James Garnar was born on 18 December 1816 and baptised on the same day as his sister Mary Ann on 15 October 1820.  As a result it seems that James was confused about his own birthdate, as the censuses seem to show his age as being born in 1820 and even on his death certificate in 1871 his age is shown as 51 rather than 54.

James married Eliza Tovey on 27 February 1843 at St Saviour, Southwark.  James was a Leather Dresser like his father and Eliza was the daughter of a seaman, George Tovey who reputedly was at the Battle of Trafalgar.  James and Eliza were my great-great grandparents hence this section contains more information about their descendants as I had a lot of information about them from my grandfather.

James and Eliza had 9 children between 1843 and 1860, including two who died as children:

1. Eliza Ann Garnar was born in 1843.  In 1865 she married Christopher William Barton Wood who was a Commercial Traveller in 1871 and a 'Master Oil and Colourman' in 1881.   Eliza and Christopher had 6 children between 1866 and 1883:  Jessie Eliza, Christopher James, Fanny Elizabeth, Percival Samuel, Edith Alice and Thomas George.  By 1891 Eliza was living on her own with her children; she was a 'Shopkeeper General' according to the census.  Although she is still listed as 'married' I have not found her husband on the 1891 census. 

2. James Garnar was born in 1845 at 7 Surrey Grove, Newington.  By 1861 he was 15 and was already 'employed at a leather factory' according to the census.

In 1870 James married Alice Kirby Wilson.  Their two oldest sons, James Wilson Garnar born in 1871 and Sydney Thomas Garnar born in 1873 took over the business when their father died in 1893 and continued to manage it until they both died in the 1950's.  James Wilson Garnar married Mary Ann Maud Lillie Tyler and they had one daughter Gladys Maud Garnar born in 1896.  In 1933 James received a knighthood for political and public service in Bermondsey.  He became a Director of the James Garnar company in 1938 and was elected its first President in 1952.  James was also one of the founders of the Federation of Curriers, Light Leather Dressers and Tanners, now known as the British Leather Foundation.  His brother Sydney Thomas Garnar also became one of the directors of the company.  He married Edith Louise Oates and had 3 children, Sydney Robert born in 1898 (who became chairman of the company in 1952), Kathleen Louise born in 1901 and Avice Elizabeth born in 1914 and died in 1925. 

James and Alice had 7 more children:

• Alice Rachel born 1875, died 1934
• Archie John, born 1877 and died at 14 months from whooping cough
• Edmund John born 1879 married Charlotte Blackaller
• Eleanor Ann born 1881 married Charlotte's brother Thomas Blackaller
• Archie born 1883 became a Haberdasher and later took over the printing business of his uncle Arthur Smith.  He married Florence Bristow.
• Kate Eliza born 1886 married Sydney Walton Ledger.  Their descendants are now in Australia.
• Beatrice Maud born 1891 married Major Hugh Wheeler.

3. Alice Garnar was born in 1847 in Newington and died in 1849.

4. Emily Garnar was born in 1849 in Newington and died when she was 8 in 1857.

5. Fanny Elizabeth Garnar was born in 1851 in Bermondsey and married Arthur Smith in 1876.  Arthur was a stationer and printer who had his own printing works at Catford, SE London.  When Fanny died in 1907, Arthur retired and his business was continued by Fanny's nephew Archie, the son of her brother James.  Arthur went to live with Fanny's youngest brother Thomas in Colne, Lancashire and during the 1st World War he lived with Thomas' son William in Preston.

6. Mary Ann Garnar (known as 'Maggie') was born in 1853 in Bermondsey.  It seems that she was virtually adopted by her uncle Martin as she was living with him and his family in 1861 and 1871, and Martin's will in 1878 directed his trustees to pay his widow sufficient funds for the maintenance education and bringing up not only of his own children but also of his niece Mary Ann.  In 1879 Mary Ann married William Saxton who was a cashier at the Smith and Union bank in Lewisham.   They had two sons:  William Garnar Saxton born in 1881 who also became a bank clerk and was a paymaster in the 1st World War, and Stanley Bassett Saxton born in 1883.  Maggie outlived her husband and in later life lived with her sister Rebecca Edith in Catford.

7. Martin Garnar was born at 2 Fort Street, Bermondsey in 1855.  It seems that he and his younger brother Thomas worked with their brother James until there was some kind of disagreement in the 1880's.  Martin then set up his own leather business and although I cannot find him on the 1891 census, trade directories for Leicester in 1887 and 1891 list a 'M Garnar, leather manufacturer, Bank Buildings, Leicester'.   In 1898, when he was in his 40's, Martin married Emma Margaret Taylor and in 1901 they were living at St Anne's Rd Eastbourne, with a housemaid, cook and parlourmaid.  It seems that Matin's health must already have been failing as they also had a male nurse, William Boakes.  Martin died in September 1906 and six months later Emma married William Boakes who was 14 years her junior.

