Table of Contents
This family group is one of the most extensive in my family history, and so to aid readability it is split across eight parts.
G5: Emily Copus (1841-1908)
Birth: Emily Copus was born in Charlemont, County Armagh on 15 July 1841. She was the second child of William and Mary.
Christening: on 26 August 1841 in Moy.
Marriage: to Thomas King on Christmas Day 1860 at St Mary Magdalene Church in Woolwich. She was aged 19, although on the marriage certificate she was noted as ‘underage’.
Spouse history: Thomas was the son of John King, a coach builder, and it is possible that he had been born in India during 1842.
Children: (1) Emily in 1863, (2) Edward in 1867, (3) Kate in 1872, (4) Ernest in 1874, and (5) Lily in 1877. It’s possible that they had two other children, Walter in 1862 and William in 1865.
Military service: Thomas was already a Bombardier in the Royal Artillery when he met Emily. He had a long career in the commissariat branch, effectively the supply department, ensuring that the soldiers had enough of everything from food to uniforms and ammunition. He was promoted to Sergeant by 1863 before then being posted to India, taking his family with him. It’s not known when he left the army, but he was cited on his daughter Kate’s marriage certificate as a deceased lieutenant.
Residences: Thomas initially lived in the barracks of the Royal Artillery, while Emily lived nearby with her parents. They then moved into the married quarters at Cambridge Cottages on Brookhill Road.
After a decade spent in India they moved back to Britain before 1881 and settled in Middlesbrough, where most of Emily’s siblings now lived. They lived in close proximity to younger sister Jane, first on High Denmark Street in the close knit and vibrant Cannon Road community, and later on Monkland Street.
- Emily: Ann Street, Woolwich (1851); Rush Grove, Woolwich (1852); 5 Rush Grove Street, Woolwich (1856-1861); Cambridge Cottages, Brookhill Road, Woolwich (1863); 38 High Denmark Street, Middlesbrough (1881); 31 Monkland Street, Middlesbrough (1887-1901); 43 Lime Street, Middlesbrough (1897)
- Thomas: Cambridge Cottages, Brookhill Road, Woolwich (1863)
Deaths: Emily died on 7 August 1908 when aged 67 and was buried in Linthorpe Cemetery.
Notes: Thomas is absent from all the censuses between 1861 and 1891.
G4: Emily Elizabeth King (1863-?)
Birth: Emily Elizabeth King was born in Woolwich on 25 November 1863. She was the first child of Thomas and Emily.
Christening: on 13 March 1864 in St Mary Magdalene Church on Greenlaw Street in Woolwich. There are two records of this, one giving her birth date as 25 November and one as 25 December.
Residences: Cambridge Cottages, Brookhill Road, Woolwich (1863)
Notes: no further record of Emily can be found and it’s possible that she died as a child in India.
G4: Edward Reuben King (1867-1912)
Birth: Edward Reuben King was born during 1867 in Letapore in the Bengal area of what was then British India. He was the second child of Thomas and Emily.
Marriage: to his cousin Mary Jane Walker, who lived next door, on 1 August 1887 at All Saints Church in Middlesbrough. He was aged 20 and she was 21.
Spouse history: Mary had been born in Middlesbrough during 1866, the eighth child of blacksmith Alexander but only the second with his third wife Jane. The family had recently relocated from London, and by 1871 lived on Alfred Street. Mary was christened at St Hilda’s in March 1872 when aged six. The 1881 census captured 14-year-old Mary living on High Denmark Street with her aunt Catherine and uncle Thomas.
Children: (1) Florence in 1888, (2) Gertrude in 1890, (3) Albert in 1894, (4) Jessie in 1896, (5) William in 1897, (6) Emily in 1902, (7) Kate in 1903, and (8) Ruby in 1910. The 1911 census shows a further child who had died by then, most likely Winifred who was born in 1907 and died in 1908, but possibly also Thomas born in 1892.
Residences: at the time of their marriage the couple both still lived with their parents in different houses on Monkland Street. The 1891 census captured the family living with Mary’s parents on Alexandria Street. They then got a house of their own on nearby Calthorp Street before moving to Lime Street. By 1901, they had a terraced house on Rock Street, close to a large chemical works on the other side of town. In 1921 the widow Mary lived with daughter Emily.
- Edward: 38 High Denmark Street (1881); 31 Monkland Street (1887); 23 Alexandria Street (1888-1891); 48 Calthorp Street (1895); 43 Lime Street (1897); 31 Monkland Street (1900); 10 Rock Street (1901); 37 Rock Street (1903-1912) – all in Middlesbrough.
- Mary: 7 Alfred Street (1871); 40 High Denmark Street (1881); 38 Monkland Street (1887); 23 Alexandria Street (1888-1891); 48 Calthorp Street (1895); 31 Monkland Street (1900); 10 Rock Street (1901); 37 Rock Street (1903-1919); 49 Rock Street (1921) – all in Middlesbrough.
Occupations: Edward worked as a labourer in the iron and steel industry. As a furnace stoker, he spent his days shovelling coal in hard physical labour and in 1900 he worked for the Lees Bridge Engineering Company. Within a year he changed jobs to become a shipyard driller, later moving to become a dock labourer.
