thegeers - A new definition of style

- The Geer Family of Hailsham -

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JAMES GEER: Born about 1713 in Arlington, Sussex, England. Married to Anne Akehurst, aged about 19, on 29 January 1737 in Arlington, Sussex, England. They had eight children

EDWARD GEER: Baptized 9 April 1749 at Arlington. Marriage license dated 1 Oct 1782 for marriage to Mary Richardson of South Heighton. A second marriage license dated 3 0ct 1782 for marriage to Elizabeth Smith. Confirmed Married on 4 Oct 1782 at Ripe to ELIZABETH SMITH. Edward Geer of Hailsham in each case and in respect of both marriage licenses, aged 25 and upwards. Mary Richardson gave issue to Rebecca Richardson, Elizabeth Smith gave issue to six children - see below. He was buried Jan 15th 1829 at Hailsham aged 80. His widow Elizabeth Smith, was buried Dec 9th 1829 at Hailsham aged 77. Naughty boy.

GEORGE GEER: Born about 1758 : No further information

REBECCA RICHARDSON: Baptized 16 Feb 1783 at Tarring Neville (daughter of Mary Richardson), reputed father Edward Geer.

THOMAS GEER: Born in 1787 in Hailsham, England to Edward Geer and Elizabeth Smith. He was baptized on 25 March 1787 - as an infant, in Hailsham, Sussex, England. On 17 July 1860. Aged about 73, he was an Occupation listed as labourer on his son Georges marriage certificate as of July 17th 1860. See Marriage certificate # MXC693463. Thomas died on 5 April 1866, aged about 78, in Hailsham Union Workhouse, Hailsham, Sussex, England. He was buried on 8 April 1866 in Hailsham, Sussex, England.

ELIZABETH GEER: Born to Edward Geer and Elizabeth Smith. She was baptized on 5 June 1797, in Hailsham, Sussex, England. Living in Hailsham 1851 as spinster and needlewoman. Elizabeth died in 1865 in Age 69. She was buried on 20 March 1865 in Eastbourne, Sussex, England.

GEORGE GEER: Baptized Sept 5th 1824 at Hailsham. Married July 17th 1860 to MARY THOMPSON (Born at Shipley about 1835). She died at Leapcross aged 30 and was buried Mar 26th 1865 at Hailsham. He remarried April 12th 1868 to MARY BURTON spinster (Born about 1838 at Hellingley). He died, aged about 60, death reg Dec 1884 at Hailsham. His widow died March 3rd 1925 at the Lewes Workhouse aged 86 and buried March 7th 1925 at Hailsham Cemetery. He was shown as an agricultural labourer in the Census Returns.

CHARLOTTE GEER: also recorded as Charlotte Ford, was born in August 1827 to Thomas Geer and Anne Carpenter. She was baptized on 5 August 1827. Married David Ford labourer of Arlington. on 19 October 1862 in Hailsham, Sussex, England. Charlotte died in December 1891, aged 64, in Eastbourne, Sussex, England.

ELLEN K GEER: Baptized Jan 15th 1837 at Hailsham. The only child at home in 1851 Census. Not living at home in 1861. Marriage reg Sept 1870 at Warwick. Possibly the mother of: LOUISA ANN GEER Birth reg Mar 1865 at Bethnal Green. Marriage reg Mar 1891 at Warwick.

GEORGE HENRY GEER: Born at Hailsham reg Dec 1873. Baptized Dec 7th 1873 at Hailsham. Marriage reg Mar 1900 at Eastbourne to BERTHA MARY STAINER. Death reg June 1950 at Eastbourne aged 76. His widow died Jan 10th 1957 at Princess Alice Hospital, Eastbourne (of 44 Grays Rd, Eastbourne aged 85). Admon Lewes May 6th 1957 to Reginald Ernest Geer, National Health Service clerk. Effects £335 1s 2d.

SUSAN ELIZABETH GEER: Born at Arlington. Birth not reg? Baptized Jan 5th 1879. Death reg June 1960 at Lewes aged 81.

