life

Abraham Coates Stoker

12 March 1799 – 12 October 1876

Abraham Coates Stoker was Bram’s father. A Dublin civil servant, he worked in the Chief Secretary’s Office at Dublin Castle for fifty years. He and his wife, Charlotte Thornley, were the parents of seven children.

Abraham Stoker, Bram’s fatherCourtesy of the Bram Stoker Estate.

Family and early life

Born in Dublin on 12 March 1799, Abraham was the youngest of six children of William Stoker (c. 1755–1827) and Frances Smyth (c. 1760–1851). Their St Andrew’s Parish marriage licence bond was dated April 1780.

Working at Dublin Castle

Abraham was employed as a civil servant in the Chief Secretary’s Office at Dublin Castle from 1815 until his retirement in 1865. The views below show Dublin Castle and Sackville Street, places connected with the Dublin world in which he lived and worked.

Dublin Castle, where Abraham Stoker worked for over fifty yearsCourtesy of the Bram Stoker Estate.

Sackville Street, Dublin, in Abraham Stoker’s timeCourtesy of the Bram Stoker Estate.

Death and memorials

Abraham died in Naples, Italy, on 12 October 1876. His grave is at Cava de’ Tirreni. A memorial in Rathfarnham Parish Church also records his life.

Gravestone of Abraham Stoker, Cava de’ Tirreni, ItalyCourtesy of the Bram Stoker Estate.

Abraham Stoker memorial, Rathfarnham (image courtesy of D. Appleyard) — Abraham Stoker memorial, Rathfarnham.Courtesy of D. Appleyard.

Charlotte and their children

Read about Charlotte Stoker, their son’s childhood in Clontarf, and Bram’s siblings and child.