Continuing the story of the family founded by William Copus and Mary Stuart in the 19th century, we pick up with children George and Jessie in the 1850s, tracing their lives and the generations that followed.
Table of Contents
To enhance readability, this family history is divided into several parts.
G5: George Reuben Copus (1852-1853)
Birth: George Reuben Copus was born in Woolwich on 12 January 1852. He was the seventh child of William and Mary.
Christening: on 11 February 1852 at St Mary Magdalene Church on Greenlaw Street.
Residences: Rush Grove, Woolwich (1852).
Deaths: a Reuben Copes died in Greenwich during 1853 and since there is no further mention of him in any records, this is taken to be the same person. He was buried on 14 November in the ‘new ground’ at Union Chapel in Sim Alley off Church Street.
G5: Jessie Copus (1853-1904)
Birth: Jessie Copus was born in Woolwich on 29 December 1853. She was the eighth child of William and Mary.
Christening: curiously Jessie was not christened until the age of 35, with the ceremony undertaken on 25 March 1889 at St Paul’s Church in Middlesbrough.
Marriage: to Thomas Patfield on 12 January 1871 at St Mary Magdalene Church on Greenlaw Street in Woolwich. She was aged 17 and he was 36.
Spouse history: Thomas was 18 years older than Jessie and had been born in Chertsey, Surrey during 1835 to labourer William Patfield. Curiously there is a second marriage record for Thomas Patfield and Jessie Copus in Monmouthshire the following year. It’s hard to believe there are two people with such distinctive names being married, and further investigation is warranted.
Children: (1) Annie in 1873, (2) Jessie in 1875, (3) Winifred in 1876, (4) Emily in 1877, (5) Frederick in 1879, (6) Ada in 1882, (7) Ernest in 1885; (8) Alexander in 1887; (9) Beatrice in 1892; (10) Harold in 1894. Sadly, their last four children all died as infants.
Military service: Thomas enlisted into the army in July 1853 when aged 17. He was described as 5 feet 5 inches tall with hazel eyes, brown hair, and a fresh complexion. He joined the 14th Regiment of Foot with service number 3157, serving for less than a year before being discharged as medically unfit for further service because of venereal disease. He either continued in the army or soon re-enlisted, however.
There is a curious conflict in his service history. The 1861 Worldwide Army Index, which is essentially a census, records that he was a Sergeant in the 94th Foot serving at Meean Meer in India. However, his service record shows that he only joined the regiment after they returned from India in 1865 and was not promoted to Sergeant until August 1866. Both had the same service number however and so is undoubtably the same person. His discharge records also show that he served for seven years in India, along with a year at Gibraltar. Thomas was promoted to Corporal in September 1865, a month after he had joined the 94th Regiment of Foot with service number 3080. The Regiment had just returned from service in India and over the next few years were stationed at Dover, Aldershot, Newport, and finally Ireland where they were based at Mullingar, Curragh, and Belfast. He was promoted to Sergeant in August 1866, and eventually discharged by his own request in July 1875 after 21 years’ service. He had been awarded the Long Service and Good Conduct Medal in 1874.
Residences: at the time of their marriage Jessie lived around the corner from her parents on Frances Street, directly opposite the barracks of the Woolwich Division of the Royal Marines. The road was described by Charles Booth a few years later described as “Shops below. Poor above. Mixed opposite barracks. Prostitutes”. The census taken a few weeks later captured 35-year-old Thomas living in barracks in Aldershot. Jessie now lived with George and Harriet Field and their five children on nearby Union Terrace.
The couple then lived in Newport for a time before Thomas was posted to Ireland. After he was discharged the family then settled in Redcar, likely to be close to the many members of the Copus family who had relocated to nearby Middlesbrough.
By 1881 they had moved 15 miles west to rapidly growing Stockton-on-Tees, where they had a terraced house on Webster Street in the town centre. By 1889 they had moved along the Tees to Middlesbrough, where they had a terraced house just a few along from Jessie’s sister Jane on Alexandria Street.
- Jessie: 5 Rush Grove Street, Woolwich (1856-1862); 25 Frances Street, Woolwich (1871); 2 Union Terrace, Aldershot (1871); 19 Webster Street, Stockton-on-Tees (1881); 65 Denmark Street, Middlesbrough (1885); 29 Alexandria Street, Middlesbrough (1887-1904)
- Thomas: Infantry Barracks, Aldershot (1871); 19 Webster Street, Stockton-on-Tees (1881); 65 Denmark Street, Middlesbrough (1885); 29 Alexandria Street, Middlesbrough (1887-1907)
Occupations: after leaving the army Thomas became a general labourer and blacksmith’s striker, while Jessie worked as a dressmaker.
Deaths: Jessie died in Middlesbrough on 7 January 1904 when aged 50. Thomas survived her for two years and died on 27 August 1907 when aged 72. They were both buried in Linthorpe Cemetery.
G4: Annie Maud Patfield (1873-1930)
Birth: Annie Maud Patfield was born in Newport during 1873. She was the first child of Thomas and Jessie.
Christening: on 19 March 1873 at St Paul’s Church on Commercial Street.
Marriage (1): to Robert William Cobb on New Year’s Day 1897 at St Paul’s Church on Newport Road in Middlesbrough. She was aged 24 and he was 26. Robert’s younger sister Hannah had married Annie’s cousin Thomas Walker that same year.
