Introduction

Thinking back, I suppose I first became interested in my family history whilst I was still at secondary school. I would have been about 14 and was given some homework that involved creating a family tree. It was the first time I had ever seriously thought about my ancestors, and the kind of lives they had lived. Fortunately my Dad had already spent a good number of years researching our family history and was able to help me put it together. I remember I enjoyed looking at the old photo's that he had acquired and listening to his romantic tales of smuggling and piracy! Needless to say the piece of homework was a resounding success and I was hooked on the subject from then on!

My Dad became interested in 1956 after the death of his Grandfather, (Edward Jarvis Foster jnr). about his family and realised how little he knew. Fortunately his Father was able to give him some useful certificates and medals which formed the starting point for his research and the basis of the very first family tree.

Together, with the limited time we have, we have managed to trace the 'Fosters' back to approximately 1732; when a Settlement Examination Certification of 1764 records that Austen Foster with his wife Anne and their children William, John, Dorcas and Thomas moved from Canterbury to Deal in Kent. The Foster's remained in Deal until 1913 when my Great Grandparents Edward Jarvis Foster (jnr) and his wife Lilly (Petty) left Deal with their two young son's Edward and James, and moved to Colchester in Essex to work at the James Edgar and Company Limited food processing factory that had opened in the same year in the Hythe area of Colchester.

As far as we know a large part of the family still live in the county, however we have since found family relations in both New Zealand and Australia.

The information contained in this site should allow you to follow the Foster Family line from the oldest ancestor so far, Austen Foster, up to present. The information is accurate to the best of my knowledge and provided in good faith. If you have any information, comments or queries please feel free to post a comment, or click on the "Contact Me" tab at the top of the page.

Ian Michael Foster