A Working Class Victorian Marriage: 8 children, 3 childhood deaths, one lost to war and their mother's early death.

So much of the history about "Victorians" is about the "Great and Good" at a time of huge changes to the lives of so many people in Britain. However, the Industrial brought huge changes to the lives of millions of working class people and families. The Bank Richs were one such family.

 

I have been sharing Joe and Sarah Vernon Smith's story; Sarah was born Sarah Banks Rich in 1893.Her father was Henry Banks Rich, born 25/2/1861. He was a shipwright as indeed was his father Thomas and his grandfather John. At the age of 20 he is living in Roxburgh Street Liverpool and is still an Apprentice Shipwright. I have found him on the crew list of the Oregon in June 1889. He married in October of that year. Her mother was Sarah Eilbeck born 25/5/67 at "Everton". Sarah married Henry Banks Rich on 23/10/1889 at St Mathews Church Liverpool. I have the original, very tatty! Marriage certificate. It is interesting as the VR at the top reminds us this was deep into Victoria's reign

 

Henry and Sarah lived in various locations if the Liverpool area, including Bootle and Walton. .

Henry on board a ship.The 1891 census states he was a “Shipwright - seas”. 

In 1911 he states he is a Shipbuilder “Dominion” (a shipping company)

  

I  have some of his badges that I think relate  to his trade union or a guild. 

The top badge has a Liver Bird on it so must be a local branch badge? 

I have no idea if the bottom badge is related to his trade – it appears to show St George

 Henry and Sarah lived at several addresses during their marriage. They had 8 children born between 1891 and 1908. A son and daughter died in infancy before Sarah died in 1910 at the age of 43. Their eldest child and only remaining son, died  aged 23 at Gallipoli. Another daughter, Alice, died aged just 17.

Alice Mabel

I have some memorial cards for 2 of the 3 who died. Also, the family paid for a photographer with the War Graves Commission to photograph Tom's grave and I have this photo with a memorial card. Lots more can be found about the children in my previous blogs.

I do not know what Henry's wife died of. She was only 43. I think this is her- she looks very gaunt in this photo. The couple's 4 remaining daughters however all lived into their 60s, 80s and indeed, her youngest daughter lived to be 112 and was for a time the oldest person in the UK! I have blogged about her previously. It is some story!

 

I believe this is a photo of Henry's wife- Sarah Eilbeck.

Henry lived on for many years after his wife died. He died in 1932 aged 71.  I think that they must have had a very hard life- Sarah bore at least 8 chidren and Henry's job was probably very hard labour. He had been an apprentice for many years and I know at one time he was crossing back and forth across the "mighty Atlantic". Losing his wife in 1910 and his only son in 1915 must have been crushing. However there is much evidence that his daughters and son in laws took great care of him. I have so many photos of him with them- many away from Liverpool and work. He also saw four grandchildren born (one was my mother in law). I will end the blog with these, which show the warmth and affection his family showed to him.

 

Henry and grandchildren

This shows Henry with his four daughters and son

It must be before 1911 because his son Tom emigrated to Australia then. 

Sarah died in1910 and so I wonder if this is after her death.

This is Henry with two of his daughters- Sarah and Lilly

with their husbands. I do not know who the other people are.

I love this! "the gang's all here"!

There are four daughters, three son in laws 

(I think Joe is taking the photo)

Also present - 3 of his grandchildren

Joe's father is seated next to, I believe, his

3rd wife (another story to come!) and his daughter 

Joe's half sister.

I do not have a date for this but believe it must be

the mid 1920s as I think Sarah (Henry's daughter) is 

holding my mother in law, born 1924

Also present..4 daughters, Joe and various children!

Henry looks so smart and well looked after no doubt by 

his four girls. They also look so smart and happy.

 

The changes in women's lives, from when their mother was born in1867 were huge. The vote for all women would be in place in 1928. None of the daughters had more than two children (although Joe and Sarah lost a son at 12 days).I have photos of one daughter who was a nurse inWW1

and two are pictured working in a shop that I believe was owned by their uncle

 

These women really speak to me across 100 years.

 

 And what better way to show the changes from their

mother's life.. the four sisters looking very smart

on a day trip in a car!

I will leave the family there- at a time when they were all together and look so happy.

My previous blog looks into the lives of all of the family in this photo and can be found on the main index -LOTS  more photos!

 

 

School days - and holidays!

As we approach the end of the school term and the start of the summer holidays, I thought I would share a few school photos .... and lots of photos of the beach. As we have seen before, Joe and Sarah's family loved the beach!

Schooldays

 

The first school photo is of Sarah and Joe's son, Edgar

Edgar is standing, far left, 3rd row. 

I think this photo is about 1928. 

The next photo shows one of the girls of the family: I think it is Grace, Sarah's much younger sister (who lived to be 112!).  - I think this is possibly around the time of the Great War when Grace was about 9. She is seated in the second row, second left. It is a lovely photo - many of the girls have bows in their hair. The school room looks much more cheery than some photos I have seen of that time, with maps and drawings on the wall and pot plants in the window! The girls seem to be doing some sort of craft work - it looks like some are knitting? There are also books. It is lovely to see a cheerful school photo from that time - most appear to me to be really austere and somewhat scary places!

I am sure it is in Bootle as it was in a huge collection

of photos that my mother in law left and most of the other photos

are from Bootle and the surrounding area.

It is unclear who the last photo is of but again, it was with my mother in law's photos and so is almost certainly from Bootle and surrounding areas and at least one of the girls is linked to Joe or Sarah.

I have no idea of the date for this photo. I love their little hats!

..and holidays!

 

 Joe and Sarah's families absolutely loved their holidays, days out and days on the beach! The children must have had a great time! They all seem to be very happy and very very busy! Swimming, cycling, playing sports.......

 

 

This photo shows Joe and Sarah's son Edgar, with

his cousin David. I think Ed's sister (my mother in law Audrey)

is seated at the back of the boat. A touch of Swallows and Amazons?!

They LOVED swimming whether in a pool or the sea

 

I think the top photo is a case of "the gang's all here"!

Joe is with two brothers in law and two sisters in law

with various children! 

What a lovely snapshot of a moment in time 

 

I love the other photo - it looks such a "modern" composition.

I am not sure who is in it but think Edgar and maybe some cousins are in it.

 

More fun on the beach! But no water to be seen!

 

 I think this is Edgar, Audrey and their older cousin

 

There are SO many photos of family holidays or days out. Joe and Sarah's families must have been so close. I think this is the water wheel on the Isle of Man?

 

 Another photo of the Rich and Smith families! Joe and Sarah have baby

Edgar with them. Sarah's sister, Grace is seated centre right - Grace became

nationally famous when she became the oldest person in the UK - at 112 years old!

I am not sure of the other family members, although most show up in other photos.

 

I'll end up this blog with a truly lovely, happy beach photo of our family. Simply stunning

 

 Sarah, her three sisters, three brothers in law

Edgar, Audrey and Elsie. I would guess this to be late 1920s.

 

I have so many other photos and I will add them to the blog and Sarah and Joe's story soon.  Most of the people shown in these photos are featured in my previous blogs about sisters, mothers, brothers,sons, daughters, sweethearts, war heroes, supercentenian (anyone over 110! Grace made it with years to spare...). The story of Joe and Sarah from Liverpool is so interesting! There is no such thing as an ordinary family!