My Family Tree

Birth and Christening
Name: Martha Ford
Gender: Female
Baptism/Christening Date: 06 Jan 1735
Baptism/Christening Place: SAINT CLEMENTS, HASTINGS, SUSSEX, ENGLAND
Father's Name: John Ford
Father's Birthplace:
Father's Age:
Mother's Name: Elizabeth
Indexing Project (Batch) Number: C04124-2
System Origin: England-ODM
Source Film Number: 1067177

Could not write so marked a cross on her wedding certificate.
Witnesses to marriage were John Foord and Thomas Williams. John would probably be brother.
Of St Clements, Hastings at time of marriage.

There are Foord's in the parish of St Helens, at Ore, Sussex. Perhaps her ancestors came from there.

http://www.execulink.com/~lfoord/index/jfoord.htm

JAMES FOORD, WATCHMAKER, of HASTINGS, SUSSEX
and ALFRED GEORGE FOORD, WATCHMAKER, of HASTINGS, SUSSEX
A study in genealogy and in horology, from the late 1700s to early 1900s; last updated Sep 22, 2008

THE PROLOGUE:

Typical old Watchmaker's Shop, c1890

Not just another watchmaker, perhaps a distant uncle? My name is Larry Foord, I am a watchmaker in Woodstock, Ontario, Canada. My ancestors came from the Maidstone/Murston Kent area of England, immigrating here around 1910. About five years ago at the NAWCC Regional Show in Ft Mitchell, Kentucky I stumbled across an old fusee clock and across the dial was written "James Foord, Hastings". The pursuit was on! I already was heavily involved in genealogy, and knew that while the surname spelling with two 'Os' was unusual by North American standards, it was relatively common in England, but almost exclusively in the Kent and Sussex counties. And I even knew that my gggrandfather's name was James Foord. So far we have managed to prove that James Foord the watchmaker was not my gggfather, but if I can just get a bit more information to confirm dates and relationships from the 1700s, I might be able to tie the two families together. Thus is one (and the main) impetus for this webpage. The second one is to show off my collection of (albeit tiny) Foord clocks and watches. ...so if you have any, please, please contact me (email link is at the bottom of the page).

We are trying hard to collect pre 1800 Sussex Foord (and variants) information, so if you have any Foord data, either for Sussex or Kent, please contact us. Likewise if anyone is looking for genealogical information on any of the spouse's families, we're happy to share. All references to people, dates and places have been thoroughly researched. If an assumption has been made, the logic for it will appear in the text. Otherwise, it is safe to assume that the information has been verified by the writer. In the interest of simplicity, this documentation is not included here, but the sources are readily available to anyone.

James Foord (1829-1883), his son James Foord (1859-1911):
White Rock Rd, Hastings, c1905
White Rock Rd, Hastings, c1890

James Foord was born in 1829 in Hastings, Sussex. His first documented appearance is in the 1851 census at 133 St Andrew, Hastings, age 21, his occupation is shown as a jeweller, and his wife Clara (miss-spelled, shown as Sarah) is shown at age 23. James married Clara Pickersgill of Wainfleet, Lincolnshire in Sep 1850 at Spilsby, Sussex. All of his children were born in Hastings. They are Clara b1854, Ellen b1855, James Benjamin (named after Clara's father) b1859, Jessie b1861 and Lydia b1866. There is actually another son Charles James Foord born Nov 25th 1851 at Wainfleet (it was very common in those days for mothers to go home to their mother's to have their first child); he died Apr 26th 1853 and is bured at All Saints Church, Hastings. Although undocumented, we believe James was of poor health. He died in Dec 1883 at the age of 55 and he too was buried at All Saints Church, Hastings. His son was already working with him and at the age of 24 took over the business and about 1886 the name was formerly changed to "Foord & Son". Around 1884 the street name Stratford Place was changed to White Rock, and the street number became 39. The picture to the left of this text shows a scene from this area c1905. James' store, named Atterbury Jewellers in this picture, is at the extreme left with the large sun screen folded down. The picture to the right is the same street scene but showing more of the sea, c1890. These pictures, and all others on this page, are unlinked thumbnails, but full size copies of any are readily available; just ask.

