Of Albert & Annie's 10 children, Alice died at birth in 1917 & Albert died at birth in 1922, Cyril died aged 11 in 1918. The rest lived long fulfilling lives with James, Wilfred & Reginald working in the Petrochemical Industry. There are many stories of how the Lake family thrived in America I could pick from but here are just a few .
George Lake standing between
Bob Hope & Bing Crosby
Albert & Annie's son George Lake b 1912,
my 1st cousin 1 x removed, became a pro golfer and golf instructor. He was the head golf professional at the Long Beach Recreation Park Golf Course for many years. He also built a 9 hole course at the Long Beach Veterans Hospital and gave lessons to veterans having rehabilitation. He was inducted into the Long Beach Golf Hall of Fame and on his induction his son Brian also a golfer, said "George was responsible to introducing the game of golf to thousands of children and adults many of whom went onto to become top amateur and professional golfers"
He had his own golf course on Catalina Island and opened a golf shop and a restaurant the Nine Hole Grill in Long Beach.
Kenneth Lake
Kenneth Lake b 1920 my st cousin 1 x removed. After a spell in the army at Fort Riley Kansas, he studied Psychology at the Univeristy of Minnesota and after the war helped soldiers readjust. After teaching business and accounting in Long Beach he and a friend from UCLA opened their own business. He was a public speaker and became President of the Long Beach Chapter of the CPA Society and a frequent participant in radio panel discussions. He was a charter member of the Los Altos United Methodist Church and a Sunday School Teacher.
Married to Eleanor Pierpoint for 41 years he died in 1988.
Albert & Annie & Children
Annie & Jackie
In 2000, my brother John contacted the Huntington Beach newspaper and placed an appeal for anyone who new anything about the Lake family to make contact with us.
A friend of Jackie's saw the appeal and through her Jackie made contact. It was the breakthrough we had been striving for.
In 2010, Janet & I made a visit to America and had the pleasure to meet and stay
with Jackie at the home she shared with
her son & daughter in law in Idaho.
Our visit happened to coincide with Jackie's 85th birthday and a party was organised at which we met many of our cousins for the first time. It was both wonderful and overwhelming to meet all these people.
We were so thankful to everyone for their kindness and welcome.
Jackie died in Sep 2016 we were very upset that we couldn't make the trip to her funeral but understand that there was a large gathering of family members for the last surviving child of Albert & Annie.
Jacqueline Lake Pierpoint in 2010
If you are researching the Lake family in California there is no better place to go than the Westminster Memorial Park.
When we were first taken there we were amazed at a whole line of headstones all belonging to Lake Family members.
A further walk around the park
found many more.
It is therefore very fitting that Jackie was laid to rest here in 2016, along with other family members
The link to America now lives on as our son, Peter & his wife Kirsty, lived in San Francisco for 2 years due to Peters work.
Whilst there Kirsty gave birth to
our "American" granddaughter
to add to our English Grandson.
It wasn't just people that emigrated, this wonderful desk hand built in Guernsey was presented to Thomas John Falla.
The presentation plaque states:
"Presented by The Vale Road Independent Church to Thomas John Falla for Gratuitous Services playing the Harmonium from
Feb 1881 to Oct 1889".
When Thomas emigrated in 1923
the desk was shipped to California along with this clock
The clock was also a presentation gift to Thomas and the plaque on the clock states:
"Presented to Thos J Falla by members of the Church Congregation of All Saints Baptist Church for a token of their high appreciation of his gratuitous services as organist. Presented June 26th 1893"​
Thomas John
Falla
The desk and the clock are being proudly looked after by the Shipway family in Garden Grove California. The connection from Thomas to the Shipway family is due to Nellie Lake my Aunt. When my Grandfather moved to London for work in about 1902 he felt he couldn't care for Nellie as well as work so he sent her back to Guernsey, on her own aged 8, to live with her Aunt Eliza & Uncle Thomas, so they were almost like surrogate parents to her and their daughter Dorothy (Dot) became a sister to Nellie.
Dorothy cared for her parents until their death and when Dorothy became frail she was cared for by the Shipway family.
​Nellie had married Willis Shipway in 1920 and our visit to meet their family in 2010, like our visit to Jackie, coincided with a family birthday so we were welcomed to their family party as well.
​
It was amazing on this trip to the USA we met over 50 cousins, that just a few years before we never even knew existed. We felt so at home with everyone as if we had known them for years and we now have some wonderful friends the only pity being is that we live so far away.