Mockford

Henry Mockford and Ann Farrant b. 1776

/ Kirstin Miller

Henry Mockford and Ann Farrant 5th great grandparents on RootsMagic tree.

Henry Mockford was born in November 10, 1776, then baptized on February 9, 1777 at the church in Rottingdean, Sussex, England. The church was and still is St Margaret’s Church named for Margaret of Antioch who inspired Joan of Arc and possibly sliced the head off a dragon. In the church there are stained glass windows made by William Morris and Edward Burne-Jones. The stained glass is famous and considered some of the artists best work.

Photo by Luiza Serpa Lopes, Own work, Public Domain [screenshot, partial]

On April 8 1802 Henry married Ann Farrant, maybe in that same church. Ann was born in 1781, probably in Sussex where she and Henry stayed and had 3 sons and a daughter. In Sussex town and village names have changed through the years. The area today includes Brighton, Bishopstone and Seaford: 30 miles south of London, 30 miles northwest of France, across the English Channel with incredible coastlines.

In 1841 England took it’s first census. Henry had already died, Ann is on both the 1841 and 1851 census. In 1841 Ann was 60 years old and lived with her son Samuel and wife their kids Frederick, Henry and Phoebe. Robert Ann’s son, Samuel’s brother was also in the house. In 1851 Ann and Robert share a home. Robert is 30 and his occupation is agricultural laborer. Ann is 70 and her occupation is ‘Parish Relief” and widow of an ag. laborer. Ann probably received a small amount from the parish. On this census page all the men work as agricultural laborers. Occupations on other pages are: carpenters, blacksmiths, scholars, boatmen, gardeners, millers, stablemen, coast guards and bargemen. The first page lists the area covered, “The whole of the five parishes East Blatchington, Bishopstone, Denton, South Heighton, Tarring Neville and including the battery, the Coast Guards Station House and Blatchington Village … “

1851 England census showing town included

Henry died in 1834 at age 56. Ann died in 1857 she was 76. Son Richard stayed England until 1861 when he and his family left for Monroe New York in America. Richard’s son Henry (great grandpa of Elizabeth Speedy Roose) was already in Monroe, New York and had a home set up for his parents.

Sources

Clarissa Mockford b. 1847

/ Kirstin Miller

Clarissa Mockford 4th great aunt on RootsMagic tree.
Clarissa was born in 1847 in Cornwall, England. In 1860 Clarissa received a graduation certificate, praising her work “very attentive and industrious”. This Victorian era certificate could have been from Sunday School or a public school. In most families -not landowning and not wealthy- kids older than 10 worked and didn’t go to school.

The certificate has these quotes running along the edge:

Honor all men, fear God, honor the King, love the brotherhood.
Love not sleep lest thou come to poverty.
Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy.
Open thine eyes and thou shalt be satisfied with bread.
Enter not in to the path of the wicked and go not in the way of evil men.  Better is little with the fear of the lord than great treasure and trouble therewith.
Be thou faithful unto death and I will give thee a crown of life.

Clarissa lived in Cornwall until she was 19 and in 1866 with her parents and younger siblings she sailed to America and joined older brothers Henry, great grandpa of Elizabeth Speedy, and William. Henry and William had been in America for about 10 years. In 1870 Clarissa was living in Monroe County, New York and was a dressmaker. Clarissa married James A. Edmonds, a carpenter, around 1872 and they had their first child Lena in 1874 and second child Lewis in 1877.  Clarissa and James stayed in Monroe County, NY and lived 10 miles South of Lake Ontario, 40 miles east of Niagara Falls. Lena, Clarissa and James’s daughter married William Spies at Niagara Falls on May 18, 1902. Son James Edmunds married Ada Patitillo in Los Angeles on May 24, 1918. At James’s death in 1954 their home was at 1847 S La Brea Ave about 10 miles west of the Pacific Ocean. Clarissa died in 1920, James in 1922. Both are buried at High Street Cemetery in Brockport,  Monroe County, New York.

Sources

  • England, Cornwall Parish Registers, 1538-2010 at FamilySearch
  • California, County Marriages, 1850-1952
  • Ontario Marriages, 1869-1927
  • California, County Birth and Death Records, 1800-19941870
  • US census at FamilySearch
  • Certificate, Public Ancestry photo, ” JoAnna Messing originally shared this on 12 jul 2014”

Henry Mockford b. 1831

/ Kirstin Miller

Henry Mockford 3rd great grandpa on RootsMagic tree

Henry Mockford was born on February 5, 1831 in Budock Cornwall England, the oldest of 8 children of Richard and Elizabeth Green Mockford. In Cornwall on the 1851 census Richard and son Henry are Millers and Journeyman- workers who have completed an apprenticeship considered qualified in their trade. Philippa Johns is a servant in the home. In 1853 Henry Mockford married this Philippa Johns, she was also from Cornwall.

