William Ball (1824-1927) had six children - William, Joseph, John, Sarah, Emily and Anne Elizabeth.

He "walked to London from Shepshed, Leicestershire, playing the fiddle en route at Inns to cover expenses.  In later years he was a London City Missioner. His daughter Sarah, a spinster, cared for her father, and after his death moved from East Dulwich to South Norwood (Chatsworth Road)" - [based on 1970 note by Mabel Forster].  

William is seen (above left) at his Shepshed cottage.

His youngest daughter Anne Elizabeth Ball (31.5.1860-7.2.1923) married Edwin Whitaker whose sister Alice had two sons (one of whom was killed in action in World War I) and a daughter Ethel who married Alf Lyons, a builder. He built himself a house at 12 Park Road, Beckenham.

Their children were Eric, Raymond and Barbara (Babs) Lyons.

On the right: Ethel Lyons (with Emily Holt) in 1935.

Edwin Whitaker (14.4.1857-?.1.1932) was a manager with the Building Section of R.Whites (mineral waters manufacturers) [Mabel Forster].

He was also an amateur artist and a keen fisherman, going frequently to the fens, staying with the Thody family (below - Edwin is standing) in Earith where members of the family were later evacuated during World War II.

Anne and Edwin had six children - Edwin (Ted), Anne Elizabeth (Dot), Leonard, Ernest, Emily Blanche and William.

Anne Elizabeth is seen here (on the left), probably in the house where she and Edwin lived in Peckham Grove. She is with (perhaps) her daughter Emily and grandson Jack and (even more speculatively) her older daughter Dot.

Below is a sketch of Anne, called 'Forty Winks', by her son William, made in about 1907.

Edwin and Anne's oldest son, Edwin (known as Ted), was (according to Mabel) a "Master Builder, with House & Yard 55 Gloucester Road, Peckham, S.E."  He is said to have proposed to Nell Holt but married Kitty.

He died in the 1920s after falling from a tree while fixing a wireless aerial.

The oldest daughter Annie Elizabeth Whitaker (right) was known as Dot. She was an "assistant sales woman Gloves Oxford St & another in St Paul's Churchyard, name forgotten. Married William Thomas Edward Johnson, clerk in Shipping firm "Lamport & Holt", Lime St, London [who] died July 21st 1929, aged 48, [of] TB" [Mabel's note]. Below, Dot with Leslie at Trudy's wedding.

Dot had two daughters and a son.

Elsie Johnson (11.1.1903-20.6.1984) (who became a typist in the City) married Charlie Haylor, a commercial artist who later turned greengrocer. They had three children.

Mabel followed (see below). Finally came Maurice (b. 22.8.1917) (right) who was a glider pilot in the Arnhem raid in World War II.

He married Theresa Shields and they have two children and two grand-children.

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Mabel Johnson (16.3.1908-27.8.2001) is seen (right) with Dorothy in the 1950s. She trained as a singer but gave it up when she married Archie Forster (25.8.1901-22.8.1979) on June 6 1929. He was a statistician who got an MBE for his work as a temporary civil servant during World War II.

They had three children. The first was Geoffrey (below).

Gillian (b.5.2.1938) married Bruce Starling and lives in Canada. They have two married children and four grandchildren.

Christopher (b. 13.4.1944) married Anne Jebson, and they have four children.

Geoffrey Forster (b.10.1.1934) married Shirley -?- (b.17.2.1934). They have two daughters and a son and four grandchildren.

Edwin and Anne's third child was Leonard. Mabel's note on him says confusingly: "Smithfield market, Buyer for Hotels and Florists". He had a son, another Leonard (b.18.11.1916) and after his death his widow Lily married his youngest brother William.

The next child was Ernest (4.8.1885-18.2.1968) who became a "designer & maker of jewellery, employed by Court jewellers Hatton Garden" [Mabel]. He married Gertrude Archer (8.4.1885-5.5.1974). Their son died in infancy but their daughter Gertrude, known as Trudy, married a diamond merchant, Cyril Tarling.

In this 1950s photo, Ern and Gertie are on the right, Emily in the centre. The couple on the left are probably Alice and Frank.

Here are (from left to right) Emily, Alice, Ern, (probably) Trudy, Gertie, (probably) Cyril, Leslie and Dorothy.

In this photo Gertie is on the left, with Jack and Emily Holt and (between them) their daughter Dorothy.

After Ern came Emily Blanche, and last of all William (2.7.1890-11.5.1965), seen (left) in a blurry photo probably in the Peckham Grove garden about 1920-25. He became a professional artist and married his brother Len's widow Lily.

In this photo of a picnic near Earith in about 1921 William is standing on the right. The others are (l to r) Jack (JE) Holt, his son Jack (JW), Dorothy in front of Emily, Ted (Edwin) Whitaker, and Lionel.

Lily appears unclearly in two photos: above, from left to right, unknown, Dorothy, Emily, Lionel, Lily, and Jack (JW) on the beach at Folkestone in 1930.

Here, Lily reclines in front of "Harry's bungalow" at Hemsby in August 1932, with Dorothy and Emily Holt.