Update on Bowers Family 1911 Census - Children

Interesting from the Census of 1911, the entries are written by persons residing at the address which is now given as 140 Brown Lees, Brindley Ford, nr, Tunstall. It was completed by Harriet Bowers.

James Bowers, 47 yrs Head , Furnace Helper at Robert Heath Iron and Steel works

Emily Maud Bowers, 37 yrs

Harriett Bowers, 17 yrs daughter , Velvet Divider

John Bowers, 15yrs, son - Forge Lad

James Bowers, 13 yrs son ( My Granddad ) - School

Reginald Bowers, 10 yrs son - School

Harry Bowers, 8 yrs, (I think this is Henry)

Albert Bowers, 2 yrs

William Bowers 5 months

They had been married for 18 years, had 10 children,3 of which had died. House described as 4 rooms, so that would be two up - two down.

Some research has help me discover 3 children:

Ellis Bowers, born 7th September 1899 but death recorded on same date

Harold Bowers, born 1904 in the registration period Oct to Dec. He died October 1904.

Emily Bowers, born December 1905,died April 1907

Henry Bowers aged 16 years dies in Mining Accident

Just got the death certificate for Henry Bowers

Henry Bowers. born 1903 is tragically killed in a mining accident on 26.2.1919 when he was Handmining on the North level at Victoria Colliery, Black Bull, Biddulph, U.D. He was living at home which was still 140 Back Brook Street, Brown Lees, Black Bull, Biddulph. His occupation given as Colliery horse driver. At a coroners inquest held on 1st March 1919 the cause of death was recorded as,'Suffication through accidentally falling under a tub of coal'. He was buried in the family grave in St Lawrence Church, Biddulph.

I think he was in charge of a pit pony that drew the carts from the face to the main shaft.   I don't thing there would have been mechanised equipment then.

Biddulph Bus Identified.......

 

E8961 is a Leyland (obviously from the photograph) but bodywork unknown. It was new in March 1924 to Arthur Turner of 27 Tunstall Road, Biddulph and had left him by Jan 1929. I have details of 4 buses operated by him but this is the first photograph I have seen of one of them.

Would be interested to know the names of the "crew", perhaps one for Jeremy Condliffe and his "Glancing back in pictures" column.  Can't quite make out the name of the establishment to the rear of the bus but it is alongside an Hotel.

Congleton terminus in the 1920's was Congleton (Fountain) for most Biddulph services i.e. Swan Bank and Bridge Street

(Bears Head Hotel)

Thomas Edwin Hill 1986 to 1939 the story so far.......Family History

Tracing a relative - Thomas Edwin Hill

Thomas Edwin Hill was my grandfather and through documents I have I can try an illustrate what you can achieve with tracing his life.
I was lucky as my mother kept a few documents, so I started with looking for his death certificate. That told me what he died of, where he died and his age and date of birth. I needed to confirm his date of birth so I went looking for his birth certifcate, which I didn't have. I looked on the internet for our local Births, Marriages and Deaths, which in my case was Staffordshire BMD. I found a likely record and applied via , the internet for a copy about 7.50 GBP. The birth certificate came through, with an exact match, and it gave his mothers name, (Maiden) and fathers name. He was born in 1886.
So where to go next.........

Moving on from getting the Birth Certificate

1886 - Thomas Edwin Hill ( My Granddad ) is born on 28th August 1886 at 13 Garden Place, East Vale, Caverswall, Stoke on Trent. East Vale is now Longton.
His parents are shown in the 1891 census.......
1891 CENSUS - His parents moved to Wain Lea, Harriseahead, but his dad has a new job as a coal miner. William now aged 17 becomes a coal miner. Mary and Annie are at school, but there are 2 more family members, Thomas, aged 4 years (Grand-dad) and Alice aged 1.
1901 CENSUS - The family have moved to 27 South Street, Ball Green, Stoke on Trent. Thomas has now gone back to farming, Annie has become a Bosson, young Thomas, now 14 has become a miner. There is a new family member Miriam aged 9 years. William has now married and lives at 7 High Street, Mow Cop and has a 1 year old daughter Mary E. and son James 3 months
In 1901 Thomas is now 14, so you can presume that in a t least 5 or even 10 years time, he may be getting married ! - There are no more census details available

Does he get married ?