1851 Budock England census Mockfords and PhillipaHenry, a year after his marriage, sailed to America and on the 1855 New York census he lived in Monroe County, New York, he was a servant and boarded in the home of Lucy Blodgett.  Within a year his wife and baby son William came to America too. By 1860 Henry had his own home, a next door neighbor of Lucy Blodgett and her family. On the 1860 census Henry is a Miller, his kids range from age 6 to 2 months, older brother William is also in the home. Henry and Philippa would have 7 kids total, 4 sons and 3 daughters: William born in England, and Richard, Emily, Lucy, Harry, Mary and Milton, all born in New York.

By 1872 Henry and his brother William were business owners in Hamline, New York. From the Atlas of Monroe Co., “Business Notices Mockford , Henry Propr of flouring and custom mill, Mockford, WS Propr of saw mill. Particular attention paid to custom work. Lumber constantly on hand and for sale at lowest rates”.

Mockford brothers 1872 in Hamlin, NY

Henry died in 1905. HIs obituary mentioned he worked at Johnson Harvester Company and mentioned his surviving family including children, bothers and sisters of the Monroe County, NY area except Richard Mockford who had left for Shell Rock, Iowa.

Henry and Philippa are buried in Elmwood Cemetery in  Batavia, New York.

Sources

Richard Mockford b. 1856

/ Kirstin Miller

Richard Mockford 2nd great grandpa on RootsMagic tree

Richard Mockford was born September 21, 1856 in Monroe County, New York about 10 minutes south of Lake Ontario, 30 minutes or so east of Niagara Falls. He lived in the area until his 20s . At age 24 he was in Dubuque, Iowa, a mail carrier. At age 26 on March 2, 1883, he married Matilda Flood in Butler County, Iowa. He and Matilda had 2 daughters Lucy and Philippa and a son Harley who died at age 1. Richard farmed through his 50s.

Richard Mockford photo

Richard Mockford photo

February 28,1907 maybe as a birthday party for Matilda born on February 26, “Mr. and Mrs. Mockford were completely surprised Friday evening, when a party of their neighbors and friends dropped in on them in a body to spend the evening. Though surprised, they were equal to the occasion, and very gladly joined in to make the evening a most enjoyable one. After participating in games and various amusements for a time, a dainty lunch was served and when tho guests departed for their several homes, we can say on good authority that it was not a very early hour.”

In June, 1908 Richard and his brother in law George Flood with their families attended the Decoration Day services at Lowell Cemetery in Clarksville. William Flood, the dad of George and Matilda and father in law of Richard, was buried at Lowell and was a soldier in the Civil War.

In 1909, at age 52 Richard was hired as janitor and groundskeeper at the courthouse in Allison, county seat of Butler County. In addition to keeping up the building and grounds he was also the jailer, bailiff and more. In 1909 a man Win Bucknell of Greene was arrested for murder. Bucknell was in love with his housekeeper, she threatened to leave, he killed her then shot himself but the bullet was stopped by his watch chain. The gun fell to the floor, his wife picked up the gun, threw it out the window and screamed for help. Bucknell was sent to the Butler County Jail, Richard’s jail. While waiting for his trial Bucknell worked with Richard on the courthouse grounds.

The Clarksville (Iowa) Star newspaper on July 1 1909, ” R.J. Mockford has trimmed the trees leading to the court house and they present a beautiful and uniform appearance.” The postcard shows his skills.

Butler County Courthouse Courthousehistory.com

Butler County Courthouse via Courthousehistory.com

Richard returned to NY a couple times, once in 1901 to visit his family, “nineteen years have made a great change in his home state”. Will Angell, cousin of Matilda Flood Mockford, helped with chores while Richard was away. In April of 1905, Richard was called to NY, his dad Henry was very ill. Henry died in 1905, Richard was there in NY for the funeral.

Richard died in 1910 and is buried at Lowell Cemetery. His obituary was in the Clarksville Star newspaper October 10.

