Ruth Cheeper/Phillips

b. 28 June 1947


This file contains information and documents about Thomas Hunter Cheeper and Kitty's child, Ruth Cheeper.

Even though 7 of Ruth's grandparents Anthony Jacques Cheeper and Catherine Spilsbury's 10 children survived childhood, Ruth and her issue are the only descendants that any of us are aware of from their union. One likely reason is that the haemophilia gene was in the line (presumably from Catherine Spilsbury), and that greatly reduces the survival rate of males.

Ruth Sandra Musson Cheeper was born 28 June 1947, in London (registered Sept Qtr 1947 Lewisham 5d 63). Hunter was 49 and Kitty 37, and Ruth was the only child of a marriage that was already in its 16th year.

Ruth isn't sure of the origins of the 'Musson', although someone at some stage suggested it was a feminine form of Dawson. As a surname it is not uncommon, suggesting that it might have been in the Niederman line.

Ruth married David Phillips in 1965. He was born on 8 April 1947 (Mar Qtr 1965 St Austell 7a 394). On marriage, Ruth took her husband's name (as almost all women did). This extinguished the Cheeper name, with the exception of her father's adopted son, David Findley/Cheeper, who had no children.

They had 4 daughters between 1965 and 1969. (Ruth carries the haemophilia gene, which presumably explains why she had no sons). Between them, they have produced 6 granddaughters and 4 grandsons (all of whom are free of the symptoms of haemophilia). Here is a rough family tree:

Ruth and David divorced; and later they re-married. They live to the north of St Austell in Cornwall, and ran Trendale Heavy Haulage for quite some years.

This photo of Ruth was taken in May 2005, when possibly the first-ever direct contact was made between the Clarke and Cheeper families, after Anne had made the connection, and when Roger was passing through the U.K.

Ruth, Anne and Roger were born within 5 years of one another, and are half-second-cousins, sharing the same great-grandfather in Anthony Jacques Cheeper/Clarke. But their grandfathers were born 30 years apart, Albert Jacques Cheeper in 1862, and Willie Tony Clarke in 1892. And as far as we can tell, Albert and Willie Tony were entirely unaware of one another's existence. (Willie Tony's children were aware of only about 6 of his 10 full-sibllings, and knew nothing at all about his half-siblings).


We're missing a lot of information; and we'd love to know more!


This a page within Roger Clarke's Family Web-Site

Contact: Roger Clarke and/or Anne Kratzmann

Created: 16 October 2005; Last Amended: 27 January 2008