Below this text, and to the left is a recent picture of 39 White Rock. It is taken from the rear, showing its postion facing the sea. It is the lowest building with a long row of windows the width of the building, on what appears to be the third floor. A section of buildings along White Rock is currently being renovated into condos! To the right is an advertisement, placed by James Foord.

James' first adult appearance lists him as a jeweler at age 21 (1851 census); young men went to work early in those days, sometimes even before their teenage years. It is not known if James apprenticed as a jeweler, or as a watchmaker, or how he acquired the skills, but by 1861 (the 1858 Melville's Directory & Gazetteer of Sussex shows a different business at 4 Stratford Place, and does not show James Foord as trade/business) he had a store at 4 Stratford Place. We assume he lived upstairs, and his occupation is listed specifically as watchmaker and jeweller, he had four children, two house servants, and his sister in law Ellen Pickersgill who was an "assistant" (likely sales clerk). The 1871 census reveals even more prosperity, he still has Ellen Pickersgill (we assume as a sales clerk), one house servant, and a note that says he employs four men, and his occupation is listed specifically as goldsmith and watchmaker! This is a substantial retail operation for 1881. James B is not at home, he is shown at age 12 at Clifton House School in Eastbourne. The 1881 census shows James as a goldsmith and jeweler, employing three men, along with James B as a jeweler and Ellen as a saleswoman, plus one domestic servant. James died two years after this census was taken, and in our next census of 1891 they have moved to 33 Station St, Alderington, St Leonard (this is Steyning, Lewes, which is near Brighton, not St Leonards near Hastings). Clara appears as head of the household, "living on her own means", James B is listed as a jeweler, Ellen 58 is a domestic servant, unmarried daughters Clara 37 (school mistress) and Lydia 24 (music teacher), both unmarried , plus an astounding seven boarders. Initially it was our thought that these seven boarders, and the fact that they no longer had the store, suggested that the Foords were no longer prosperous. However, Clara's father Benjamin Pickersgill, and his wife Elizabeth nee Cox, were both schoolteachers back in Wainfleet from at least 1835-41 (source: Schoolteacher List of Lincolnshire). By 1835 Benjamin had also been appointed postmaster for Wainfleet, and at the same time it is reported he operated a day school with his wife (source: Lincolnshire Post Offices). However, six of these seven boarders range in age from 6 to 15 years, and are listed a scholars. Returning to the 1881 census for Hastings, St Mary in the Castle, we find a girl's school run by Clara (the daughter) as the principal, with sisters Ellen and Jessie as teachers, and Lydia as a scholar. There are an additional five students, plus a housemaid and a cook, and it is worth noting that all students are listed as boarders too....making this very likely a small private school. We cannot attest to the level of prosperity, for sure, for the Foords. Given that he employed three or four men in the store, and given the fact that his grave in All Saints Church is adorned with a substantial gravestone (see picture to the right), and with census declarations by both Clara and her son of "living on their own accord", might very suggest that they "had money". Clara died at age 70 in 1899 at Brighton. In the 1901 census James B appears at 22 Regent St, Brighton, his occupation listed as {illegible, perhaps wine....watch} agent, "living on my own accord" as a lodger. The census also shows him listed living at the same address as the Reading family, but he is listed as "head" and the total in the family is one person. This perhaps might mean that he had an apartment of sorts at this address. In 1911 he died at the age of 53, his residence is listed as 47 Loder Rd in Brighton. Like his father he died young, and since James never married or had a son, the Foord name for this family ends here.