“Allison Citizen Dies. Well Known Citizen of Lowtown at One Time. Richard J. Mockford, a prominent resident of Allison and for a long time a resident of Lowtown, died on October 8, 1910, after having been ill for about six weeks. He was born near Camden, N. Y., Sept. 21, 1856, being a few days over 54 years of age at the time of his death.
On March 20th, 1883 he was united in marriage with Miss Tillie Flood and shortly afterwards they engaged in farming just south of Clarksville where they continued to reside until about five years ago when they moved to Allison. Two daughters were born to this family [Lucy] Mrs. Robt. Smith of near Allison, and Miss Philippa who with the wife are left to mourn the death of husband and father. Mr. Mockford was custodian of the court house and grounds and had in this way established a very wide acquaintance throughout the county. His circle of friends included all his acquaintances.
The funeral was held at the Congregational church at Allison on Monday Oct. 10th, at ten o’clock, conducted by Rev E. Chapman of Owatonna, Minn who in years gone by had been a neighbor of the deceased. The Woodsmen order were in charge of the services and observed the ritualistic rights. The body was brought to the Lowell Cemetery south of town for interment.”

Sources:
Clarksville (Iowa) Star Newspaper via Clarksville, Iowa public Library Digital Archives. June 4, 1908 page 4 of 8 column 1 mid top Decoration Day services at Lowell  January 17, 1901 returned from NY visit . January 3, 1901 Will Angell fills in.  October 13, 1910 obituary . July 1, 1909 Nicely trimmed trees at the courthouse

At Ancestry. 1875 New York Census, 1880 US Census
At FamilySearch. Iowa, County Marriages, 1838-1934

Courthousehistory . com a historical look at our nation’s county courthouses through postcards. Courthouse History is a website maintained by Keith Vincent who collects postcards of courthouse across the county and takes photos of courthouses across the country. There are 5 photos of the courthouse in Allison, Iowa, Richard Mockford’s workplace including those trees out front.
Vincent, Keith. Courthousehistory.com, n.d. Web. 17 Apr. 2016. Copyright 2010. All Rights Reserved, used with permission.
http://courthousehistory.com/gallery/states/iowa/counties/butler

Richard Mockford b. 1802

/ Kirstin Miller

Richard Mockford 4th great grandpa on RootsMagic tree.

Richard Mockford was born June 1, 1802 in Brighton, Sussex, England. In Brighton on February 13, 1830 Richard, a bachelor  married Elizabeth Green, a spinster. Elizabeth and Richard had 8 children. The Mockford family lived in Brighton, Sussex, then Burdock, Cornwall, England. On the England  1851 and 1861 censuses Richard was a miller.  By 1863 Richard and his wife were living in New York. They joined their sons Henry and William who had immigrated earlier. They all settled in western New York near Rochester on Lake Ontario about 30 miles east of Niagara Falls.
In 1863 Richard was on a New York tax list, “Richard Mockford of Brockport, Retail dealer, 6.67 in taxes”.

A Rochester, NY business directory from 1863 has Richard Mockford listed in the Brockport and Rochester NY sections, as a baker and flour broker. The same directory described Batavia and Brockport, both towns where Mockfords lived. Batavia was known for its ‘fine wheat’. Also in same directory: a House for Idle and Truant Children and the Rochester Home for the Friendless.

Richard died in 1867, his wife Elizabeth lived 10 more years. They both lived to see many grandchildren born in Monroe County, New York including Richard Mockford who made the 1,000 mile journey to Iowa where he married Matilda Flood and they had a child Philippa Mockford, mom of Elizabeth Speedy.

Sources

  • England Sussex parish registers 1538-1910 database. There’s an image, copyrighted and viewable at FamilySearch.org. https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HT-DRP3-Z3B?i=185
  • 1863 U.S. City Directories, 1822-1995 page 37 at Ancestry
  • 1851 and 1861 England census databases at FamilySearch.
  • US IRS Tax Assessment Lists 1862-1918 New York District at Ancestry. 

William Stephens Mockford b 1842

/ Kirstin Miller

William Stephens Mockford 2nd great uncle of Elizabeth Speedy who married Stanley Roose Sr.

William was born in Cornwall England April 1842, the younger brother of Henry Mockford. William arrived in America about 5 years after his brother Henry in 1859 and lived for a time with Henry and Philippa Mockford. In 1862 he joined the Civil War for the Union: New York Infantry, 140th Regiment, Company A. He enlisted as a Private, left as a Corporal. William was a farmer and postmaster. A photo of William is shared on Ancestry with this written on back: William Stevens Mockford. Picture taken in his flower garden at the age of 86, 1928 by Mrs Warthington, the driver of the Traveling Library.

William Mockford 1841-1932, brother of Henry Mockford 1831-1905
Richard John Mockford 1856-1910
Philippa Flood Mockford 1891-1979
Elizabeth Matilda Speedy 1917-2005 m. Stanley Joseph Roose 1915-2004

Sources:
Civil War service: National Parks Soldiers and Sailors Database, William’s info and more details on 140th Regiment, New York Infantry and the NPS Civil War Main Page 

1851 England Census Cornwall, Falmouth, Mylor at The National Archives of the UK