Military service: in 1900 Edward attempted to enlist into the 4th Yorkshire Regiment, a militia unit, but was found to be medically unfit due to a defective right eye. He was described as 5 feet 9 inches tall, weighing 144 lbs, with a fresh complexion, brown eyes, and dark grey hair.
Deaths: Edward died in 1912 when aged just 45. There is no further record of Mary.
G3: Florence Maud King (1888-?)
Birth: Florence Maud King was born in Middlesbrough on 2 June 1888. She was the first child of Edward and Mary.
Christening: on 4 July 1888 at St Paul’s Church on Newport Road in Middlesbrough.
Marriage: to Thomas Collins during 1912 in Middlesbrough. She was aged 23 and he was 32.
Spouse history: Thomas had been born in Ripon during 1880 to Sarah Jane Scaife. In 1881 they lived with his maternal grandfather William Scaife on Fishergreen, adjacent to the River Skell. He was a gardener (perhaps a market gardener) while his mother sorted rags to earn some money. By 1891 Tom’s father was dead. His mother and her three children still lived with her father William, now about 35 miles north in Gainford near Darlington. There is no record of Tom on the 1901 census, but by 1911 he had relocated to Middlesbrough where he lived with sister Minnie on Holt Street.
Children: (1) Thomas in 1915, (2) Laura in 1917, (3) William in 1920.
Residences: by 1920 the family had moved to the small mining village of Middle Rainton, about 30 miles north of Middlesbrough, where they lived on Slate Row.
- Florence: 23 Alexandria Street, Middlesbrough (1888-1891); 48 Calthorp Street, Middlesbrough (1895); 43 Lime Street, Middlesbrough (1897); 31 Monkland Street, Middlesbrough (1900); 20 Garden Street, Middlesbrough (1901); 67 Slate Row, Middle Rainton (1921)
- Thomas: Fishergreen, Ripon (1881); 51 Holt Street, Middlesbrough (1911); 67 Slate Row, Middle Rainton (1921)
Occupation: Tom was a platelayer for North East Railways – it was his job to inspect and maintain the track, including all its component parts such as rails, sleepers, fishplates, bolts, etc. Their duties included greasing points, and generally watching for wear and tear. When sections of track required complete replacement, larger teams of platelayers worked together. He took up work as an above-ground platelayer in a colliery after moving to Middle Rainton.
Deaths: Tom probably died in 1936.
Notes: on the night that the 1901 census was taken, 12-year-old Florence was staying with her maternal grandparents, about a mile away from home, but it’s not known if this arrangement was permanent.
Two girls called Florence Maud King were born in Middlesbrough during 1887/88 and following the 1901 census they become almost indistinguishable. They were both domestic servants in 1911, following which one married Tom Collins and the other an Edward Scrafton. It is clear from the date of birth on the 1939 Register that our Florence did not marry Scrafton, as sometimes suggested in other online trees. I have also had it confirmed from three generations of their descendants that Florence married Tom Collins.
G2: Thomas Henry Collins (1915-1983)
Birth: Thomas Henry Collins was born in Middlesbrough during 1915. He was the first child of Tom and Florence.
Marriage: to Hannah Havelock Thompson during 1941 in Newcastle. He was aged 25 and he was 22.
Spouse history: Hannah had been born on 20 February 1918, the fourth child of John Edward Thompson and his wife Jessie. When the 1921 census was taken the family lived in a terraced house on Larch Street. John was a coal miner for W. Benson & Sons.
Residences: the unmarried couple lived together with Hannah’s parents when the National Register was taken in 1939, curiously joined there by his youngest sister Miriam. They had a house of their own on Larch Street from at least 1949 until 1959.
- Thomas: 67 Slate Row, Middle Rainton (1921); 17 Larch Street, Newcastle upon Tyne (1939-1946); 57 Larch Street, Newcastle upon Tyne (1949-1959)
- Hannah: 17 Larch Street, Newcastle upon Tyne (1921-1946); 57 Larch Street, Newcastle upon Tyne (1949-1959)
Occupations: in 1939 Thomas was a painter and decorator while Hannah was a light press hand.
Deaths: Thomas died in Newcastle during 1983 when aged 67. Hannah survived him for 16 years and died in August 1999 when aged 81.
G2: Laura Alberta Collins (1917-2003)
Birth: Laura Alberta Collins was born in Middlesbrough on 23 September 1917. She was the second child of Tom and Florence.
Marriage: to Joseph Wandlass Leach during 1939 in Middlesbrough. She was aged 21 and he was just 18.
Spouse history: Joseph had been born in Middlesbrough on 2 May 1920 to Charles Leach and Hannah Jane Wandlass.
Children: a daughter in 1939.
Residences: the newlyweds moved into a house on Fidler Street next to the large chemical works.
- Laura: 67 Slate Row, Middle Rainton (1921); 17 Fidler Street, Middlesbrough (1939)
- Joseph: 17 Fidler Street, Middlesbrough (1939)
Occupation: Joseph was a general labourer.
Deaths: Joseph died in 1979 when aged just 59. Laura survived him for over two decades and died in Middlesbrough on 10 July 2003 when aged 85.
G2: William Alexander Collins (1920-?)
Birth: William Alexander Collins was born in the small mining village of Middle Rainton in 1920. He was the third child of Tom and Florence.
