Arrthur John Garward

ARTHUR JOHN GARWARD of Leyton was born at Leyton in Essex on 24 December 1853, the son of JAMES HENRY GARWARD, blacksmith, and his wife ELIZABETH (nee GIBBARD).

At Pancras Registry Office in Middlesex on 18 September 1877, ARTHUR JOHN GARWARD, aged 24, a bachelor, engineer, of 40 Hastings Street, son of JAMES HENRY GARWARD, engineer, married SARAH ANN FRANCIS, aged 24, spinster of same address, daughter of WALTER FRANCIS, agricultural labourer

ARTHUR and SARAH GARWARD had issue: 1. GERTRUDE “GERTIE” ELIZABETH GARWARD was born in 1878 at Leyton. Her birth is recorded at the General Register Office in the September Quarter 1878 in the West Ham area [Ref: 4a 137]. In the September Quarter 1901 in West Ham, she married ARTHUR ROBERT HOLBEN. ARTHUR was born in about 1876 at Limehouse, London, the son of ROBERT HOLBEN, plumber, and his wife SARAH ANN, of Stratford, Essex. He was a railway gas fitter. GERTRUDE died aged b44 in 1923 at Romford. ARTHUR married secondly EVELYN M CASH at Ilford in 1950. He died at Ilford in 1963. They had issue; i. IVY GERTRUDE HOLBEN, who was born at Leytonstone in 1904. In 1931 at Ilford she married SYDNEY S OLIVER. ARTHUR JOHN GARWARD bequeathed IVY £50 in his Will dated 3 May 1958. It is not believed that IVY had any children. In the late 1950’s IVY was living at 11, Kenneth Road, Bramley, Johannesburg, South Africa ARTHUR GARWARD’s grandaughter, PHYLLIS DONNITHORNE, wrote in 1987 that her parents were very fond of GERTIE, who died when they were quite youngish. They used to walk from a cousin’s house through Epping Forest to see her. She lived in a house (presumably 221, Wanstead Park Road, Ilford) previously owned by her father ARTHUR GARWARD, which over-looked a golf course, and when very ill GERTIE complained to her brother about having to pay rent for the house, so he stupidly passed over the deeds, intending that she should have the house rent-free until her death. When she died it was found that the house had been made over to her husband. This story does not sound totally plausible, as the deeds could not have been transferred without ARTHUR GARWARD’s signature, but thereafter ARTHUR GARWARD and family would have nothing to do with ARTHUR HOLBEN and his family! It was only at the insistence of ARTHUR GARWARD’s second wife, EVA, that remote contact was again established in the 1950’s, at least with IVY OLIVER. 2. ARTHUR JOHN GARWARD who was born on 19 July 1880 at Leyton. See Page J – 31. 3. FREDERICK WILLIAM GARWARD who was born at Bishopsgate, London in the June Quarter 1889 in the London Central area [Ref: 1c 3], and died aged 4 in 1893, in the Wangford area (East Anglia) [Ref: 4a 588]. 4. Another child who died young, according to the 1911 census.

ARTHUR was variously described as a farrier, a blacksmith, a railway gas inspector, a gas fitter, and a gas inspector.

SARAH died at her home at 221 Wanstead Park Road, Ilford on 6 October 1911. Her age was said to be 58 in Death Certificate, but 59 according to the cenus taken in April 1911, the wife of ARTHUR JOHN GARWARD, a railway gas inspector. We believe she was actually aged 60. The cause of death recorded was acute indigestion 1 day, Angina Pectoris, and heart failure. The informant of her death was A R HOLBEN, her son-in-law of 25 Cary Road, Leytonstone. Her death (aged 58) is recorded at the General Register Office in the December Quarter 1911 in the Romford area [Ref: 4a 476].

ARTHUR JOHN GARWARD died at his home at 52, Colenso Road, Seven Kings, Ilford, Essex on 21 December 1914. His death (aged 61) is recorded at the General Register Office in the December Quarter 1914 in the Romford area [Ref: 4a 533]. He died intestate and Administration of his estate was granted on 8 January 1915 to his only surviving son, ARTHUR JOHN GARWARD of 83, Festing Grove, Southsea, in Hampshire. The value of the estate was sworn at £441 10s 8d gross.