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| Joseph Smith |
The first clue was in the 1841 census, in which we find Joseph living in Galgate, working as a Silk Dresser. Silk was a big industry in the Lancaster area, and several silk mills operated in Galgate and nearby Ellel. Joseph was living with his mother, brothers Antony and John, and his two sons James and Edmund, then aged 6 and 2. There is no sign of Isabella in that household, nor anywhere in the 1841 census that I have been able to find. This suggests that Joseph's first two sons, James and Edmund, may not have been Isabella's. I have found Baptism entries for a James Smith on October 11th, 1835 and for an Edmund Smith on October 21st, 1838, both to parents Joseph and Elizabeth Smith, both in Ellel, Lancashire, and in both cases Joseph is recorded as a Silk Comber. As yet I haven't been able to find any evidence of Joseph's marriage to Elizabeth, nor any information on what became of Elizabeth, but it would seem that by the 1841 census they had parted company, and their two children were in Joseph's care at his mother's house.
Joseph and Isabella were married at some point in the April-May-June Quarter of 1843, and by the 1851 census they were living at 5 Adelaide Street, Lancaster. Adelaide Street no longer exists, but it used to run off St Leonard Gate between Phoenix Street and Germany Street, which is now part of Bulk Road. This was a four-room house (rooms included kitchen, but not scullery, bathroom, closet, landing, or entry, so most likely this was a two-bedroom house) in which lived Joseph and Isabella, their six children, and Isabella's sister Elizabeth Alston. Joseph was still a silk dresser, and no occupation was recorded for Isabella. James, now 15, was also working as a silk dresser, the next three children were recorded as scholars, and the younger two were just 2 years old and 10 months old.
The following year, 1852, tragedy struck the Smith family with the death of Joseph's first child, James, at just 16 years of age. After the joy of their son John's birth on March 13th, Joseph and Isabella had to face the pain and sorrow of burying James on April 28th. These were tough people - they had to be. Life in the Industrial Revolution was no picnic for the working classes. Working conditions in the mills and mines were a far cry from the work-safe practices we know today, and many died in industrial accidents. For a mill worker, life was about working twelve and sometimes more hours per day, six days a week. Sundays were for church, Sunday School for the kids, and the occasional family get-together or picnic. Sunday School was the only way many kids had a chance to learn how to read and write, and some attempt at moral and religious guidance was made. Living conditions were poor and crowded, many homes having no bathroom, no toilet. Diseases we seldom hear about anymore could strike anyone down, regardless of their social or financial standing. Infant mortality was high, with as many as 3 in 10 babies dying before their first birthday. Such was the case for Joseph and Isabella, and barely a year after the loss of James, Mary Jane was born on July 14th, 1853. She died on September 16th, just 2 months old.
In true Lancastrian style the Smiths carried on, and on August 23rd, 1854 another son was born. Not surprisingly, he was named James, and he would become the man my mother referred to as "Great Uncle Jim". By the 1861 census two more children were born: William in 1857, and Isabella, my Great Grandmother, in 1860. The Smiths had moved to 79 St Leonard Gate, which is recorded in the 1911 census, incredibly, as a three-room house. I struggle to imagine how Joseph and Isabella, now with eight children still at home, could manage in such a small house. Perhaps Joseph saw that education was paramount if his children were to have a better life, and the renting of a smaller, cheaper house may have been necessary to make ends meet. Isabella was now working as a dress maker, and all the children at home (except for young Isabella, just 1 year old) were recorded as scholars, while Joseph Junior, now 17, was a Pupil Teacher. Edmund, it seems, had left home, and appears as a boarder at the home of a Thomas Harling, a silk dresser in Rochdale. Edmund was working as a colour mixer, probably in the same mill.
In 1868 Joseph Jnr had married and left home, and by the 1871 census the Smiths had again moved, this time to 26 Edward Street, Lancaster. This was a six-room house which was undoubtedly an improvement, but now even though Edmund and young Joseph had moved out, Joseph Senior's Aunt Isabella was listed in the household, so it appears there were now eleven people living at the Smith residence. It is possible that 26 Edward St had certain other advantages for the Smith family, however. By now Joseph is listed as a Grocer and Baker, and daughter Alice is a dressmaker. The building has long been demolished, but I suspect it may well have been a shop with a residence, and as such anything to do with the shop, such as the shop itself, storeroom and the like, would not be counted in the 'six rooms'. This would almost certainly be a lot more spacious than the house in St Leonard Gate. Only two children, William and Isabella, remained in school in 1871, and the rest were working. Thomas was a railway book keeper, Walter a printer compositor, John was a railway engine stoker, and James (Great Uncle Jim) was a pupil teacher.
