Walter Barker general dealer scrapyard Henry Street Ashtead, also lived at great Lister Street

[Clive Cheetham]

I understand that Walter Barker born about 1880, was a “General dealer” which is, I think, a nice way of saying rag and bone man or scrapyard he is listed as a furniture dealer in the earlier years of the last century but things get murkier after that. He had seven children with his wife, (Emily Rooke) who died in 1918 and then one with her sister Sarah-Ann Neale who was also widowed he ran the business in and through the 1920s. My late mother-in-law started the story of him being lost at sea, but I doubt it was true he was in his 50s in the early 1930s not an age to run away to sea. I suspect he was involved in some sort of scandal that was kept from the children and lost at sea, was a line spun to curious children. Any information gratefully accepted.

 

[Alberta]

There is an entry on Ancestry that says he died in the sea in Somerset in 1932 age 52 but I can find no death entry for that year.

 

[Clive Cheetham]

Yes, I have seen it many times, and can find nothing to confirm it. it is there but it is probably copied from the information I myself put onto the tree 25 years ago. One of two “pencilled in” errors that have been copied by many as facts.

I feel sure that there is still much to learn about Walter Barker. My late mother-in-law was always very vague about what happened to her granddad who was involved in a bit of a family scandal having a son via his late wife’s sister shortly after she died. As they were not married the illegitimate child gained his mother’s married surname even though her husband was never named as the father.

Her husband, Bernard Richard Neale died at 45 years old in March 1920, his wife Sarah-Ann gave birth to her brother-in-law’s child on February 2nd 1920.

The child, Francis Mark Neale appears on the 1939 register as a 19 year old living with his widowed mother Sarah-Ann, at 77, Charles Henry Street. My mother-in-law recalled visiting them, in Balsall Heath as a child and when she asked what happened to her grandfather being told he was “lost at sea”.

I recon Walter was probably still around the area but not looking after his family any more.

I have a fabulous picture of Walter at his business which I will try to send, at the moment your site says it’s too large for the server to process. I will try to edit it to a more manageable size.

 

[Clive Cheetham]

Walter Barker ‘s premises, reputed to be Rupert Street/Henry Street Nechels Birmingham

 

[Spitting Image]

My late mother-in-law

Vera?