William Hoare my 2nd great grandfather was born 1794 at Fenny Compton, in Warwickshire on board his father's canal boat. William's father John Hoare married Elizabeth Lines, another canal boat family, in 1794 at the Dissenters Meeting House in Banbury, his occupation was listed as a Boatman. In the 1861 census William Hoare is listed at Warwick Avon, Nuneaton age 67 registered as the 'Captain' of the Canal Boat, also listed is his 15 year old daughter Emma. The boat is listed as the 'Mary Ann' carrying coal from Northampton, with a burden tonnage of 30 tons. William was married to Sarah Ann Knibbs, another boating family.
William's father John Hoare was born 1771 Neithrop Liberty, Neithrop, Banbury, he was married to Elizabeth Lines from another boating family. John and Elizabeth had 6 children, William who married Sarah Ann Knibbs, John who married Sarah Lines, Elizabeth married to William Burchell, Ann married to Joseph Burchell, Thomas married Jane Billingham and Joseph married Sarah Billingham, all the sons carried on the tradition of boatmen and the two daughters also married boatmen families. The Hoare family carried on the tradition of working on the canals until at least the early part of the 1900's.