Joseph Smith's life was undoubtedly not an easy one, and would have involved a lot of hardship and heartache. Nor was it a very long life, for on June 10th 1875, Joseph Smith passed away at the age of 60. Isabella, his wife of 32 years, carried on with the Grocery and Bakery business, and took in boarders for extra income. In 1881 the census shows just her and her youngest daughter, Isabella, at 14 Leonard Gate, Lancaster, a three-room house, with four male boarders.
Through Ancestry.com I made contact with Duncan and Pauline Smith, who have in their possession a priceless Smith Family Bible, and they shared some images of the bible pages through their tree on Ancestry. They have kindly allowed me to use some of those images in this story, for which I thank them sincerely.
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I suspect that this picture of Isabella Smith, nee Alston, was taken in the 1880's, some time after the death of her husband. I see strength and courage in her face, and sadness in her eyes. She gave birth to at least ten children, was mother to twelve, and lost two. While raising a large family in the confines of small houses and difficult living conditions, she still worked as a dress maker and a grocer/baker. She was strong, independent, decisive. Isabella spent her last years at the home of her son "Great Uncle Jim", School Master at Wray, Lancashire, and in the 1891 census was recorded as "Living on her own means".
Isabella Smith died on March 22nd 1892, at the age of 75. She was buried in the Parish of Ellel in a double grave with Joseph, on March 26th
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| Isabella Alston |
In true Lancastrian style the Smiths carried on, and on August 23rd, 1854 another son was born. Not surprisingly, he was named James, and he would become the man my mother referred to as "Great Uncle Jim". By the 1861 census two more children were born: William in 1857, and Isabella, my Great Grandmother, in 1860. The Smiths had moved to 79 St Leonard Gate, which is recorded in the 1911 census, incredibly, as a three-room house. I struggle to imagine how Joseph and Isabella, now with eight children still at home, could manage in such a small house. Perhaps Joseph saw that education was paramount if his children were to have a better life, and the renting of a smaller, cheaper house may have been necessary to make ends meet. Isabella was now working as a dress maker, and all the children at home (except for young Isabella, just 1 year old) were recorded as scholars, while Joseph Junior, now 17, was a Pupil Teacher. Edmund, it seems, had left home, and appears as a boarder at the home of a Thomas Harling, a silk dresser in Rochdale. Edmund was working as a colour mixer, probably in the same mill.
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| Joseph Smith and Family, about 1868 |
Joseph Smith's life was undoubtedly not an easy one, and would have involved a lot of hardship and heartache. Nor was it a very long life, for on June 10th 1875, Joseph Smith passed away at the age of 60. Isabella, his wife of 32 years, carried on with the Grocery and Bakery business, and took in boarders for extra income. In 1881 the census shows just her and her youngest daughter, Isabella, at 14 Leonard Gate, Lancaster, a three-room house, with four male boarders.
Through Ancestry.com I made contact with Duncan and Pauline Smith, who have in their possession a priceless Smith Family Bible, and they shared some images of the bible pages through their tree on Ancestry. They have kindly allowed me to use some of those images in this story, for which I thank them sincerely.
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| Smith Bible Frontispiece |
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| Smith Bible - Births. Notice that James (1835) and Edmund do not appear in this list |
I suspect that this picture of Isabella Smith, nee Alston, was taken in the 1880's, some time after the death of her husband. I see strength and courage in her face, and sadness in her eyes. She gave birth to at least ten children, was mother to twelve, and lost two. While raising a large family in the confines of small houses and difficult living conditions, she still worked as a dress maker and a grocer/baker. She was strong, independent, decisive. Isabella spent her last years at the home of her son "Great Uncle Jim", School Master at Wray, Lancashire, and in the 1891 census was recorded as "Living on her own means". Isabella Smith died on March 22nd 1892, at the age of 75. She was buried in the Parish of Ellel in a double grave with Joseph, on March 26th
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