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John William GOATHAM
1881 - 1940 (58 years)
Has 4 ancestors and 21 descendants in this family tree.
Set As Default Person 
-
Name John William GOATHAM Relationship 
with Teresa Ann GOATHAM Born 9 Sep 1881 Challock, Kent, England 
- Place of birth from the 1911 and 1921 censuses.
GRO ref: Goatham, John q4 1881 E. Ashford RD 2a 774; GRO online index shows mother's maiden name as Lyons
John's mother Ellen was not living with her husband Jabez by the time of the 1881 census, and John's birth registration entry (GRO copy) does not name a father, indicating it was not Jabez.
An affiliation order was made in 1884 that indicates that John Luckhurst was the reputed father:
"Affiliation. - John Luckhurst, gamekeeper, in the employ of Mr. Benjamin Buss of Spelmondon, Goudhurst, was ordered to pay 2s. 6d. a week in respect of the illegitimate child of Ellen Goatham, of Challock, a married woman, separated from her husband."
The birth registration shows the date of birth as 9 September 1881, in line with the date of birth in 1939 register given as 9 9 82; clearly the the correct date and month with just the wrong year, in the register, as was quite often the case.
The unusual thing about the birth registration is that the place is given simply as "Wye RSD". I think this can only mean Wye Rural Sanitary District. These districts were set up based on poor law unions. Registration distrcits had also been based on these, and Wye and Challock were both in East Ashford Union and Registration District, so it seems must also have been in East Ashford RSD (see list of RSDs on Wikipedia; this shows one named East Ashford but not one named Wye). Maybe it was also known as Wye RSD, but it is unusual for so general an area to be named, rather than an address or at least a parish. This may be explained by Ellen's abode given in the registration. She was recorded as living at 'Halfway House Corner, Wye'. The Halfway House is / was a pub (renamed in 2023), situated in the south-east corner at crossroads. Approximately this corner was in Wye Parish, though on the edge of Challock village. The other three quarters were in Challock village. Although John's birth was registered two months after his birth, and his mother's abode at that time not necessarily where she had given birth, I think it likely that John was born in Challock village / Wye parish, or in a property whose precise location parish-wise was uncertain. A particular problem for an illegitimate child which might become chargeable to the parish, and perhaps one which the registrar wished to avoid becoming embroiled in.
Baptised 17 Jun 1883 St. Cosmas and St. Damian’s Church, Challock, Kent, England - From BTs for Challock Parish Church (transcribed data on FamilySearch), shows John Goatham, parents Jabez and Ellen
(despite John's birth registration 2 years before and an affiliation order the following year indicating that Jabez was not John's father)
Gender Male Occupation From 1911 to 1939 Horseman on farm - Described as waggoner in the 1911 census, 'Horseman on farm' in the 1921 census and 1939 register, but I guess it amounts to much the same - looking after the horses that pull the waggon or the waggon that the horses pull.But of course horses pull more than just waggons, so the change may indicate an expansion in his role and seems the more comprehensive term.
Also described as a horseman when granted exemption in WW1.
Residence 1921 Colbrahamsole Farm, Sheldwich, Kent, England - With his wife and 4 children
Residence 1939 Rose Cottages, Davington, Kent, England - From the 1939 register, where with his wife and daughter Hilda; followed by 12 closed entries (at at 16 Dec 2016) so not possible to know if any were at the same address; his son may have been there or been in the forces and not listed.
(Ref: RG101/1716I/002/17 Letter Code: DHNK)
Occupation Farm worker - in burial register
Died Aug 1940 (probably), Sheldwich, Kent, England - Age 58 and "of Sheldwich" in burial register
GRO ref: Goatham, John W q3 1940 Faversham RD 2a 2830 age 58; GRO online index (viewed 6 Nov 2016) shows Christian names as John William
Buried 22 Aug 1940 The Cemetery, Love Lane, Faversham, Kent, England - ref in burial register: F-741
Half-siblings1 half brother and 1 half sister (family of Jabez GOATHAM and Ellen Maria LYONS) Patriarch & Matriarch 
John LUCKHURST, b. Jun Q 1846, Charing, Kent, England, d. Mar Q 1913, Maidstone Reg Dist, Kent, England (Age ~ 67 years) (Father) 
Jane RUSSELL, b. Abt 1816, Dover, Kent, England, d. Jun Q 1902, East Ashford Reg Dist, Kent, England (Age ~ 86 years) (Grandmother) Person ID I3800 All | England: Kent Group (in Go(a)tham One-Name Study), England: Kent Group - subjects of Go(a)tham One-Name Study, All in the Goatham / Gotham One-Name Study , All subjects of the Goatham / Gotham One-Name Study Last Modified 27 Jan 2024
Father John LUCKHURST, b. Jun Q 1846, Charing, Kent, England , d. Mar Q 1913, Maidstone Reg Dist, Kent, England (Age ~ 67 years)
Other Partners: Fanny CARDEN m. 7 Apr 1888Mother Ellen Maria LYONS, b. 18 Nov 1853, Challock, Kent, England , d. Dec Q 1909, East Ashford Reg Dist, Kent, England (Age 55 years)
Other Partners: Jabez GOATHAM m. 30 Nov 1873Married Abt 1881 Married? Not married or evidence to suggest they didn't marry Family ID F7756 Family Group Page | Family Chart
Family Emily Jane JORDAN, b. 9 Jan 1885, Sheldwich, Kent, England , d. 9 Oct 1960, 4, Russell Terrace, Oare, Kent, England (Age 75 years) Married 12 Oct 1904 St. Peter’s Church, Molash, Kent, England - John says they have been married for 7 years on the 1911 census, but I have not found the marriage of a John indexed on FreeBMD (looked from 1900 to 1910, with a phonetic search on surnames). However, there is marr of a "William John" marr in 1904, which I haven't been able to match to a William. There is an Emily on the same page. And as if to confirm it, this marriage took place in Molash, where John and his mother were living at the time of the 1901 census, an area in which relatively few Goatham events occurred, so not likely to be someone else.
GRO ref: Goatham, William John to Jordan, Emily Jane q4 2a 1865, E Ashford RD
Details from PR entry (image on FMP, viewed 13 Apr 2013) - shows William John as son of John GOATHAM, a painter / labourer. The Christian name of his true father, combined with his own surname and that of his mother's husband Jabez, whose occupation he also gives!
(Some details also on Mid-Kent marriage index)
Children4 children Last Modified 27 Jan 2024 Family ID F2918 Family Group Page | Family Chart
- Place of birth from the 1911 and 1921 censuses.