Generation 9

 These are the five known offspring, but there may have been more - Please see NB below

Annie Beckwith  Birth record found in Mar qtr 1867 in Newington ('Surrey') and this is corroborated by 1871 census which shows her aged 4. Annie is shown as living with her parents in 1891 as a dressmaker 

She married in Lambeth in Dec 1898 William Henry WELLS (also b1867) and the couple with their young baby daughter are shown in the 1901 census living at 73, Crescent Lane, Clapham, in the borough of Wandsworth. He is shown as age 34 born in Stepney, London, and working as a 'salesman', she also 34 without occupation and the daughter, Frances Bertha WELLS is aged 3 months.

In 1956 a Bertha Wells wrote to Nancy Beckwith (as 'Aunty Nancy') from the Stoke on Trent area where she seems to have been a teacher. She mentioned her mother's initials as having been 'A. B.' (presumably before marriage) and that her mother was aged 11 in 1878. Hopefully this at last now satisfactorily answers the question 'who was Bertha Wells' that I posed in the notes circulated with the draft trees in 1986. See also 10-9.1 below

Lydia Beckwith - b Mar qtr 1869 in Newington. Shown in 1871 census aged 2 (with Annie above and John below) but then died in Dec qtr 1871 (age confirmed as 2)

John Snowden Beckwith b 24th Jan 1871 (but not shown in registers until June 1/4) in St Saviour's, Southwark. Address quoted on birth certificate is 80 Newington Butts. Shown in 1871 census as age 2 months. (previous trees showing him born on 4th Feb 1865 are now disproven - that was a John Ernest Beckwith  - no apparent relation although also in Newington - who died in March qtr 1866 age 1). 

As per his siblings, the 1881 census correctly records his birth as Newington, 'Surrey' and gives the address of the new parental home as 94 Newington Butts. Aged 10. he appears as "John .... Beckwith" presumably because the transcriber couldn't read the enumerator's writing ! Comparably, in 1891 he is simply John S, an apprentice engraver at the parental home.

Goldsmith's Freedom by Service on 6th Oct 1897 at which time still living at parental home, 94 Newington Butts in London SE1. "His Freedom is noteworthy as being by Service, the last in the family to serve an apprenticeship. Having been born before his father took up his Freedom (in 1888), he was ineligible for similar Freedom by Patrimony"  (MGS) 

On 23rd July 1898 he married Ada Louise HODGES at St John's in Brixton (Lambeth borough) and in the 1901 census they are shown living at 30 Corrance Road, Lambeth, he working as a brass engraver, she as wife aged 26 born in Islington but, as yet, no offspring. 

In the 1920 London Telephone directory, he is shown as a 'Brass Plate Engraver' living at 102 Newington Butts, SE11. Nice to see the old exchange names again .... but who are the other Beckwiths ?

"He was an engraver and my cousin Margaret told me that her grandfather had made the Brass letters for the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Westminster Abbey." Tony Robins

John died on 11th April 1943 in Croxford Road, Dulwich, SE London. Death certificate quotes cause as "1a Coronary Artery Occlusion, 1b Bronchitis" and his occupation as "a Brass Engraver". Ada Louise died in 1960

Their children were Gladys Ethel Beckwith & John Augustus Charles Beckwith - see 10-9.3 below. 

"Gladys died in 1957 and was buried in the family grave at Streatham Park Cemetery together with her husband and her father. The Grave Owner in 1958 was John Augustus Charles Beckwith and, in 1988, the cemetery supplied me with these details -

GRAVE No. 21451  SQUARE 14
Percy Manley Robins        Aged 30 years 1935
John Snowden Beckwith             72         1943
Gladys Ethel Robins                    54         1957
Ada Louise Beckwith                  85         1960

The Memorial which was in place on the graves was removed during our surface
landscaping of the areas many years ago.  The grave remains undisturbed and the area is lawned.  We do not have a record of the inscriptions which were on the Memorial." 

Many thanks to Tony Robins for kindly providing this info as well as corrections & additions to John & Ada's entries as well as details of their offspring. 

Bertha Beckwith  b Jun qtr 1877 in Newington - St Saviour ('Surrey').

In 1901 still shown at the parental home, without occupation. Not yet positively identified in the 1911 census but the most likely of the 3 Berthas extant in England who were born around 1877 is one living in Eltham, S E London (both parents having died between 1904 & 1906).

No marriage or death record positively identified yet either but there is a death record for a Bertha Beckwith in Braintree Essex in March 1932 but the age of 59 is around 4 years out (which is nothing in this game).

Rose Beckwith  b Jun qtr 1879 in Newington ('Surrey')

In 1901 still at the parental home, with occupation as 'hat shop assistant'. 

Possibly married a William Davis in Jun qtr 1903 in Islington.

Thomas John's diary notes on 4th Feb 1865 "John's wife confined - girl". This could possibly refer to another John or possibly there was an older daughter who did not survive, but no registered birth has yet been traced.

There is also a gap of 6 years between John Snowden and Bertha so there may have been others in between who died before 1881 but without obtaining birth certificates for all Beckwith births in the area, it is impossible to prove. There seem to have been several seemingly unrelated Beckwith families in the Newington/St Saviour's area and there are 5 recorded Beckwith births in St Saviour's alone in the 5 qtrs Mar 1873 to Mar 1874 but all 5 died young, 3 at 0, 1 at 1 and 1 at 3. An epidemic of some sort ?

Generation 10 

Offspring of Annie Beckwith and William Henry Wells  (9.1)

Frances Bertha WELLS b1901 in Clapham, London SW4. 

Was still alive in 1956 when she corresponded with Nancy Beckwith. Working in Stoke on Trent as a teacher, she signed the letter as Bertha Wells so presumably was still unmarried. 

Offspring of John Snowden Beckwith and Ada Louise Hodges (9.3)

Gladys Ethel Beckwith - b26/04/1904 in family home at Leppoc Road, Clapham, died 1957. 

Married Percy Manley ROBINS in 1927. Lived in Dulwich and had two daughters - Gladys (b Mar qtr 1929) and Margaret Louise (b20/2/1931)

John Augustus Charles Beckwith b2/12/1910, died Nov 6th 1980. 

Generation 11

      These are dummy entries at present - awaiting more info.

Generation 12