David Dimmock was christened April 24th, 1853 at Sandridge, St Albans, Hertfordshire, the fifth child of Mary Adams & David Dimmock, a timber carter/labourer.
David was living at home in 1861, now at Adelaide St, St Albans. He had an older sister & brother & 2 younger sisters & brother. His half-sister, Susanna Adams, was with the family.
In 1871 the family were living at Lattimore Rd, Tyttenhanger, St Albans. His older brother & sister & 2 younger sisters & brother were still at home. David was now working as a silk throwster.
David married Ann Tillcock on April 12th, 1879 at St Albans, Herts. Witnesses at the wedding were David’s sister, Martha Dimmock, & George Hilliard. David’s occupation was given as hat stiffener. Ann was born Oct-December 1851, at Reading, Berks, & christened August 6th, 1854 at St Mary’s, the daughter of Elizabeth & William Tillcock, a gardener.
In 1881 David & Ann were living at Inkerman Rd, St Albans where David was a painter. They had a 1 year old son Arthur.
By 1891 David & Annie had moved to Bedford Rd, St Albans & David still worked as a painter & Annie was a straw hat finisher. They now had 3 children – Arthur C, Maud A (9) & Ethel J (5). Annie’s widowed mother, Elizabeth Tillcock, a retired laundress, was living with them.
David died on January 29th, 1892, aged 39, at Bedford Rd, St Albans. The Herts Advertiser of February 6th, 1892 reported that David died from influenza & about 1000 people attended his funeral despite inclement weather. David had been a member of the 2nd Herts Royal Volunteer band for 18 years & was a member of the order of Oddfellows. About 50 members of the Volunteers marched from the town hall to the house where the body lay. From there a procession was formed by Volunteers with reversed rifles, mourners, members of the Oddfellows Society & the band which accompanied the coffin covered in the Union Jack to the chapel where a service was held. Three volleys of blank cartridges were fired over the grave. It was noted that David had been a member of the old Abbey ringing club & in tribute his fellow members rang the Abbey bells half muffled.
Widowed Ann was living at 28 Lattimore Rd, St Albans in 1901 & was described as living on her own means. Son Arthur, a plait bleacher (straw hat worker), & daughter Ethel, a straw hat centre turner, were living at home. Ann’s 82 year old mother was still living with them & described as feeble-minded.
In 1911 Ann was still living at 28 Lattimore Rd with her son Arthur Charles who was now a straw hat blocker in a factory. Visiting them at the time of the census was daughter Maud Annie, who had married Arthur Harold Gibbons 2 years previously, & her son Harold Arthur Gibbons (1). Harold was born in Montreal, Canada & he & his mother had travelled from Montreal to Liverpool in October 1910 on the ship ‘Lake Champlain’. There is a record of Maud & son Harold sailing from Liverpool on December 11th, 1911 & their destination was given as Seattle, Washington, USA. The 1920 US census shows Maud & husband Arthur H Gibbons & son Harold living in Seattle where Arthur was a warehouseman for the electric R R. The family were still living in Seattle in 1930 & Arthur was now a cable engineer & son Harold was a butcher. Maud Annie was recorded as returning from England to New York in 1934 & she gave her address as 351 Temple Place, Seattle. She had been visiting her sister Ethel at 37 Waverley Rd, St Albans. Maud & Arthur were still living in Seattle in 1940.
Daughter Ethel was visiting Sarah Powell, a straw hat machinist, & her son Frederick Walter Powell (24), a carpenter, at 20 Grange St, St Albans in 1911. Ethel, who was also a straw hat machinist, was to marry Frederick Powell in Jan-March 1912 at St Albans.
Son Arthur married Edith Kate Webster in June 1912 at Great Yarmouth, Norfolk.
Ann died in April-June 1916, aged 64, her death being registered at St Albans.
The 1939 register shows daughter Ethel & husband Frederick, a carpenter & joiner, living at 37 Waverley Rd, St Albans with their children.
The children of David Dimmock & Ann Tillcock were:
d.9.1 Arthur Charles Dimmock born July 26th, 1879 & christened November 30th, 1879 at St Albans, Herts; died at Gorleston Hospital & buried January 21st, 1955 at Caistor Cemetery, Yarmouth, Norfolk
d.9.2 Maud Annie Dimmock born October 9th, 1881 at St Albans & christened February 3rd, 1889 at Frogmore, Herts; died January 18th, 1965 in Los Angeles, California, USA
d.9.3 Ethel Jane Dimmock born July 18th, 1885 at St Albans & christened February 3rd, 1889 at Frogmore, Herts; died February 17th, 1963 at 114 Boundary Lane, Welwyn, Herts