Christmas day 1916 John was to marry Agnes Martha Edey, a cook, who lived a few doors down from him in St Ann's Road, Kensington. He was at no.40 at the time and it appears from the Electoral Register that they remained here for several years afterwards.(7) The couple are still here right up until 1939.

They never had any children as far as I know.

What becomes clear is that John Arthur remained in this street for the rest of his life. When he died on 19th March 1948 at St Charles Hospital, Kensington, he had been living at Flat D 36 St Ann's Road. Probate was granted to Caroline Ann Beechey with effects of £110 4s 10d. (6)

The implication is that John's wife Agnes had already died by this point as she's not mentioned in the Probate entry. There is an Agnes M Whiting of the correct age who died in the Staines district in 1944 who could be her.(8)

It's not clear who Caroline Beechey was in relation to John. Her maiden name was Jones, and she was married to Christopher Beechey. It looks like she was from the Kensington area. Possibly a family friend.

Sources:

(1) Suffolk Records Office, Bury St Edmunds, Parish Registers of St Mary's Church, Haverhill. Fiche 578/4/p15 of 37
(2) Birth Register. 4th Quarter 1886, Risbridge District, Volume 4a Page 621
(3) Marriage Register. 4th Quarter 1916, Kensington District, Volume 1a Page 274
(4) London Metropolitan Archives, Saint James Norlands, Kensington, Register of marriages, P84/JS, Item 016.
(5) Death Register. 1st Quarter 1948, Kensington District, Volume 5c Page 1187
(6) Ancestry.com. England & Wales, National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administrations), 1858-1966
(7) Ancestry.com, London Electoral Registers, 1835-1965
(8) Death Register. 1st Quarter 1944. Staines District. Volume 3a Page 41