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Phil's family tree: Gates familyThis page shows the ancestry of my paternal grandmother, Mary Ellen GATES, and of her mother, Susannah Ellen LAROCHE.
The Gates family settled in Southwark in about 1850. The 1851 census lists Henry Walpole Gates as "Foreman of zinc works". Henry William Gates followed his father into the zinc business, followed in turn by William Thomas Gates.
Edward Charles Gates drowned in the Grand Surrey Canal at the age of 9. According to a newspaper report of the inquest, he had been playing near the canal (despite strict instructions from his parents) and refused to leave when the friend he was with went home. His body was found in the canal the next day. Tragedy struck the family again when the first wife of William Robert Gates, Louisa SAVAGE, was found dead, presumed murdered, in August 1918. She had travelled to Sunningdale, Berkshire, to meet a man stationed with the Canadian forces, and her body was found in a field several weeks later having been apparently strangled with the belt of her coat. No-one was ever prosecuted in connection with the crime. Henry Ernest Gates became a war casualty, killed in action in November 1917. He was serving with the West Yorkshire Regiment. Albert Gates became heavily involved in local government, serving as Mayor of the Metroplitan Borough of Southwark from 1939 to 1943 and on many other municipal bodies. Albert's wife Catherine (Kitty) MALONEY also served a term as Mayor. Charles Cornelius Gates became Mayor of the London Borough of Southwark, which was formed from the former Metropolitan Boroughs of Southwark, Camberwell and Bermondsey. Ancestry of Susannah Ellen LAROCHE
Robert and Ellen McCarthy lived near Bermondsey Leather Market, which still exists.
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