Nellie (Eleanor) Eaton Willis

Nellie Eaton Willis is my Great Grandmother, her daughter my paternal Grandmother always told me that her name was actually Nellie and that it wasn’t an abbreviation of another name or names, Nellie had never known the reason for her middle name of Eaton.

Family history research has uncovered that her name was actually Eleanor* (so it was an abbreviation) and that her mother’s middle name (and many other family members) was also Eaton and it was the maiden name of her Grandmother Jemima Eaton wife of Edward Halden.

Nellie began her life in Chicago, born on the corner of Clark & LaSalle Streets, in 1871. She was born to English parents, Rachel Halden who had moved to the USA as a small child with her family, from Milwich in Staffordshre, for reasons I can’t really fathom. Nellie’s father was Thomas Willis a carpenter/builder from County Durham who went to the USA, presumably to seek his fortune.

Sadly Rachel died in childbirth (the baby died too) when Nellie was only five years old, she is buried in Topeka, Kansas where the family had moved to from Chicago.

With no mother to look after Nellie and her older sister Katie (Kitty) their father returned with them to England, so they could be looked after by their Aunt.

I do wonder if Rachel’s death was the only reason for their return. Passenger records show that the family had made another trip back to England when Nellie was only two years old, maybe a trial return to England that failed or perhaps they were rich enough to have a holiday? Also Nellie and Kitty left Aunts on their mother’s side of the family behind in the USA, so perhaps Thomas was just ready to return home.

The story is that on the journey back, people were organising some sort of concert and asked Kitty if she had a piece to perform, to which she replied “no, but my little sister will”. Apparently little Nellie entertained the passengers by reciting poems, I would love to know what she said, if future generations are anything to go by, she may have made them up on the spot!

Once the family arrived in England, they stayed the night in London, the girls got bored in the hotel so decided to go out for a walk. I have no idea what part of London they were in but apparently people were most surprised to see the two girls walking round unaccompanied, so I take it that it was a “dodgy” district.

After arriving in County Durham young Nellie continued to amuse the crowds. Asking “have you got any gum” in the sweet shop and then when a horse and cart went past, running to the door shouting “oh look a buggy!” everyone thought she was swearing!

Nellie and Kitty had a rather strict and austere upbringing with their Aunt, Nellie rebelled saying “I won’t, I won’t” if she didn’t want to wear something awful. Kitty was more compliant but eventually completely rebelled and ran away to be a milliner in central London. Nellie stayed close to home but later described her aunt in this way, “she wasn’t cruel but she never called me hinny”.

The censuses show that Nellie’s Aunt was his father’s older sister Jane, she can be found living with her husband Cuth Pearson and Nellie in 1881.

The 1861 census shows that Jane and Cuth did have one daughter Sarah, but that she died in infancy, maybe Nellie was a poor substitute.

In 1891 Nellie is lodging with a William Pearson and his wife Annie in Selbourne Terrace Darlington and is now working as a dressmaker, William appears to be no relation to Cuth so I don’t know how Nellie ended up in these lodgings.

It must have been around that time that Nellie met Frederick Airey because by 1893 they were married and in January 1896 my grandmother, Winifred Willis Airey, was born, Grandma told me that her mother miscarried a child previously, but Nellie had no more children.

I think it was a happy marriage, they had good times and poorer times according to the fluctuations of the building trade and moved house many times as a result. I know that Fred was a worried parent and that Nellie had a more pragmatic approach. She was around the same height as him (about 5ft 4) so wore flat shoes in his company. After his death one of his cousins showed an interest in Nellie and daughter Winnie said “why don’t you go with him, he’s very like Dad?” to which Nellie replied, “your father had bright blue eyes and he has steely grey ones”.

Nellie has been described by my father’s cousin as “Mrs Willis seemed rather genteel” I have to say that my Grandma had an intellectual air about her, somewhat beyond her education, she was brought up to play the piano, embroider and crochet. She and Nellie read the complete works of Dickens, the Brontes and I presume Jane Austen as a matter of course. Nellie quoted poetry to her daughter who in turn quoted it back to me saying “you will remember this won’t you” I am afraid I didn’t try to remember it as it irritated me for some reason, but of course wish I did now. It was not whole poems but rhyming couplets relating to places we were visiting or something that had happened.

