Page 275 - Just another English family (Sep 2019)

Leonard (b.1941), while the other Brian (1928-1985) was certainly not too old to contribute. In the event the 2011 census shows that these hopefuls had between them produced 12 male heirs in the 50 years between the 1961 and 2011 censuses. Kenneth Alan had produced three boys, Arthur, Keith Newton and (George) Peter had each had two boys, while Graham, Brian and Keith Leonard had produced one male each. Even more interestingly, there were a further four males emerging from the next generation – Martin (b.1963) with two boys, (Paul) Wayne (b.1972) and Anthony Mark (b.1967) with one boy each. Among the males in this 50-year period, there had been 12 deaths, so the replacement quotient was certainly in credit.
The common ancestors of all in this grouping are John and Hannah (née Tasker). John and Hannah had five children, but only two are relevant in terms of contemporary descendants calling themselves ‘Soothill’, namely, David (1833-1875) and James (1846-1922). In fact, John Alan and his children are derived from David (b.1833) and Martha (Jowett)
John Alan (b.1944 in Oldham) was adopted by David and Martha’s great- grandson, John Edward (1917-1991) and his wife, Margaret (née Brown). John Alan has been married twice – first to Nina M. (née Howard) in 1966 and then married Phyllis (née Cawley/Cooke) in 1972. By his first union with Nina, John Alan had Graham Robert (b.1966) and Ian Andrew (b.1969). There is no evidence that either Graham or Ian has married or had issue. By his second union with Phyllis, John Alan had Michael S. The puzzle is that Michael S. seems to have been born in 1965, prior to his marriage with Nina. Michael S. married in 2002, but there seems to be no issue. If there is something akin to a Soothill gene, for good or ill, Graham, Ian and Michael would not share this delight as John Alan was adopted.
John Alan’s father, John Edward, had two other children - Margaret Helen (b.1948) and Graham (b.1950) - who are younger than John Alan (b.1944), but it is not clear when John Alan actually entered the family. Margaret Helen married in 1970 and Graham married Avis Ruby (née Garner) in Rochdale in 1974.
271