James Foord's grave in All Saints Cemetery

According to directory searches (kindly supplied by the Hastings Library a few years ago) the store operated from 4 Stratford Place 1865-1883, from 39 White Rock 1884-1885, and again from 39 White Rock but as Foord & Son from 1886-1888. According to 1890 Kelly's Directory, 39 White Rock was occupied by Sydney William Allen, watchmaker, likewise the 1891 census. The 1905 and 1911 Kelly's both show John Atterbury, jeweller, at the address. Thus it would appear that the Foords left the store about 1889, moving to either St Leonards and/or to Brighton.

James Foord (1790 - 1842)

According to James and Clara's marriage certificate, James' father's name was also James and his occupation was sailor. And according to the Hastings Baptisms James was baptized 4th Feb 1829, son of James and Jane Ford, occupation fisherman. We can't find a James Foord in the 1841 census, however a search based on his birthday produces a James Ford (a common spelling error, and at the correct age of 13), living with Jane Foord age 30 (ages were frequently rounded off to the nearest fifth year in this census year), and Elizabeth Colbran age 60, on Bourne St in old Hastings. All reported they were born in Sussex (the 1841 census listed counties only, and did not state relationships). Elizabeth Colbran is likely the wife of George Colbran, who was listed in the 1840 Pigot's Directory as "gaol" (jail) keeper and living on Bourne St. According to the early parish records, we find on 31st Dec 1827 James Foord married Jane Colbran. It would appear that Jane and her son were living with her parents at the time of the 1841 census, (George is shown working at the jail); James (the father) remains elusive in the census however.

In the 1836 Electral Register we find James Foord, Clerk to Thomas Breed of Waterloo Place, Hastings (it was the Breeds, who as merchants owned most of the property on America Ground, Waterloo Place in the Bourne in the Old Town). According to the Burial Register, James died in 1842 at age 51. The Baptismal Records show his birth in 1790, and his parents as John and Mansel. Going through the Baptism and Burial Registers, we find that Jane was baptized in 1807 and died in 1871. They had the following children: James (as above) b1829, George b1836, d1837, Stephen b1838 and died six weeks later, Margaret and Jane (twins) b1842 and John ,birth year not yet confirmed. It is unknown whether James was actually a sailor or not, but there are a number of references (as yet unexplored) in the UK National Archives with a James Foord involved with some mortgages and bonds (primarily with the Mockett family of Hastings) in the years 1831-1838. Not positive, but he might have inherited a partial estate from a Abraham Wood.

A final note of interest....this James is the first in a succession of three generations to die in their early fifties. Note that a number of his children died young, and we know at least of one child of his son James the watchmaker who also died young.

Note that the following generations are built primarily from Sussex Marriages, Baptisms and Burials. While we have a very high confidence level in this information, we personally have not viewed it for verification. If a date or entry appears italicized, it is because it came from a second source and is also unverified.

John Foord (1757 - 1839)

John Foord was born 1757 in Hastings, and died 1839 at Hastings, buried at All Saints Church. At St. Clements Church in Hastings, in 1781, he married Mansel Moore. They had the following children John b1781, William b1781 (the same day, so John and William were twins), Mansell 1781, Mansell 1782, John 1785, James 1790(as above), Thomas 1786, Elizabeth 1789, Mercy 1792 and Ann 1794. All children were baptized at St Clements Church.

John Ford (1731 - 1801)

John was born 1731 and died 1801, both at Hastings, and is buried at All Saints Church. At St Clements Church in Hastings, in 1756 he married Elizabeth Wllis born 1730. They had the following children, John b1757 (as above), Elizabeth 1758, William 1760 (d1841) {a connection can be supplied for the descendants of William if needed} and Thomas 1762, (d1843). Elizabeth died in 1763. John then married Grace (surname unknown) who was born 1732, and who died 1823. All three of them were buried at All Saints, and there is a stone mentioning all three of them (with the surname spelt Foord), plus their daughter Mary who was born 1770, died 1842 and who had married John Longley.

John Foord (1706 - ?)