“yorkshire pudding and gravy like rain, i could eat til i was hungry again”

“the narrow lanes of Devon…”

Nellie has also been described as “a most sensible woman”, apparently she said “you need to be a girl in a dress, not a dress on a girl” an interesting comment from an ex-dressmaker!

Other assorted facts I know about Nellie Willis/Airey.

She went to the pictures twice weekly.

She had flexible fingers that could be bent backwards.

She knew without going to church what the preacher would be preaching about in any given week, (not sure how she did this but my father said she was always right).

She had wide calves and narrow ankles – something to be proud of at that time apparently, probably early 1920s…

Nellie and Winnie, what a hat!

From photographs you can see that she liked a flamboyant hat and was always dressed in style, her daughter Winnie was beautifully turned out as a little girl.

Nellie holding dog, daughter Winnie in front, father Thomas Willis with beard, sister Kitty and husband at back

She had quick reactions. When her grandson Norman was a toddler they were visited by a little girl of roughly the same age as him, they were all admiring the little girl’s new shoes, apart from Norman, who picked them up and flung them in the fire! Nellie just as quickly whipped them out again.

Nellie and daughter Winnie also performed a trick while cycling where they could take off their jackets and swap them with each other, I am not sure if they then put on each other’s jackets – maybe.

A cycling trip, Nellie in the white hat, Winnie small child centre front. Sister Kitty in black hat next to Nellie.

Of the expression “rain before 7, fine by 11” she said that she wasn’t sure if this referred to 11 in the morning or 11 at night.

She would describe the weather as “glishy” this was when you get a bright crystal clear morning with everything clearly defined, then it turns to rain, almost the exact reverse of “rain before 7”. Glishy is actually given in a dictionary of words used in Swaledale.

Nellie was sadly, racist; this was against her character in other ways and not something passed on to daughter Winnie, who was remarkably aware of race issues and accepting especially for someone of her era. After a visit to the home by a black man, Nellie beat all the cushions and swept the floor trying to get rid of all traces of him, it was most odd. Winnie could only think that it was some experience that Nellie had as a child in the USA, but as she left there at five years old this seems unlikely, but maybe something was ingrained in her at the time. I don’t know what sister Kitty’s attitude was, but leaving the USA at 12 any prejudices may already have been formed and these may have been passed on to Nellie.

Nellie lived with daughter Winnie from Winnie’s birth, I think that after Winnie married Billy Jackson they lived with Fred Airey and Nellie, but after Fred’s death the tables turned and Nellie lived with Winnie and Billy, moving with the family from Darlington to Widnes for six years  when Norman was one year old, and then on to Leeds where Billy eventually bought a house in Brookfield Road and it was there that Nellie ended her days.

Nellie was a capable woman and I get the impression often did things for Winnie without meaning to undermine her, but making Winnie seem more incapable than she actually was by not really giving her a chance. Winnie did take over the housekeeping though, as by the 1939 census Nellie is described as “incapacitated” but she went on living to 1951, she had a weak heart and suffered a mild stroke but still kept going until her 81st year.

Nellie and Fred Airey are buried in Darlington North Cemetery with Fred’s parents William and Sarah Airey, I know this because Dimitrios Corcodilos photographed the grave and recorded the details for which I am most grateful.

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* I can’t find where I discovered that Nellie was actually an Eleanor, I am sure I didn’t dream it, when I track the document down I will give details.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Thomas Walker – Wheelwright, Carpenter and father to a dynasty

I have been mistaken for some time about this ancestor. For several years I have thought that he died in 1846 before any place of birth could be found in a census. His census from Emneth Norfolk in 1841 shows him to be born out of county, I presumed this meant just over the border in Cambridgeshire. I also had a death for him in Kings Lynn district, wrongly copied from other trees as it seemed feasible there was no sign of him as far as I was concerned in the 1851 census so I presumed he was dead.

Then I found a couple of DNA matches that also matched with someone I had proved to be on the Walker branch. I found that the match’s ancestor’s sibling was born in Emneth where the Walker family lived. However this person descended from an Edward Hoy and Elizabeth Fish who married in Lincolnshire, both surnames were unfamiliar and I had no connection with Lincolnshire that I was aware of. The only missing surname on this branch was Thomas’s first wife Rebecca (my 4 x Great Grandmother who died pre census, I had never been able to find a marriage of a Thomas Walker to a Rebecca around Emneth.