8. Rebecca Edith Garnar was born in 1858 in Bermondsey.  Known to the family as Edith she did not marry but lived with her mother Eliza at Plassey Rd, Catford until Eliza's death aged 91 in 1909.  Edith later lived with her sister Maggie at Brownhills Rd and Canadian Avenue, Catford.

9. Thomas Garnar (my great-grandfather) was born at 2 Fort Street, Bermondsey in December 1860.

In July 1883 he married Agnes Wills Hulbert at Christ Church, Camberwell.  Their first daughter Agnes Eliza Garnar was born in 1884, and about this time Thomas and his brother Martin parted company with their brother James.  Thomas moved to Brussels to manage a leather factory there, and his first son William Thomas Garnar (my grandfather) was born at Saventhem, Brussels in September 1885.

By 1887 they were back in Bermondsey.  Another son Herbert Henry was born there in 1887 and another daughter Elsie Gertrude was born in 1889 in Camberwell.  In the meantime the first daughter Agnes had died in 1888 at the age of 3. 

By 1891 the family had moved to West Derby, Liverpool where they had two more children, Ellen Elizabeth in 1891 and Fanny Edith in 1893.  Thomas was employed as an engineer in the rebuilding of the new Royal Liverpool Infirmary.

 In 1893 he was recommended by his brother Martin to Sagar's Leather Tannery in Colne, Lancashire and the family moved there, living first at Holme Street, Cotton Tree and then at Hartington Street, Winewall.  The youngest son Stanley Charles was born at Winewall in 1897.  Stanley was killed during the 1st World War and a digital story about him can be found here.

The photograph below shows Thomas and Agnes with their children in 1914, just before Stanley joined the army.

Back:  Herbert, Elsie, William

Middle:  Ellen, Thomas, Agnes, Fanny

Front:  Stanley

The children of Thomas and Agnes Garnar remained in the Colne area except for their eldest son:

William Thomas Garnar (my grandfather) started work half time in Joseph Eccles' cotton mill at the age of 11.  An accomplished artist, he became a designer for the firm and in 1904 he was transferred to Preston.  In 1912 he became Head Designer, then Manager of the Preston branch in 1919 and Manager of both the Preston and Colne branches in 1928.   Whem Joseph Eccles died in 1933, Will along with Frank Fryer formed a company to keep the business going.  This was wound up in 1939, just before the 2nd World War and Will worked for the Ministry of Agriculture in Preston until his retirement in 1946.

In 1909 William had married Lucy Waddington at the Wesley Methodist Chapel in Colne.  They had 3 children, Marion born in 1911, Bessie born in 1912 (my mother) and Stanley William born in 1921 (and named after Will's brother who had been killed in the 1st World War).  Please click here for a link to my Waddington Family History site

After his wife Lucy died in 1944, Will married Martha Hooper nee Martlew and they moved to the village of Scorton, Lancashire where Will had an extensive market garden.  Eventually they moved to a house with a smaller garden in Garstang where he died in 1973.

Herbert Henry Garnar worked as a leather dresser at Sagar's Tannery in Colne.  He married Elizabeth Waddington, the sister of his brother's wife Lucy, and they had 2 children, Lena born in 1921 and Lucy born in 1923.

Elsie Gertrude Garnar worked in the cotton mill and married James Hartley.  They lived in Colne all their lives but had no children.

Ellen Elizabeth Garnar (known as Nellie) married William Bottomley and they had 2 children, Lily who died young, and Tom.

Fanny Edith Garnar married Jimmy Robinson and they ran a fish and chip shop in Cotton Tree, before moving to London where they had a chip on North End Road, Fulham for many years.  They had 2 children, William and Edith.

Stanley Charles Garnar has already been mentioned.  He joined the army in 1914 when he was 17, but did not go to France until the beginning of 1917.  His battalion saw duty in the trenches at Givenchy, the Channel ports of Dunkirk and Nieuport, Ypres and Passchendale before being sent to Templeux-le-Guerard in France where Stanley was killed on 21st March 1918 on the first day of the German spring offensive.  After the war, his parents received a letter from a German soldier who had found Stanley dying and stayed with him.  Stanley was holding a photo of his family as he died and as this had the address of his parents on the back, the German soldier took the photo and returned it to his parents once the war was over.