At St Clements Church in Hastings, in 1727 John married Elizabeth Matthews, who was born about 1704. They had the following children, Elizabeth b1728, John (as above 1731) and Martha 1735.

??? & John Ford

Further work must be done, and while there likely is a generation missing, we believe the next one to be also John Ford, who married in 1656 at Hastings.

Alfred George Foord (1855 - 1945):

Having a somewhat unusual surname is one thing, having a (perhaps) relative who was a watchmaker is one thing.....but two of them, in the same place! I had originally found a reference to AG Foord, watchmaker in Hastings but was so busy with James that he was ignored. In the process of verifying some James information I started to dig for Alfred.

Alfred Foord was born about 1855 at St Leonards, originally we couldn't find him in the 1861 census, but finally did as "Elfred". We have since confirmed that his parents were Charles and Mary Ann (nee Duke) Foord; Charles at the time of Alfred's birth was a coal porter, and later in 1861 is listed as a beer retailer. Alfred appears in the 1871 census as a 16 year old student at Battle Grammar School. In 1881 he appears as a nephew of the widow Philadelphia Covell (this is his grandmother's...Esther Foord....sister), the location is St Leonards on the Sea (6 Alfred Terr), his age is 26 and his occupation is "jobbing watch maker". In 1891 his residence is 27 St Helen's Cres, Hastings and his business is at 14 Queens Road. The business remained constant at this address, and according to information supplied by the Hastings Library he was actively in business at this address from 1884 to 1917. His wife is listed as Laurie and alternately as Laura , however their marriage certificate in 1884 lists her name as Sarah (and we therefore assume that Laura was either a middle name or nickename) Robinson, age 24, daughter of George Robinson. She was born in Norton (or Morton) Lincolnshire. George Robinson's occupation is listed as gentleman. They appear to have had one child only, Marie born c1886. Much like James, Alfred varied the listing of his occupation between watchmaker, jeweler and goldsmith. Alfred died in 1945 at the age of 90 and is buried in the Hastings Cemetary. Unlike his contemporary James, we have never seen or heard of a clock or watch bearing his name.

Charles Foord (1828 - 1898):

Charles Foord was born in Battle, Sussex in 1828; we believe he died at Hastings in 1898. In 1850 he married Mary Ann Duke, also born in 1828. They had the following children: Emily b1850, Charles b1853, Alfred (as above) 1855, Charlotte b 1857 and Sarah b1859. Mary Ann was born at Epsom, Surrey, and all the children were born St Mary Magdalene (listed as St Leonard by the Sea in 1871 census). Mary Ann died at the age of 38 in 1867, and in the 1871 census he has apparently remarried and Maria (born in Hastings) is shown as his wife, at the age of 24. This might very well be the entry in the 1871 BMD index showing Maria Balcomb marrying a Charles Foord at Eastbourne. Additional children are Herbert b1866 and Annie b1867. And his uncle Henry Foord, age 70, is living with them, listed as a servant. In the 1881 census additional children are Alice b1872, Frank b1874 and Florence b1875. There is also a Charlotte Smith, age 76, listed as "mother". In the 1891 census additional children are Annis Marie age 20 (not mentioned before, but is shown as a daughter), Arthur b1882 and Harry b1883. Charles occupation is coal porter in 1855, beer retailer in 1861, victualler in 1871, victualler in 1881, publican in 1884 (on Alfred's marriage certificate) and in 1891 he was "living on his own means".

Charles' marriage certificate to Mary Ann, dated Sep 23, 1850, states his father was Thomas Hyland, laborer, and as documented below, Charles was the illegitimate son of Charlotte Foord and Thomas. No doubt times were extra difficult under these circumstances, and in the 1841 census we find him at age 15 at the Bridewell Hospital in St George the Martyr, Surrey. Bridewell, in addition to actually being a prison, had a separate "House of Occupations" or reformatory for destitute and delinquent youths of both sexes, and as a lodging for persons previous to their being sent home to their respective parishes. It is worth noting that Charles did comparatively well in life, especially considering his background, and in addition to having a decent respectable occupation, he was ultimately able to "live on his own means". And, note that in 1871 his uncle Henry (brother to his mother) lived with him, and in 1881 his mother lived with him….obviously he maintained contact with them throughout his life, even naming one of his children Charlotte.

