Life story retold by Pamela Moss, direct family descendant.
William is the second son of George MOSS (1828 – 1891) and Charlotte HUNT and was baptised at Holy Trinity Church, Newington, London on 3/10/1852. On the family’s return to Reading he became an apprentice carpenter/joiner and he followed this trade all his life. In 1879 he married Jane ROPER, who was born in Southampton, and they lived at Cumberland Road, Earley. They moved house several times, perhaps to accommodate their ever-growing family, and finally settled in Cholmeley Road. Jane sometimes worked as a factory labourer, no doubt to supplement the family income as by now they had ten children.
William died in 1933 (aged 81) of heart problems, and was buried in a shared grave in Division 34 (grave no 8437). Jane died in 1942 (aged 85) after a long illness and was buried with him. Their son Albert Henry is in separate grave.
Albert Henry MOSS (1884 – 1905) was a carpenter and joiner like his father but died, aged 21, of pulmonary phthisis (tuberculosis). He was buried in Division 57 (grave no 14321) and there were no more burials in the grave for 25 years. In 1931 George KNAPP purchased a grant for the grave and it was redesignated for his family. Whether William was aware of this is not known, but it meant he couldn’t be buried with his son.
Of their other children only three remained in Reading:
William (1880) lived at home and worked as a labourer at Huntley & Palmer’s, and later as a cake baker; Sydney George (1885) was a van driver, then an omnibus cleaner: Stanley Ernest (1893) was a warehouseman, and lived in Katesgrove Lane.
All of them were buried in Henley Road Cemetery.
Burial Register details from Deceased Online
Divisions 34 and 57 unmarked