Herbert Harman and Elizabeth (nee) Lockyear were living at Frogs Hole and whilst there their children were born. The one and only son Esli was the eldest being born on the 26th May 1876. Esli had three sisters Elizabeth the eldest of the sisters born on 28th August 1877, then Ruth being born on the 13th July 1876. The last sister was Ada her date of birth is not known but the year was 1880.

Esli lived at Frogs Hole up to the age of ten. Then in 1886, the cottages were sold to the railway company, and as people started to move out of the cottages, the railway navies moved in until such times they were knocked down. Frogs Hole up to that time had existed for hundreds of years and mention of repair to the bridge can be found in the church warden's vestry books. However no information at one time could be found or obtained from the local Harmans still living at Rotherfield. It was not until a old map of the area was it found that Frogs Hole was located to the east of the now Rotherfield station.

Esli had many uncles, aunties and cousins that lived at Frogs Hole with him in his younger days. But with the coming of the railway they commenced to move into other areas of the village. His uncle John and aunt Rhoda, with his uncle Thomas and his aunt Ann moved to Cottage Hill just south of the village. His uncle James and his wife Mary Ann moved to Jarvis Brook just west of the village. His grandfather and grandmother William and Charlotte were living at Stone Cross. Esli parent's Herbert and Elizabeth with the children moved to Whitehill, Crowborough.

In the census of 1891 Herbert aged 46 and Elizabeth aged 44 were living at 10 Faringham Road, Whitehill, Crowborough. Esli, the son, was now 14 years old and he was a bricklayer's labourer. Elizabeth was 13 and ada 12. Ruth is not at home on the day of the census.

Esli became a bricklayer and in 1903 at the age of 27 he married Minnie Hoath, the daughter of George and Ellen Hoath a farmer's daughter. Minnie Hoath was aged 21 and they were married on 31st October 1903 when Esli was 27. It is on the marriage certificate that we found the only reference to Herbert his father's second christian name which was Rebboth. This as Esli's father's name and recorded as such on the marriage certificate. Where his father and mother William and Charlotte got the name Rebboth from I do not know. It is a very unusual name. And perhaps it came from Charlotte's family the Moons. Esli was living at home with his mother and father Herbert and Elizabeth who were now living at No l, Gladstone road, Whitehill, Crowborough when Esli married Minnie Hoath. Minnie's parents were George and Ellen Hoath who farmed at Gravel Hill. However at the time of Minnie's marriage to Esli only her father was alive. Her mother Ellen died when Minnie was 16 years old, in the year 1894 on Friday the 2nd February. She was age 52 and buried at Rotherfield churchyard. Minnie kept her mothers burial card and it was given to me by her son Ted in 1988. This being nearly a 100 years after her death.

Esli's trade is given as a builder and like his father Herbert was successfully doing well in business. On 17th June 1905 Esli and Minnie's first child was born, a boy, and christened Herbert Edward - the Herbert after his grandfather with a second name of Edward. Throughout his life he was known as Ted. Esli and Minnie's son Ted was one of the first Harmans I met in the Rotherfield area on my trips on field research. When I met Ted in 1985 he was aged 80 had a very good recall of the past history of the various Harman families. Research has always borne out what was related to me by Ted verbally.

Esli and Minnie's second child was a girl. She was born in 1906 and christened Minnie Elizabeth - Minnie after her mother with the second christian name of Elizabeth after her grandmother.

The welcome breeze of the summer brought an unseen and most unwelcome visitor - diphtheria - which left in its cruel wake a cruel and savage legacy of death. In 1912 the child Minnie Elizabeth age six was struck down with this savage legacy diphtheria and in that year she died and was buried at Crowborough cemetery.

The following year 1913 Esli and Minnie had another child and this was another girl who they christened Beryl. But it was not all joy that year as Esli's father Herbert died and was buried. It was also becoming apparent that there was a good chance of there being a war with Germany. Esli and Minnie had purchased a house in Queens road, Whitehill and it was in this area that the children were brought up - the house was called Zante.

With the out break of the war in 1914 the Harmans of Rotherfield, as were many other, volunteering their services. Esli joined the Royal Army Medical Corp as a medical orderly. In the first world war the medical corp was made up of people allied to the hospital service. But also conscience objectors were also permitted to join. Esli had no medical qualifications as far as research has shown. So how he became in the medical corp is not certain. However it is my belief that Esli was a diabetic and therefore would not have been allowed to fight in the infantry. Julie the daughter of Stephen Walters and Julie (nee) Harman was Esli's cousin and it was she that told me that Esli was a diabetic, when she used to assist in Esli and Minnie's house as a young girl.

Esli served as a medical orderly on the Braemar Castle which was a steamer of 6,280 tons - a vessel belonging to the Union Castle line. A hospital ship transporting wounded troops from France to England and then assisting the movement of the troops to hospitals in the U.K. It was whilst Esli was serving on the Braemar that the ship was torpedoed and sunk. This even though the ship was easily identifiable as a hospital ship. Many wounded men lost their lives but Esli luckily survived.

With the war over Esli was aged 41 and returned to continued his business as a master builder. Ted his son was now aged 13 and at the age of 14 began to work as an apprenticed carpenter. Minnie's father George Hoath died on the 25th November 1921 at the age of 81. He was buried with his wife in Rotherfield churchyard. In the 1930's Ted the son of Esli and Minnie married Eleanor Higgins a widow with one son. In the year 1939 it was becoming evident that Britain was again to be at war with Germany, and in the September of that year it was announced that war had been declared. Six months after the outbreak of the second world war on the 21st March Esli made his will - leaving everything that he owned to Minnie.