Charlotte Foord (1805- ) & Thomas Hyland (1771 - ):

While we don't have a lot of information on Charlotte (what we do have on her family is below) we did find a Bastardy Order from Battle Parish, dated 1828 which states: "Charlotte Foord, boy born at the house of her mother, 3 Feb 1828; father: Thomas Hyland, late of Hastings, servant".

Charlotte did marry, at Salehurst, East Sussex in 1831 to Walter Smith. Curiously, when we check this family in the 1841 Battle census, we find they have children ranging from 13 to one year old. Basic math puts this oldest child's birth at about 1828, the same year as Charles was born. Perhaps Walter was a widower (but remember that in 1841 census takers rounded up/down ages)?

Cornelius Foord (c1760):

According to the Sussex Marriage Index Cornelius married Esther Hyland in 1792 at Battle. A search of the non-parochial BMD registers shows a family of Cornelius Foord, his wife Esther, who had the following children: Elizabeth 1797, Cornelius 1798, Philadelphia 1800, James 1801, Henry 1802, Aaron 1804, Charlotte 1805, Joshua 1806, Stephen 1808, William 1809 and Ansley (female) 1811. All children were born in Battle; all were late registered on the same date in 1812. We have no documentation but believe that Cornelius' father was also Cornelius. (Although they do not show in the registers, there also might be a Sarah b1793 d1834, Mary b1794, Esther 1792, and Elizabeth 1806... note this is totally unconfirmed). Also, Cornelius Sr might have been born 1762 at Catsfield, Sussex to John and Elizabeth Ford (source, speculative, IGI).

Esther, although unconfirmed, we believe was born c1755, likely at Battle, the daughter of John and Mary Hyland. Other children were Elizabeth bc1755, Sarah bc1767 and Thomas bc1771. This Thomas bc1771 we believe is the father of Charles Foord as mentioned earlier, and this means that Charlotte became pregnant with her uncle who was her senior by 34 years. A search through the BMD death registers show a Thomas Hyland of Battle, and another of Hastings, both dying in 1838. Also, in Jan of 1829 there was a removal order for Thomas Hyland from Mountfield back to Battle.

MY FOORDS, FROM KENT

Arthur Herbert Foord (1890 - 1955):

My grandfather, Arthur Herbert Foord was born in Murston, Kent, in 1890. He immigrated to Canada about 1910, arriving in St Catharines, Lincoln County, Ontario. In 1915 he married Grace Stewart, and in April of 1916 they had a son, Edwin Arthur Foord (my father). Six months later she died. Times were tough, and Edwin went to live with his grandfather Charles Stewart on the family farm. Despite Arthur remarrying in 1920, and having a small measure of prosperity, Edwin never returned to live with his natural father. Charles' wife died shortly thereafter, and Edwin remained with his grandfather, working the farm, and eventually taking it over after Charles' death in 1945. Arthur Herbert had four more children Arthur, Phyllis (died at seven weeks), Dorothy and Violet. Throughout our lives as children, we never knew that Arthur Herbert had relatives either in England or St Catharines, this despite the fact that he was a constant presence in both our lives and my father's. Social activity at the time seemed, for whatever reason, to be centered around my mother's family or my father's mother's family. There were in fact a number of siblings, as documented below. Ada Beatrice Foord married Arthur Hills in Dartford, Kent in 1910 and came to Canada sometime between 1905 and 1908. It is unknown for sure, but we suspect that Ada was the first to immigrate to Canada, and was followed by Arthur, and another sister Alice.