So I fell on the genealogy community to seek the marriage and soon got an answer, the marriage of a Thomas Walker to Rebecca Fish in Crowland Lincolnshire, this was interesting after all there aren’t many Fish in the surname sea!

There was a census return that proved the Lincolnshire connection, it turned out that Thomas Walker hadn’t died in 1846, in fact he had fathered two children after that and was not only on the 1851 census but the 1861 census as well, it seems he died in 1869 aged 79 and nine years after the death of his son, my direct ancestor George James Archer Walker.

I did know however that Thomas had married in 1840 a widow called Elizabeth Harrison, she and her children and some of Thomas’s were all living together in 1841. On looking at this again I wondered if Sarah and John born 1830 and 1835 were from another wife in between Rebecca and Elizabeth.

The newly discovered 1851 census finds Thomas with Elizabeth, son Thomas, daughter Sarah, son John, Mary Harrison Elizabeth’s daughter and the two new offspring William Walker and Elizabeth. So Thomas is father to a two year old at the age of 60!

Looking through the baptism records of possible children it shows that Sarah was a child of Thomas and Rebecca (Fish), but that John was a John Thornton Walker son of Thomas Walker + Ann. Father a Carpenter.

Interestingly there is also an entry for Mary Ann, baptised aged around 11 years.

The notes seems to say, See Nov 3 (which is the baptism of John to Thomas + Ann)
and that Mary Ann is aged about eleven years, then under Rebecca’s name “a former wife now deceased”. It looks like they may have overlooked baptising Mary Ann as a baby.

So did Thomas marry an Ann? Well I haven’t found a marriage but their is a burial in Emneth, 19 Dec 1837, of a William Thornton Walker, infant, possibly another son to Thomas and Ann. Maybe the couple never married and they marked this fact by giving the children Ann’s real surname as a middle name. It was more usual for unmarried couples to give the child the father’s surname as a middle name as a clue to paternity. Here though I suspect Thomas and Ann were married in all but record, or it may be just that they married in another parish and I haven’t found the record yet.

So how many children did Thomas have and over what time period?

Well, there may be some missing but the first was in Crowland shortly after the marriage to Rebecca Fish, one baptism to Thomas and Rebecca,

Skeziah Walker 20 August 1812,

Followed by:

George Walker born 1814–1885

James Walker (my direct ancestor) 1817–1860, died nine years before his father

Rebecca Walker Ward 1820–1881

Thomas Walker 1823–

Mary Ann Walker 1824–

Sarah Walker 1831–

Then his marriage (or not) to Ann

John Thornton Walker 1835–1894

William Thornton Walker died –1837

 

From his marriage to Elizabeth Harrison

William born 1842

Elizabeth born 1849

So 37 years between oldest and youngest and eleven children in all, which I suppose isn’t too bad for those days.

But what else do I now know of Thomas? Well according to the 1851 census and 1861 census he was born in Pinchbeck Lincolnshire, but his baptism is in fact 14th November 1790 to Thomas and Elizabeth Walker.

At his marriage in 1811 to Rebecca Fish at Crowland Abbey he is described as a sojourner. There are a lot of sojourners marrying at Crowland, it seems to mean “from another parish” meaning they couldn’t claim poor relief from the parish and could be sent back to where they came from!

The 1841 census shows Thomas with third wife Elizabeth living in Emneth, his occupation is given as wheelwright. In 1851 Thomas describes himself as a carpenter, not sure if he had diversified or acquired new skills but by 1861 now aged 71 he is a master carpenter. This could be either self promotion or career progression, but it doesn’t say former master carpenter, so I expect he just kept on working, after all his twelve year old daughter was still at school. It rather reminds me of his Great Grandson and my Great Grandfather James Walker.

Was his career progression all successful? Was a movement from wheelwright/ to carpenter a move forward or a move back, perhaps someone can enlighten me? Whatever the answer it was not all plain sailing for Thomas. The London Gazette 1933 shows among the

this record

So in 1833 Thomas was an insolvent debtor, this is the year that his first wife Rebecca died, could he have been unable to work because he was caring for her and her children? It makes it very understandable that he quickly remarried after the deaths of his wives with a large family to care for.