Residences: 67 Slate Row, Middle Rainton (1921)
Due to the commonality of his name, nothing further is known.
G2: Miriam Collins (1923-)
Birth: Miriam Collins was born in the small mining village of Middle Rainton in 1923. She was the fourth child of Tom and Florence.
Residences: in 1939, Miriam boarded with the Thompson family on Larch Street in Newcastle. She lived here with her brother Thomas, who two years later would marry one of their daughters.
- 17 Larch Street, Newcastle upon Tyne (1939)
Due to the commonality of her name, nothing further is known.
G3: Gertrude Jane Eleanor King (1890-?)
Birth: Gertrude Jane Eleanor King was born in Middlesbrough on 19 January 1890. She was the second child of Edward and Mary.
Christening: on 9 February 1890 at St Paul’s Church on Newport Road.
Marriage: to Thomas Ward during 1914 in Middlesbrough. She was aged 24. The marriage was not successful, and the couple divorced before 1939.
Children: they possibly had three children together.
Residences: in 1939, 49-year-old Gertrude lived in a terraced house on Petch Street with a John H. Phillips.
- 23 Alexandria Street (1890-1891); 48 Calthorp Street (1895); 43 Lime Street (1897); 31 Monkland Street (1900); 10 Rock Street (1901); 4 Petch Street (1939) – all Middlesbrough.
Occupation: in 1939 Gertrude was a housekeeper.
Death: she possibly died in 1972.
Notes: there is no mention of her in the 1911 census.
G3: Albert Edward King (1894-?)
Birth: Albert Edward King was born in Middlesbrough on 14 September 1894. He was the third child of Edward and Mary.
Christening: on 19 June 1895 at All Saints Church on Linthorpe Road.
Residences: 43 Lime Street (1897); 31 Monkland Street (1900); 10 Rock Street (1901); 37 Rock Street (1903-1913); 49 Rock Street (1919) – all Middlesbrough.
Occupation: after leaving school Albert became an ironworker in one of Middlesbrough’s many steelworks, labouring from at least the age of 16.
Military service: Albert enlisted into the Territorial Force in January 1913 when aged 18, joining the 4th Battalion, Alexandra, Princess of Wales’s Own (Yorkshire Regiment). They were mobilised immediately after the outbreak of war in August 1914, and after a period of training and home defence embarked for France in April 1915. Albert thereafter served continually on the Western Front until the Armistice three and a half years later, fighting in major battles at Ypres, the Somme, Arras, and Ypres again, as well as regularly manning the lines and participating in the final Allied advance. It is truly remarkable that he survived – especially as his unit was largely decimated whilst he was home on leave at the end of May 1918. Albert remained in Belgium until December and then moved into Germany itself. He was demobilised in March 1919.
Notes: due to the commonality of his name, nothing is known about his later life. He perhaps married Edith May Lee in 1919 and moved to Newcastle.
G3: Jessie King (1896-?)
Birth: Jessie King was born in Middlesbrough during 1896. She was the fourth child of Edward and Mary.
Residences: 43 Lime Street (1897); 31 Monkland Street (1900); 10 Rock Street (1901); 37 Rock Street (1903-1911) – all Middlesbrough.
Notes: it’s possible that she married George Ash in 1918, however there were two Jessie Kings in Middlesbrough of roughly the same age, and further evidence is required.
G3: William King (1897-?)
Birth: William King was born in Middlesbrough on 2 November 1897. He was the fifth child of Edward and Mary.
Christening: on 23 November 1897 at All Saints Church on Linthorpe Road.
Residences: 43 Lime Street (1897); 31 Monkland Street (1900); 10 Rock Street (1901); 37 Rock Street (1903-1911) – all Middlesbrough.
Notes: due to the commonality of his name, nothing more is known.
G3: Emily King (1902-)
Birth: Emily King was born in Middlesbrough during 1902. She was the sixth child of Edward and Mary.
Residences: 37 Rock Street (1903-1911), 49 Rock Street (1921) – all Middlesbrough.
Notes: Emily may have married George Parker in 1924, but further evidence is required.
G3: Kate King (1903-)
Birth: Kate King was born in Middlesbrough on 17 February 1903. She was the seventh child of Edward and Mary.
Christening: on 21 March 1903 at St John the Evangelist’s Church on Marton Road.
Residences: 37 Rock Street, Middlesbrough (1903-1911).
Notes: Kate may have married George Ward in 1920, but since the date of birth in the 1939 Register is slightly out then further evidence is required.
G3: Ruby Edna King (1910-?)
Birth: Ruby Edna King was born in Middlesbrough during 1910. She was the eighth child of Edward and Mary.
Residences: 37 Rock Street, Middlesbrough (1903-1911).
G4: Kate King (1872-1944)
Birth: Kate King was born during 1872 in the hill town of Raneekhet (now Ranikhet) in the Bengal area of what was then British India. She was the third child of Thomas and Emily.
Marriage (1): to William John North Coverdale on 5 August 1889 at All Saints Church in Middlesbrough. She was aged just 17 and he was 21.
Spouse history (1): William was five years older than Kate and had been born during 1868 in the small village of Coatham, now part of Redcar on the Yorkshire coast, the son of William Coverdale and Hannah. The family soon moved to Middlesbrough where in 1871 they lived on Davison Street in the centre of the town. His father was a slater. On the night that the census was taken however, William was at the home of his paternal grandparents in Coatham. It is not known whether this was a permanent arrangement. By 1881 William had five siblings, and they lived together on Monkland Street. William was a general labourer.