Albert William Foord (1863 - 1904):

Albert William was born in Maidstone on May 26th, 1863. His father had died six months prior, and his birth certificate lists his mother as Sarah Gawler, his surname as Foord, and the space for the father's name is blank. There are more details in the section below for his parents. In the 1871 census he appears as William Gawler, living with his aunt and uncle, Abraham and Elizabeth Gawler in Teynham, Kent (note there are some transcription errors here, but consulting the actual census page confirms our information). In 1880 he married Emma Foster of Bapchild, although at that time her family was living in Murston. Her father worked at the brick fields, as did Albert William for most his life. Murston, Bapchild and Teynham are all villages very close to each other. Interestingly, Emma Foster's family lived at 78 Murston Road in the 1871 census, and upon their marriage Albert William and Emma lived at 60 Murston Road. By 1881 they were now living at 56 Lower Church Road in Murston and by 1891 they had moved to 103 Church Road, and his occupation was now a brickmaker. Their children by this time were Ada Beatrice b1881, Albert (or Alfred, see note below) b1886, Alice Emma b1888 and Arthur Herbert b1890. Although it never appears in any census there was another child named Amelia Adelaide born in 1893; we have a copy of her birth certificate, but no knowledge of when she died. In the 1901 census, Albert is incorrectly listed as Alfred A, and most of the children are initialized rather than having their names spelled out...thus AB age 19, AE age 13, AH age 11, Alfred W (we assume William, and also note his name may have been Albert....however at the time of Arthur Herbert's death in 1955 the obituary lists a surviving brother in England by the name of Alfred), plus another child (a son) as "H" only. This child is incorrectly transcribed as 19 years, the census shows him as one year old. In 1901 they are living at #3 Mile End Green, Horton Kirby, Kent. All children are shown, correctly, as being born in Murston with the exception of "H" being born in Halston, Kent. Albert and Emma both died in 1904 in Dartford, Kent. Curiously, according the BMD index, they both died in the first quarter. It is also worth noting that they both were in their early 40s, and thus we might suspect an accident. Ada Beatrice married Arthur Ernest Hills in 1902 at Dartford Kent, they had two children in Dartford, then immigrated to Canada and had two more. (We do have contact with a descendant if anyone is looking for more information). Alice married Milo Wood, immigrated to either Canada or the US, and spent most of her life in Genesco, NY.

James Foord 1817 - 1862 & Sarah Gawler 1830 - 1866

For years we searched for the ancestry of Albert William; the only information we had was from his marriage certificate which stated his father's name was James Foord. Like many things in genealogy, it is the kindness of others who deliver the right clue. The "union" of James Foord and Sarah Gawler produced the following children: Sarah Foord Gawler b1849, James Foord Gawler b1851, Adelaide Foord Gawler b1853, Maria Foord Gawler b1855…all born Bridge (aka Canterbury)….and Albert William Foord Gawler b1863 Maidstone. These children all appear (in the BMD registers, with some transcription errors) as Foord Gawler, and based on the census we know there are also Caroline b1848 Canterbury and George b1861 Maidstone. Curiously these two appear on the BMD with the Foord surname only. Note that Caroline was the first born, and George the second last.

James first appearance is in the 1841 census on North Lane, Westgate Without, Canterbury, at the correct age of 25. His wife is shown as Susan, also 25 years old. We are extremely confident this is the correct James Foord, because he appears at the exact same address in 1851. However, in 1851 and 1861 his wife is listed as Sarah. This would probably mean that either Susan died (although we do not have the certificate, there is a death in 1839 for a Susanna Foord, in Eastry, Kent) early or that they separated; either way Sarah Gawler appears to have replaced her. This "Susan" almost for sure is Susanna Drake, and there is a 1837 marriage in Canterbury between a James Foord and her on Dec 25th at (illegible) Northgate, County of Canterbury. Her father is listed as John Drake, and James' father as William Foord, both show their occupation as labourers. At the time of their marriage both James and Susanna lived at Northgate (illegible), James' occupation as labourer and Susanna's as servant.