I like to think that Thomas looked after his wives and their families but it is sad that some of his grandchildren ended up in the workhouse in London or grandson William Disson who was a Barnado’s child who was shipped to Canada as a British Home Child.

Now to look at his ancestors…

 

 

 

 

 

Andrew Hyslop – where did you come from, where did you go?

I am going to explain this as clearly as I can, but it won’t be easy and I fear it won’t be interesting, but at least I will have the mystery written down, if only for myself to return to at some future date.

So my GGG Grandfather is Andrew Hyslop. I know this because my Great Great Grandmother Mary Hyslop’s death certificate shows her parents to be Andrew Hyslop and Flora Swan.

Andrew can be found in the 1851, 1861 and 1871 censuses with Flora and some of his family:

In 1851 he is living in Springholm with wife and 8 day old baby Mary, well he would be but he appears to be absent, poor Flora.

In 1861 he is living in Tynwald with Flora, Mary, son James and daughters Flora and Henrietta. He is listed as a ploughman, Mary was born in Urr, James in Irongray and Flora and Henrietta in Torthorwald.

In 1871 Andrew is living in Lauder Hook Cottage in Dryfesdale with Flora, daughter Jessie and Granddaughter Mary Stevenson my Great Grandmother. Andrew’s occupation is now farm servant.

There is one more record of Andrew that I am sure of, sadly it is a year later and is his wife Flora’s death certificate. Andrew’s occupation is again given as ploughman and he is witness to the death (possibly his writing on the record).

After that Andrew disappears, I can find no death for him that I am absolutely sure of, which means I can’t find his parents.

For some time I was misled by other trees that had him remarrying a Mary Carson which made his mother a Margaret Shaw, but the marriage record shows Mary Carson to marry a bachelor not a widow and Margaret Shaw’s son Andrew is on another 1871 census at the same time Andrew can be found living with Flora. So my Andrew did not remarry Mary Carson.

This may be Andrew in 1881. He has lost three to four years in age with a birth date of 1829, but the occupation of farm servant seems correct and he is described as a widower.

The only possible entry for 1891 is in Dalbeattie and has Andrew born in 1817, so losing eight years from the earlier censuses and a seemingly impossible 12 years from the 1881 census, but perhaps his age was just guessed? His occupation is described as general labourer and again he is a widower.

It seems unlikely to be him but this is the only one that ties with a more likely death for our Andrew, rather frustratingly it gives neither widow nor parents’ name. The death certificate is witnessed by a neighbour, it is clearly the same person as in 1891 and occupation is described as agricultural labourer, he has lost a year or two in age!

If this is Andrew, it is sad that he seemingly dies alone after having at least five children. However, my ancestor Mary died years earlier, daughters Jessie and Henrietta went to Canada and the States, daughter Flora however was nearby, perhaps they fell out! Son James also disappears from records.

So we have a possible death for Andrew but where did he come from? Without the usual help you get from the death records in Scotland and a marriage that does not include parents’ names it is hard to say. The most likely parents through a process of elimination are James Hyslop and Jane/Jean Dickson which makes Andrew, Andrew Blyth Hyslop. I can find no records of Andrew Blyth Hyslop apart from his baptism.

If this is the case then going back a further generation Jane/Jean’s parents are John Dickson and Margaret McNaught, this can be seen from Jane/Jean’s death certificate. The document also shows that her husband predeceased her.

The McNaught connection is particularly interesting to me because I am descended from McNaughts through another branch. Andrew Hyslop’s daughter Mary married William Gibson Stevenson (Red Rob) whose mother was a Jean McNaught. Were Mary and William distant cousins? It is possible, I certainly have McNaught in my DNA – maybe a double dose. Unfortunately Margaret McNaught was born before any easily obtainable records so I am unable to find out.

So if anyone knows more about Andrew Blyth Hyslop, is he my ancestor? I would love to know, I am sure the answer is out there somewhere.

 

Covenanting ancestor discovered

I have understood for a while that I have some sort of family connection to William Swan of Braehead, Kirkmahoe a “famous” covenantor. I mentioned this in my blog post about another William Swan my 4 x Great Grandfather, however I wasn’t sure what the connection was.