Spouse history (1): Robert had been born in Middlesbrough during 1871, the third child of Francis Wilson Cobb and Jane Smith. He was christened in December. By 1881 the family lived on School Croft in the town centre. His father was originally from Bridlington and a merchant seaman, while his housewife mother was from Beresford.
Children: (1) Annie in 1898, (2) Robert in 1900.
Death: Robert died in 1902 when aged 31 and was buried in Linthorpe Cemetery on 20 May.
Marriage (2): to James Wagstaff on 15 May 1915 at All Saints Church on Linthorpe Road. She was aged 42 and he was 56.
Spouse history (2): James had been born in North Shields on 11 June 1858 to John Wagstaff. It is highly likely that he is the son of James and Frances Wagstaff but given that there is a discrepancy between the dates of birth in the 1939 Register and the baptism records, further evidence is required.
Residences: at the time of their marriage Annie and Robert lived together with Annie’s parents on Alexandria Street. By 1900 they had a terraced house of their own on Poplar Street, but following Robert’s untimely death she moved to Harris Street, where she lived with her two children and spinster sister Emily until marrying Robert in 1915. After Annie’s death in 1930, James and Emily continued to live together until his death a decade later.
- Annie: 19 Webster Street, Stockton-on-Tees (1881); 29 Alexandria Street, Middlesbrough (1889-1897); 17 Poplar Street, Middlesbrough (1898-1901); 33 Harris Street, Middlesbrough (1911-1930)
- Robert: 18 School Croft (1881-1891); 29 Alexandria Street (1897); 17 Poplar Street (1898-1901) – all in Middlesbrough.
- James: 71 Monkland Street, Middlesbrough (1915); 33 Harris Street, Middlesbrough (1918-1939)
Occupations: when the 1891 census was taken, 19-year-old Robert was a clerk for a coat merchant. By 1911 the 38-year-old widow Annie was a self-employed dressmaker who worked from home. Second husband James was a fireman, later becoming a fitter’s labourer in the wire mills of Dorman Long.
Deaths: Annie died in 1930 when aged 57 and was buried in Linthorpe Cemetery on 5 May. James died in 1939 when aged 81 and was also buried in Linthorpe Cemetery.
Notes: there is no record of Annie in the 1891 census.
G3: Annie May Cobb (1898-1987)
Birth: Annie May Cobb was born in Middlesbrough on 17 May 1898. She was the first child of Robert and Annie.
Christening: on 12 June 1898 at St Paul’s Church on Newport Road.
Marriage: to Walter Fletcher on 26 December 1925 at St Paul’s Church. She was aged 27 and he was 22.
Spouse history: Walter was a few years younger than Annie and had been born in Danby on 20 April 1903, one of the nine children of James Fletcher and Elizabeth Swales. His father was a farmer.
Children: (1) Jean in 1927
Occupations: Annie became a cook and in 1921 worked for William and Anne Fowler in Reading. He was the vicar of Earley St Peter’s, Reading, and they lived in the vicarage. Walter at this time was labouring in the coke fields of the Skinningrove Iron Company in, which also employed three of his older brothers.
Residences: after moving back north from Reading Annie settled in the village of Loftus about 20 miles east of Middlesbrough. The couple lived with Walter’s parents at the time of their marriage, although the register nominally gives his address at that of Annie’s aunt Jessie. They moved into their own house on Tyne Street, which in 1939 was next door to Annie’s cousin Jessie Dale.
- Annie: 17 Poplar Street, Middlesbrough (1898-1901); 33 Harris Street, Middlesbrough (1911); Earley Vicarage, Reading (1921); 8 Gladstone Street, Loftus (1925); 26 Tyne Street, Loftus (1939)
- Walter: Howe Cottage, Danby (1903); 8 Gladstone Street, Loftus (1911-1921); 14 Rushford Street, Middlesbrough (1925)
Deaths: Walter died in 1977 when aged 74. Annie died during 1987 when aged 88.
G2: Jean Fletcher (1927-)
Birth: Jean Fletcher was born on 16 March 1927. She was the first child of Walter and Annie.
Marriage: to Cecil Garner in Middlesbrough during 1947. She was aged 20.
Residences: after their marriage the couple had a house together on Harris Street before moving out to Redcar in the mid-1950s.
- Jean: 26 Tyne Street, Loftus (1939); 37 Harris Street, Middlesbrough (1947-1956); 15 York Terrace, Redcar (1957-1963); 56 Kent Close, Redcar (1964-1972)
- Cecil: 37 Harris Street, Middlesbrough (1947-1956); 15 York Terrace, Redcar (1957-1963); 56 Kent Close, Redcar (1964-1972)
Deaths: Jean died in 2003 when aged 76.
G3: Robert Thomas Cobb (1900-1972)
Birth: Robert Thomas Cobb was born in Middlesbrough on 5 April 1900. He was the second child of Robert and Annie.
Christening: on 25 April 1900 at St Paul’s Church on Newport Road.
Marriage: to Mary Anne Taylor during 1926 in Middlesbrough. He was aged 25 and she was 22.
Spouse history: Mary, commonly known by her middle name, had been born on 22 January 1903 to Arthur Burrows Taylor and Mary Jane Gage. The family lived on Emerald Street in South Bank, just to the east of Middlesbrough, where her father was a dock labourer for an iron and steel company. Over the next decade they moved to West Terrace. By 1921 Mary worked as a domestic servant in the hairdressers of a Mr W Wagstaff on Middlesbrough Road, and possibly a relative of her future father-in-law?
