The Family of Thomas William Wilkey & Emma Wills from 1848

Thomas William Wilkey was born on the 13 September 1848 at the home of his parents Richard and Martha Wilkey (nee Sims) at 19, Holloway, Widcombe.

Thomas was the eldest of five children and had one brother William, born when Thomas was twenty-two years old (1871), and three sisters; Louisa born in September 1850; Mary Anne born in February 1853, and Martha, named after the mother, born in February 1855 on sister Mary Anne's second birthday (15 February), but sadly died two days later.

Thomas and his younger brother William account for the two main family streams that still reside in the Bath area. Thomas married Emma Wills of Grove Cottage on the 23 February 1873 at the Parish Church of St Mary's, Bathwick, Bath. She was the daughter of John Wills, a shoemaker. Thomas's father Richard, and sister Mary Anne were witnesses at the marriage. Thomas was 25 years old at the time of his marriage and Emma was 27.

Thomas and Emma Wilkey lived at a number of addresses during their lifetime which included 14 Queen's Place, off Pultney Road (1878 to 1879) where at the time Thomas is described as a carter; 8 Villa Place, Bathwick, where his profession is said to be a porter; 1 Avonbank Cottages, St John's Road, Bathwick in 1897 when he is described as a chairman; 1 Regent Terrace in 1901 where he is described as a wheel chairman and latterly at 24 Brook Road, East Twerton in 1912 where he continues to be described as a chairman i.e. someone who transported people in Bath-chairs or wheel-chairs.

Thomas died at the age of 83 and the death certificate indicates that his last address was 6 Kirkhams Buildings, Bath. He died of heart disease and chronic bronchitis, whilst Emma predeceased him by two years, also dying at the good age of 83 years.

Four children ensued from Thomas and Emma's union, two boys and two girls.

Harriet Louisa Wilkey and her marriage to Edward Bush in 1903

Harriet Louisa Wilkey was born in June 1874 and she married an Edward Bush, a blacksmith of 5 Old Orchard, Walcot Street, Bath. Edward was the son of George Bush, a plasterer who was deceased at the time of the marriage on the 21 November 1903 at Bath Register Office. Edward Bush was 33 years old at the time of the marriage, whilst Harriet was 29 and lived with her parents at 1, Regent Terrace, Bath.

Interestingly, the witnesses at the wedding it seems were Sidney Smith, the future husband of Harriet's 21-year-old sister Agnes - they would not be marrying for a further 10 years, a long engagement - and Agnes herself!

Richard John Wilkey and his marriage to Ada Elizabeth Scott in 1904

Richard John Wilkey was born in the June quarter 1876 and he married an Ada Elizabeth Scott on the 6 April 1904 at the Parish Church of St Saviours in Larkhall. Both were aged 26 at the time of their marriage. Ada was the daughter of William John Scott, a railway porter. Witnesses at the wedding were Froudishaw (?) Edward William Scott and Florence Minnie Scott.

Richard was a groom by profession at the time of his marriage but later, after moving and living for a number of years at 10 Brunswick Place, Bath he was a well established taxi driver (by 1917) and twenty years later in 1937, at the age of 61 was a taxi-proprietor and living at 2 Belmont Mansions, Bath.

There are two known children from this marriage, Edwin Francis Wilkey, who was born on the 8 January 1908, and Gladys Violet Wilkey, born in the June quarter of 1920.

Edwin was a Radio & Television Engineer by profession and married twice. His first marriage was to Ivy Winifred Roberts on 9 July 1932 at the Parish Church of St John in Weston and there are no known children from this first marriage, which ended in divorce. At the time of her marriage Ivy, aged 19, lived at Newbridge Road with her parents, her father was Frank Earl Roberts, a plasterer by trade.

According to the Post Office Directory, 1937 Edwin was living at 122 Newbridge Road West, Bath.

The second marriage was to Clara Ellen Randell Whiteford (nee Kembery), the 35-year-old divorced wife of Wallace Forty Whiteford on the 19 January 1948 when Edwin was 40. The marriage was at the Register Office in Bath. At the time both lived at 16 Portland Place, Bath.

