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Willis SIMONS
1847 - 1933 (~ 86 years)
Has 2 ancestors and 3 descendants in this family tree.
Set As Default Person 
-
Name Willis SIMONS Relationship 
with Teresa Ann GOATHAM Born Dec Q 1847 Little Thurrock, Essex, England 
- From the 1871 census where shown as aged 23, born 'Ancet', Essex [Orsett?]; shown as 33, born Little Thurrock, Essex, aged 3 in 1851, Grays Inn, Essex in 1881, and 55, born Sittingbourne in 1901. (Grays, Little Thurrock and Orsett are neighbouring parishes)
Middel name from death registration index ponits to this being his birth:
GRO ref: Ruff, Willis Ruff Simons q4 1847 Orsett RD 12 165
Gender Male Occupation 1868 Brickfield labourer - When the birth of his daughter Elizabeth Jane was registered
Court Bef 24 Oct 1868 The Police Court, Sittingbourne, Kent, England Assaulted wife
"Willis Simons, junior, a young man, living at the East End, Sittingbourne, was charged, on remand from Monday, with unlawfully assaulting his wife, Emma, on the 30th of November. "
A 'family quarrel' in 1868 between Willis' father and his wife Emma's father noted that:
"Defendant's son had been committed to prison for an assault upon his wife ...".
(East Kent Gazette, 24 Oct. 1868 p.8, col. 3)
Occupation From 1871 to 1911 Sittingbourne, Kent, England boot and Shoe maker - From the censuses.
Willis' father had also been a boot and shoemaker, so presumably he learnt the trade from him.
Died Mar Q 1933 Milton Reg Dist, Kent, England - GRO ref: Simons, Willis R q1 1933 aged 85 Milton RD 2a 179; GRO online index shows middle name as Ruff
Siblings4 brothers and 3 sisters Patriarch & Matriarch 
Willis SIMONS, b. Abt 1824, Great Wakering, Rochford, Essex, England, d. Jun Q 1913, Milton Reg Dist, Kent, England (Age ~ 89 years) (Father) 
Sarah Ann RUFF, b. Abt 1824, Baker Street, Orsett, Essex, England, d. Sep Q 1911, Milton Reg Dist, Kent, England (Age ~ 87 years) (Mother) Person ID I22592 All | England: Kent Group (in Go(a)tham One-Name Study), All in the Goatham / Gotham One-Name Study , The descendants (and other halves) of George Goatham and Ann née Winch, The descendants (and other halves) of John Prior and Amy née Reynolds Last Modified 7 Dec 2022
Father Willis SIMONS, b. Abt 1824, Great Wakering, Rochford, Essex, England , d. Jun Q 1913, Milton Reg Dist, Kent, England (Age ~ 89 years) Mother Sarah Ann RUFF, b. Abt 1824, Baker Street, Orsett, Essex, England , d. Sep Q 1911, Milton Reg Dist, Kent, England (Age ~ 87 years) Married Jun Q 1858 Gravesend Reg Dist, Kent, England - GRO ref: Simons, Willis to Ruff, Sarah Ann q2 1858 Gravesend RD 2a 389
Shown as married 70 years in the 1911 census, implying married about 1841.
The 1911 census shows they had had 8 children, 4 of whom had died by then. Only 4 appear in censuses, so the other 4 must have died young, each born and died between 2 consecutive censuses.
Although only one or 2 children were born after Willis and Sarah Ann married, all but the first had their births registered as though they were married. That makes 3 of the 4 who died in infancy easy to identify. The fourth was probably born between Walter Charles (birth registered 1855) and Sarah Ann (birth registered towards the end of 1860). The identity of this child is made more difficult as the family clearly moved between these dates - from Crayford to Sittingbourne.
The most likely child would be Albert Arthur, and I have added him here with more info. about why he seems the probable child.
Family ID F9060 Family Group Page | Family Chart
Family 1 Emma GOATHAM, b. Mar Q 1845, Bredgar, Kent, England , d. 26 Jul 1905, The Union Workhouse, Faversham, Kent, England (Age ~ 60 years) Married Abt 15 Jun 1867 Register Office, Milton next Sittingbourne, Kent, England - GRO ref: GOATHAM, Emma to Simons, Willis q2 1867 Milton RD 2a 1080
When later in 1867 Willis was tried for assaulting Emma they were said to have been married "at Whitsuntide". In 1867 Whitsunday was on 9 June.
Looking for birth registrations of children, Elizabeth Jane was the only Simons (exact spelling) with a mother's maiden name of Goatham (including phonetically similar variaions) in the GRO online index, searched 1866-1880.
Separated Bef 15 Feb 1869 - Not only was Willis was living with his parents at the time of the 1871 census, but when their daughter was not vaccinated against small-pox when she should have been it was Emma who was summoned to the Petty Sessions as they had separated and she had charge of the child. In 1868 Willis had been committed to prison for assaulting Emma, and it seems likely they would not have
and 'remarried' the following year, while Emma can be found in the 1881-1901 censuses living by herself, but shown as married.
Children 1. Elizabeth Jane SIMONS, b. 4 Jul 1868, Pembury Street, Sittingbourne, Kent, England , d. 30 Jan 1870, Blind Lane, Sittingbourne, Kent, England (Age 1 years)Last Modified 7 Dec 2022 Family ID F8899 Family Group Page | Family Chart
Family 2 Elizabeth BUDDS, b. Jun Q 1852, Milton next Sittingbourne, Kent, England , d. Mar Q 1931, Milton Reg Dist, Kent, England (Age ~ 79 years) Married Mar Q 1872 Chelsea Reg Dist, London, England - GRO ref: Simons, Willis to BUDDS, Elizabeth q1 1872 Chelsea RD 1a 340
Children2 children Last Modified 7 Dec 2022 Family ID F9061 Family Group Page | Family Chart
- From the 1871 census where shown as aged 23, born 'Ancet', Essex [Orsett?]; shown as 33, born Little Thurrock, Essex, aged 3 in 1851, Grays Inn, Essex in 1881, and 55, born Sittingbourne in 1901. (Grays, Little Thurrock and Orsett are neighbouring parishes)