In 1955, my mother remembers visiting her uncle, Frederick, when she was an adolescent. The family lived in the rooms above The Hawk Inn, located on Bridge Street in Halesworth.

Frederick William Aldous

Born: 16 SEP 1912 in Linstead Parva, Suffolk County, England

Father: James Aldous (1887 to 1947)
Mother: Alice Hannah Constance (1888 to 1979)

Spouse: Irene Maud Caroline Parker (1913 to Unknown/Still Living)

Married: 27 Jan 1936 in Halesworth, Suffolk County, England

Children:

Miriam A I Aldous (1937 to Unknown/Still Living)
Phyllis R Aldous (1939 to Unknown/Still Living)

Died: 11 SEP 1955 in Ipswich, Suffolk County, England

Probate:

Timeline:

1881 Bedingfield, Suffolk County, England
1891 Debenham, Suffolk County, England
1894 Death of sister, Fanny
1901 Debenham, Suffolk County, England
1911 Marriage to Elsie
1911 Covehithe, Suffolk County, England
1911 Birth of son, Frederick
1914 Birth of daughter, Rose
1915 Death of brother, John
1916 Birth of daughter, Una
1916 Death of father, James
1919 Death of mother, Caroline
1929 Death of brother, William
1929 Death of brother, Edward
1936 Death of brother, James
1939 Westhall, Suffolk County, England
1944 Death of wife, Elsie
1945 Death of sister, Edith
1947 Death of sister, Alice
1965 Death and Burial

Occupation: general laborer (1939), pub owner (1948)

Records:

1939 England and Wales Register
England & Wales, FreeBMD Birth Index, 1837-1915
England & Wales, Marriage Index: 1916-2005
England & Wales, Death Index: 1916-2005
England & Wales, National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administrations),1861-1941

Variations of Surname: None

Here is Frederick’s birth record that I ordered from the GRO:

Here is Frederick and Irene’s marriage record from the GRO:

Spouse:

Irene Maud Caroline Parker:

Irene was born on 4 DEC 1913 in Halesworth, Suffolk County, England.

Irene’s father was Walter Parker. He was born on 22 JUL 1879 in Bramford, Suffolk County, England. He died in 1962 in Ipswich, Suffolk County, England.

Irene’s mother was Rose Mary Lennard. She was born in 1876 in Alderton, Suffolk County, England. She died in 1922 in Ipswich, Suffolk County, England.

Irene had two brothers, both born in Halesworth:

Lennard Parker (1907)
Alfred Parker (1909)

After Frederick’s death, Irene married Stanley George Hanser in 1956 in Halesworth, Suffolk County, England. No known children were born to this marriage.

Stanley George Hanser was born on 30 AUG 1921 in Halesworth, Suffolk County, England. He died on 22 JUL 1987 in Halesworth, Suffolk County, England.

A Note on Irene:

I could not find a death record for Irene on Ancestry.com or any other website.

The last document that I did discover was a 2003 Electoral Register listing. Irene’s residence was listed as 25 Bouchain Court, Chediston Street in Halesworth. In 2003, Irene was 90 years old.

The Hawk Inn:

Frederick’s father, James, purchased The Hawk Inn between the years of 1936 and 1939. After James’ death in 1947, Frederick operated The Hawk Inn until he died in 1955. The tavern then passed to his widow, Irene.

I had originally discovered a photo of The Hawk Inn on the webite, deadpubs.co.uk. However, the Suffolk pubs section of this site is no longer available.

I did find photos and information about The Hawk Inn on three other websites:

Camra.org.uk has the most information about this pub. The site includes photos, landlords, and excerpts from the Ipswich Journal.

Halesworth.net has a 1774 photo of The Hawk Inn that appeared in the Ipswich Journal for an estate sale.

ClosedPubs.co.uk shares the same photo that I had found on the deadpubs site.

My Mother’s Memories:

My mother, Rita, remembers visiting her uncle when she was an adolescent. The family lived in the rooms above The Hawk Inn, located on Bridge Street in Halesworth.

When she was 15 years old, my mother took the train from Lowestoft to Halesworth to visit her cousin, Phyllis. The rooms at the pub were big and drafty. In the winter, the brick floors were ice cold. She recalls that Phyllis’ mother, Irene, heated up some blackberry brandy. The two teenagers would huddle close and sip on the warming brew.

Notes:

Here are some links to websites that helped with my Aldous family research:

Aldous.net (Aldous family history and family tree)
Ancestors of Tim Farr, Descendants of Stephen Farr (family tree)
Reid-Schroeder Genealogies (family tree)
The Tree of Us (family tree)
Family Search (family tree website)
The Internet Surname Database (surname meaning and origins)
House of Names (coat of arms)

Creating Your Family Tree

Interested in building a great family tree? Remember these important steps:

Look in your photo albums. You may have old pictures that your parents or grandparents gave you. Or, ask them for copies of photos that they have in their possession. Many people will write names and dates on the backs of photographs. Letters, diaries, and family bibles are also an excellent source for vital records.

Talk to your older relatives to find out about your ancestry. They may relate stories about an ancestor that you can add to your family tree. Family history is usually not found in newspapers. It is more of a verbal memory passed down from generation to generation.

Find the right family tree builder that suits your needs. You can choose one that has a paid subscription like Ancestry.com. There are also free sites like FamilySearch.org.

When you start building your family tree, add documentation to your ancestor’s profile. Records should include birth, marriage, death, census, military, city, and county directory listings. Any information that you can find will help create a life story about your ancestor.

If you have a unique surname, you may find databases on the internet that are useful in your search. I use SurnameDB.com for my English surnames. There are other websites on the internet for countries like Italy and Germany.

Genealogy is the study of a person’s “line of descent.” As you create your family tree, you would start with one individual and go “back into time.” You would add their parents, grandparents, and so on. There are also family trees that go “forward into time.” Many of these family trees start with a famous person, such as a president or royalty. They would then move forward into the present time. The purpose of this type of pedigree is to establish a person’s bloodline to that famous person.

There is no limit on how big your family tree can grow. The blank canvas is there for you to use. Cherish your family history, and it will be there for generations to come!