Frederick Ingledew Hooper was born at Worcester in 1857, in “the College Precincts”, the third of nine children of a solicitor, Alfred Catchmayd Hooper and Ann his wife (née Ingledew). By 1861, the family was living at Whittington, and by 1871 at Claines. At the time of the 1871 census, Frederick was a boarder at Malvern College.
In 1875, Frederick Hooper moved to the USA. In 1879, he married 17-year-old Lilian Studebaker (born in Ohio) at Las Vegas, New Mexico. In 1880, at the time of the Federal census, Frederick and Lilian lived next-door to Lilian’s parents in Las Vegas. In 1881, the Hoopers were living at East Las Vegas, San Miguel, New Mexico, Frederick working as a Cattle Raiser; they had a daughter, Margaret Muriel (1880-1959), born at Las Vegas in 1880. Another daughter, Winifred Catherine Winsmere (1883-1892), was born in New Mexico State in 1883.
It would appear that Frederick ran into financial problems as an item in the Las Vegas Gazette of 5th August 1885, said: “The Territory of New Mexico vs Frederick J Hooper; debt” (assumed to be Frederick I Hooper). Some time between 1883 and 1886, they returned to England and a daughter, Dorothy Stella (1886-1964), was born in 1886 at Claines, where Frederick’s parents were living. Their fourth child, Gilbert Edward Cashenaye (1887-1958), was born at Claines in 1887. The announcement of his birth appeared in The Worcester Journal of 30th July 1887: “HOOPER – July 22, at Tapenhall, Claines, the wife of Frederick Ingledew Hooper, of a son.”
Frederick and Lilian, together with Margaret, Dorothy and Gilbert returned to America around 1889-1890 (they were still in Claines in March 1888 when Frederick was nominated Guardian of the Union). On 25th June 1890, Frederick applied to the Superior Court of the county of San Diego, state of California, under the name Frederick I Hooper-Ingledew, for citizenship of the USA. This was duly granted. In the Voters’ Register for that year in San Diego, however, he appears as Fred I H Ingledew. In 1892, he appeared on the Los Angeles Voter’s Register which gives an amazing amount of personal information: aged 35, he was 5’ 6” tall, of light complexion with blue eyes and blonde hair. He was a merchant, born in England, who lived at Thornton & Forrester Avenue, Los Angeles. He was registered as a voter on 8th September 1892. Meanwhile, their daughter, Winifred, remained with her paternal grandparents at Claines. Winifred died of diphtheria in December 1892 at 43 Foregate Street, Worcester.
By 1901, the family had returned to England and were renting Elm Farm at Wickhamford. Frederick went by the name of Frederick Ingledew Hooper Ingledew and was described as a Fruit Grower. The two surviving daughters lived with them whilst 13-year-old Gilbert, described as “G E C Hooper”, was a boarder at Prince Henry’s Grammar School in Evesham. Frederick Ingledew was a Manager at Badsey Council School from 1903-1906. In a School Log Book of 1904, he signed himself as Frederick I H Ingledew. He was Churchwarden at Wickhamford from 1905-1907.
In April 1906, Margaret, the eldest daughter, married Horace Ross at Ramsgate, Kent, and in April 1908, Dorothy married William John Wylie Anderson at Waterloo, Lancashire. Margaret initially remained in the Evesham area where two sons were born, but then moved away. Dorothy lived for the rest of her life in the area, firstly in Evesham, then at Malvern House, Badsey, and then at The Beeches, Knowle Hill.
In October 1906, Frederick Ingledew bought for £650 nearly 6½ acres of land at Willersey Road, Badsey, on which he had built a bungalow which he named Bohemia Gardens. He subsequently spent £200 on trees, bushes and extra labour. They were living there at the time of the 1911 census. When it was inspected for the Valuation Survey in 1913, it was described as: “Brick, roughcast and tile bungalow, fair repair: dining room, study, cellar, kitchen, scullery, pantry, 2 bedrooms, drawing room, bathroom, hot and cold, water closet, attic, verandah, timber and galvanised iron stable and potting shed with thatch and iron sheds and stabling. Greenhouse on brick foundations, 2 pigstys. Partly planted with Pershores, Victorias and apples.” When it was sold in November 1913 to brothers, Hubert Powell and Douglas Powell, it was worth £1,200.
On 7th May 1915, Frederick and Lilian, under the name Hooper-Ingledew, sailed from Liverpool bound for Montreal, Canada. They were going to live with Gilbert who was farming on Lulu Island, British Columbia. At the time of the 1921 census, Frederick was still living with Gilbert, and his new wife, whilst Lillian had gone to her native country of America in 1920; Frederick joined Lilian in the States in October 1926 (information from a 1935 border crossing document when the couple crossed back into Canada).
At the time of the 1930 US Federal census, Frederick and Lilian were living at 102 Eighth Lincoln, Las Vegas. In April 1935, they left the States and crossed the border into Canada to go and live with Gilbert and his wife at Marpole, a neighbourhood on the southern edge of Vancouver, British Columbia. Frederick described himself as a retired rancher, and now gave his surname as Hooper rather than Ingledew-Hooper.
Frederick died suddenly at his home, 803 West Seventieth Avenue, Vancouver on New Year’s Day 1939. The following newspaper report appeared in The Marpole-Richmond Review of 5th January 1939:
Frederick I Hooper dies New Year’s Day
New Year’s Day was marked by a sudden death in Marpole, when Mr Frederick I Hooper, father of Mr Gilbert Hooper of 803 West 70th, succumbed suddenly in his chair at lunch time.
Mr & Mrs Hooper have been living with their son and his wife, Mr & Mrs Gilbert C Hooper, for the past four years, and prior to that resided at Terra Nova, where they were well known in the district. Mr Hooper was born in England, and after coming to BC went south to New Mexico to reside for some years, returning later to live with his son.
Since their return from the south nearly four years ago his wife has been an invalid, being confined to her bed of late years, but Mr Hooper has enjoyed good health until the time of his sudden demise last Monday. He was 82. He leaves two daughters in England beside his wife and one son here. Funeral services were held Wednesday.
Lilian died a month and a half later on 13th February 1939. They were both buried at Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver.