John KILLNER was baptised in Horsham, West Sussex on 20th January 1804. He was the youngest son of Thomas KILLNER (a husbandman) and Sarah KENSETT who had married in Horsham on 16th May 1785. On 9th June 1824 John married Ann PENFOLD, possibly a daughter of William PENFOLD and Sarah MUGGARIDGE, who had been baptised in Horsham on 25th November 1804. The marriage was witnessed by John's brother, William KILLNER.
Their first child, Elizabeth was baptised in Horsham on 7th May 1826. Elizabeth lived only 3 years and was buried in Horsham on 12th November 1829.
2nd March 1828 daughter Jane was baptised in Horsham
28th March 1830 daughter Mary was baptised in Horsham
26th February 1832 eldest son John was baptised in Horsham
3rd November 1833 son Charles was baptised in Horsham
13 January 1836 son William was baptised in Horsham
9th July 1837 son Harry was baptised in Horsham
In April 1841 John, his wife and family were living in nearby Southwater where he was working as an agricultural labourer. Their daughter Jane had left home and was working as a farm servant for Stephen SCUTT (a carpenter) and his family. Son John was working as an agricultural labourer for his Uncle William and family at nearby College Farm. Still at home were Mary, Charles, William and Harry. At home too was his youngest daughter Ellen aged just 2 months who was baptised in Southwater on 1st August 1841.
8th September 1844 son George was baptised in Horsham
23rd May 1847 their first grandchild Betsy was baptised in Horsham. She was Jane's illegitimate daughter.
18th July 1847 youngest son Thomas was baptised in Horsham
27th July 1850 Mary married labourer Henry COLEBROOK in Horsham.
21st October 1850 daughter Jane married Charles BURCHALL (a labourer 9 years older than her) in Horsham. They, together with Jane's daughter, went to live at Pinkhurst in Slinfold. Three years later, on 9th February 1853, Jane died and was buried in Southwater at the age of 25.
30th March 1851 (Census Night) John and his wife were living at Two Mile Ash where they were to spend the rest of their lives. With them were the six youngest children and a lodger, Henry HEAD (a lath bender). The two eldest daughters were safely married and son John was still working at College Farm, now farmed by Henry SIMMS and his family. Also working there was Agnes FLINT who may have been a sister of Mary, John's future wife.
28th January 1855 granddaughter Mercy Ann COLEBROOK was baptised in Horsham.
14th April 1855 his son John married Mary FLINT, the mother of his son Henry Killner Flint born 18th June 1854. Mary had been born in West Grinstead
21st February 1858 grandson George COLEBROOK was baptised
17th June 1860 granddaughter Betsy COLEBROOK was baptised in Horsham. She was buried in the same church only a week later. The following month she was followed by her mother Mary who was buried there on the 22nd July at the age of 30 years. Her widowed husband Henry was unable to care for his son George, who thus went to live with his grandparents. Four years later, on 20th August 1864, Henry remarried to Ann JOHNSON who was 11 years his junior and the following year had another daughter, Ida Frances COLEBROOK.
22nd September 1860 William KILLNER married Sarah HOLLAND, eldest daughter of Luke HOLLAND and Hannah WHITINGTON, in Southwater Church. Sarah had been baptised in Itchingfield on 8th January 1837. Their first child, William George, was baptised on 3rd February the following year. By April time they were sharing their home in Southwater with Sarah's 13 year old brother Philip HOLLAND.
By this time John and Ann had only the three youngest children still at home at Two Mile Ash. The household now included grandson George COLEBROOK and an extra lodger, John GOODWIN. John was a navvy from Boddington in Northants who presumably came to work on the railway. Later that year, on 27th October he married Ellen in Southwater and lived next door. Their first child, John, was baptised there on 17th December of that year and buried there 8th January 1864.
Tragically on 16th July 1863 two sons, Harry (aged 25) and Thomas (aged 16) were buried at Holy Innocents Church in Horsham. The two boys had drowned while bathing in a pond on Watling's Farm.
Just four months later saw the burial of the infant Mary Jane KILLNER at just six days old. She was the daughter of Charles KILLNER and his wife Mary Ann BIGGS. Mary Ann died just three months later and was buried at Southwater on 26th February 1864.
12th June 1869 Betsy KILLNER, John's first grandchild, married James CHEAL an agricultural labourer from Ifield. They married in the Evangelical Chapel in a service witnessed by Henry and Rhoda CHEAL with whom they would be living.
24th April 1871 (Census Night) and by now only grandson George still lived with John and Ann. Ellen and John Goodwin were still living next door (now with four children of their own) and John had become an agricultural labourer. On the other side was the public house Bax Castle which was at that time run by Stephen NICHOLSON (agricultural labourer and beer vendor).
Son William, with his wife and four children, was living nearby in Worthing Street where he worked as a carpenter while the widowed Charles lived in Southwater Street. Son John was living in Ifield with his wife, Mary, and their six children.
25th December 1877 granddaughter Mercy Ann COLEBROOK married George SEAGRAVE (a coal merchant) in Horsham.