Children (1): (1) Lily in 1890, (2) Annie in 1891, (3) Emily in 1893.
Death: William sadly died during 1893 when aged just 25.
Marriage (2): after being a widow for five years, Kate married Xavier Leonard on 30 May 1898 at St Paul’s Church.
Spouse history (2): Xavier had been born in Durham in 1872, the first child of his namesake father and wife Sarah Jane Patterson, being christened in September. The family moved often, with further children born in Redcar in 1876 and Stockport in 1879. By 1881 they had moved to the capital where they had a three-storey terraced house on Loveridge Road in the newly built Kilburn area of Camden. They moved to Claremont Villas, Broomsleigh Street in 1889. His father was a carpenter. Four further children were born there before the family moved north to Middlesbrough between 1890-1892.
Before this, in August 1888 when he was 17 years old, Xavier had been employed as a conductor by the London Transport Company and based at Bishopsgate. In the five months before his inevitable dismissal he was fined no fewer than 10 times for a variety of offences, including carrying more passengers than had been accounted for; being late; running the trams ahead of or behind time (for which he was cautioned that if it happened again he will be dismissed), “Kicking an old crippled Jew in Old Road Street and making untruthful statement in connection therewith”, and finally “Near side destination board damaged. Said to have been caused by Leonard winching it from panel of omnibus”.
Military service: Xavier joined the army and in 1891 was a private with the 12th (Prince of Wales’s) Royal Lancers cavalry regiment. The regiment was based at the Seaforth Barracks on Claremont Road in Seaforth. Xavier stated at the time of his marriage that he worked as a railwayman, but a year later in October 1899 he deployed to South Africa for service in the Second Boer War. He was involved in the Battle of Magersfontein during December that ended in a tactical defeat for the British. Xavier contracted typhoid fever soon afterwards and died at De Aar (where there was a large military hospital) on 11 February 1900 when aged 28.
Marriage (3): to Samuel Turner Dalby during 1906 in Middlesbrough. She was aged 33 and he was 24.
Spouse history (3): Samuel had been born in the small mining town of Eston, a few miles east of Middlesbrough, on 29 May 1881 to John Turner and Fanny. In 1891 they had a terraced house on South Street, which was virtually the last road in town. His father, who was originally from Lincolnshire, was an engine driver and wood turner. In 1901, 19-year-old Samuel was likely a blacksmith apprentice, lodging with blacksmith Thomas Collins and his family in the village of Bedale, 30 miles southwest of Middlesbrough.
Residences: Kate and first husband William both lived with their parents on Monkland Street when they were married, before getting their own home on the same street. She moved to a relatively new terraced house on nearby Windsor Street following his death.
The 1901 census captured the 28-year-old widow Kate and her two daughters on Westward Street, along with two lodgers. By 1911 she lived with third husband Samuel and her eldest daughter in a relatively new terraced house on Aire Street in the new Ayresome suburb, the same street as her sister Lily. By 1921, they lived on Harford Street with two boarders. Their granddaughter Kate Dilworth was also visiting that night.
Curiously in the 1939 Register, Kate lived at home with grandson William Dilworth and his recent wife Eileen, while Samuel was recorded half a mile away at the home of Oswald and Beatrice Scurrah on Clive Road. After Kate’s death he lived on Charteris Road, part of a large post-war housing estate in the Alerton suburbs.
- Kate: 38 High Denmark Street (1881); 31 Monkland Street (1887-1889); 32 Monkland Street (1890-1891); 31 Monkland Street (1896); 16 Windsor Street (1898); 20 Westward Street (1901); 7 Aire Street (1911); 88 Harford Street (1921-1939) – all Middlesbrough
- William: 15 Davison Street, Middlesbrough (1871); 1 High Street, Redcar (1871); 81 Monkland Street, Middlesbrough (1881); 27 Monkland Street, Middlesbrough (1889); 43 Gladstone Street, Middlesbrough (1889); 32 Monkland Street, Middlesbrough (1890-1891)
- Xavier: 26 Loveridge Road, Kilburn (1881)
- Samuel: 36 South Street, Eston (1891); 7 Aire Street, Middlesbrough (1911); 88 Harford Street, Middlesbrough (1921); 80 Clive Road, Middlesbrough (1939); 100 Charteris Road, Bradford (1960)
Occupations: in 1901 Kate worked nursing the sick. Third husband Samuel worked in the steel industry where he was a millwright, installing, repairing, and moving machinery. By 1921 he worked in the steelworks of Dorman Long.
Notes: it’s interesting to note that in the 1911 census Kate gave her age as 29, rather than her actual age of 39, perhaps to hide the age gap to her husband.
Deaths: Kate died when aged 72 and was buried in Linthorpe Cemetery on 15 September 1944. Samuel died in Bradford on 16 December 1960, aged 79. He left his estate of £360 4s 8d to Irene Hodgson, ‘married woman’.
G3: Lily Lavinia Coverdale (1890-1958)
Birth: Lily Lavinia Coverdale was born in Middlesbrough on 1 June 1890. She was the first child of William and Kate.