Children: (1) Winifred in 1927, and possibly (2) Enis in 1929, and (3) Joan in 1933 but confirmation is required.
Occupations: by 1921 Robert had joined his stepfather working at the Dorman Long steelworks where he was an assistant shearer – helping to operate the mechanical shear used for cutting or trimming metal sheets and plates to specific dimensions. He worked in the steel industry for the next 20 years, and in 1939 was a steel bender at the rolling mill at Steel Test House.
Residences: the newlyweds moved in with Robert’s cousin Frank Longstaff, whose mother had recently, in his house on Rushford Street which was also often shared with other couples. They made their first home together on Bush Street. Post-war they settled in a house on Brompton Street which would be their home until Robert’s death. They were joined by Frank Longstaff from 1966 after Elsie’s death.
- Robert: 17 Poplar Street (1900-1901); 33 Harris Street (1911-1926); 89 West Terrace (1926); 14 Rushford Street (1928-1933); 8 Bush Street (1934-1939); 49 Brompton Street (1949-1972) – all in Middlesbrough.
- Anne: 2 Emerald Street (1903); 14 Emerald Street (1911); 89 West Terrace (1918-1926); 14 Rushford Street (1928-1933); 8 Bush Street (1934-1939); 49 Brompton Street (1949-1974) – all in Middlesbrough.
Deaths: Robert died in Middlesbrough on 19 February 1972 when aged 72. Anne survived him for 10 years and died in Southend-on-Sea during 1982 when aged 79.
G3: Winifred May Cobb (1927-2001)
Birth: Winifred May Cobb was born in Middlesbrough on 2 May 1927. She was the first child of Robert and Mary.
Marriage: to William James Doe during 1946 in Middlesbrough. She was aged 18 and he was 25.
Spouse history: William had been born on 28 December 1920, the third child of Ernest Richard Doe and Mabel. The family lived in the village of in Bishop’s Stortford in Hertfordshire, about 40 miles northeast of London, where his father was a self-employed merchant in hide skins and wool.
Children: (1) John in 1949
Residences: the couple lived with Winifred’s parents briefly in 1959 before moving to the village of Great Ayton the following year, where they lived in a couple of houses on post-war residential estates. Later in life they moved south to Suffolk where they lived in the village of Reydon.
- Winifred: 14 Rushford Street, Middlesbrough (1928-1933); 8 Bush Street, Middlesbrough (1934-1939); 49 Brompton Street, Middlesbrough (1959); 11 Wheatlands, Great Ayton (1960-1968); 27 Wainstones Close, Great Ayton (1969-1972)
- William: 25 South Mill Road, Bishop’s Stortford (1921)
Deaths: Winifred died in Waveney, Suffolk on 14 August 2001 when aged 74 and was buried in the graveyard at St Margaret’s Church, Reydon. William died in Bishop’s Stortford on 2 April 2014 when aged 93.
G4: Jessie Patfield (1875-?)
Birth: Jessie Patfield was born in Dublin during 1875. She was the second child of Thomas and Jessie.
Marriage: to Fred Winter Richardson on 26 December 1898 at St Paul’s Church on Newport Road in Middlesbrough. They were both aged 23.
Spouse history: Fred had been born on 13 March 1875, the fifth child of John Richardson and Esther Winter. The family was originally from Moorsholm near Guisborough but had moved to Middlesbrough before he was born. In 1881 they lived on Gladstone Street in the residential west of the town. His father was a tailor while his older brother John was a tram conductor. By 1891, they had moved to nearby High Denmark Street.
Children: (1) Fred in 1900, (2) Thomas in 1902, (3) Jessie in 1904, (4) Hettie in 1907, (5) Minnie in 1909, (6) George in 1915. Both Fred and Minnie died within a year.
Residences: at the time of their marriage the couple lived with their respective parents. They soon had a place of their own on Monkland Street, before then moving on to Alexandria Street.
At some point between 1907 and 1911, the family moved 20 miles inland to the mining village of Leeholme near Bishop Auckland – adjacent to Coundon, where Jessie’s sister Winifred had moved to at around the same time. The arrival of the railways to the area during the Industrial Revolution had enabled the plentiful reserves of coal to be mined and exported in large quantities, while ironworks grew up alongside. By 1900 there were 60 collieries employing 16,000 people in towns such as Coundon and Leeholme. The family had a terraced house adjacent to the colliery railway on Kent Street.
Fred moved back to Middlesbrough after Jessie’s death, living on Fleetham Street which was possibly a lodging house, as it was shared with three other men.
