From an email received, 22 April, 2017.

I have been trying to trace my family history which is an interesting path through fact, fiction and scandals.

Seems in the Maidstone area at the time there was multiple families called Andrews or Abbott who had a tendency to intermarry.

In addition with similar given names it is hard to separate one John Andrews from another.

What I do know is that my great-grandfather had control of the pub at the time of his death in 1903.

He had a brother-in-law - John Thomas Andrews who I believe took over afterwards (which is also what led my grandfather to changing his name from Abbott to Andrews [that and the fact that he seems to have married two women and needed to disappear.])

However, this John Thomas would have been seven years old in 1874.

The 1901 census lists Charles as head of household of Noah's Ark and his sister Naomi as deputy. Upon Charles death Naomi married John T. (who also happened to be the brother of Charles' widow.) So I think in this fashion the house went to John T.

Family history claims that the house had been in the family possession for some time but I am not certain which line and how long after 1903 it remained so.

I've been patiently digging away at this (not four hours a day!) for 25 years.

My father visited Maidstone, said he had found family relatives and they said all was forgiven. He told me he would get me names and contact details in the morning and then promptly dropped dead.

I recently acquired some pre-1920 family files from one of my half-siblings (turns out the my father had three or four wives at the same time,) which might contain some photographs.

Sorry with boring you with mostly family history above, but since it seems the family and Noah's are tangled together I will pass on anything concrete I come across.

In 1871 Noah's was just #3 Kingsman. In the census in addition to the ten or so Andrews, Abbott and Shorters listed as family there was 27 others who declined to give occupation. Someone has added the annotation to the census speculating that they were beggars. That does not seem like a successful business model to me.

John Thomas Andrews died May 1903. Noah's Ark transferred to Charles Abbott (Nephew of John Thomas and Charles' wife Susan was also related to Naomi S (JT wife)).

Charles died in Dec. 1903 at this time as near as I can tell ownership remained with Susan but the running of the pub went to John Thomas Andrews (born 1867) who had married Naomi Jane Abbott (sister of Charles).

After Susan's death in 1914 her estate went to Naomi Jane Abbot (daughter) who married an Ernest Baker. There is no direct mention of the pub.

I note that on his death Charles' estate was valued at £2,300 but when Susan died her estate was only £700. Not a bad sum for those times but there is a downward trend there.

Regards,

D.