Today I found the obituary of GGGG Grandfather William’s son, John brother to my GGG Grandmother Flora Swan and according to the obituary Great Grandson of William of Braehead.

But is this right? I had his Gt Grandparents as James Swan and Janet Swan, could the newspaper have missed a generation out?

It does seem that the newspaper entry was incorrect. Flora and John Swan’s father was William Swan married to Mary Beck, their Swan Grandfather was James Swan married to Florence Wilson, their Great Grandparents were James Swan and Janet Swan (Swan marrying a Swan), but Janet Swan’s father on her marriage records is a William Swan, dates would make this fit in with William Swan of covenanting fame, so maybe the newspaper just missed out a Great!

 

 

John Calow – Primitive Methodist, local preacher, Oddfellow

I hardly need to write this entry as the obituary for this ancestor is a dream in detail. John Calow is my GGG Grandfather and seems truly to be an ancestor to be proud of. Census returns show scant detail of his life in comparison to his obituary. This brings home the fact that census returns tell us so little, if my history was just documented by my census returns, what would it tell, very little apart from a few house moves and additions of children. Things have not changed much in that respect.

So what information do the censuses give?

In 1841 John Calow appears to be working as a manservant at Beauchief Hall  although I do not have absolute proof that it is him it seems very likely. At the same time his wife to be, Mary/Jane Hopkinson, was working as a servant also, for the Arkwright family, maybe that is how the couple met.

By 1851 John is living in Clowne (his birthplace) with Jane his wife, two year old George and baby Sarah Ann, his occupation is given as Agricultural Labourer.

The Preacher’s Plan showing John Calow at number 17

 

In 1861 the family have moved to the town of Calow and are living in the interestingly named Nether Cockally, Elizabeth, Eliza, Hannah and Mary have been added to the family. John’s occupation is now local Methodist preacher and miner.

1871 finds the family moved again, this time to Sheffield, with son George working as a stoker, Elizabeth is joined by her husband and cousin William Calow and Sarah Ann by her husband William Reddish, both Williams are miners. Also living with the family as a boarder is a Richard Reddish an assistant clerk. John is still a miner and preacher.

In 1881 John and Jane are back at 8 North Road, Clowne this time living with Granddaughter Emma Reddish and visiting preacher Amos Theobald.

In 1891 living at 152 North Road, Clowne, John is described as a general labourer, Granddaughter Emma is still with them, plus three lodgers, Charles Brown, George Calow (can’t work out if he is related) and James Ellis.

The final census we find him in is in 1901, living at 85 North Road still with wife and Granddaughter Emma plus three male lodgers. I guess that Emma must have cared for her grandparents and presumably cooked for the lodgers, by this stage according to the obituaries Mary/Jane had dementia and John had lost an eye, he also suffered from dementia at the end of his life.

So what extra information does the obituary tell us about John?

 

• Died from Bronchitis and senile decay.
• Clowne’s oldest resident, in his 88^th year.
• Contractor for getting ironstone on the Wingerworth estates.
• Enjoyed robust health which helped him work as a local preacher and Primitive Methodist worker.
• Worked as a miner at Grassmoor Collieries.
• He was an Oddfellow!
• He was a member of Barlborough Brass Band.
• He was in a serious railway accident from which his wife never really recovered, he couldn’t work for two years. He only took £75 in compensation.
• He was a Methodist Local Preacher for 50 years and walked many miles during this time.

• “When in business he was the means of aiding many by way of provisions”. – think this means he was generous.
• His father was sexton at Clowne Church.

He packed a lot into his 88 years, I wonder what would he have made of himself given modern day education and opportunities.

I would also like to know who wrote the obituary, it certainly gives the impression that the writer knew John Calow personally and liked him, or maybe they simply spoke to someone who did. Whoever it was, I am grateful to them for giving me such a detailed insight into the life and character of this fascinating ancestor.

 

 

Which Elizabeth Halden?

I have drifted from writing about my direct ancestors for this blog post. It serves merely to alert any Halden researchers worldwide (and they are worldwide) that two Elizabeth Haldens have become, understandably, confused with each other.

