SKEET, John Oliver
John Oliver Skeet was born at Ipswich in 1839 and baptised at St Clement's Church, Ipswich on 9 May 1839, son of John Skeet (1804-1871), a shipwright, and his wife Amelia née Wedger (1802-1876), who married at St Clement's Church, Ipswich on 20 February 1827. In 1851, young John was a 12-year-old scholar, living at Albion Place, St Clement, Ipswich with his parents, 46-year-old John and 47[sic] year old Amelia with two siblings, George 16 and Martha 8, both born at Ipswich. Originally a ship's carpenter, he married at Ipswich in 1860, Sarah Elizabeth Turner and the following year they were living with his father-in-law, Samuel Turner, the turnkey at the local gaol, and his wife Martha. In 1871, a 31-year-old painter, living at 15 Curve Street, Ipswich with his 30-year-old wife, now Elizabeth, and three daughters Annie 9, Minnie Elizabeth 5 and Florence Louisa 2, all born at Ipswich. By 1881 they had moved to 15 Freehold Terrace, Cauldwell Hall Road, Ipswich, a 41-year-old 'painter(artist)', his wife and with the addition of three more children, Lily Eliza 8, Albert Edmund 6 and Ada Agnes 4, daughter Annie had departed. He exhibited at Ipswich Fine Art Club from 15 Freehold Terrace in 1882 'The Storm', in 1883 'Beachy Head, Eastbourne', 'On the Beach, Evening', 'After the Sailing Match', 'On the Orwell by Moonlight' and 'Off Scarborough' and in 1884 'Going up Gainsborough Lane'. In 1891, a 'landscape artist', boarding at 63 Woodbridge Road, Ipswich with his son Albert, a house painter and ten years later had reverted to his original trade of carpenter still boarding at 63 Woodbridge Road, but with his wife Elizabeth. His wife died in 1907, aged 66 and John Oliver Skeet then went to live at a boarding house at 12 Silent Street, Ipswich where he died in 1913, aged 73.