- Jessie: 19 Webster Street, Stockton-on-Tees (1881); 65 Denmark Street, Middlesbrough (1885); 15 Westward Street, Middlesbrough (1891); 29 Alexandria Street, Middlesbrough (1898); 63 Monkland Street, Middlesbrough (1900-1902); 34 Alexandria Street, Middlesbrough (1902-1904); 27 Alexandria Street, Middlesbrough (1905-1907); 29 Alexandria Street, Middlesbrough (1908); 4 Kent Street, Leeholme (1911); 6 Kent Street, Leeholme (1921)
- Fred: 27 Gladstone Street, Middlesbrough (1881); 12 Denmark Street, Middlesbrough (1891); 5 Denmark Street, Middlesbrough (1898); 63 Monkland Street, Middlesbrough (1900-1902); 34 Alexandria Street, Middlesbrough (1902-1904); 27 Alexandria Street, Middlesbrough (1905-1907); 29 Alexandria Street, Middlesbrough (1908); 4 Kent Street, Leeholme (1911); 6 Kent Street, Leeholme (1921); 21 Fleetham Street, Middlesbrough (1939)
Occupations: by 1891, 16-year-old Jessie was a domestic servant in Middlesbrough, living on Westward Street with widower Isaac Smalls and his family, which was next door to her cousin Emily Heron. At this time Fred worked as a ginger beer maker, later being recorded on his marriage certificate as a ‘bottler’, which is presumably related. By 1901 he had joined the mass of workers in the iron industry
After moving to Leeholme Fred worked for Bolckow, Vaughan & Co. Ltd. in their colliery at Leasingthorne as a ‘coke man’ and a ‘craneman’ on the coke ovens. Many collieries had coke ovens on site to turn coal into valuable coke on site, enabling them to diversify their operations and reduce waste by utilising low-quality coal not suitable for other purposes. The 1921 census reveals that his son also worked there, and that both were on strike.
Deaths: Jessie died some time before 1939 (likely in 1935). Fred died during 1960 when aged 85 and was buried at Loftus Cemetery in Saltburn on 26 May.
G3: Fred Richardson (1900)
Birth: Fred Richardson was born in Middlesbrough on 14 April 1900. He was the first child of Fred and Jessie.
Christening: on 24 April 1900 at All Saints Church on Linthorpe Road.
Residences: 63 Monkland Street, Middlesbrough (1900)
Deaths: sadly, died within days and was buried at Linthorpe Cemetery on 28 April.
G3: Thomas William Richardson (1902-1973)
Birth: Thomas William Richardson was born in Middlesbrough on 8 November 1902. He was the second child of Fred and Jessie but the first to survive infancy.
Christening: on 26 November 1902 at St Paul’s Church on Newport Road.
Marriage: to Hilda Land on 26 December 1898 in Bishop Auckland. He was aged 26 and she was 19.
Spouse history: Hilda had been born in Coundon on 20 October 1909 to Jonathan Land and Mary Ellen Davison. In 1911 they lived on Neale Street in nearby Ferryhill where her father worked as a foreman on the coke ovens in an ironworks. By 1921 they had moved back to Coundon where they had a house on Clyde Terrace.
Children: (1) Lawrence in 1930.
Occupations: by 1921 Thomas, now aged 18, had joined his father at the coal mine of Bolckow, Vaughan & Co. Ltd. at Leasingthorne where he worked as a pony driver. It was noted on the census that both were on strike. By 1939 he laboured as a below-ground colliery stoneman.
Residences: in 1939 the young family lived on Leeholme Avenue.
- Thomas: 34 Alexandria Street, Middlesbrough (1902-1904); 27 Alexandria Street, Middlesbrough (1905-1907); 29 Alexandria Street, Middlesbrough (1908); 4 Kent Street, Leeholme (1911); 6 Kent Street, Leeholme (1921)
- Hilda: 12 Neale Street, Ferryhill (1911); 6 Clyde Terrace South, Coundon (1921)
Deaths: Thomas died in 1973 when aged 70. Hilda died in 1995 when aged 85.
G2: Lawrence Richardson (1930-2008)
Birth: Lawrence Richardson was born in the Coundon area on 31 December 1930. He was the first child of Thomas and Hilda.
Residences: 26 Leeholme Avenue, Leeholme (1939)
Deaths: he died in Shildon on 17 March 2008 when aged 77.
G3: Jessie Richardson (1904-1998)
Birth: Jessie Richardson was born in Middlesbrough on 12 April 1904. She was the third child of Fred and Jessie.
Christening: on 1 May 1904 at St Paul’s Church on Newport Road.
Marriage: to Fred Dale during 1927 in Bishop Auckland. She was aged 22 and he was 24.
Spouse history: Fred had been born on 30 August 1902. He is almost certainly the son of Charles and Mary Ann Dale of Loftus, but due to the extreme commonality of his name, confirmation is required.
Children: (1) Ronald in 1930.
Occupations: Fred worked in the steel industry where he had a job on the rolling mills.
Residences: the newlyweds moved to the village of Loftus in the 1920s where they lived in the same on Tyne Street for the rest of their lives. In 1939 Jessie’s cousin Annie Fletcher lived next door, while from the 1960s her sister Hettie was just a few doors down.
- Jessie: 34 Alexandria Street, Middlesbrough (1904); 27 Alexandria Street, Middlesbrough (1905-1907); 29 Alexandria Street, Middlesbrough (1908); 4 Kent Street, Leeholme (1911); 6 Kent Street, Leeholme (1921); 24 Tyne Street, Loftus (1928-1971)
- Fred: 24 Tyne Street, Loftus (1928-1966)
Deaths: Jessie died in 1998 when aged 94.
G3: Hettie Richardson (1907-?)
Birth: Hettie Richardson was born in Middlesbrough on 8 April 1907. She was the fourth child of Fred and Jessie.
Christening: on 30 April 1907 at St Paul’s Church on Newport Road.
Occupations: in 1939 Hettie worked as a domestic servant.