I have always known via my Grandmother that her Grandmother Rachel Halden had two sisters and one brother. She also told me that Rachel, her siblings and parents had emigrated to the USA. The brother had run away, never to be seen again but the oldest sister had married and had children and the second may have done.

Through census research I found the family in 1841, minus the brother and with the addition of another sister. So there are Elizabeth, Mary (guess Elizabeth is the elder as ages rounded for census) Jemima (who sadly died in 1845) and Rachel.

The next census finds the family in the USA, Edward has died, brother Edward has joined them but eldest sister Elizabeth is not with the family.

I thought it was likely that Elizabeth had married by 1850 and that was the reason she was no longer living with the family. I looked for marriages in the USA and even for English Elizabeths living nearby, but to no avail.

It did occur to me that Elizabeth may have married in England before leaving for the USA or maybe my Grandmother was wrong and she never left England at all.

There were two possible marriages Elizabeth Halden to Joseph Briscoe  on 18 Apr 1844 at Saint Chad, Stafford and Elizabeth Holden/Halden to Thomas Hiden 21 Jul 1844  Rugeley, Staffordshire.

I looked at the original marriage record for the Halden/Briscoe marriage and found this to be the daughter of Joseph Halden, Tailor. Interestingly both Elizabeth’s and Joseph’s names were originally recorded as Hawthorn and then changed to Halden.

Joseph is in fact cousin to Edward Halden, the father of the family who went to America and my GGG Grandfather. Joseph’s father William and Edward’s father Roger were brothers, their Grandparents in common were Thomas Halden and Dorothy.

So eventually I looked at the record for Elizabeth Holden and Thomas Briscoe which I had dismissed earlier for some reason. It shows this Elizabeth to be daughter to Edward and his occupation is given as schoolmaster and hers as governess, a seemingly unlikely profession for someone marrying a coal miner.

If further proof were needed that this is my GG Grandmother’s sister, she named her daughters Elizabeth, Jemima and Rachel like herself and two of her sisters.

So how did people get confused? Well currently there seem to be no baptism records for either Elizabeth. Elizabeth daughter of Joseph is not living at home in 1841 and there are a couple of possible female servants that may be her but the only definite Elizabeth Halden is daughter of Edward. Then when it comes to marriages there is only one Elizabeth Halden marriage, the Joseph Briscoe one, the other is mistranscribed (quite reasonably) as Holden.

By 1851 both Elizabeths are married, Elizabeth Briscoe is well reported appearing in censuses up until 1901 and not dying until 1907, she spent her latter years living with her daughter Mary Elizabeth who married a Samuel Walker. However Elizabeth Hiden and family disappear from the censuses, so what became of them?

Something for another blog.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

52 ancestors – James Walker “owd Jim”

James Walker my mother’s Grandad Jim was born in 1877 in Barnsley, West Yorkshire, his parents were Elizabeth Gillett a Yorkshire lass and the rather grandly named George James Archer Walker who was born in Welney, Cambridgeshire. Grandad Jim had said that his ancestors were farmers in Huntingdonshire and research has proved him right, it seems that his father came to Yorkshire to work on the railway.

Although Jim was born in Barnsley his sister Elizabeth, born a year later, was born back in Welney, maybe on a holiday or perhaps a failed attempt to return to Cambridgeshire, whatever the reason, Jim’s other siblings brothers Alfred and Herbert and sisters, Emily, Harriet and Edith were all born in Yorkshire.

The first job that he had that we have a record of is listed on the 1891 census as a Down Quilt Weaver, I don’t think he ever mentioned this in later years, he lived and breathed (not too much we hope) gas.

By the 1901 census Jim is newly married, living in Featherstone, Yorkshire and working as a gas stoker. I think he was moved to Featherstone by the gas board.

However, he was promoted and moved again with Jane and baby daughter Hannah to Clowne, Derbyshire where he spent the rest of his days.

The 1911 census finds them at 7 Station Road, Clowne with the addition of James born 1904 to the family. Jim’s occupation is Colliery Gas Manager.

I am now going to hand over the blog to my mother who has written down her memories of her Grandfather, her words in blue, I have added notes in red.

My memories and some history of my grandfather. He was a father to me from my being five years old which makes him rather special in my eyes.