Christening: on 2 July 1890 in St Paul’s Church on Newport Road.
School: enrolled into Victoria Road Juniors (Girls) School in 1896.
Marriage: to William Albert Dilworth during 1913 in Middlesbrough. She was aged 22 and he was 23.
Spouse history: William was two years older than her and had been born in Middlesbrough on 1 November 1889, the third child of Albert Dilworth and Emma Carrigan. He was christened at All Saints Church later that month, not far from Pollard Street where the family lived in the home of William Carrigill, an assistant harbour master. His mother had died by 1901. William’s father worked in the iron mills and he moved the family to Rock Street in the industrial northeast of the town. By 1911 William lived on nearby Slate Street with his elder sister Edith and her family.
Children: (1) Kate in 1913, (2) William in 1916, (3) Ernest in 1918, (4) Donald in 1922.
Military service: William enlisted into the army in December 1915 and arrived in France during June 1916. He served with the 20th (Labour) Battalion, Sherwood Foresters, which helped to build and maintain the network of roads, railways, canals, buildings, camps, stores, dumps, and telegraph and telephone systems that the army depended on. William contracted trench fever in February 1917 which required him to be repatriated home for treatment. He never returned to France and instead joined the Labour Corps, serving with the 500th Home Service Employment Company from June 1917. William transferred to 169 Protection Company, Royal Defence Corps in June 1918 which undertook local defence duties such as guarding ports, bridges, and POW camps. He was demobilised in March 1919.
Residences: in 1921 the family of five lived in a terraced house on Amber Street. Their daughter Kate was staying with Lily’s mother on then night that the census was taken. They later moved to a similar house on Garnet Street in the centre of town.
- Lily: 32 Monkland Street (1890-1891); 31 Monkland Street (1896); 20 Westward Street (1901); 7 Aire Street (1911); 22 Amber Street (1921); 49 Garnet Street (1939) – all in Middlesbrough.
- William: 24 Pollard Street (1889-1891); 3 Rock Street (1901); 14 Slate Street (1911); 88 Harford Street (1919); 22 Amber Street (1921); 49 Garnet Street (1939) – all in Middlesbrough.
Occupation: before the war William worked as a joiner for a shipbuilder before moving to the steelworks of Dorman Long, possibly alongside his father-in-law. He returned to this position after leaving the army. The 1939 Register stated that he was a fitter’s labourer.
Deaths: Lily died in Middlesbrough when aged 68 and was buried at Acklam Cemetery on 6 March 1958. William survived her by 13 years and died in Gosport, Hampshire in 1971 when aged 81. He was buried at Acklam Cemetery on 31 August.
G2: Kate Dilworth (1913-1997)
Birth: Kate Dilworth was born in Middlesbrough on 19 December 1913. She was the first child of William and Lily.
Marriage (1): to Alan Edgar Waters during 1940 in Reading. She was aged 26 and he was 32.
Spouse history (1): Alan had been born on 12 August 1907 and was the only child of Herbert Lester Waters and Mabel Beatrice Brill. His father worked as an insurance agent and the family lived in Lime Cottage on Colham Green in what was still very rural Hillington. He was christened during February 1908 at nearby St John the Baptist Church. By 1911 they had a new terraced house on Ivy Cottages. The family then moved to Reading where from at least 1935 they lived at Hawthorn Gardens, a town house on a new estate to the south of the town.
Residences: Kate moved to Reading, where she was captured in the 1939 Register living alone in a flat in a once grand three-storey town house on Queen’s Road. By the end of the war, the newlyweds lived on King’s Road in the centre of the town, which they shared with another couple.
- Kate: 22 Amber Street, Middlesbrough (1921); Flat 2, 50 Queen’s Road, Reading (1939); 139 King’s Road, Reading (1945)
- Alan: 13 Ivy Cottages, Uxbridge (1911); 4 Hawthorn Gardens, Reading (1935-1939); 139 King’s Road, Reading (1945)
Occupations: in 1939 both Kate and Alan worked in a biscuit factory – she was an oven feeder while he was a baker. We know that Alan worked for the Huntley and Palmers wholesale biscuit manufacturer and it’s likely that Kate did too.
Marriage (2): to George H. Horder during 1945 in Portsmouth. She was aged 32. Nothing is known about George.
Deaths: Kate died in Portsmouth during July 1997 when aged 83.
Notes: some sources cite Kate as marrying George Ramage during 1936, but the 1939 National Register shows that this Kate had been born in 1895, some 20 years earlier.
Alan Waters never remarried and died in 1997. He had lived on Hawthorn Gardens until at least 1961.
G2: William Dilworth (1916-?)
Birth: William Dilworth was born in Middlesbrough on 1 February 1916. He was the second child of William and Lily.
Marriage: to Eileen Kelledy during 1937 in Middlesbrough. He was aged 20 and she was 19.
Spouse history: Eileen had been born on 20 July 1917 to James Kelledy and Mary Jane Vaughan. Sadly, her father died two years later, and in 1921 the widow Mary lived with her two children and young sister Ellen on Italy Street in the north of Middlesbrough. She was a self-employed grocer general dealer working from home. Eileen was actually a patient in North Riding Infirmary on the night that the census was taken, and so was captured twice.
Residences: in September 1939, the newlyweds lived with William’s maternal grandmother in her terraced house on Harford Street in the Ayresome suburb.
