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John WILSON (1838–1923)
Mrs Annie WILSON née Trinder (1841–1927)
Their daughter Miss Lydia Annie WILSON (1870–1899)
Their infant son Thomas William John WILSON (1880–1881)
[With a mention of their infant son Joseph John WILSON (1868–1869), buried in London]
St Paul section: Row 20, Grave E7

John Wilson was born in Cambo, Northumberland in 1838 (birth reg. Morpeth district third quarter). He is hard to trace in his early years, but by the time of the 1861 census John (23) was a butler at Frewen Hall in St Michael's parish, Oxford, the home of James Skene (86).

Annie Trinder was born in Wootton, Berkshire in 1841 and baptised there on 1 May. She was the daughter of the labourer William Trinder and Lydia Butler, who were married at Wootton on 11 November 1833. They had four other children baptised at that church: James (1835), Joseph (1837) and Jeremiah (1839), and Sophy (1843). At the time of the 1861 census Annie (9) was home in Wootton with her father William (42), her mother Lydia (40), and her three brothers: James (15) and Joseph (13), who were agricultural labourers like their father, and Jeremiah (11). In 1861 her parents and three brothers were still at home in Wootton, but Annie (19) was missing, and is likely to have been out in service.

In the third quarter of 1865 in the Abingdon district, possibly at Wootton, John Wilson married Annie Trinder. They had eight children:

• Elizabeth Wilson (born in Pimlico in 1865, reg. St George's Hanover Square district fourth quarter)
• Joseph John Wilson (born in London in 1868, probably at Pimlico, and reg. St George's Hanover Square district third quarter); died in that district aged nine months
• Lydia Ann Wilson (born in Oxford in 1870, reg. Headington district first quarter)
• Esther Mary Wilson (born in St Giles's parish, Oxford in 1872, reg. Headington district second quarter)
• Annie Sophia Wilson (born in Oxford in 1874/5, registered Oxford district first quarter of 1875)
• Margaret Jane Wilson (born in Oxford in 1878, reg. Headington district third quarter)
• Thomas William John Wilson (born in Oxford in 1880, reg. third quarter); died aged nine months
• William John Wilson (born in Oxford in 1884, reg. third quarter).

John & Annie Wilson began their married life in Pimlico, where their first child Elizabeth was born soon after their wedding. Their next child Joseph John Wilson was born there in 1868, and died on 3 March 1869. He must have been buried in London, but his name was added to this grave marker following his sister Lydia's death as an adult in 1899.

By 1870 the family had moved to Oxford.

At the time of the 1871 census John (30), described as a servant, was living at 50 Observatory Street (which was in the St Paul's district chapelry) with his wife Annie (29) and their daughter Lydia (1), plus their 14-year-old servant girl. Their eldest daughter Elizabeth (5) spent census night on Boars Hill, where she was visiting her maternal grandparents William & Lydia Trinder and her three uncles: the latter were all unmarried and working as agricultural labourers.

Their son Thomas was born in Oxford in 1880. They were living at Walton Crescent when he died early in 1881:

† Thomas William John Wilson died at Walton Crescent at the age of nine months on 26 February 1881 and was buried at St Sepulchre’s Cemetery on 2 March (burial recorded in the parish register of St Paul's Church).

The grave reference (T.17) indicates that he may have been the first member of the family to be buried in this grave, but the headstone was not erected for another eighteen years.

At the time of the 1881 census John (42) was living at 2 Richmond Road (then 2 Worcester Terrace) with four of his children: Elizabeth (15), Lydia (11), Esther (9), and Margaret (2), plus their lodger. His wife Annie (39), who described herself as a college servant's wife, was paying a visit with their other surviving daughter Annie (6) to her parents in Wootton: her father William (72) was still working as an agricultural labourer, and was living there with his wife Lydia (70) and three of Annie's brothers: two of them, James (45) and Jeremiah (41), were described in this census as having been idiots from birth.

Their youngest son William was born in 1884.

At the time of the 1891 census John (52), who was now working as a butler, was living at 25 Juxon Street with his wife Annie (49), who was a laundress, and five of their children: Elizabeth (25), Lydia (21), and Esther (19) were also laundresses, and Margaret (12) and William (6) were at school. They also had a lodger and employed a servant. Their daughter Annie (16) is hard to find.

