| We never found any reference to Aaron's father, James, it seems that he died prior to 1841, when his widow was living with Robert. So there we are, we made it!, all the way back to the birth of James Hawkins in 1756!....in Eccleshall of all places. Forgotten shoemakers! We wonder how different it may have been had Aaron not taken his own life. Would he have taught John the art of shoemaking, as did Robert and Moses with their children. Why was it that Robert Hawkins was a shoemaker with servants and people in his employ, and Aaron took his own life? If only we knew. Robert lived to a good old age and so did Moses. It's not over though, by any means! The Hawkins family can be traced even further back, but not with the same certainty from this point. Other than parish records there is nothing to prove who people were with any accuracy. If you are happy to assume that the Hawkins family had deep roots in Eccleshall then it can be traced back much further. It is indeed likely that they had, as shoemaking played a significant role in the traditions of the place. The only comprehensive book to be written about Eccleshall is entitled, "Poverty Portrayed", and that is enough to give a picture of what it was like. Leather working was the main industry of the town, in all it's many forms, including of course, shoemaking. I should think that the Hawkins family made a reasonable living at their trade and it is interesting to note that Aaron was described as a Cordwainer at the time of his death, which, as far as I can ascertain, meant that he only worked with a certain kind of leather, always new leather, so it sounds as though the Hawkins shoemakers were craftsmen at their trade. The only James Hawkins to have been born in Eccleshall at the appropriate time was born in 1757.His parents were John and Hannah. He married Ann Rhodes in 1776, the year of the birth of their eldest son, Robert. James himself would have been 19yrs. old. Aaron was born in 1796. The only John Hawkins to have been born in Eccleshall at the appropriate time was born in 1723. I have found only his father, again, John, born in 1700, whose father was William, born in 1672. It is not unreasonable to assume that this is the correct family, as the record of baptisms does seem chronologically sound. I have been fortunate enough to have found a copy of a 1698 census of Eccleshall and there are three entries for the name Hawkins. It gives very little information, but does name William Hawkins, John Hawkins and Ann Hawkins as living there. It is extremely likely that they are my ancestors, but I can't prove it. In 1687 William Hawkins had to pay one sixpence into a poor fund! He couldn't have been doing too bad.. William Hawkins was in all probability my great great great great great great great grandfather! |
| From an Inner Tube to Shoemakers..part 13 |