Ted was an essential worker during the war and as a carpenter he was sent to Ebbw Vale to assist in the construction of the steel works. Ted continued to work at Ebbw Vale and on it's completion bought a house at Crickhowel in Wales. Esli and Minnie may not have seen much of Ted in the year's between 1939 to 1964.

Esli and Minnie in their lives had lived through two wars with Germany, and at the end of the 2nd world war Esli was aged 69 and Minnie was 65. In the year 1956, Esli was taken ill and died at Zante his home on 31st January and was buried at Crowborough cemetery on the 6th February aged 80. Esli's effects left an estate to Minnie worth £5.731.13s ld which again showed how successful he had been during his life.

Minnie continued to live at Zante for another eight years and at the grand age of 86 died on 13th May 1964 at St. Leonard's hospital at East Grinstead. Minnie was buried with Esli on the 16th May having been married to Esli for 53 years.

It is my belief that Ted became estranged from his family, and particularly his sister Beryl. The reason I give for this is that Ted had no children from his marriage to Eleanor except for his stepson. In fact Ted told me himself that he had not seen his stepson for years. It is with surprise that we find that Ted made a will in 1960 leaving all his properties and monies to a Elizabeth Emily Richards and, after her death, to her daughter Marilyn Ann. This was in 1960 when his mother Minnie and his sister Beryl were alive and living at Zante in Crowborough.

As already stated Minnie died in 1964 at St. Leonard's hospital at East Grinstead but she had made a will in 1956 for her effects to be divided equally between Herbert Edward, known as Ted and her daughter Beryl Irene. When Ted was living with his only sister Beryl at Zante it was a weird arrangement (and this is what I feel was the reason why). Ted's younger sister Beryl may have found resentment that she had never married because she had looked after both her parents. After Minnie's death and the estate was divided between her and her brother Ted, she felt that she should have inherited everything for the years that she had looked after her parents. It was after Minnie's death that I believe that Ted returned to live with Beryl. Ted would have been nearing retirement age. Beryl would have been about this time aged 60. The house would have had to be sold to divide the inheritance. So therefore it is my belief that sooner than do this Beryl agreed for Ted to live in the same house as herself.

When I met Ted in 1985 he was 80 year's old. I must admit that I liked Ted and he assisted me in many ways. And as I have said before had a tremendous recall on past families. The living arrangements at Zante were peculiar. The house was a large gabled detached with a reasonably large garden. In particular Ted's sister would seem to grudgingly open the door to me whenever I was in the district visiting Ted. Ted's room was in the front of the house and in all honesty it was a hovel. In it would be remnants of a meal on a plate. It was as if this was his area and he did not share his meals or live at all in his sisters company. The parts of the house that I did see were mainly the hall and kitchen and when Ted took me out to the back garden, which seemed to be beryl's domain, they were clean and tidy. It seemed to me that Ted and Beryl just ignored one another. Beryl was a thin stringy looking women with pronounced Harman ears that made her look elf like. If she answered the door she would shout aloud - "Ted some one for you" - leaving the front door open and marching back towards the kitchen. She would not acknowledge me.

In 1987 and 1988 Ted was far from well but he did remain active. The last time I saw Ted must have been in July of 1988 when he told me he had a small stroke and felt that he was probably coming to the end of his time. I called again in the early part of August and Beryl answered the door. For the first time she actually spoke to me, saying that Ted was in hospital at East Grinstead suffering a stroke. He had also requested Beryl to give me as a keepsake the family bible that he had previously lent to me and which I had at one time returned. Beryl had the bible in the hall and she handed it to me. I asked if it would be alright to ring from time to time on Ted's progress, and to this Beryl gave her assent. In the ensuing weeks I phoned Beryl to see how Ted was. Eventually I was told that Ted had died on the 25th August 1986 at the age of 83. I did ask Beryl if she would like me to attend the funeral but she declined politely saying "it would be a small funeral - also that it was a long way for me to come". I did not want to foist myself on her so I told her that I would not be attending.

The will that Ted made in 1960 was still relevant. However, the two executors named in the will renounced the probate. The court then gave permission for Beryl to become the administrator of the will and all Ted's affects passed to Beryl. Ted's estate came to £92,716.00. showing that Ted was a fairly wealthy man.

Herbert Edward Harman born in 1905 and dying in 1988 was the last in this line of the Harmans, there being no other males the branch of this tree and it withered and died with Ted. With Ted's death so the line of Herbert and Elizabeth (nee Lockyear) ceased to exist. It also ceased in total as none of Ted's aunt's married and neither did his sister. Therefore that blood-line of the Harman family was defunct.

Due to the lateness of' his grandfather Herbert's wedding to Elizabeth (nee) Lockyear, Esli his father was in fact my grandfathers cousin and my father's 1st cousin. Ted was in fact my 2nd cousin. The only remaining member of the family is Amos, the son of Elizabeth's first marriage, and half-brother to Elsi. He was born in 1861 in Rotherfield and, according to the 1881 census when he was fourteen years old, he was working as a bricklayer's labourer. Little is known about his life apart from the fact that he died on 23rd June 1935 aged 67 years and is buried in East Ham churchyard. The family, or Ted, kept in touch for it was Ted who gave me the burial card for Amos Lockyear.