Most of his life was spent in Clowne (Derbyshire) but still maintained that ‘aura’ of a Yorkshire lad – which indeed he was!

Working in the gas trade, he took a promotion to work and move to Clowne. Gas was being fitted nationally and expanding. Jim worked placing pipes all over the village. He also was a “jack of all gas trades” in this small outfit – stoker, fitter, collector etc. He had been given a house with the job. It was very near the mine and the gas works. His wife Jane hated it at first and longed for Yorkshire. They had a daughter Hannah and later two sons.

This house was 7 Station Road as mentioned above. The sons were James and Lesley, James died of flu in 1912, Lesley was born the day after James’ death.

His wife Jane discovered that a detached four bedroom house belonging to the gas company was vacant and badgered Jim to ask for it. He was succesful. “71” became a very happy home until the end of the 1940s.

Jim became known locally as “owd Jim” as the years progressed and was very popular.

I remember him working on Sundays for extra money – this was stoking – in other words making gas. My sister and I often took him a pint of beer to refresh him.

I would be six or seven years old and was fascinated to see the red hot coals being dragged from the very long retorts on to the ground with a special long pole, they were immediately drenched in cold water and the result was ‘coke’ which was used in industry and some heating processes. My Grandad was the one using the long rakes or poles in this furnace.

The other work I remember him doing and I watched some times was when the coal for the furnaces came in wagons, from the station nearby. There was a small private link railway line from there to the works. There had to be people to move the lines on to the private track, Jim was one of them. (This was in the years after the mine was closed; originally the mine itself would be providing coal to make the gas.)

Mum also told me that she on several occasions would be walking along the street and would see her Grandad’s head pop out from a hole in the road where he was fixing a pipe.

He was a member of the Constitution Club to which he dressed in his suit and tie to look smart, perhaps once or twice a week. He did not go to the local pubs at all. His friends there were his manager from work – Arthur Seston (Jeanne Smith’s Dad) and Dr Knowles. This was where he took his brothers-in-law when they visited – they were Caleb Butterfield (Geoff Green’s Grandad) and Fred Spivey (Joyce’s Grandad) from Pontefract and Heckmondwike, Yorkshire. They came back slightly tipsy and very amusing. Caleb was a wit and a comic, Fred a little slow getting the jokes (more hilarity!)

Grandad gave my mother the complete run of the house both financially and housekeeper, after my Grandma died.

He actually used to give her his wages and just keep a bit of spending money for himself.

He suggested one day that she sent me for Elocution lessons, what his idea was – we did not know – but I went and it – drama – became a big slice of my life, (Molly Francis, teacher of Speech and Drama).

Mum had had Speech and Drama lessons in Clowne but when war started her teacher joined the forces and the classes finished. “owd Jim” kept reading out the advert in the local paper, “Molly Francis, teacher of Speech and Drama” until eventually Hannah said “do you want our Mollie to go for lessons? He said “yes” and that was that.

I had a few boyfriends who were allowed to visit. If however they touched my hand at all a cough was heard from “owd Jim”.

As a very young girl he’d give me some pennies and always told me to get “acid drops” a tease because he knew I hated them!

It was actually “get me a ha’porth of acid drops”. He also used to ask Mum how July Palmer was, he knew perfectly well that her name was June.

When Spring showed its head he often told my mother that “Stella has got her anniversary dress” – a hint that she should get hers and mine. (Stella was a glamorous, smart lady at our church!) He always hinted, never was dogmatic.

This was for the church and Sunday School anniversary when everyone had new outfits specially for the occasion.

He worked until 68 or 69 and had a few years retirement. He did see me in a play in rep in Wellington – so glad he did. 

After he had retired, occasionally gasworks employees would knock on the door to ask about the location of gas pipes in Clowne. Jim had a map of them in his head.

A true and gentle – man.

And a final added note…

He only put his teeth in when he wore his jacket and tie!

And a couple of other things, Jim could tinker out a tune on the piano by ear, (his sister Harriet could play well).

He would not be drawn into discussions on politics, he said “all I will say is we all have to Labour”. When Mum asked him what Conservative meant he said “leave it alone”. Is that what Laissez Faire means? He was pretty shrewd I think.

He always carried things behind himself rather than in front.