Well not quite, he joins the British Army, which means you now may be looking at developing your research further.
1904 - Thomas Edwin Hill - now Soldier 20841 Signs up for 3 years in the colours and then 9 years in the reserve on 8.9.1904 to report to Lichfield barracks on 9.9.1904 at 10am.
He leaves the Army and is now a reservist for a further 9 years....
There is a marriage and I have the marriage certificate, which has more information on it...
1908 - The Parish Church, Norton in the Moors, on 5th July, sees the marriage of Thomas Edwin Hill a 21 year old collier to Elizabeth Ellen Fallows, 18 years. Witnesess were Alice Mary Hill, Willian Henry Hill and Richard George Fallows

1911 Census Now married for 2 years and living at 7 South Street, Ball Green, Norton in the Moors. It has 4 rooms, which would be know as 2 up, 2 down. Thomas is still in the mining industry. They now have a family,Thomas Richard Hill, 2 years and Edwin Arthur Hill, 2 months.

1914 - 113 Heavy Battery, RGA formed at Woolwich on 26 Sept 1914 and was armed with four 4.7" Quick Firing Guns. It went to France on 3 Oct 1914 and landed at Havre on 4 Oct 1914. On arrival it was attached to II Corps Heavy Artillery. It came into action on the Neuve Chapelle front and took part in the battle of La Bassee, opening fire on 26th October 1914, exactly one month after its date of formation. It remained in that area until the end of November 1914. II Corps then moved to the Ypres front and the battery was transferred to the Indian Corps.

1915 - The 7th Division was formed during September and very early October 1914

Thomas Edwin Hill - World War One

Thomas served in the Royal Garrison Artillery from 1904 to 1907, when he went on the reserve list for 9 years. He was a reserve gunner in the RGA at the commencement of World War One and went to France in August 1914. He sent postcards home and below is an example of an embroidered one. It was stuck in an album, so hiding the writing on it, i.e. the second example.
These cards capture the mood at the time and it is dated 1916

Card sent during World War One

Where does Thomas Edwin Hill go at the start of World War One

Well I have been trying to find out for a long time, as his pay book seems to suggest that was in he Royal Garrison Artillary, at Number 9 Stationary Hospital, which I know was at St Nazaire in France in 1914. He wasn't injured, so why was he at the hospital..I think he was staioned at the hsopital to guard it, n his role as a gunner.
I hav ebeen done to my local library and found his medal record on the internet and in 1914 he was attached to a statioanary hospital, not injured, I'll keep looking...

Medals Record for Thomas Edwin Hill 1914 

In 1916 does he think things are getting a bit bad, and as a result makes a will:

What it does tell us is where the family are niow living, and that is 19 South Street, Ball Green, Stoke on Trent, Staffordshire.  He does survive the war as this document shows:

The story so far - Looks like they are at Ball Green in 1920 and there is a gap until they move to 1 New Bulidings, Black Bull, Knypersley and buy the house which has a shop....

 

In 1947 he buys the house and shop for £ 485.00, having rented it from a Mr A Laws for 14/6 a week (73pence)

The power of the internet - New family member found

Just got an e-mail from June Jones nee Bowers from Nottingham.  She saw the web site ~: http://www.nigelbowers.co.uk and e-mailed me.  I think she is going to be a wealth of information and I must try and go to see her.  Here is the e-mail:

'Hi Nigel,just looked on family tree and thought l would drop you a few lines,l am Reginalds daughter..l remember your grandma and grandpa well,from the days when we visited Brown Lees to see grandma Bowers(your great grandma)l loved her to pieces so it was a joy to come over.

l remember not only Uncle Jim and Aunty Hannah but ..Bill,Albert,Frank,Jack and Aunty Harriett.

Have you managed to contact young Frank?(Frank's son) l would love to hear of him or from him as we used to go and stay at Uncle Jack and Aunty Minnies pub in Cresswell,during school holidays.

l think you may have been in touch with my son Mark from Shropshire at sometime as he was interested in tracing the family..until took up all his time.

l have lived in Nottingham all my life and still live only four miles from where l was born.

It would be nice to hear from you,let me know about you and yours,must dash as l sing in a choir and it's practice night,

Bye for now,

                June'

1911 Census is Now online and available

A bit early, but what the hell, get your researching done. But hang on aminute, it is not on Ancestry. It has a designated web site at www.1911census.co.uk. Went on to have a look, but you haev to buy credits to view the entries in full, so I paid for my 30 credits for access to one census page The Bowers Family. Very interesting as it i wriiten bythe householder, in this instance Emily and includes more details than the other census records. One I found fascinating was she had 10 children and declared to have had 3 that had died......



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1911 Census