- William: 22 Amber Street, Middlesbrough (1921); 88 Harford Street, Middlesbrough (1939)
- Eileen: 56 Italy Street, Middlesbrough (1921); 88 Harford Street, Middlesbrough (1939)
Occupations: William worked in the steel industry as a roll rigger.
Deaths: it’s likely that William died in Middlesbrough during 1942 when aged 26, but further confirmation is required as there was a namesake born in the same place at the same time.
Notes: Eileen married John E. Onions in 1945 and died in 1997.
G2: Ernest Charles Dilworth (1918-1983)
Birth: Ernest Charles Dilworth was born in Middlesbrough on 14 May 1918. He was the third child of William and Lily.
Marriage (1): to Alice Myra Tilley during 1937 in Middlesbrough. He was aged 20 and she was 21. The marriage was not successful, and Alice went on to marry Donald Maxwell in 1947 and died in Rotherham in 1992 on her 75th birthday.
Spouse history (1): Alice had been born in Middlesbrough on 25 February 1917 to bricklayer Thomas Tilley and his wife Margaret Nicholson. In 1921 they lived in a terraced house on Finsbury Street, not far from her future husband. By 1939 they lived in a new semi-detached house on Rochester Road in the Linthorpe suburb.
Marriage (2): to Freda Elliott during 1947 in Middlesbrough. He was aged 28 and she was 23. This marriage also ended in divorce. Freda did not remarry and died in March 1990.
Spouse history (2): Freda had been born in Middlesbrough on 9 June 1923 to John A. Elliott and Elizabeth F. Mils. In 1939 they lived in a new terraced house on Pannell Avenue in Linthorpe.
Children (2): they had three children together in 1948, 1953 and 1954.
Marriage (3): to Joan O’Reilly during 1978 in Staincliffe. He was aged 60. Nothing is known about Joan.
Occupations: in 1939 Ernest was a tailor’s cutter, while Alice was a tailor, and it’s likely that they met through work. Alice soon joined the British Red Cross. Ernest’s second wife was also a tailor.
Residences:
- Ernest: 22 Amber Street, Middlesbrough (1921); 49 Garnet Street, Middlesbrough (1939)
- Alice: 14 Finsbury Street, Middlesbrough (1921); 61 Rochester Road, Middlesbrough (1939)
- Freda: 16 Pannell Avenue, Middlesbrough (1939)
Deaths: Ernest died in Staincliffe during 1983 when aged 65.
G2: Donald Dilworth (1922-?)
Birth: Donald Dilworth was born in Middlesbrough on 22 October 1922. He was the fourth child of William and Lily.
Occupation: in 1939 he was a 16-year-old apprentice pattern maker.
Residences: 49 Garnet Street, Middlesbrough (1939)
Notes: it’s possible that he married Mary Clarke during 1943, but since there was a namesake born at a similar time, then further confirmation is needed.
G3: Annie Maud Coverdale (1891)
Birth: Annie Maud Coverdale was born in Middlesbrough during November 1891. She was the second child of William and Kate.
Death: Annie died two days later and was buried in Linthorpe Cemetery on 12 November.
G3: Emily Rose Coverdale (1893-)
Birth: Emily Rose Coverdale was born in Middlesbrough on 3 January 1893. She was the third child of William and Kate.
Marriage: to William J. Jones during 1919 in Middlesbrough. She was aged 25 and he was 36.
Spouse history: William was a decade older than her and had been born on 25 July 1882.
Children: Joseph in 1919
Occupations: when the census was taken in 1911, 18-year-old Rose worked as a housemaid for the wealthy Casper family of shipbrokers in their ten-roomed house called New Grove in what was then the little village of Marton-in-Cleveland to the southeast of Middlesbrough.
By 1939 William was a station master for North Eastern Railway.
Residences: in 1921 the young family lived on Errol Street, moving to a new house on Tavistock Road by 1939.
- Emily: 31 Monkland Street (1896); 20 Westward Street (1901); New Grove (1911); 23 Errol Street (1921); 79 Tavistock Road (1939) – all in Middlesbrough
- William: 23 Errol Street (1921); 79 Tavistock Road (1939) – all in Middlesbrough
Notes: due to the commonality of their names, nothing further is known.
G2: Joseph Jones (1919-?)
Birth: Joseph Jones was born in Middlesbrough during 1919. He was the third child of William and Rose.
Residences: 23 Errol Street, Middlesbrough (1921)
Note: due to the commonality of his name, nothing further is known.
G4: Ernest Charles King (1874-1897)
Birth: Ernest Charles King was born on 5 December 1874 in Allahabad in the north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh in what was then British India. He was the fourth child of Thomas and Emily.
Christening: on 1 August 1877 in Allahabad alongside sister Lily.
Occupation: the 1891 census shows that despite only being 16 years old, Ernest worked as a labourer in an iron tube works.
Residences: 38 High Denmark Street, Middlesbrough (1881); 31 Monkland Street, Middlesbrough (1887-1891)
Death: Ernest died when aged just 22 and was buried at Linthorpe Cemetery on 11 May 1897.
G4: Lily Amelia Eleanor King (1877-1955)
Birth: Lily Amelia Eleanor King was born on 1 July 1877 in Allahabad in the north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh in what was then British India. She was the fifth child of Thomas and Emily.