Residences: in 1939 Hettie lived with sister Jessie and family in Loftus, and from the mid 1960s had a house of her own just a few doors down.
- 27 Alexandria Street, Middlesbrough (1907); 29 Alexandria Street, Middlesbrough (1908); 4 Kent Street, Leeholme (1911); 6 Kent Street, Leeholme (1921); 24 Tyne Street, Loftus (1939); 18 Tyne Street, Loftus (1964-1971)
G3: Minnie Richardson (1909-1910)
Birth: Minnie Richardson was born in Leeholm during 1909. She was the fifth child of Fred and Jessie.
Death: early the following year.
G3: George Richardson (1915-?)
Birth: George Richardson was born in Leeholm during 1915. He was the sixth child of Fred and Jessie.
Notes: Nothing further is known about George, although he is not recorded on the 1921 census and likely dead.
G4: Winifred Patfield (1876-1940)
Birth: Winifred Patfield was born in Redcar on 27 May 1876. She was the third child of Thomas and Jessie.
Christening: on 18 June 1876.
Marriage: to George William Gibson during 1897 in Middlesbrough. They were both aged 20.
Spouse history: George had been born in Middlesbrough on 9 January 1876 to blacksmith Thomas Gibson and his wife Ellen Cording. In 1891 the family lived not far from Winifred on High Gladstone Street.
Children: (1) Winifred in 1897, (2) Frederick in 1899, (3) George in 1902, (4) Henry in 1905, (5) Robert in 1908, (6) Olive in 1913, (7) Thomas in 1914, (8) Greta in 1915, (9) Frank in 1922. Winifred, Frederick, and Thomas all died in infancy.
Residences: the young family initially lived with Winifred’s parents but soon moved into a house of their own. By 1908 they had moved 25 miles inland to the mining village of Coundon, next to Leeholme, where Winifred’s sister Jessie moved to at around the same time. In 1911 they had a terraced house on Gurlish West amongst the open fields on the edge of the village. The family had moved back to Middlesbrough by the end of the First World War, settling in a terraced house on Booth Street in the west of the town that would be their home for the next few decades.
- Winifred: 19 Webster Street, Stockton-on-Tees (1881); 65 Denmark Street, Middlesbrough (1885); 29 Alexandria Street, Middlesbrough (1887-1899); 33 Alexandria Street, Middlesbrough (1901); 29 Alexandria Street, Middlesbrough (1902); 14 Banks Street, Middlesbrough (1904-1906); 19 Gurlish West, Coundon (1911); 12 Booth Street, Middlesbrough (1918-1940)
- George: 20 Gladstone Street, Middlesbrough (1891); 29 Alexandria Street, Middlesbrough (1897-1899); 33 Alexandria Street, Middlesbrough (1901); 29 Alexandria Street, Middlesbrough (1902); 14 Banks Street, Middlesbrough (1904-1906); 19 Gurlish West, Coundon (1911); 12 Booth Street, Middlesbrough (1918-1953)
Occupations: George had joined the workforce by the age of 15 when he laboured in an ironworks. He later became a blacksmith’s striker, which involved swinging the heavy sledgehammer and striking the hot iron in the metal forging process. In practice, the blacksmith held the hot iron at the anvil in one hand and indicated where to strike the iron by tapping it with a small hammer in the other hand. The striker then delivered a heavy blow to the indicated spot with a sledgehammer.
By the age of 35, George was a valveman in the coke ovens, playing a key role operating the critical valves that controlled the flow of various gases and liquids involved in the coke-making process. After moving back to Middlesbrough, he joined Dorman Long as a blacksmith at their Britannia steelworks.
Deaths: Winifred died in 1940 year when aged 64 and was buried at Linthorpe Cemetery. George survived her for 19 years and died in 1959 when aged 83.
G3: Winifred Gibson (1897-1899)
Birth: Winifred Gibson was born in Middlesbrough on 19 August 1897. She was the first child of George and Winifred.
Christening: on 5 September 1897 at St Paul’s Church on Newport Road.
Residences: 29 Alexandria Street, Middlesbrough (1897-1899)
Death: died aged 2 and buried at Linthorpe Cemetery on 4 November 1899.
G3: Frederick Thomas Gibson (1899-1900)
Birth: Frederick Thomas Gibson was born in Middlesbrough on 3 December 1899. He was the second child of George and Winifred.
Christening: on 20 December 1899 at St Paul’s Church on Newport Road.
Residences: 29 Alexandria Street, Middlesbrough (1899)
Death: died aged 8 months and was buried at Linthorpe Cemetery on 2 September 1900.
G3: George William Gibson (1902-?)
Birth: George William Gibson was born in Middlesbrough on 15 November 1902. He was the third child of George and Winifred, but the first to survive infancy.
Christening: on 3 December 1902 at St Paul’s Church on Newport Road.
Residences: 29 Alexandria Street, Middlesbrough (1902); 14 Banks Street, Middlesbrough (1904-1906); 19 Gurlish West, Coundon (1911); 12 Booth Street, Middlesbrough (1918-1926).
Occupations: in 1921 George worked as an order clerk for Dorman Long in their Britannia steelworks – the same factory where his father was a blacksmith.
Death: it’s likely that George died during 1925 when aged 23.
G3: Henry Gibson (1905-?)
Birth: Henry Gibson was born in Middlesbrough on 25 July 1905. He was the fourth child of George and Winifred.
