Henry Holladay (1849 - 1911)

Born 1849 in Barkham, Canterbury, Kent, England

Ancestors

Husband of Eliza (Watts) Holladay — married 18 Apr 1871 in St John Horselydown, Southwark, Surrey, England,

Descendants

Died 1911 at about age 62 in Camberwell, Southwark, London, England, United Kingdom

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Alison Breton [send private message]

Biography

Henry was born near Canterbury, Kent to George William and Sarah Ann. His father George was a journeyman Carpenter. He appears to be the eldest of at least 9 children.

In 1861 he lived in Bishopsbourne, about 4 miles from Canterbury with his family. At this time his elder brother is also learning to be a Carpenter.

There is a Henry Holladay in the 1871 Census who is a Farm Servant but in the same month in April 1871 he marries Eliza Watts in Southwark. He is listed as a 'commercial traveller' and his father, George William is listed as a Wheelwright and Henry is living in St Johns, Southwark. South of the River Thames, Henry and Eliza spend the rest of their lives living and working here and bringing up their family.

How did the boy from a Kent village meet the girl from Southwark? Well in the 1871 Census his brother Stephen was lodging with the Watts Family, as a blacksmith so perhaps that is how they met.

In 1891 Henry and Eliza and their rather large family of 6 children were living on the Old Kent Road in Camberwell. He was a Commercial Traveller - maybe freelance as he ticked the 'neither employed nor an employer' box on the census.

In 1901 They have 7 children still living with them. One son, Alfred is a Stevedore's labourer as is a lodger, Francis Breton who goes on to marry their daughter. That young man, Alfred would, some 19 years later marry Francis Breton's sister Fanny (then a Widow) so the Bretons and Holladays obviously got on well!

In 1911 Henry Holladay (now a widower) again had the Breton family living with them at 490 Old Kent Road. Now Henry was 'a Beer House Manager for Mssrs Courage and Co'. Research Reveals that 490 Old Kent Road was the Oxford Arms, since demolished. He died later that year aged 61.

The Old Kent Road was where the family lived for some time and it's worth noting extracts from it's wikipedia page:

Old Kent Road, one of the oldest roads in England, was part of a Celtic ancient trackway, The opening of the Surrey Canal in 1811 changed the character of the road from rural to industrial.During the 19th and 20th century ie. When Henry and the Family lived here, the industrial and working class makeup of Old Kent Road made it a haven for organised crime and violence. The notorious Richardson Gang operated in the area, and boxing clubs became popular. Public houses on Old Kent Road have been closing since the 1980s. At one point, there were 39 pubs. and finallyOld Kent Road is the first property square on the British Monopoly board, priced at £60 and forming the brown set along with the similarly working-class Whitechapel Road. It is the only square on the board in South London and south of the Thames.

Sources

• England, Select Births and Christenings, 1538-1975 Name: Henry Holliday, Gender: Male, Baptism Date: 24 Jun 1849, Baptism Place: Barham, Kent, England, Father: George Holliday, Mother: Sarah Ann Holliday, FHL Film Number 1785977
• 1851 England Census, Class: HO107; Piece: 1623; Folio: 268; Page: 15; GSU roll: 193524
• 1861 England Census, Class: RG 9; Piece: 518; Folio: 61; Page: 15; GSU roll: 542653
• 1871 England Census, Class: RG10; Piece: 971; Folio: 12; Page: 16; GSU roll: 827252
• London, England, Church of England Marriages and Banns, 1754-1932 London Metropolitan Archives; London, England; Reference Number: p71/jn/026
• 1881 England Census, Class: RG11; Piece: 573; Folio: 82; Page: 40; GSU roll: 1341130
• 1891 England Census, The National Archives of the UK (TNA); Kew, Surrey, England; Class: RG12; Piece: 482; Folio: 97; Page: 10
• 1901 England Census Class: RG13; Piece: 514; Folio: 8; Page: 3
• 1911 England Census Class: RG14; Piece: 2537
• England & Wales, Civil Registration Death Index, 1837-1915, Name: Henry Holladay, Estimated Birth Year abt 1850, Registration Year 1911 Registration, Quarter Oct-Nov-Dec, Age at Death 61, Registration district Camberwell, Parishes for this Registration District Camberwell, Inferred County London, Volume 1d Page 965
• ClosedPubs.co.uk: http://www.closedpubs.co.uk/london/se1_southwark_oxfordarms.html
• Wikipedia 'Old Kent Road' https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Kent_Road