Christening: on 1 August 1877 in Allahabad alongside brother Ernest.
Marriage (1): to John William Jeffrey on 7 September 1896 at All Saints Church in Middlesbrough. She was aged 19 and he was 23.
Spouse history (1): John had been born in 1873 to William Jeffrey.
Death: unfortunately, John died just before their two-year anniversary on 4 September 1898, when aged 25. He was buried at Linthorpe Cemetery, leaving his effects of £94 (£5,590 today) to his wife.
Marriage (2): to George Thomas Coy on 27 November 1902 at St Hilda’s Church on Market Place. She was aged 25 and he was 26.
Spouse history (2): George had been born on 4 July 1876 to labourer James Coy and Mary Elizabeth Jefferson. He was born in Swinefleet near Goole, despite the 1911 census giving his place of birth as Belle Vue near Wakefield. By 1881 the family had moved south to the rapidly expanding mill town of Savile Town, near Dewsbury in West Yorkshire, where they lived in an unnamed house amongst the factories on Mill Street East. His father was a ‘general carrier’. The next census in 1891 captured them in ‘Navigation Yard’ on the same street, with his father now working as a horse keeper for a navigation company while 15-year-old George was a chemist’s warehouseman, perhaps in the nearby Britannia Dye and Chemical Works. By 1901 he had moved to Middlesbrough to work as an engine fitter. He lodged with the widow Annie Laden, originally from Buffalo in the USA, just a few doors down from his future sister-in-law Kate on Westward Street.
Children: (1) Norman in 1903, (2) Ruby in 1906, (3) Lily in 1911, and (4) Maisie in 1916.
Residences: the newlyweds John and Lily initially lived together with Lily’s parents, but soon moved into a relatively new terraced house on Windsor Street in the west of the town. After his untimely death Lily moved back in with her mother and was a widow for four years until she married George.
The new family moved to Pelham Street to the south of the town centre, later moving to join Lilly’s sister Kate on Aire Street in the Ayresome. By 1921 they had moved to Sutton Ings however, which then was just a few houses in the countryside on the road out of Hull, about 3 miles north of the town. They would live in Casterton House on Marfleet Lane for at least the next 30 years, by which time the suburbia of Hull had grown to encompass the once rural area.
- Lily: 38 High Denmark Street, Middlesbrough (1881); 31 Monkland Street, Middlesbrough (1887-1896); 16 Windsor Street, Middlesbrough (1898); 31 Monkland Street, Middlesbrough (1901); 12 Graham Street, Middlesbrough (1902); 39 Pelham Street, Middlesbrough (1903); 93 Aire Street, Middlesbrough (1911); 748 Marfleet Lane, Hull (1921-1951)
- John: 31 Monkland Street, Middlesbrough (1896); 16 Windsor Street, Middlesbrough (1898)
- George: Mill Street East, Dewsbury (1881-1891); 12 Westward Street, Middlesbrough (1901-1902); 39 Pelham Street, Middlesbrough (1903); 93 Aire Street, Middlesbrough (1911); 748 Marfleet Lane, Hull (1921-1951)
Occupations: George worked as an engine fitter for most of his career – someone who as the name suggests was responsible for assembling and installing engines. In 1911 he did this for a steam and gas engine manufacturer, but by 1921 worked for Earle’s Shipbuilding and Engineering Co. on Headon Road – being joined by his 17-year-old son Norman.
Deaths: George died on 9 December 1951 when aged 75. He left his estate to his younger brother John Herbert Coy. Lily likely died in the seaside town of Barry, in the Vale of Glamorgan in Wales, during 1955 when aged 78.
G3: Norman Coy (1903-1987)
Birth: Norman Coy was born on 2 November 1903 in Middlesbrough. She was the first child of George and Lily.
Christening: on 30 November 1903 in All Saints Church on Linthorpe Road.
Marriage: to Dorothy Esther Wake on 23 September 1930 at St Andrew’s Church in Avonmouth. She was aged 19 and he was 23.
Spouse history: Dorothy had been born in Avonmouth on 12 April 1902, one of an eventual six children of George Edward Wake and Ellen Room. She was christened at Napier Road Congregational Church in May. Her father, originally from Liverpool, was a shipwright in one of the docks and by 1911 the family lived in a terraced house on nearby Collins Street. Little changed over the next decade, with the boys in the family following their father as shipwrights and Dorothy becoming a stationary assistant for a John McKenna.
Children: (1) Peter in 1932, (2) Sheila in 1935.
Occupation: Norman initially followed in his father’s footsteps, becoming an apprentice engineer for Earle’s Shipbuilding and Engineering Co. on Headon Road in Hull. He then joined the merchant marine. A record card from 1924 described him as 5 feet 10 inches tall with grey eyes and brown hair. This work probably took him south, where he met his future wife Dorothy in the port of Avonmouth.
Residences: when Norman was married he gave his address as Oban Villas in Sutton Ings. By 1938 the young family had a semi-detached house called Purview on Sir John’s Lane in the very north of Bristol. Post-war they moved to Cardiff, where from 1949 to 1967 they lived in a large house on busy Park Road. They then moved to a quiet bungalow on Pen Y Fai.