Christening: on 9 August 1905 at St Paul’s Church on Newport Road.
Marriage: to Violet Gibson during 1928 in Middlesbrough. He was aged 22 and she was 20.
Spouse history: Violet had been born on 3 December 1907 to Robert Henry Gibson and Margaret Ann James. Her father had died by 1911 when the family of five lived on Fancoat Street. Her mother married Richard O’Brien in 1914.
Children: two boys born in 1931 and 1935.
Occupations: despite being only 15 years old in 1921, Henry had joined his father and older brother in working for Dorman Long in their Britannia steelworks. It was Henry’s job to control one of the steam hammers used to shape forgings – huge tools that were precise and versatile. During the Great Exhibition of 1851 one was demonstrated by resting an egg on a glass under the hammer. When the hammer fell it broke the egg but not the glass. The machine was then reset, and the hammer thudded down with a thump that shook the building. By 1939 he had become a blast furnace charger.
Residences: the newlyweds lived briefly with Violet’s parents and in houses on adjacent streets before settling in a typical terraced house on Warwick Street in the Ayresome suburb.
- Henry: 14 Banks Street, Middlesbrough (1905-1906); 19 Gurlish West, Coundon (1911); 12 Booth Street, Middlesbrough (1918-1927); 22 Fancoat Street, Middlesbrough (1929-1931); 27 Booth Street, Middlesbrough (1932); 23 Booth Street, Middlesbrough (1933-1938); 70 Warwick Street, Middlesbrough (1939-1974)
- Violet: 22 Fancoat Street, Middlesbrough (1911-1921, 1931); 17 Samuelson Street, Middlesbrough (1930); 27 Booth Street, Middlesbrough (1932); 23 Booth Street, Middlesbrough (1933-1938); 70 Warwick Street, Middlesbrough (1939-1974)
Deaths: Violet died during 1988 when aged 80. Henry likely died in Blackpool during 1988.
G3: Robert Gibson (1908-?)
Birth: Robert Gibson was born in Coundon during 1908. He was the fifth child of George and Winifred.
Residences: 19 Gurlish West, Coundon (1911); 12 Booth Street, Middlesbrough (1918-1921)
G3: Olive Gibson (1913-1980)
Birth: Olive Gibson was born in Coundon on 9 February 1913. She was the sixth child of George and Winifred.
Marriage: to Norman Gibson on 25 February 1936 at St Cuthbert’s in Middlesbrough. She was aged 23 and he was 26. She was the second member of the family to marry someone with the same surname as her.
Spouse history: Norman had been born on Christmas Eve 1909 to Lawrence Gibson.
Occupations: in 1936 Norman was a process worker in an oil refinery.
Residences: the newlyweds settled in the Ayresome suburb, where they first lived on Heywood Street before moving into the house next door to Olive’s sister Violet on Warwick Street. They were neighbours for 20 years before Olive and Norman moved to a housing estate in the south of the town.
- Olive: 12 Booth Street, Middlesbrough (1918-1936); 20 Heywood Street, Middlesbrough (1936-1939); 68 Warwick Street, Middlesbrough (1939-1961); 56 Kader Avenue (1962-1968)
- Norman: Bellarin Farm, Haverton Hill (1936), 20 Heywood Street, Middlesbrough (1936-1939); 68 Warwick Street, Middlesbrough (1939-1961); 56 Kader Avenue (1962-1967)
Deaths: Olive died in Northallerton during 1980 when aged 67. George had likely died during 1966.
G3: Thomas Frederick Gibson (1914)
Birth: Thomas Frederick Gibson was born in Coundon during 1914. He was the seventh child of George and Winifred.
Death: shortly afterwards.
G3: Greta Gibson (1915-?)
Birth: Greta Gibson was born in Coundon on 5 September 1915. She was the eighth child of George and Winifred.
Marriage: to John D. Williams during 1949 in Middlesbrough. She was aged 33.
Residences: 12 Booth Street, Middlesbrough (1918-1939)
Notes: 24-year-old Greta still lived at home when the National Register was taken in September 1939 and was described as ‘incapacitated’. It’s possible that she and John had several children, but their names are too common to be certain. There is no record of Greta after 1950.
G3: Frank Gibson (1922-1975)
Birth: Frank Gibson was born in Middlesbrough on 2 February 1922. He was the ninth and final child of George and Winifred.
Christening: on 23 February 1922 at St Cuthbert’s Church.
Occupations: 17-year-old Frank worked as a wagon boy in 1939.
Residences: 12 Booth Street, Middlesbrough (1922-1953)
Death: Frank died in Cleveland during 1975 when aged 53.
Notes: it’s likely that he married Joan Anderson in 1946, but further confirmation is needed.
G4: Emily Jane Patfield (1877-1949)
Birth: Emily Jane Patfield was born in Redcar on 30 July 1877. She was the fourth child of Thomas and Jessie.
Christening: on 26 August 1877 at St Peter’s Church on Lord Street.
Marriage: Emily remained a lifelong spinster but lived with John George Cobb from 1918 until his death in 1945. John was the brother of Emily’s eldest sister’s husband.
Residences: Emily always lived with family and never independently. The 1911 census cites that she was an ‘invalid’ and it’s possible that she needed additional care. At this time she lived with her widowed sister Annie and two children in a terraced house on Harris Street in the centre of Middlesbrough. By the end of the First World War, Emily and John Cobb lived with younger sister Ada and family in their home on Rushford Street.