HAROLD ROBERT GEER: Born on 7 February 1913 in Eastbourne, Sussex, England to George Henry Geer and Mary Bertha Stainer. On 21 July 1938, aged 25, he was a Police Constable. On Grahams birth certificate (In March 1940) aged 27 he is listed as Lance Corporal #7882224 Military Police [Police Constable] of 43 Manvers Rd Eastbourne. On Michaels birth certificate he is listed as Police Constable of 42 Hilbert Road, Tunbridge Wells. Harold died on 21 September 1997, aged 84 in Westgate on Sea, Kent, England. Harold married three times. He was married to Dora Alice Loveland, Kathleen Furnaess and Enid Daisy Scott.

GRAHAM HAROLD GEER: Born on 28 March 1940 in 9 Upperton Road, Eastbourne, Sussex, England to Harold Robert Geer and Dora Alice Loveland. In August 1974, aged 34, he emigrated to Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Graham married three times. He was married to Jean Ann Lidgerwood, Patricia Ann Smith and Patricia Ann Baldwin. He had issue Carmen D Geer (mother Patricia Ann Baldwin).

DAVID JOHN GEER: Born on 19 February 1949 in Pembury Hospital, Tunbridge Wells, Kent, England to Harold Robert Geer and Kathleen Furnaess. David married twice. He was married to Susanna Ferguson and Winifred Burgess. He had two issue DAVID MARK GEER and GILLIAN ELIZABETH GEER both to Susanna Ferguson.

MICHAEL LLOYD GEER: Born in Tunbridge Wells, on 30th January 1954 to Harold Geer and Kathleen Furnaess. Married to Sandra Cairns (Born 29th January 1963 - Ross Hospital Paisly Glasgow) on 21st October 1994 at Cleveland Registry Office. Sandra died on 12th July 2021 at home in Hartlepool. They had issue: GARETH ANDREW GEER on 2nd December 1991. Michael was working in the Middle East as Engineering Manager in 2014 and at Tesco, Hartlepool in 2012.

Maternal line

Coat of Arms

Narrative

Our family tree is not unusual nor is it banal, it tells the story of a family based in east sussex, England, A family with some shocking skeletons in the cupboard and a number of tragedies on the way. This tree covers a 300 year period including 8 generations of Geers. There are no famous people, no peers of the realm, no royalty and no heroes, just people who are, in general, farm labourers. The story begins with James Geer born in 1713, (the earliest we can find) in the reign of Queen Anne. In this pre-industrial era, there was no piped water, no electricity and no television, one can only imagine the hardship faced by working class people.

As we go through the tree we note that families were large, with 7 or 8 siblings, we see babies who died shortly after birth and children who died before they reached their teens. Those that reached old age and could no longer work in the fields ended up in the workhouse. it was not a privileged or easy life for any of them; however there are some very interesting and quirky things included, take Edward Geer 1749, this guy somehow managed to get married to two different women within days of each other and going on to have a single child with one of them and six children with the other. Then there is Thomas, 1716, whose first daughter "Catherine" survived for only 6 months, we don't know the lifespan of his second child "Kitty" but his third child "Elizabeth" Died after only 8 months it must have been traumatic.

The early 1700's witnessed the begining of the industrial revolution when the focus of the labour market switched from agricultural work to manufacturing. This industrial revolution seemed to pass the Geers by because they remained fixed within the Hailsham area, it wasn't until 1957, that any of the geer lineage ventured beyond the realm of the east sussex farms when Reginald Earnest Geer was recorded as being a National Health Service Clerk. This generation of Geers were at one time all in the police force ("service") because there was a photograph of the 6 Brothers all in their police uniforms. The two world wars didn't have a significant impact on the family with only George Henry Geer (1873) of fighting age during the first world war (1914 - 1918) and only Harold and Ebenezer Geer available for the second world war (1939 - 1945). As far as can be determined they all survived the wars.

During the entire period there have been 10 Kings and 3 Queens on the British throne, they are:

Queen Anne ( 1702 - 1714 )

King George I ( 1714 - 1727 )

King George II ( 1727 - 1760 )

King George III ( 1760 - 1820 )

King George IV ( 1820 - 1830 )

King William IV ( 1830 - 1837 )

Queen Victoria ( 1837 - 1901 )

King Edward VII ( 1901 - 1910 )

King George V ( 1910 - 1936 )

King Edward VIII ( 1936 )

King George VI ( 1936 - 1952 )

Queen Elizabeth II ( 1952 - 2022)

King Charles (2023 - )