- Norman: 39 Pelham Street, Middlesbrough (1903); 93 Aire Street, Middlesbrough (1911); 5 Oban Villas, Kingston upon Hull (1930); Purview, Sir John’s Lane, Bristol (1938-1939); 17 Hospital Cottages, Park Road, Cardiff (1949-1967); 28 Pen Y Fai, Cardiff (1968-1987)
- Dorothy: 14 Collins Street, Avonmouth (1911-1921); Purview, Sir John’s Lane, Bristol (1938-1939); 17 Hospital Cottages, Park Road, Cardiff (1949-1967); 28 Pen Y Fai, Cardiff (1968-1978)
Deaths: Norman died on 10 June 1987 when aged 83. Dorothy likely died six years later at Ty-Coch Nursing Home in Llanishen on 15 December 1993.
G3: Ruby Coy (1906-1973)
Birth: Ruby Coy was born on 27 January 1906 in Middlesbrough. She was the second child of George and Lily.
Christening: on 30 November 1903 in All Saints Church on Linthorpe Road.
Marriage: to Henry Claud Townend on 26 May 1931 in Hull. She was aged 26 and he was 45.
Spouse history: often known as Harry, he was 20 years older than Ruby and had been born in Goole on 14 April 1886 to accountant George William Townend and Elizabeth Thomson. He was christened in Snaith Methodist Church a couple of weeks later, which was a village about 7 miles west of Goole. He married Ida Nichols in 1910 and the couple had four children together (Leslie, Kenneth, Jack, and George). In 1911 the family had a house on Cranbrook Avenue, a wide tree-lined road in a newly built suburb in the north of Hull. They then moved to Maynard Lodge on Newland Park in time to be captured there in the census of 1921. Ida died in 1930 when aged 42.
Children: their first child was born in 1932 but died before he could be named. Further children were born in 1934, 1938 and 1941.
Occupations: the 1921 census showed that despite being only 15 years old, Ruby worked as an apprentice milliner for Hilyards Ltd. on Prospect Street in Hull. Henry had a successful career in insurance, first as an inspector for the Employers Liability Assurance Co. Ltd in Hull and later as an insurance broker. Insurance inspectors would visit properties to evaluate potential risks that could lead to damage or loss, helping the insurance companies determine appropriate coverage and premiums.
- Ruby: 93 Aire Street, Middlesbrough (1911); 748 Marfleet Lane, Hull (1921-1930); 21 St. George’s Road, Hull (1939)
- Henry: 35 Cranbrook Avenue, Kingston upon Hull (1911); Maynard Lodge, 68 Newland Park, Hull (1922); 21 St. George’s Road, Hull (1939)
Residences: Henry’s middle-class income was reflected in their large semi-detached house on St George’s Road in the west of the city. The wide tree-lined road featured yellow-brick terraced houses that were larger than on neighbouring roads, with bay windows and long gardens.
Deaths: Henry died in Hull during 1958 when aged 71. Ruby died in Hull during 1973 aged 67.
G2: Unnamed Townend (1932)
The first child of Henry and Ruby was born in the Sculcoates suburb of Hull during 1932 but died before he could be named.
G3: Lily Coy (1911-?)
Birth: Lily Coy was born during 1911 in Middlesbrough. She was the third child of George and Lily.
Notes: she likely married Fred Smith in 1937, but further confirmation is required.
G3: Maisie Coy (1916-1957)
Birth: Maisie Coy was born on 21 April 1916 in Middlesbrough. She was the fourth child of George and Lily.
Marriage: to Alfred Christie Pearson in 1936 in Hull. She was aged 19 and he was 25.
Spouse history: Alfred had been born in Sunderland on 19 August 1910, the fourth child of Alfred Christie Pearson and Mary Jane Hope. He was christened at St Ignatius the Martyr Church in the Hendon suburb during September. When the 1911 census was taken a few months later, it captured the family living in a terraced house on Westbourne Road in the north of the town. His father was an engineman at a gas works. When the 1921 census was taken, the five Pearson children, who were aged between 17 and 8, were boarding with Robert and Elizabeth Walker in what must have been a very cramped terraced house on Close Street. There is no record of their parents, and it is not known if they had any relation to the Walkers.
Children: a first child was born in the year following their marriage and then a second in 1939.
Occupations: it’s possible that in the early 1930s Alfred was in the merchant navy, operating in the Pacific and off the coast of California. By 1939 29-year-old Alfred was a maintenance engineer (qualified marine fitter and turner).
Residences: in 1939 the young family lived on Rimswell Grove, part of a housing estate in Hull. By 1957 they lived in a large house on The Crescent in the village of Chartham, on the very border of the Kent Downs.
- Maisie: 748 Marfleet Lane, Hull (1921-1930); 3 Rimswell Grove, Hull (1939); 23 The Crescent, Chartham (1957)
- Alfred: 98 Westbourne Road, Sunderland (1911); 23 Close Street, Sunderland (1921); 3 Rimswell Grove, Hull (1939); 23 The Crescent, Chartham (1957)
Deaths: Maisie died on 30 November 1957 when aged just 41. She left her effects of £158 1s. to Alfred, who was a hospital engineer. Alfred remarried in 1958 to Elizabeth Sproul McPherson. He died in Canterbury on 6 March 1996 while aged 85 and was cremated in nearby Barham.
