James Brooks or Brookes was one of my 4xgreat grandfathers. As yet I know very little about his early life, other than that together with his wife Ann he had at least 5 children. The youngest of these children was my 3xgreat grandfather Thomas Brookes. In 1841 James & Ann were living with their son Peter Brookes at Veldiver in Breinton. The table below gives a transcription from the 1841 census (HO107/422/2 ED4 Folio 5 Page 5):

James Brookes was still living in Veldiver in 1845 when he died, said to be aged 71. Veldiver (or Veldivere) was a small hamlet in Breinton to the north of the Kings Acre road. So by 1851 Ann was a widow living with her eldest son Peter Brookes in Veldiver, Breinton, Herefordshire. In the same house were two of Ann's grandchildren, plus a lodger William Powis. The table below gives a transcription from the 1851 census (HO107/1977 Folio 519 Page 2 schedule 8):

I haven't been able to find a death yet for Ann Brookes, but there is no sign of her in the 1861 census. By then her son Peter was living with his widowed sister Elizabeth Williams in Wellington, Herefordshire. Elizabeth had outlived two husbands - her first Joseph Evesham and second James Williams. Peter & Elizabeth were still living together in Wellington in 1871. I don't know what happened to Elizabeth after that, but Peter Brooks died in 1878 in nearby Hope-under-Dinmore.

According to the IGI at least, my 3xgreat grandfather Thomas Brookes was baptised in 1809 in Canon Pyon, Herefordshire - the fourth son born to James & Ann Brookes. I don't know anything about his early life yet, but in 1836 he married Lucy Griffiths in Stretton Sugwas, Herefordshire. Thomas and Lucy had 8 children together, their third son being my 2xgreat grandfather - another Thomas Brookes. More information about him and his descendants can be found by clicking the following link:

Thomas Brookes senior was an agricultural labourer and the family lived in the Kings Acre area of Huntington, Herefordshire, between at least 1851 and 1861. The tables below give the transcriptions from the 1851 census (HO107/1977 Folio 547 Page 17 schedule 67) and 1861 census (RG9/1818 Folio 65 page 3):

Thomas Brookes died in 1865 in Kings Acre and was buried in Breinton, although I can't find any tombstone. His wife Lucy survived him by many years. In 1881 she was still living in Kings Acre with, on the night of the census at least, her married son Thomas Brookes - my great great grandfather. However, she died a matter of weeks after the census was taken and was also buried at Breinton.

So far, with the help of some other Brookes descendants, I have traced at least some of the lives of Thomas & Lucy's children. The eldest son Peter Brookes seems not to have married. He was still living in Herefordshire in 1871, but by 1881 had moved to Buckinghamshire where he worked as a groom. The second son, John Brookes married Elizabeth Nelmes in 1867 in Hereford, but at some point in the early 1870s they moved to the Llangorse area in Wales. They had at least 5 children and I am lucky enough to be in touch with one of John's great grandchildren.

The third son was my 2xgreat grandfather Thomas Brookes who married Emma Chamberlain and had a large family in the Burghill area of Herefordshire. More information about their family can be found by clicking the following link:

The eldest daughter Mary Brookes married William Edwards in 1869 and so far I have found 3 children for them. At some point they moved to the Edgbaston area of Birmingham as their oldest two children were born there and the family were living there in 1871. By 1881 they were all back in Herefordshire, living in Withington, where William worked as a gardener. They were still there in 1891, by which time my great grandfather James Brookes, their nephew, had joined them as a gardener too.

I haven't managed to trace the two sisters Ann & Betsey (Elizabeth) Brookes beyond 1861 yet. If there are any descendants of either of these out there, I would love to hear from them. Thomas & Lucy's youngest daughter - Lucy Brookes married John Maria Bonhomme in 1877. They lived in the London area and had several children before Lucy's premature death in 1889. I have recently been lucky enough to make contact with one of Lucy's great grandchildren. She has kindly given me copies of photos below of 3 generations of this side of the family. The photo on the left is Lucy's husband John Bonhomme, the one in the middle is her daughter Grace Harding nee Bonhomme and the one on the right is her grand-daughter Lucy Harding.

Thomas & Lucy Brookes' youngest child was James Brooks born in 1852. He married Ann Preece in 1878 and they had at least 9 children together. James Brookes was also a gardener, like so many of the Brookes family it seems. The family lived in the St Pancras area of London. The photo below shows James' youngest son Fred Brooks (on the right) alongside his cousin James Brookes (my great grandfather). I think the family resemblance is quite strong.

The family tree below summarises what I know about the Brookes family. It is hopefully reasonably accurate, but if you spot any errors, or any relatives, please feel free to E-mail me

Please click on one of the red links on the tree to move to a different page or part of the tree.

If any of the above is of further interest, please feel free to contact me at: n.rowberry@btinternet.com

Peasants to Puddles - My Family History. By Nicky Rowberry