Walter Williams parents were my Great Grandparents, Walter Williams and Elizabeth (Lillie) Skidmore. Please click here for their family tree.

Walter and Lillie (sometimes written as Lily) were born in the 1860's and lived in Victorian Manchester. Walter started his career as a General Smith, according to the information in the 1881 UK Census, while he was still living with his parents, Daniel and Emma Williams.

Walter and Lillie were married June 5th 1886 in the United Methodist Free Church, Chapman Street, Hulme, Lancashire. This church was closed after 1960 after various mergers with other churches, and I'm not sure that Chapman Street even exists anymore, although according to the GENUKI website it was within walking distance of Lower Moss Lane, where Walter was living.

By 1901 when Walter was 34, he had become a rent collector, and he, Lillie and their family were living at 47 Duke Street, Stretford, Manchester. They had seven children in all; Arthur was born in 1887, Harold in 1889, Vernon in 1892, Lily in 1894, Frank in 1896, Walter (my grandfather) in 1898 and Emily in 1900. My father particularly remembers his Uncles Arthur, Harold and Frank, whom he liked very much. According to my father, Harold was a foreman at Ford Motors and later moved to the Dagenham plant near London, and Frank was a Turner, who worked for T.C. Thompson & Sons on London Road, Manchester. Frank died at the age of 37.

Walter and Lillie Williams - 1901 Census**

This is a picture of Upper Duke Street, Hulme in 1963 from the Manchester Archives and Local Studies website (used with permission)

At some point, Walter became an Estate Agent, as this is the occupation recorded on the marriage certificate of his son Walter, when he married his second wife, Annie Oliver, July 6th1933.

Lillie's parents were Joseph and Sarah Ann Skidmore (nee Waddell Ogden). Lillie's actual name was Elizabeth and information on the family can be found in the 1871 Census**, when Lillie was aged four. By the time of the 1881 Census*, (Lillie was recorded as being an apprentice book binder at age 14. For a long time I wasn't absolutely sure that Lillie was Elizabeth Skidmore, but from her marriage certificate I knew her father's name was Joseph, and the age of Elizabeth Skidmore matched that reported for Lillie. There wasn't another Joseph Skidmore living in Hulme at that time, so I was pretty certain Elizabeth and Lillie were one and the same, but there is always that nagging doubt that you may have hit on the wrong family. Fortunately, I noticed something I had missed on the 1891 Census, which was that the recently married Walter and Lillie and their two young sons, Arthur and Harold were living right next door to Lillie's parents at 24 and 26 Junction Street, Hulme.

Walter and Lillie Williams and Joseph and Sarah Skidmore
1891 Census**

Previous Generation: Walter's parents were Daniel and Emma (nee Krinks) Williams.

For information on Lillie's parents and brothers and sisters please go to the Skidmore page.

* Reprinted by permission. Copyright (c) 1999 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc.

** Displayed with the permission of Ancestry.com