After Ada’s death in 1927, Emily and John moved back to live with Annie and her second husband James on Harris Street, although Annie died the next year. The duo continued to live with James until 1939 when he too died. They continued to live there with Annie’s daughter until their own deaths in 1945 and 1949 respectively.
- 19 Webster Street, Stockton-on-Tees (1881); 65 Denmark Street, Middlesbrough (1885); 29 Alexandria Street, Middlesbrough (1887-1901); 33 Harris Street, Middlesbrough (1911); 14 Rushford Street, Middlesbrough (1919-1926); 33 Harris Street, Middlesbrough (1929-1948)
Occupations: Emily was a general domestic servant.
Death: Emily died aged 71 and was buried in Linthorpe Cemetery on 13 January 1949.
G4: Frederick William Patfield (1879-1898)
Birth: Frederick William Patfield was born in Redcar during 1879. He was the fifth child of Thomas and Jessie.
Christening: on 23 March 1879 at St Peter’s Church on Lord Street.
Residences: 19 Webster Street, Stockton-on-Tees (1881); 65 Denmark Street, Middlesbrough (1885); 29 Alexandria Street, Middlesbrough (1887-1898)
Occupations: Frederick worked as a train fireman, tending the boilers of the locomotives. He was seriously injured on 20 May 1898 when his leg was crushed by an empty train waggon while uncoupling trains at the North-Eastern Steelworks
Death: Frederick died from his injuries on 11 July 1898 when aged just 19. He was buried in Linthorpe Cemetery.
G4: Ada Georgina Patfield (1882-1927)
Birth: Ada Georgina Patfield was born in Stockton-on-Tees during 1882. He was the sixth child of Thomas and Jessie.
Marriage: to Arthur Longstaff on 18 April 1908 in Middlesbrough. She was aged 26 and he was 25.
Spouse history: Arthur had been born in Middlesbrough on 3 April 1883, the fourth child of Joseph Longstaff and Fanny Dawson. His mother died shortly afterwards, perhaps due to complications from childbirth. In 1891 his widowed father lived with his five sons in a back-to-back terraced house on Buxton Street. He was a craneman.
Children: (1) Frank in 1909, (2) Edna in 1910, (3) Dorothy in 1913. Sadly, Edna died in infancy.
Occupations: by the time Ada was 18, she had followed in her mother’s footsteps and become a dressmaker. 27-year-old Arthur had worked as a furnaceman for a wire manufacturer when captured in the 1911 census. A decade later and he had the same role, with the census recording his employer as the Cleveland Wire Works, owned by Dorman Long. He appeared to still have the same job in 1939, alongside serving as a Special Constable in the part-time volunteer police.
Residences: the newlyweds had four different houses in the first ten years of marriage, mostly in the centre of town except for a short spell on Letitia Street out by Newport Bridge. From 1919 Ada’s elder sister Emily and partner John Cobb lived with them until Ada’s untimely death. In the years afterwards Arthur moved frequently, never living at the same address for more than a year or two.
- Ada: 65 Denmark Street, Middlesbrough (1885); 29 Alexandria Street (1887-1901); 30 Farrer Street (1908); 63 Birks Street (1909-1911); 27 Letitia Street (1912-1913); 71 Monkland Street (1914); 14 Rushford Street (1918-1927) –all in Middlesbrough.
- Arthur: 21 Buxton Street (1891); 30 Farrer Street (1908); 63 Birks Street (1909-1911); 27 Letitia Street (1912-1913); 71 Monkland Street (1914); 14 Rushford Street (1918-1927); 30 Barritt Street (1930) 47 Marton Road (1932); 147 Marton Road (1933); 17 Samuelson Road (1935-1936); 30 Unthank Street (1939) – all in Middlesbrough.
Deaths: Ada died during 1927 when aged just 44 and was buried at Linthorpe Cemetery.
G3: Frank Longstaff (1909-1979)
Birth: Frank Longstaff was born in Middlesbrough on 4 February 1909. He was the first child of newlyweds Arthur and Ada.
Christening: on 28 February 1909 at St Paul’s Church on Newport Road.
Marriage: to Elsie Crocker on 17 April 1933 at St Paul’s Church in Middlesbrough. He was aged 24 and she was 23.
Spouse history: Elsie had been born in Middlesbrough on 15 October 1909, the first child of John Crocker and Harriet Watson. The family lived in a typical terraced house on Bowley Street but soon moved to Gilkes Street, not far from her future husband. Her father was a drayman – someone who delivers beer for a brewery. On the night of the 1921 census, Elsie and her siblings were staying with her maternal grandparents. Her parents and two other siblings were captured in a house on Lime Street.
Children: (1) Astrid in 1934, (2) a girl in 1936, (3) a girl in 1939. Sadly, Astrid died in infancy.
Residences: Frank continued to live in the family house on Rushford Street after the death of his mother, sharing with his cousin Robert Cobb and his wife Mary along with various other couples. After marrying Elsie the couple lived briefly on Napier Street in the Ayresome suburb before moving out to Redcar, where they lived in a large semi-detached house on Sandringham Road for almost two decades. After Elsie’s death, Frank moved in with his cousin Robert Cobb and wife Mary on Brompton Street, just around the corner from his old home.
