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Explore your connections with a great man ......
Sir Samuel WAY - his ancestors and descendants
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 1834 - 1891 (57 years)
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| Name |
George WILLIS [1] |
| Born |
20 Apr 1834 |
Gravesend, UK  [1] |
| Gender |
Male |
| Notes for biography |
* George Willis (1834-1891)
* See the biography of his father, John.
* George was born on 20 April 1834 in Gravesend, the second child of John Willis and Mary Ann Tubbs.
* He married Sophia Cork Swaffer on 11 October 1858 in Faversham,
* The family settled in George?s hometown where they had 10 children, born between 1860 and 1874.
* George's wife, Sophia, was born in Milton, near Gravesend on 15 July 1837, her parents being Thomas Francis Swaffer, a Joiner, and Elizabeth Mary Cork.
* The family lived at various addresses in the town, when George Thomas their eldest child was born, they were living in Perry Street in Northfleet. In 1861 the family were living in Bath Street, next door to George's parents. Also living with George was his parents-in-law, and their son, Frank. Ten years later the family were still in Bath Street, but had moved next door to the property previously occupied by George's father. Thomas and Elizabeth Swaffer were still living with the family. Some time later the family moved to The Overcliffe (ref : ?A History of Gravesend? by Robert H Hiscock, pages 34 & 37 for a description of the road in the 1890?s).
* George and Sophia had ten children;
* George Thomas born in 1859;
* Martha Elizabeth in 1862;
* Herbert Swaffer in 1863;
* Agnes Sophia in 1865;
* Louisa Caroline in 1867;
* Edwin Ernest in 1870;
* twins Henry and Frank in 1871
* Lastly Arthur in 1872.
* By trade George was a Timber Merchant and was in partnership with his father, until shortly before his death, when the partnership was dissolved. (ref : The London Gazette 21 april 1868 page 2323)
* In 1881 he is recorded as employing seven men and a boy at premises in Bath Street and West Street, at that time his two eldest sons, George Thomas and Herbert were also working for him.
* Later George Thomas found other employment as an Oil Dealer.
* In 1881 the family was also employing a servant, Ellen Golds who came from Northfleet.
* In 1884 George bought a site in West Street and built a timber wharf known as Baltic Wharf, close to the Railway Pier, to which he moved his yard. As his mother died only two years prior to his buying the wharf, it is probable that he used his inheritance to make the purchase.
* After a while George gave up the timber business and the wharf passed into the hands of Tuffee and Hayward, coal and coke merchants. (ref : ?Gravesend to the Sea? by Edward C Bowen. Published in The Gravesend Reporter - 13 October 1934
* George died of heart disease on 1 May 1891 aged 57 years.
* In his will his estate, valued at £10,825 (about £640,000 in 1998 money), was left for the benefit of his children, with Sophia benefiting from its income during her life.
* The Baltic Wharf was still owned by the family in 1926, with a quarterly rent of £37 10s 0d being paid by Mrs Hayward (ref : George Willis?s Trustee Accounts, following the death of Sophia in 1926), and remained in the family until sold for £3,358 4s 0d in 1935 (ref : George Thomas Willis?s Trustee Accounts, showing the receipt by his estate of 1/9 of the sale proceeds).
* It also appears that Herbert may have continued to be involved in George's business interests as his Will gave him an option to buy any of his business concerns.
* In 1901 it appears that sons Herbert and Henry were still living at home, although their mother was away at the time. Living with the family was a Ladies Companion and a General Domestic Servant.
* Sophia, George's widow, continued to live on the Overcliffe. In the spring of 1901 she is found staying at 'Ellesmere Hall', St. Michael's Road in Bournemouth, with her daughter Martha, granddaughter, Doris and cousin Esther Whylton (ref : 1901 Census).
* In 1911 grandchildren Ernest Harman Willis and Agnes Bertha Dunstall were staying.
* Sophia died on 10 April 1926 at the age of 88 years
* Her executors' sold the property and it's contents (ref : The original sales catalogue for the contents is held by Gravesend Central Library). In her will Sophia bequeathed her personal property to all her living children with the residue of her estate which, for probate purposes, was valued at £564 7s 6d (ref : about £12,000 at 1998 values), being equally divided between Martha Elizabeth, Arthur and George Thomas' children. The family home at 20 Overcliffe was sold for £1,000 (ref : .
From the accounts of the Trustees of George Willis) [1] |
| Occupation |
George was in partnership, in many properties, with his father. [1] |
| Residence |
In 1861 he was living next to his father in Bath Street. [1] |
| Died |
1 May 1891 [1] |
| Person ID |
I91 |
Samuel WAY |
| Last Modified |
28 Aug 2016 |
| Family |
Sophia Cork SWAFFER, b. 15 Jul 1837, Milton, near Gravesend, UK , d. 10 Apr 1926 (Age 88 years) |
| Children |
| + | 1. George Thomas WILLIS, b. 27 Jul 1859, Northfleet, Kent , d. 25 Oct 1920, Gravesend, Kent (Age 61 years) |
| | 2. Martha Elizabeth WILLIS, b. 1862 |
| | 3. Herbert Swaffer WILLIS, b. 1863 |
| | 4. Agnes Sophia WILLIS, b. 1865, Gravesend, UK |
| | 5. Louisa Caroline WILLIS, b. 1867 |
| | 6. Edwin Ernest WILLIS, b. 1870, Gravesend, UK |
| | 7. Henry WILLIS, b. 1871, Gravesend, UK |
| | 8. Frank WILLIS, b. 1871, Gravesend, UK |
| + | 9. Arthur WILLIS, b. 8 Jun 1872, Gravesend, Kent, UK , d. 14 Sep 1945, Gravesend, Kent, UK (Age 73 years) |
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| Last Modified |
27 Aug 2016 |
| Family ID |
F31 |
Group Sheet | Family Chart |
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| Sources |
- [S7] Clive Challis - UK - ID 351 on this website - more details are on his website on ancestry.com.
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