Two of their daughters were married in the 1890s:

• In the third quarter of 1892 in Oxford, Esther Mary Wilson married Herbert Handel Johnson, who was born in Chorlton, Manchester;
• On 4 July 1896 at St Paul's Church, Oxford Elizabeth Wilson (28) of 25 Juxon Street married the whitesmith Ernest Edward Boorman (25) of 26 Church Path, Grays, Essex, the daughter of the jobmaster Edward Boorman.

Their daughter Lydia died in 1899:

† Miss Lydia Annie Wilson died at 25 Juxon Street at the age of 29 on 4 December 1899 and was buried at St Sepulchre’s Cemetery on 7 December (burial recorded in the parish register of St Paul's Church).

At the time of the 1901 census John (62), described as a butler working on his own account, was still living at 25 Juxon Street with his wife Annie (59) and three of their children: Annie (25), who was a lady's maid; Margaret (22), who was a draper's assistant; and William (16), who was an apprentice ironmonger.

Two more of their children were married before the next census:

• In the third quarter of 1906 in Oxford, Annie Sophia Wilson married Alfred Harper, who was born in Bromley, Kent;
• On 20 July 1909 at St John the Evangelist Church, South Hinksey (then in Berkshire), William John Wilson (25), described as an ironmonger of Farnham, Surrey, married Mabel Maria Holloway (24) of 25 Juxon Street, the daughter of the railway engine driver Robert Holloway.

In 1911 John (72), described as a retired butler, was living at 25 Juxon Street with his wife Annie and their daughter Margaret (31), who was a draper's assistant.

Their daughter Margaret was married later in 1911:

• In the third quarter of 1911 in Oxford, Margaret Jane Wilson married Francis Louis Narroway, who was baptised at St Giles's Church on 11 August 1878, the son of the greengrocer Edmund Narroway of St Giles's Street and his wife Adeline Mary.

John and Annie Wilson were still living at 25 Juxon Street in 1915, but by 1923 they had moved to Reading to live with their married daughter Margaret.

John Wilson died in Reading in 1923, and he was buried in Oxford with his daughter:

† John Wilson died at 150 Wantage Road, Reading at the age of 84 on 13 February 1923 and was buried at St Sepulchre’s Cemetery on 19 February (burial recorded in the parish register of St Paul's Church).

His effects came to £125, and his wife Annie was his executor.

His wife Annie died in Reading in 1927, and she too was buried in the family grave in Oxford:

† Mrs Annie Wilson née Trinder died at 33 Brisbane Road, Reading at the age of 85 in January 1927 and was buried at St Sepulchre’s Cemetery on 1 February (burial recorded in the parish register of St Paul's Church).

The fact that her burial is recorded in the St Paul's register shows that she was buried here with her husband, but no inscription was added to the headstone.

Surviving children of John & Annie Wilson

• Elizabeth Wilson, Mrs Boorman (born 1865) and her husband Ernest had no children. In 1901 Elizabeth (31) was living at 26 Hampdon Road, Grays Thurrock, Essex with Ernest (29), who was a plumber. In 1911 they were living in London at 3 Accommodation Road, Golders Green, and Ernest was now an electrician. She may be the Elizabeth Boorman who died in Rochford, Essex in 1948 aged 83.
• Esther Mary Wilson, Mrs Johnson (born 1872) and her husband Herbert had no children. In 1901 Esther (28) was boarding at the New Promenade, Fleetwood, Blackpool with Herbert (34), who was a piano tuner. In 1911 Esther (39) was living in London at 12 Leighton Grove, Kentish Town with Herbert (44), who was still working as a piano tuner. She may be the Esther M. Johnson who died in Worcester at the age of 60 in 1932.
• Annie Sophia Wilson, Mrs Harper (born 1874/5) was aged 33 in 1911 and living at 25 Third Avenue, Bath with her husband Alfred Harper (36), who was a “foreman forwarder” for a bookbinder. She is probably the Annie S. Harper who died in Bath at the age of 92 in 1967.
• Margaret Jane Wilson, Mrs Narroway (born 1878) and her husband Francis do not appear to have had any children. Margaret Jane Narroway died at 88 Brisbane Road, Reading at the age of 69 on 20 April 1948. Her effects came to £1,037 0s. 8d., and her executor was her husband Francis, who was described as a wholesale tobacconist's buyer.
• William John Wilson (born 1884) was an ironmonger's assistant in 1911, living at and his wife Mabel were living at “Bracklyn”, St Cross Estate, Farnham, Surrey in 1911 with their daughter Lydia Marion Wilson (seven months) and Mabel's father. He is probably the William J. Wilson who died in north Surrey at the age of 81 near the beginning of 1966.