This is my first posting to the Surrey list, most of my ancestors being from Staffordshire where I live. My wife's BAKER ancestors stem from one Elias Richard Baker (1810 - 1868), possibly born in Devon but lived at Stockwell. She is descended from one of his sons, Frederick Charles. Another of Elias's sons was the more famous William Yeats Baker of Streatham, the author Dennis Wheatley's grandfather. The family was generally working class but WYB got to be a rich man with a substantial art collection. Dennis Wheatley's autobiography contains a tantalising reference to WYB showing him an envelope with the crest of the Earl of Warwick and said they were descended - but I have not been able to shed any light on this yet! I would be glad to make contact or get information about Elias and his BAKER descendants but have a specific request for help in interpreting an 1861 census document from this with access to it. RG9/361 piece 361 folio 128 page 15 is for St Mark's, Kennington and I think, Chapel Street, East. House number 26 has two of Elias sons: Edward and Joseph living there together. But what does it say under 'relationship to head of household' and what is directly under the house address ? It looks to me like "Gardeners ???" and "son of the ???". 'Ancestry.com. has a gibberish translation and the clearer 'Find my Past' copy has "son of lodger" but I can't make it read this - I have asked FMP to have another look. My wife suggested "son of the owner" which might be logical but I can't make it read that either. Both of the quoted queries are not, in my experience usual census entries. Members local knowledge might help with interpretation for which I would very grateful.

Hi John ? I would say that Ancestry have it nearer than findmypast actually My interpretation would be "son of the Ownr" Address is 25 (not 26) Chapel St East and the addition may be a house name given the quotation marks, "Gardeners is clear enough can't hazard a guess at the other part Nivard Ovington in Cornwall (UK) On 08/10/2012 12:09, John Bennett wrote: > This is my first posting to the Surrey list, most of my ancestors > being from Staffordshire where I live. > > My wife's BAKER ancestors stem from one Elias Richard Baker (1810 - > 1868), possibly born in Devon but lived at Stockwell. She is > descended from one of his sons, Frederick Charles. Another of > Elias's sons was the more famous William Yeats Baker of Streatham, > the author Dennis Wheatley's grandfather. The family was generally > working class but WYB got to be a rich man with a substantial art > collection. Dennis Wheatley's autobiography contains a tantalising > reference to WYB showing him an envelope with the crest of the Earl > of Warwick and said they were descended - but I have not been able to > shed any light on this yet!