John Mather

John Mather

This picture was taken in 1912 and sourced from Family Photos.

• Individual Picture Notes
  • John Mather, aged 39, taken from the 1912 Mather family group photo.

• Birth Notes
  • Born Birkenhead, Cheshire in 1873 according to 1881 census.
    
    Les and Lil Mercer has grandfathers birthday as 8 Jan.
    
    MATHER, JOHN        TOMLINSON 
    GRO Reference: 1873  M Quarter in BIRKENHEAD 
    Volume 08A  Page 510
    
    Cheshire Birth indexes for the years: 1873
    MATHER    John         Birkenhead    Wirral    BIR/92/19
    

• Death Notes
  • Les confirmed that John Mather died 6 March 1950, aged 77.
    
    Mum tells me he had heart problems and retired early.  My father thinks he would have lived longer if he'd been allowed to have a tot of whisky each evening, but his wife Sarah was a strict teetotaller and wouldn’t allow alcohol in the house.
    
    The Mather family of Birkenhead used the Cooperative Funeral Services, but this isn't confirmed.
    
    The Newspaper reported:
    A PROMINENT LOCAL BOWLER
    Mr. J. Mather dies
    President for 20 years of the Birkenhead Park Bowling Club, and a past president of the West Cheshire Bowling Association, Mr John Mather of 45 Thompson Street, Birkenhead died suddenly on Monday at the age of 77.
    Mr Mather who had been unwell for some time, was well known as an engineer pattern maker, and worked for many Merseyside shipping firms.
    He leaves a widow, four sons and four daughters.  Cremation took place at Landican on Thursday.
    The chief mourners were Mrs Sarah Mather (widow), Messrs Joseph, Albert, Jack and Walter Mather (sons) , Mrs A Bailey, Misses M. and J. Mather Mrs J. Graham (daughters), Mr H. Mather (brother), Mrs. H. Hopwood, Mrs. S. Robinson, Mrs J. Nugent and Mrs. W. Cole (sisters).
    
    Probate:
    MATHER John of 45 Thompson-street Birkenhead died 6 March 1950 Probate London 15 April to Sarah Mather widow. Efects £1958 4s.
    
    
    
    

• General Notes
  • John was a keen bowler, and a member of the North End bowling club for 5 years from 1897 to 1902, before he moved to Tranmere and the Birkenhead Park B.C.  At Birkenhead Park, he held all of the positions except Treasurer. John also enjoys other sports including rugby football in the winter and cricket in the summer, and also athletics.
    
    13 Aug 1901 John married Sarah Stocks at the Baptist Chapel in Birkenhead.  Between 1902 and 1916 they had 8 children, and all births were registered at Tranmere.
    
    In 1921, John (b.1873) and Sarah (b. Yorkshire, 1877) and their 8 children: Joseph, Albert, John (i.e. Jack), Ellen, Norah, Jessie, Eileen and Walter were living at 45 Thompson Street, Tranmere.  This was a big 4-bed red-brick house on a corner plot, with living room, large front-aspect dining room (big enough for 20+), kitchen with a black-iron fireplace and ovens on either side, lower scullery and wash room. There were coal bunkers, WC and garage outside.  It had a large Victorian garden with raised flower beds, vegetable plot around the side and two large glass-houses.  There was rear access to a workshop-gaurage.  An amazing old house!  As well tomatoes and all kinds of vegetables they grew prize-winning Chrysanthemums.  This would be the family home until John and Sarah had died.
    
    In 1928, John's uncle, also a John Mather died at 56 Church Road, Birkenhead, aged 75.  John (shown as nephew) reported his head.
    
    In the 1950-60s Sarah had a dog, “Snowy”, a big golden Labrador.  It was a lovely dog but moulted a lot, so after visiting the house we would spend the next few days picking dog-hairs off our cloths.
    

Click here for details of John's family with Sarah Stocks

¹ Lil Mercer's Birthday Book
² Newspaper - John Mather (Snr)
³ 1881 UK Census
⁴ 1891 UK Census
⁵ 1901 UK Census
⁶ Certificate - Marriage
⁷ Certificate - Birth
⁸ 1911 UK Census
Sources/Citations Individual - Mum & Dad, Newspaper - Birkenhead News 1908

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This page is within a frameset. View the entire genealogy report of Mather families, or surname index of Mather pedigrees or report summary Mather heritage from 'John's BIG Family Tree'.
View a family tree from Gedcom file.

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