Mary Hills
My Great Grandmother

Mary was born on Qua Fen Common Soham in 1881, to Charles Hills and Mary Ann Murfet, she was the 6th Child of a Family of 7. Mary married her Husband George Jopson in St Andrews Church Soham in 1901 and they had 8 Children. Mary died in 1966 aged 85 years, she is buried in Fordham Road Cemetery Soham.
Submitted by Julie Webb.

Florence Lily Jopson
My Grandmother
Florence Lily was born in 1903 in Soham Cambridgeshire, to Mary Hills and George Jopson, she was the 2nd Child of a Family of 8. Florence Lily Married her Husband William Charles Webb in Ely Register Office in 1925, William was born in Reedham Norfolk in 1899 to Charles Webb and Dinah Maria Lake. Florence and William had 4 Children, and after a few years living in London they returned to Soham in 1941 after their home was bombed in the War. They stayed in Soham the rest of their lives, Florence Lily died in 1981 and William Charles died in 1971, both are buried in Fordham Road Cemetery Soham.
Submitted by Julie Webb.

Peter John Webb
My Father

Peter John Webb was born in 1936 in Plaistow London to Florence Lily Jopson and William Charles Webb, he was the 3rd Child of a Family of 4. Peter was 5 years old when he came back to Soham with his Parents after their house was bombed in the War. Peter Married Shirley Rayner in St Andrews Church Soham in 1960, she is the Daughter of Harriet Susannah Brown and Maurice Rayner, and was from Freckenham Suffolk, they had 2 Daughters. Peter died in 1972 aged 37 years, he is buried in Fordham Road Cemetery Soham.
Submitted by Julie Webb

George Hills
George was born in 1871 in Soham Cambridgeshire, to William Hills and Ann Cater, he was the 4th Child of 8, of which 6 survived. George attended the Shade School in Soham. When he left School he walked to Lancashire and worked on the Manchester Ship Canal. By 1890 George had enlisted in the Army and served with the 20th Hussars a Cavalry Regiment. His term of service ended in 1897 and he transferred to the reserves but after a short time the Boar War broke out and George was called back to the regular Army, he served in the Boar War with the 10th Hussars, George caught Typhoid Fever but recovered, but because as this illness had severely weakened him he was invalided out of the Army.  In 1905 he Married Jessie Cater in St Andrews Church Soham, they had 3 Children and after living on Qua Fen Common for a short time moved to a small Farmhouse on the Shade Soham where George became a successful Smallholder. George died in 1940 and is buried in Fordham Road Cemetery Soham.
Submitted by Julie Webb,
Photo and info by courtesy of Derek Barker, Georges Grandson.

Doris May Fordham
My Nana.

My nana Doris May Fordham was born in 1907 in Soham to Charles Herbert Fordham and Alice Augustina Engledow. She was the 4th Child of a Family of 8. Doris married her husband Stanley Philip Morley in Soham in 1929 and they had 5 Children. Doris died in 2001 in Fordham, where she and her husband made their home.   She is buried with her beloved Stan in St Peter's churchyard, Fordham. My nana was world-famous in Fordham for making year-round mince pies.  She swam competitively in her youth and rode a motorbike.  On ya, nana!  If anyone could tell me who the chap on the back of the motorbike is, I'd be really grateful.  It's assumed he is her brother-in-law, Hekla Bullman - but there's some doubt about this.  Please contact me at sairhug@hotmail.com
I'm reliably informed that all Soham Fordhams spring from the marriage on 16th October 1764 of Sarah Hills of Soham (1740-1837) and James Fordham of Hargrave, Suffolk (1740-1812).  I have Sarah Hill's ancestry going back to a John Hill who was born about 1546 in Soham, but know nothing of what became of Sarah's siblings lines.  Does anyone have Sarah's parents in their trees?  They were William Hills, born c.1711 in Soham, Cambs, and died 18 Jul 1776 in Soham, Cambs.  He married Ann Cater on 3rd Oct 1736 in St Andrews Church, Soham, daughter of John Cater and Ann Long.  Ann Cater was born 1713 in Soham, and died 18 Sep 1750 in Soham.

Update from Sarah on 25/3/2007
I have recently met and spoken with my grandmother's 95 year old cousin, Anne Engledow.  She has revealed that the man on the back of the motorbike was also her cousin, only on her mother's Murfet side.  He was Cyril John (known as Johnny) Murfet, son of Charles Frederick Sheldrick (known as Freddy) Murfet and Kate Cooper.  Johnny played for the local Soham football team and was thought of as very talented and an all-round nice guy.  He was was my Nana's first love, but he died aged only 22 (March quarter of 1926) when Nana was 18.  Anne thinks it was "something to do with the brain" (meningitis?).  My Nana was heartbroken; this tragedy following as it did the deaths from diphtheria of her three youngest siblings in the epidemic of 1922.  Her spirits only really began to rally when she met and married my grandfather in 1929.
Submitted by Sarah Morley.

Robert & Rebecca Murfet ( Murfets Bakery, Clay Street )
My Great Grandparents.
My great grandfather was Robert Murfet born in1852 to William Murfet and Hephzibah Owers.  He married Rebecca Whymer in 1873 and they owned and ran with their three sons the Bakers shop which used to be in Clay St. Soham. It has now been turned into a dwelling.  Their sons were Frederick John Murfet, Albert Edward Murfet and Herbert Victor Murfet my grandfather.
The photo shows Rebecca standing outside the Murfet shop around 1920 with Flora (Florence Leonard) wife of Albert Edward Murfet and their children Robert and Dorothy.
 
 
Submitted by Margaret Blackshaw nee Murfet