5th October 1880 John's wife Ann was buried in Southwater at the age of 76.
April 1881 John KILLNER, now widowed, still lived at Two Mile Ash. Grandson, George COLEBROOK was now married and living in Hove, Sussex. The GOODWIN family had moved away to Wisborough Green but their two eldest surviving children, Nancy and Daniel stayed behind and now lived with their grandfather. Nancy worked as a housekeeper while Daniel was an under carter. Charles was still in nearby Southwater Street and working as a road labourer.
William and his family had now moved to Nuthurst where they lived with their five sons. The two oldest boys, William & Harry had followed their father into the carpentry trade while their daughter, Emma Maria was working nearby as a domestic servant for the farmer, John LUCAS.
John and George were both living in Slinfold with their families. George, now living at Battle House had married Mary Jane WICKERSHAM born in Cardiff in Wales. They had two surviving children - Mary Ann & Archibald. Their first child, George Thomas, had been born in Billingshurst and died as a baby in 1875. John and Mary were living at Silver Cottage with six of their eight children.
10th September 1886 John Killner Senior died and was buried at Two Mile Ash aged 83 years.
William KILLNER was baptised in Horsham, West Sussex on 13 January 1836. He was the son of John KILLNER and his wife Ann PENFOLD who had married in Horsham on 9th June 1824. William grew up in Southwater where his father worked as an agricultural labourer.
By 1851 the family were living at Two Mile Ash together with a lodger, Henry HEAD. Henry was a lath bender and 15 year old William was already following the same trade.
On 22nd September 1860 William married Sarah HOLLAND, eldest daughter of Luke HOLLAND and Hannah WHITINGTON, in Southwater Church. Sarah had been baptised in Itchingfield on 8th January 1837. Their first child, William George, was baptised on 3rd February the following year. By April time they were sharing their home in Southwater with Sarah's 13 year old brother Philip HOLLAND.
Their second son, Harry Thomas, was baptised in Slinfold Church on 10th January 1864. It is very likely that he was named after two of William's younger brothers who had tragically both been buried in Southwater on 16th July 1863.
On 27th May 1866 their first daughter, Emma Maria, was baptised in Southwater. Her sister, Susan Adelaide, was baptised 10th January 1869 but died four months later.
At the time of the 1871 census the family were living in Worthing Street. By now they had another son, Frederick Edward, who had been baptised in Southwater 12th March 1871. William was now working as a carpenter.
Two more sons were to follow. Ernest Alfred was born 26th December 1972 and baptised in Southwater in the March of the following year. His younger brother, John Charles, was baptised there on 20th May 1877.
Now that the family was complete, they moved to Nuthurst. By 1881, the two oldest boys, William & Harry had followed their father into the carpentry trade while Emma Maria was working nearby as a domestic servant for the farmer, John LUCAS. The younger boys were also still at home.
Some time after this the family moved to Yew Tree Cottage in The Haven, Rudgwick. Ernest and Frederick left the family and both appeared in Bracebridge, Lincolnshire some ten years later. When William died of Consumption on the 21st May 1889, the informant was his eldest son, William George.
By 1891 the family had moved to Warnham where Sarah lived at Farthing Hill with her sons, William, Harry and John. Emma had remained in Rudgwick where she shared a home at Little Millfields with George REEVES and Martha FIRMAN. Emma was working as a shop assistant and George REEVES was a store manager.
Within the next ten years four of William's sons married. The first of these was Harry who married Eva Emily RAPLEY in Slinfold on 24th October 1894. William married Fanny EDWARDS in 1897 while Ernest married Eliza Frances HERRICK in Bracebridge in Lincolnshire on 6th September that same year. Frederick also married in Bracebridge in 1901 to Ellen Annie Marion EWER.
At the time of the 1901 Census Harry and Eva were living at Broadbridge Heath with their son, Cyril - and close to several other family members. To one side lived his aunt Ellen Killner GOODWIN with her husband, John, two of her children (Ellen (25) and Iden (19)) and her granddaughter Lizzie DENDY - Nancy's daughter. To the other side was his aunt Mary Jane Wickersham KILLNER who was staying with her married daughter, Mary Ann BELTON, with her husband, Edward, daughter, Alice Marie and new baby, Eric. Not far away. William and Fanny were living at Fern Villas with their two daughters, Ada Lillian (2) and Florence Fanny (1).
Up in Lincolnshire, Ernest and Eliza were still living in Bracebridge at 249 High Street with their daughter, Florence (3).Ernest was working as an engineer's general labourer. On Census Night they were visited by Eliza's married sister, Betsey Amelia SOWDEN and her husband, John. Frederick and Ellen were living at 11 Manby Street with their daughter, Nelly. Frederick was working as a stableman at a tramshed.
By this time Sarah and Emma had moved to Shamley Green near Wonersh in Surrey. Here they lived at the General Stores at Lordshill in a household headed by Jacob EARLE and which included George REEVES. Emma was working as a grocery assistant while Sarah was the housekeeper. They were still living here when Sarah died on 27th May 1907.
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