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Benjamin (1) Hogger was born to parents William (4) Hogger and his wife Elizabeth (nee) Andrews. His birth certificate [Birth Index: Cosford XII 304, 1842 (Sept)] states that he was born on July 17th 1842 at Groton (giving no more specific address). His father's occupation was wheelwright and his mother was the informant. He was christened on August 7th 1842 at Groton [PR: Cosford DB, IGI: Batch C062971].
The 1851 Census finds him living with his parents in Groton Street, Groton.
The 1861 Census finds him still with his parents in Groton Street, and now occupied as a wheelwright - as three generations had been before him.
He married Georgianna Adelaide Golding on June 30th 1867 at the Cosford District Register Office. The marriage certificate [Marriage Index: Cosford 4a 652, 1867 (June)] describes him as a bachelor and wheelwright aged "24", and her as a spinster aged "23". Their place of residence was given simply as Groton. His father is described as a wheelwright and hers as a deceased miller. The witnesses were Henry Shilling and Sarah Ann Horsley, whose connections are unknown.
The 1871 Census finds his family at the Parsonage in Groton Street. His parents were living there also.
By the time of the 1881 Census his family was living at 4, Groton Street, whilst his parents had moved to No. 10.
By the time of the 1891 Census his family had moved to 8, Groton Street. He was still occupied as a wheelwright, just as he had been in the previous two censuses.
In April 1893 he and other family members performed various songs at a musical entertainment staged at Groton School, as reported in The Suffolk and Essex Free Press, issue of April 19th 1893.
A similar entertainment was staged in late 1893, again featuring Benjamin (1)'s family, as reported in The Suffolk and Essex Free Press, issue of November 29th 1893.
He evidently played cricket for Groton, as he appears in the team lists of a match played on July 28th 1897 between Groton and Bures, as reported in The Suffolk and Essex Free Press, issue of August 11th 1897.
The 1901 Census finds him living with his wife and youngest child in The Street, Groton where he was still occupied as a wheelwright.
During the Great War (1914-18) he was visited by his grandson - then a small child - Herbert William (1) Hogger who in 1989 recollected the hams he had seen hanging up to cure in the fireplace of the cottage. Georgianna was then still living. In the 1920s another grandson John Ernest George (1) Hogger, also then a small child, was likewise taken to visit Benjamin (1), although by that time Georgianna had died. He related [SW] that the floors of the cottage were covered by coconut matting and that the rear garden contained various wooden wheels and a cart (called a "gambo"). He described his grandfather as a strikingly merry person, short and black-haired with a bushy black beard, who was devoted to the church in Groton at which he served as a bell-ringer. The church still contains today a noticeboard mentioning Benjamin (1), recording that he and another person F. Dansie had erected a flag-staff upon the church tower to commemorate the Coronation on August 9th 1902 of King Edward VII. An image created from a recent photograph of the noticeboard - which stands at the foot of the tower - can be seen on this page.
The only other known surviving artefact of Benjamin (1) is his pocket-watch, now in the possession of the site owner. Silver hall-marked and sapphire-jewelled, its interior is engraved with the inscription of its makers, Cook & Burchett of 72, Oxford Street, London.
The 1911 Census finds Benjamin(1) and Georgianna living in Groton Street, Boxford where he was still occupied as a wheelwright. Their census form states that they had produced nine children of whom three had died.
Georgianna died aged "75" in 1918 [Death Index: Cosford 4a 1942, 1918 (Dec) - indexed as "Georgina A."].
Benjamin (1) died on May 21st 1932 at his home in The Street, Groton. The death certificate [Death Index: Cosford 4a 957, 1932 (June)] describes him as a retired wheelwright aged 89, and the cause of death as acute bronchitis. The informant, in attendance at the death, was his son Albert George (1) whose own place of residence was then Groe Villa in Builth Wells, Breconshire.
Alice Rosetta (1) was baptized on March 29th 1874 and was buried at age 6 weeks on April 24th 1874, whilst Cecilia Alice (1) was baptized on June 6th 1875 and was buried at age 3 on December 30th 1878.