William Sharman at Eight Ash Green?

[sherlock1207]

Very good! All the best to you too.

[baevans]

Hi there Sherlock 1207,

I'm new to this game of family history research and I'm still at the stage of quizzing family members before maybe signing up for some more extensive web based research - so forgive me if there are gaps in the information I can share.

Anyway, I just spent the last 3 days going through several suitcases of family documents at my elderly Dad's house and quizzing him extensively about his life - and then last night I came across your request for info about William Taylor Sharman d.o.b 18/2/1866.

William Taylor was my Great Grandfather and my dad can still remember quite a lot about him and has some photos of him.  Indeed, only yesterday, we were going through a load of farm tenancy agreements signed by him, his son Thomas Hoyles and, even earlier, by his father Thomas when they were all farming in Lincolnshire.  These documents specify in very great detail exactly what farming activities and responsibilities were required of the tenant and so give a great idea of what he would have been doing during his working life.  Dad has also told me a lot about his own dad and mum, John Evans and Kathleen (nee Sharman) and, relevant to your query, also about regularly cycling over to visit William Taylor and Dorothy at Eight Ash Green in the 1940's after the war.  I'd be happy to tell you what I have if you're still researching this and when I've scanned everything into my computer I could email copies of photos and documents if you like - but it may take me some time to do this as I don't have a scanner yet.

I'd be very, interested to see the family tree you've produced and especially in order to find out about Hilda's family as her daughter Sheila is (was?) my Godmother who I last heard from as a teenager.  We know there is an Ian Fryer who spent some time working at a port in east Africa (possibly Djibouti?), but who is the third sibling?, and their children?  I'd love to see the letter you spoke about which Hilda received from Dorothy early in 1962.

Do you know what became of Jane Sharman b.15/5/1861 who was the sister of your grandfather Thomas Hoyles?  Of course I'd be most interested in any personal narratives you have discovered as they would add immense colour to what would otherwise just be names and dates.

Thanks,
Bruce

[baevans]

Hi again sherlock1207,

Just to add some details and correct some others from your original post.

Kathleen Sharman d.o.b. was actually 18/12/1895 from her birth certificate, which is from the Corby sub district.  The birth was registered a couple of weeks later, so in the following year which is perhaps why you have her down as born 1896.

When William Taylor Sharman moved to Eight Ash Green it was not with his whole family and he didn't farm in Essex at all.  He retired and only he and his daughter Dorothy moved to live at the bungalow which was called 'Littlebury' (no house numbers there).  My dad and I think the "back home" that Dorothy referred to in her letter was Holywell, Lincsolnshire or maybe Clipsham 2 miles down the road - which is where Kathleen was living (at home, we think) when she got married. Either way "back home" is undoubtedly farming country in sw Lincs.

My dad says there was an article (obituary?) published in a local newspaper about William Taylor when he died.  We may even have a copy of it somewhere - we haven't exhausted all the documents we've found yet.  A search of Colchester/Essex or maybe Lincs newspaper archives might find also it.

Bruce

[baevans]

I forgot to say, you were right about Suffolk.

Kathleen Sharman married John Evans on 14/1921 just 2 weeks after he left the army following service in the Royal Berks Regt during WW1.  The Evans' were farmers too and John Evans farmed at Babworth nr Retford initially. 

They moved around a bit, certainly to Stoke-by-Nayland, Suffolk where my dad was born in 1929.  Shortly afterwards John landed the job of estate manager for the whole of Brettenham Park Estate in Suffolk, working for the Warners (Sir Courteney, Sir Edward and then Sir Henry), so they went to live at Brettenham for the remainder of his working life. When John retired they moved to Hitcham, Suffolk.

[sherlock1207]

Bruce,
Thanks for getting in touch. I'm very keen to share information and delighted to hear from you. I really thought that this line would yield nothing further. Please e-mail me direct at (*) and I'll send you relevant attachments to study. I'm very busy over the next two weeks, and I shall be away from t'internet for much of that time. However, I'll try to do as much communication as things permit. By the way, where are you? I'm in Nottinghamshire, England.

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