- Frank: 63 Birks Street, Middlesbrough (1909-1911); 27 Letitia Street, Middlesbrough (1912-1913); 71 Monkland Street, Middlesbrough (1914); 14 Rushford Street, Middlesbrough (1918-1936); 9 Napier Street, Middlesbrough (1937-1939); 47 Sandringham Road, Redcar (1945-1963); 3 Sandown Park, Redcar (1964-1965); 49 Brompton Street, Middlesbrough (1966-1979);
- Elsie: 34 Bowley Street, Middlesbrough (1909); 45 Gilkes Street, Middlesbrough (1911); 61 Sutherland Street (1913-1914); 2 Stansfield Street, Middlesbrough (1918-1921); 82 Bolckow Street, Middlesbrough (1931); 33 Durham Street, Middlesbrough (1932); 14 Rushford Street, Middlesbrough (1933-1936); 9 Napier Street, Middlesbrough (1937-1939); 47 Sandringham Road, Redcar (1945-1962)
Occupations: Frank worked as a cinema operator from at least 1933.
Deaths: Elsie died of a brain tumour at Middlesbrough General Hospital on 24 November 1962 when aged 53. She was buried at Linthorpe Cemetery. Frank survived her for 17 years and died on 20 April 1979 when aged 70.
G2: Astrid Shirley Longstaff (1934-1935)
Birth: Astrid Shirley Longstaff was born in Middlesbrough during 1934. She was the first child of Frank and Elsie.
Death: died aged 7 months and was buried in Linthorpe Cemetery on 20 February 1935.
G3: Enda May Longstaff (1910-1911)
Birth: Edna May Longstaff was born in Middlesbrough on 26 October 1910. She was the second child of Arthur and Ada.
Christening: on 29 October 1910 at All Saints Church on Linthorpe Road.
Residences: 63 Birks Street, Middlesbrough (1910-1911)
Deaths: died aged three months and buried in Linthorpe Cemetery on 9 July.
G3: Dorothy Longstaff (1913-1992)
Birth: Dorothy Longstaff was born in Middlesbrough on 31 January 1913. She was the third child of Arthur and Ada.
Christening: on 23 February 1913 at St Paul’s Church on Newport Road.
Marriage: to James Robert Ollerhead on 11 April 1936 at St Peter and St Paul Church in Stainton. She was aged 23 and he was 25.
Spouse history: James had been born in Middlesbrough on 15 May 1910, the third child of Samuel Ollerhead and Rose Ann Stephenson. His father was a labourer in one of the local steelworks. By 1921 they lived in what was then the village of Stainton but would soon become part of the southern area of Middlesbrough.
Children: (1) Margaret 1939; (2) Geoffrey in 1944
Occupations: in 1936 James worked as a builder’s labourer. By 1939 he was a labourer in a steel foundry and an ARP Warden.
Residences: by 1939, the family lived in Thornton, the neighbouring village to Stainton, where they remained in the same house for the rest of their lives. 3 The Poplars was one of six cottages forming a small row on a road leading out of the village. The houses stood at the head of a T-junction, and in the 1960s, when the roads were named, the road leading west from the junction became Seamer Road, while the road leading east was named Maltby Road. This naming is how No.3 in the middle of the row became 1 Maltby Road.
- Dorothy; 27 Letitia Street, Middlesbrough (1913); 71 Monkland Street, Middlesbrough (1914); 14 Rushford Street, Middlesbrough (1918-1921); 42 Stainton Road, Billingham (1936); 3 The Poplars, Thornton (1939-1966); 1 Maltby Road, Thornton (1967-1992)
- James: 36 Oswald Terrace, Middlesbrough (1911-1915); 3 The Poplars, Thornton (1939-1966); 1 Maltby Road, Thornton (1967-1992)
Deaths: James died on 18 September 1992 when aged 82. Dorothy survived him for less than a month and died in Normanby Hall nursing home on 16 October 1992 when aged 79. They were both buried in the churchyard of St Peter and St Paul.
G4: Ernest Charles Patfield (1885-1887)
Birth: Ernest Charles Patfield was born in Middlesbrough on 15 July 1885. He was the seventh child of Thomas and Jessie.
Christening: on 29 July 1885 at St Paul’s Church on Newport Road.
Residences: 65 Denmark Street, Middlesbrough (1885)
Deaths: died in 1887 when aged 2.
G4: Alexander Patfield (1887)
Birth: Alexander Patfield was born in Middlesbrough on 6 August 1887. He was the eighth child of Thomas and Jessie.
Christening: on 6 August 1887 at St Paul’s Church on Newport Road.
Residences: 29 Alexandria Street, Middlesbrough (1887)
Deaths: died soon after birth.
G4: Beatrice May Patfield (1892)
Birth: Beatrice May Patfield was born in Middlesbrough on 15 July 1892. She was the ninth child of Thomas and Jessie.
Christening: on 20 July 1892 at St Paul’s Church on Newport Road.
Residences: 29 Alexandria Street, Middlesbrough (1892)
Deaths: died soon after birth.
G4: Harold Arthur Patfield (1894)
Birth: Harold Arthur Patfield was born in Middlesbrough on 19 June 1894. He was the tenth child of Thomas and Jessie.
Christening: on 4 July 1894 at St Paul’s Church on Newport Road.
Residences: 29 Alexandria Street, Middlesbrough (1894)
Deaths: died soon after birth.