Edwin's sister Gladys married Lesley Gilbert Kembery, Clara's brother, on the 7 March 1942 when she was 21 years old. At the time of her marriage she was a munitions worker, whilst her husband, aged 23 at the time was serving in HM Forces. Both Lesley and his sister Clara originated from the village of Peasedown St John, just outside Bath. Their father, William George Kembery lived at Firgrove Cottage in Peasedown and was employed as a gardener.

From Edwin and Clara's marriage there is one known child, Desmond Edwin Wilkey, born in the September quarter of 1948. Desmond married Stephanie Brenda Taylor in the on the 28 October 1978 at the Parish Church of St John the Evangelist in Maindee, Newport, South Wales. She was 25 years old at the time of their marriage. Stephanie's father Phillip Taylor was a Master Butcher who lived in St John's Road, Maindee and no doubt Stephanie lived with her parents here up until the time of her marriage. Desmond's father Edwin was deceased at the time of the marriage. Desmond, a School Master, and Stephanie, an Assistant Caterer at the time of her marriage, have two children: Scott Philip Wilkey, born in March quarter of 1982, and Rachel Louise Wilkey, born in the September quarter of 1983. Desmond and Stephanie have lived in the same area of Bath for most of their marriage. Witnesses at the wedding were Stephanie's father Phillip Taylor and Desmond's mother Clara Wilkey.

Richard John Wilkey died in the March quarter of 1958 at the good age of 82, whilst his wife Ada pre-deceased him by six years and died in the June quarter of 1952, at the age of 74.

Frederick William Wilkey and his marriage to Lucy Eliza Wiltshire in 1903

Frederick William Wilkey, the third child was born in December 1879 and he married Lucy Eliza Wiltshire two years earlier almost to the day before his brother Richard, on the 5 April 1903. The marriage took place at the parish church in Widcombe and both Frederick and Lucy were 23 years of age at the time of their marriage. Frederick was a fly proprietor, latterly a cab driver and lived at the family home at 1 Regent Terrace. Lucy lived at 10 Princes Buildings and her father, Charles Wiltshire, a former painter by trade, was deceased at the time of the marriage.

Living at 11 Regent Terrace at the time their first children were born and in the same street as his parents, it seems that Frederick later changed his profession and became a painter and decorator by trade. The couple then moved to 2 Ivy Cottages, Sydney Mews by the year 1910 when their third daughter, Doris was born. It must have been very noisy as the Great Western London to Bristol railway track runs adjacent to the property. They then moved to 10 Sydney Wharf, Bathwick Hill, Bath (the opposite side of the railway track to Sydney Mews) and lived there for many years. They are recorded in the Post Office Directory between 1917 and 1937 at this address, by which time Frederick was now 58 years of age.

Frederick and Lucy had no less than seven children, however, the first born, Frederick William Wilkey, their only son born prematurely at 7 months died sadly after four days of birth on the 3 January 1904.

Six daughters followed, they were: Ivy Francis Wilkey, born 26 July 1905; Hilda Florence Wilkey, born 15 July 1907; Doris Agnes Wilkey, born 28 May 1910; Olive Kate Wilkey, born December quarter 1912; Freda V Wilkey, born June quarter 1916 and finally Myrtle M Wilkey, born September quarter 1920. Happily all daughters later married.

Olive Kate Wilkey married Albert William Clipsham in the June quarter of 1938 and for many years worked for the well-known Bath bookbinding firm, Chivers. It was here that Olive met the illustrious Hailie Selassie when he toured the Chivers Works. Selassie's son used to be seen riding his bike around Bathwick. After leaving Bath & Chivers, Bert (as he was known) worked for some 13 years in a Middlesbrough bookbinding firm, and then set up his own small bookbinding business. This very quickly branched out into handicrafts of all types, and artists' materials, and the bookbinding fell off. An insight into this handicraft business can be seen by viewing a catalogue in the Family Album section by clicking here. Later this mutated again into what we would now call home improvement. The business closed in 1975 when both Bert and Olive retired.

Frederick died in the December quarter of 1955 at the age of 76, and Lucy died two years later in the December quarter of 1957 at the age of 78.

Agnes Emma Wilkey and her marriage to Sidney M Smith in 1913