I have now discovered a little more about the family of James Albert Knighton, my father who died 1929, several months before I was born in 1930 – about whom I had little knowledge whatsoever.
I'm grateful for the help of Carole W and Heywood ánd others of the RootsChat Forum, that together with original important material from my good neighbour and friend Angie, has enabled me to put together the following:
James Albert's father was James Knighton, born August 9, 1869 in St.Mary's, Nottingham -- and who by age 15, in 1884, appears to have been in the Navy with the Official Number 128101.
I assume he later left the navy and ended up in Liverpool to work as a seaman there and in the 1901 cendus was listed as an able bodied seaman, aged 30 years old – a slight year or two difference there but I'm sure he is the right one because his wife and children are listed with him and are the correct names and ages according to my other references.
James Knighton married Charlotte White, a year younger than he, at St Aidans Church Liverpool in 1891. It appears that their first child was born around October 1892, named William James -- but lived a short life of 7 months, being buried 19th June at Ford Cemetary ( I assume in Liverpool ).
From 1901 records (I believe the census) supplied on this Forum by “Heywood”, it shows that there were two more living children in 1901, Eliza, 5 yrs, and Arthur 3 yrs, all living at 9 Roddlesworth Street. My father, James Albert was born the following year, 1902, and sister Ellen 2 years after that.
10 years later, the 1911 census shows Arthur, James Albert, and Ellen living with their aunt Mary Carpenter and her 3 older children at 126 Farnsworth in Liverpool. So from that point we don't know the whereabouts of the sister Eliza Knighton or their father, James Knighton (he may have been at sea) or his wife, their mother Charlotte Knighton -- sister of the aunt Mary Carpenter – their surnames before marriage being White. The ages of the above match ao we can be satisfied they are of the Knighton, Carpenter, and White families of Liverpool.