Romani sold strawberries from hut on main road between Petersfield and Rogate

[Dma464]

  Hello,
I have not posted on here before so please bear with me.
When I was very small I was introduced to the above gentleman by my grandad who told me he was my uncle. Shortly afterwards the gentleman died, I would think it was about 1972.
I know my grandad went to the funeral but I wasn't allowed to go as I was too young. I do however remember the procession of horse drawn caravans coming through Rogate in West Sussex which was where we lived at the time.
My grandad died many years ago and it transpired that he didn't tell my parents about this uncle or his own heritage for that matter.
In order to prove his and my heritage I was wondering if anyone out there knows the name of the strawberry seller so I can try and work out how he is related.
Would any of his close relatives please forgive me for bringing this up, however I would like to prove to my lot that I am not dreaming.

[PaulineJ]

Welcome,
Logically,  the strawbery seller will be a sibling of either your mother or your father.

Have you asked your parents about their siblings? Have you tracked them all?

[Lola5]

Hallo,
If you know the name of your grandfather and a rough date of birth / death for him, and place  then it should be fairly
easy to trace his siblings and where they all were through the census years.
Trvallelng people  seldom stayed in one place , as you know, but some stayed in the same area .

[Pheno]

If you post your grandfather's name on here and what you know about him - parentage, dates of birth/death etc then maybe we can try and trace his children as logically one of these should be your uncle.

Pheno

[Dma464]

Hello to you both and thank you for your reply. I have traced as far as I am able my grandfathers side of the family and I believe I new all of his siblings and where they lived what children they had etc as they were all quite close. Grandad was also the oldest sibling and this gentleman was older than him, so I am guessing he was Grandad's uncle and therefore my gg uncle.
This is where things get tricky.
According to family legend my grandad, maternal great grandparents and gg grandparents stopped travelling after the first world war and were therefore banished from the rest of the family. My great grandmother was Annie Hawkins (known as Emma) who as far as I can tell was born in 1891 in Northamptonshire to George Hawkins (chimney sweep) and Lizzie Haynes Sedgeley.
Annie Hawkins' siblings were Elizabeth born 1886 in Coventry, George born 1888 in Coventry, Frederick born 1897 in Northamptonshire, Harry born 1890 in Northamptonshire and Albert born 1901 in Nottingham. None of these people seem to have died in the correct area.
George Hawkins appears to have been base born in 1863, however on his marriage certificate his father is listed as Amos Poulteney. He was born in Stoke, Warwickshire.
Lizzie Hawkins was born in 1862 in Poleworth, Warwickshire to William Haynes Sedgeley and Lydia Wright.
I have traced the family as far as I am able and cannot find a link to West Sussex or Hampshire.
At this point I started looking at the paternal side and got a bit of a shock as I wasn't aware they had been travellers, however judging by the surnames, occupations and spread around the country I am not so sure. I will use a separate post for them as this is getting a bit long.

[chempat]

Could you give your grandfather's name and place of death?

Have been looking in newspapers for funeral of strawberry seller - 1971 to 1973, or further apart?

[Dma464]

Now for the paternal side. My grandad's father was Richard William Jarvis born in 1890 in Nottingham to Richard Skinner Jarvis (tinman) and Laura Reynolds.
Richard William's siblings were Alice (Eliza) born 1881 Cambridge, Laurance born 1883 Nottingham and Cyril born 1904 Nottingham.
None of us were aware of Alice, however it looks like she married a Charles William Hodgkisson (or Hodgkinson) and ended up in Yorkshire.
I know Laurance emigrated to the US and Cyril died from mumps before I was born, so am rather lost for ideas.
This side of the family appear to have moved around Norfolk and Cambridge in the past and there are weird christenings in Hampshire every now and then.
I have got a feeling the 1972 funeral made the newspapers as I think they set fire to the caravan in the lanes which caused rather a stir. Unfortunately I cannot seem to find the article.

[Pheno]

1891 census as  start: Nottingham

Richard Jarvis  1852  Age 39  Tinplate worker  Norwich
Laura      30  Elsworth, Cambs
Alice E     10  Cambridge
Laurance H  8  Radford, Notts
Richard W    1  Radford, Notts


Richard W Jarvis b. 1890 is your great grandfather  so it is his descent that needs to be followed

Pheno

[Pheno]

Possible that by 1911 Richard William Jarvis is calling himself William Richard and thinks he was born in Norfolk.  He is assistant to publican Walter Stone in Great Yarmouth in 1911.

Pheno

This is not correct entry.  Pheno