John Ronald Reuel Tolkien CBE FRSL (1892 - 1973)

Ancestors Descendants

Biography

John Ronald Reuel Tolkien^[1] was born 3 January 1892, in Bloemfontein, Orange Free State, South Africa, to Arthur Reuel Tolkien and Mabel Suffield. ^[2][3] A poet, writer and professor, he is most famous for his creation of Middle Earth with the books The Lord of the Rings, The Silmarillion (published posthumously) and The Hobbit.^[2] Tolkien has often been referred to as the "father" of modern fantasy literature. ^[2]

J.R.R.had one sibling, a younger brother,Hilary Arthur Reuel Tolkien. ^[2] He was home-schooled by his mother. Most interested in Language and Writing, he read at the age of 4. Before his fifth birthday, he wrote in different languages. ^[2]

Tolkien grew up in the Edgbaston area of Birmingham, and went to King Edward's School in Birmingham. In 1911 he attended Exeter College, Oxford. ^[2]

His service in WWI became the inspiration for his books.^[4]

At 21, Tolkien finally married Edith Mary Bratt.^[5]Initially, his guardian barred him from seeing her -- due to her religion -- until he reached the said age. Tolkien complied with his guardian's wish, but went on to have four children with Edith. He loved his children, and their names and personalities became characters in his books.^[2]

In a 1941 letter to his son Michael, Tolkien recalled:

I had to choose between disobeying and grieving (or deceiving) a guardian who had been a father to me, more than most fathers ... and "dropping" the love-affair until I was 21. I don't regret my decision, though it was very hard on my lover. But it was not my fault. She was completely free and under no vow to me, and I should have had no just complaint (except according to the unreal romantic code) if she had got married to someone else. For very nearly three years I did not see or write to my lover. It was extremely hard, especially at first. The effects were not wholly good: I fell back into folly and slackness and misspent a good deal of my first year at college.^[2]

John and Edith had four children together: John Francis, Michael Hilary, Christopher John and Priscilla Anne. ^[2]

When Tolkien was not writing, he was a reader and professor for many different colleges. Never thinking his books would be popular, he wrote as a hobby. Then he showed a former English student, the Hobbit, who convinced Tolkien to publish. ^[2]

Obviously, Tolkien and his books became famous. But despite his renown, the most important thing in his life were his wife and kids.

At one time, Tolkien was close friends with author C.S. Lewis.^[2]

Tolkien was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II on 28 March 1972 ^[2]

Tolkien's wife, Edith, died 29 November 1971, at 82. ^[2]

Edith Tolkien died on 29 November 1971, at the age of 82. According to Simon Tolkien:

My grandmother died two years before my grandfather and he came back to live in Oxford. Merton College gave him rooms just off the High Street. I went there frequently and he'd take me to lunch in the Eastgate Hotel. Those lunches were rather wonderful for a 12-year-old boy spending time with his grandfather, but sometimes he seemed sad. There was one visit when he told me how much he missed my grandmother. It must have been very strange for him being alone after they had been married for more than 50 years. ^[2]

Tolkien died 21 months later on 2 September 1973, at the age of 81.^[6][7][8]

Sources

1. ↑ "England and Wales Census, 1911," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:X7B8-3JV : 20 January 2015), John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, Edgbaston, Edgbaston, Worcestershire, England; from "1911 England and Wales census," database and images, findmypast (http://www.findmypast.com : n.d.); citing PRO RG 14, The National Archives of the UK, Kew, Surrey.
2. ↑ ^{2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 2.12 2.13} J.R.R. Tolkien's Wikipedia article; Accessed 29 May 2017
3. ↑ 1901 England Census; Class: RG13; Piece: 2806; Folio: 59; Page: 17; http://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?db=uki1901&indiv=try&h=15318124; Accessed 29 May 2017
4. ↑ : Service Record: Application for Officers Training Corp or a Member of a University - Temporary Commission (1915). Geni.com. Digital Image. Note: John Ronald Reuel. DOB 03 Jan 1892. Marital Status: Single. Nationality: British. Education: Exceter College Oxford. Residence: Illegible.
5. ↑ "England and Wales Marriage Registration Index, 1837-2005," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:26XB-WM7 : 13 December 2014), John R R Tolkien and null, 1916; from “England & Wales Marriages, 1837-2005,” database, findmypast (http://www.findmypast.com : 2012); citing 1916, quarter 1, vol. 6D, p. 1511, Warwick, Warwickshire, England, General Register Office, Southport, England.
6. ↑ :Professor J.R.R. Tolkien: Creator of Hobbits and inventor of a new mythology (1973, September 3). The Times. Geni.com. Digital image (obituary)
7. ↑ "England and Wales Death Registration Index 1837-2007," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QVCT-V7F4 : 4 September 2014), John Ronald R Tolkien, 1973; from "England & Wales Deaths, 1837-2006," database, findmypast (http://www.findmypast.com : 2012); citing Death, Bournemouth, Dorset, England, General Register Office, Southport, England.
8. ↑ "BillionGraves Index," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K3TD-FNR : 24 June 2015), John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, died 02 Sep 1973; citing BillionGraves (http://www.billiongraves.com : 2012), Burial at Wolvercote Cemetery, Oxford, Oxfordshire, England, United Kingdom.

See also:

• Wikipedia:J._R._R._Tolkien
• Wikipedia: Tolkien family
• "How Tolkien became the father of fantasy", Felix Schlagwein, Made for Minds 2022
• tolkiengateway.net (family tree)
• Wikidata: Item Q892
• IMDB

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