The Search
I did not take a serious interest in searching for my ancestors until I had retired and the Internet made it possible to research from home rather than spending days at the records Office in Kew. By this time my parents had died and so unfortunately there was nobody left who knew my mother's father, but I do remember that my mother was born in Camden Town, London and that she had told me once that her family were Suffolk farmers. She had also told me that she had a sister who died very young and had given me a copy of an "In Memorium" notice commemorating the death of Ada at age 13 years old in St. Pancras, London.I had been given this many years ago and for some reason had kept it safe.
A search for Daniel Ling in the 1901 census for London gave negative results, nor could I find him in Suffolk. My auntie Esther,known as "Queen or Queenie, was the eldest daughter of the family so I searched for her and found Esther at 2 years old in the 1901 census. Doris, another aunt I remember, also appears as a baby and May, Daniel's wife (my grandmother) and Daniel. They were living at Drummond Street
The census taker had very bad handwriting and Daniel appeared as A. Ling which was unusual as most of the censuses give the christian name correctly, which would explain why he did not show up in my original searches. His place of birth was also mispelt, but as his age was given, by searching for Daniel Ling in Suffolk in the 1871 census, I found him in Stradbroke, Suffolk. From there on it was fairly easy to build up the family tree. (Sarah Knight, May's mother was also spelt wrong.)
Daniel was born on the 23rd April 1867 in the village of Stradbroke, Suffolk and his birth was registered in Hoxne, the registration district covering Stradbroke.
His father Joseph Ling was a farmer and his mother Hannah Emery, who were married on the 14th February 1854. The 1871 census, when Daniel was 4, describes Joseph as a farmer of 14 acres and their address was 187 Wilby Road.
The 1881 census shows Daniel as a 13 year old farmers son living at 'The Lodge' 65 Barlow Green and his father now has 50 acres, so although not rich were certainly able to live above the poverty line.
The 1891 census shows Daniel still at home working at Lodge Farm, 23 years old, at 92 Ashfield Green.
On the 23rd March 1897,Daniel married Mary Ann Knight (May) at New Surrey Chapel, Blackfriars Road, Wandsworth in London,and by 1901 they have 2 children Esther and Doris living in St. Pancras. Daniel is described as a Forage Assistant and in the 1901 census a Grain Merchant.
The 1911 census shows Daniel as a Corn Merchants Manager at 26 King Street, Camden Town with his growing family.
My mother, Alice was born in 1912, still at this address and on her birth certificate his occupation is Master Corn Chandler. In those days there were thousands of horses in London as horse and carts were the only means of transporting goods. Cars were just starting to appear, but were only for the wealthy.
Lesley was born in 1916 in Camden Town, but Bernard was born on the 10th May 1919,in Harold Wood,Essex, so they had moved out of London some time between 1916 and 1919. They lived at 3 Ashleigh Villas on Ethelburga Road. (Later to be renumbered 25 Ethelburga Road). His occupation is "Forage Warehouseman" so he almost certainly worked with the Matthews Brothers who had set up a flour mill in Harold Wood in 1905 and had grown since then. They had a fleet of lorries and their own siding at Harold Wood railway station to bring in the grain, plus large premises near the station. His reasons for moving out of London are speculation at the moment. During the first world war (1914-18), the german Zeppelins had bombed London which caused panic, there was a lot of disease in the overcrowded London suburbs and the death of Ada at age 13 could have motivated a move. Perhaps the shop was not doing so well and a job with Matthews was more secure. Lastly Harold Wood was a village in the country in those days and perhaps Daniel longed to return to the countryside.
May died in 1946 and Daniel in 1949, after a spell in Heath Hospital in Tendring, Essex.
Joseph and Hannah
Joseph and Hannah Emery were Daniel's parents. Joseph appears in the 1841 and 1851 censuses living with his brother Edward and his wife Charlotte (nee Ward).On February 14th 1854 Joseph and Hannah were married at the Parish Church of Stradbroke. Hannah's parents are Henry and Mary Emery.