One of me Ancestors - chosen at random

I am having a better day, so decided I will try and put something that is actually interesting on here. As the title above describes, this will be about one of my ancestors and I will choose the subject at random. That means this could be very short, if I choose someone about whom I know very little, or it could be so long that I have to do it in instalments. Oh the suspense... I haven't chosen anyone yet so I am as much in the dark, relatively, as anyone. So here goes.....

Thomas BANKS 1859-1936

Thomas was born 6th October 1859, at 7 Crown Gardens, Brighton, Sussex, England (Copy of birth certificate held). He is my Great Grandfather. Thomas was the 4th child and 3rd son, of Benjamin BANKS (1825-1895) and Sarah nee LEACH (1823-1866). His siblings are as follows:

Sarah BANKS 1853-
Henry BANKS 1855-1867
Benjamin BANKS 1858-
Mary BANKS 1861-
Henry BANKS 1864-
Alfred BANKS 1868-

Writing about his siblings has reminded that I need to try again to find out more about them.

I was greatly helped with the family details by having Benjamin BANKS' (Snr), Bible, which was given to him when he lived near Ringmer, in 1836 - the names of his family are recorded in the Bible, at the beginning of The New Testament.

I grew up knowing a bit about Thomas, as he started the family business - Banks florists, which was as 40 Church Road, Hove from about 1913 to the 1980's, although it went out of the family in1953.

Benjamin BANKS was the fist in that line to be a gardener by occupation and I believe he started in that due to it being his father-in-law's trade - Thomas LEACH (1787-1861). I am still trying to find out where Thomas LEACH was employed, before he moved to Brighton (or Brighthelmstone as it would have been at the time). Thomas LEACH was born in Beenham, Berkshire and was one of 3 brothers to move to Brighton. The others being John and Henry. John was also a gardener and Henry established the Gardeners' Arms, in Brighton, near the railway station.

The occupation of gardener changes a great deal in the 20th century and went from being an occupation that was performed on large estates, to being associated with private enterprises we may recognize better as nurseries - we also see it become a job where gardeners work freelance at a number of places, as the wealth and aspirations of the working and middle classes increases from the 19th century and into the 20th/21st centuries.

Thomas LEACH was employed to care for private gardens in Brighton at some point but it is not yet known what brought him to Brighton although there is some oral history (from other researchers), that he and his brother, John, may have been employed on the Windsor Castle Estate, probably Windsor Park but that is not proven to date (15 Jan 2012). It is possible that employment at Windsor could have lead to the brothers coming to down because of the then Prince Regent, later George IV and the Royal Pavilion.

Whatever the truth of that, Benjamin was a gardener and worked in nurseries at Broadwater, Worthing for some of the time (1871 census) and the area where Thomas BANKS was born, in Brighton, was also the site of similar commercial gardens. The information about the nurseries in the Worthing area, was passed down in the family. Family, oral, history is also the source for the time before the shop in Church Road opened. My sister told me that Thomas and his sister, Eva, both worked, as employees, in a florist shop which was on the north side of Church Road, Hove. There was, apparently, some sort of rift with the owner of that shop, possibly to do with Thomas' ability and which lead to Thomas leaving to open his own shop and Eva went with him. He was leant the wherewithal to set up on his own, by a wealthy customer and I was told that he paid the money back in less than the agreed time. An achievement he was very proud of.

I have jumped ahead a bit with the foregoing information about the shop, as I need to record his marriage, the births of his children and I have omitted the time he spent, with his young family, in London.

Thomas married Annie WOOLGAR (1862-1929), at Hove Parish Church, (St. Andrews) 26th August 1882 but I have no idea how, or where, they met unless it was when Annie was employed as a servant.

I will have to stop for now continue with this another time, as I cannot find the 1881 census information I need re Annie plus a Telly programme I want to watch , has just started.