We can find no evidence of a marriage between Sarah Gawler and James Foord (however, in an archived note from 2000 a friend did advise that the St Mary The Virgin Church in Wingham, Bride Registration District 1820-1855 listed a Foord/Gawler; this link is broken and we have been unable to find any more information...BUT, there is a death certificate...not ordered...for Sarah's death in 1866), and the use of Foord Gawler as a surname suggests that, in those times, this couple were not formally married, despite having many children. To further complicate things, we cannot find Sarah in the 1841 census. She would have been about 12 years old, and although we are confident that the Abraham Gawler mentioned above is her brother, she does not appear with them in the 1841 census.

The 1851 census shows James' occupation as General Dealer, living at North Lane, Westgate Without, Canterbury and that he was born Wingham, Kent. The 1861 census shows his as a fishmonger, living at 6 Jeffery St, Maidstone, and born at Canterbury. Since son George was the first to be born in Maidstone about 1860, the family would have made the move from the Canterbury area between 1855 and 1860. On Nov 19th, 1862 at the Jeffery St residence James died from suffocation. In attendance was his neighbor Emma Stevens. On June 20, 1866 Sarah died (causes of death is not legible on the certificate); she was 36 years old, her residence was still on Jeffery St, and her occupation was Fish Dealer.

Sarah would have been just barely pregnant with Albert William when James died, and Albert William was only 3 years old when his mother Sarah died. It is very logical that he would have gone to live with his uncle, and that family "reverted" his surname back to Gawler. But Albert was his own man, and in 1880 at the time of his marriage he was only using the Foord surname. And, all census listings use the single surname of Foord; it is only the birth records that use Foord Gawler. And one final point, which may or may not have some significance….in today's world, at least, an unmarried couple who have children and choose to use both surnames typically use the order of mother/father, rather than father/mother as James and Sarah did.

One final bizarre detail before we move on down the page. A long (long, long) time ago we collected a lot of Foord information; the theory was that someday we could tie it all together. In reviewing this information, which dates back to the early/mid 1990s, and to which we can't find the source, we have a listing for the family of James Foord and Sarah Gawler. James' son James had a son named George Thomas, b 1882 at Milton. George married Lilian Smailes and they had four children...Gladys b1918 Milton, Harry George b1920 , Eric b1923 and Patricia bc1930 both born in London England. BUT Harry George was born in St Catharines, ON, Canada....the same place where my grandfather Arthur Herbert immigrated to, in more or less the same time frame!

William Foord bc1790 - 1800

Research in this time frame becomes very difficult, due to the lack of published records. At this point in time (Sep 2008) we are just beginning to return to our Foord research after a busy summer, so stayed tuned.........who knows what we'll find!

A few clues in case there is a reader who some information:

1) The Canterbury Marriage License (1781 - 1809) lists a William Foord of St Mary North Cant, Carp, Bach (24) and Sus Harvey marrying on 26 Jan 1802 at St Mgt...this is pretty tight but given the chance of slight errors this might be him????

2) There is also a record of a Thomas Foord bc 1790 -1793 m1819 Sarah Baker, both of Adisham...they had nine children beginning in 1820, and all were christened at Wingham. This perhaps might be a brothe to William???

3) Pigots of 1824 lists a Richard Foord as owner/manager of a hotel/inn in Westage Without; this could be a brother or uncle to William???

THE FOORD COLLECTION:
The following are samples of known Foord pieces, that are in our collection:
Left to right: Burled walnut case, signed J Foord, Hastings, 8 day fusee time only movement, located in Kentucky in 2002... 18 carat gold pocket watch with engraved metal dial, in truly mint condition, movement is signed Jas Foord, Hastings, and is typical of the English lever movement of the day (late 1800s); purchased from the UK in 2004...next, watch is unsigned and perhaps does not even belong in this case, but the case itself is about 25mm square, and inside reads James Foord, Goldsmith, Hastings is found inscribed on the velvet; purchased from the UK in 2005....French carriage clock, movement unsigned but dial is signed "Foord & Son" Hastings, which makes this a "later" example.

The Watchmaking Industry in Hastings....and beyond:

Hight St, Hastings, c1911

Today we take our watches for granted, but this was not the case 150+ years ago. Even in the picture to the right which shows High street in Hastings c1911, the average person would not have a watch. History tells us that the watch and clockmaking trades were specialized trades, their sales and repairs took place with the more wealthy segment of the population. However, it is worth noting that in 1840 Hastings, which at that time had a population of just over 10,000, had seven watchmakers/jewelers.

It is also important that the reader truly understand the misnomer of watchmaker. We tend to glamorize this industry, particularly those of us involved in horology, but very few watchmaker's actually made anything! They were in fact watch repairers, and clock repairers. To subsidize their living many branched off into goldsmithing and various jewellery repairs. In fact, and this is true even today, the average shop owner is better off financially to glean his income from sales (be it watches, jewellery etc) and to consider watch and/or clock repair as a a subsidiary income. In this era they would have made many of the parts required to repair a watch, but to actually fabricate a watch would be financial suicide for the average shop owner, even if they had the skills. And the marketing of the day was a stroke of genius. Most manufacturers of either clocks or watches would encourage the shop owner to have his name engraved on a watch or the back plate of a clock, or the dials of either, to subtly create the suggestion that he was in fact the maker of this particular watch. This method of marketing was so successful and so popular that it transcended into the USA in the late 1800s. The truth was that the watch that proudly said "Foord, Hastings Sussex" was the identical watch, literally, available to every other shop owner.

Another James Foord, Watchmaker...this time in New Zealand:

A bizarre coincidence at the least...the following was "discovered" when surfing the internet, it is from the Otago Witness, Issue 276, 14 March 1857: " FREEHOLD PROPERTY - ' FOR SALE. HPHOSE very Desirable Business Premises X situate in High Street, Dunedin, the property of the late Mart Mayo, deceased, and now in the occupation of James Foord, Watchmaker. For further particulars apply to G. SMITH, Royal Hotel, or\ Trustees H. F. HARDY, Dunedin, j to the Estate." Tis' a small world indeed!

Feel free to contact me at: watchesandclocks@rogers.com

1Updates: (Note that only major updates are listed here.)

* Nov 12, 2007....first published to the internet
* Nov 15, 2007....added Alfred George's death date and his parents; some 'clues' added to James Foord Kent section
* Nov 18, 2007....added another son to James & Clara
* Nov 20, 2007....expanded on James and Jane Foord's family, added ancestoral generations for him, confirmed Alfred's parentage and birthdate, added his parents Charles and Mary
* Nov 27, 2007....expanded on the Kent side of the Foord family
* Dec 11, 2007....deleted some Kent side of the Foord family information, having proved the speculation was in error. Also added some further "clues" for Charles Foord (1828 - 1898)
* Dec 17, 2007....Added further details, thus eliminating "clues", for Charles Foord (1828 - 1898)
* Jan 2, 2008....Major update with considerable new information on the Kent side
* Jan 15, 2008....Slight revision/confirmation to Kent side upon receipt of BMD certificates
* Mar 25, 2008....added latest purchase of carriage clock to my "collection" of Foord clocks
* Sep 1, 2008....minor corrections, plus confirmed James Foord's marriage to Susanna Drake, and therefore his father's name (William).

Records not imported into INDI (individual) Gramps ID I4294:

Tag recognized but not supported Line 134883: 2 _SCBK Y
Tag recognized but not supported Line 134885: 2 _TYPE PHOTO
Tag recognized but not supported Line 134886: 2 _SSHOW Y