John Smith's Family Tree Website

 

Close up of Tijou Screen at Hampton Court Palace

Lister family

 

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Part 2: Addison Lister (1820 - 1900)

 

Working life and marriage to Ednah Green

Addison Lister was the youngest child of John Lister and Mary (maiden name unknown). He was born 17 March 1820 and baptised 25 January 1821 at St John the Baptist Church. He became a waterman and was missed off the 1841 census no doubt because he was transporting cargo somewhere.

He married Ednah Green (1821 - 1852) 27 April 1845 at St John the Baptist Church. Ednah was born 26 November 1821, the eldest of five children born to Thomas and Hannah Green. Her brothers all became watermen like their father and Ednah and one of her sisters were card setters, like their mother. Unusually, Ednah was baptised when she was 21, on 24 March 1844. At the time she was living in Brook Foot, where her future parents-in-law lived. Neither Addison nor Ednah had any education. A transient life did not give them the opportunity to read and write – especially if no one else in the family had ever learned.

Addison and Ednah lived in Brighouse, next to the canal, and had three children: Ellen, Richard and Thomas. Ednah sadly died aged 30 and was buried 18 January 1852. Within a few years, Addison was living with Martha Bottomley (c1836 - 1902) and they declared themselves married on the 1861 census despite not legally marrying until 1863, after having had two children: Thomas and Hannah. They later had a third child, Addison. All Addison Senior’s surviving children were able to receive some education.

The family lived for at least thirty years in Chapel Lane, Skircoat village (now part of Halifax and bordering the canal at Salterhebble), between the railway and a branch of the Calder and Hebble Navigation that ran to the Halifax town centre. The impact of the railways had begun to be felt by the Listers and Addison had to find work on dry land for a spell as a labourer making roads. He was able to return to the water as a boatman and also a lighterman, which involved moving cargo between the boats and the quays. Even in his 70s, Addison continued to work on the canal as there was no pension or provision for old age or infirmity, except the generosity of relatives. Addison died following a stroke 02 April 1900, aged 80, and was buried the next day in nearby All Saints Church. After Addison’s death, Martha worked briefly as a school caretaker and died in March 1902, aged 66. She was buried in All Saints Church 11 March 1902.

Children of Addison and Ednah

Ellen (1846 - ?) was born 28 February and baptised 31 May the same year at St Martin’s Church, Brighouse. She was then baptised a second time five years later in the same church for some unknown reason. She worked as a worsted spinner and married oil cloth maker James Taylor (c1845 - ?)  20 February 1871 at St John the Baptist Church. Ellen continued working in the weaving industry and then later was a charwoman (house cleaner). They never had any children and both died sometime after 1911.

 

More information about Richard (1849 - 1918) appears in Part 3.

 

Thomas (1851 - 1852) was born 02 August 1851 and baptised the following year 18 January in St Martin Church, sadly the same day as his mother was buried. He died two months later and was buried 26 March 1852.

 

Children of Addison and Martha

Thomas (c1857 - 1917) started his early working life in a worsted factory but soon became a blacksmith, then a whitesmith (working with ‘white’ metals such as tin or pewter). He married Mary Hannah Jenkinson (1854 - 1904) in 1878. They had six children, though only two daughters survived infancy: Annie and Ada. The family stayed in Halifax and Thomas was widowed in 1904. He died 01 September 1917 and left almost £2,500 to his daughters (worth about £100,000 today).

 

Hannah Maria (1862 - 1934) worked in a weaving mill and married boatman William Dutton (c1861 - ?) in 1882. He later had his own boat and was fortunate to be able to keep working on the canals. They stayed in Halifax and had six children: William, Irving, Joe, Laura (died young), Annie and Martha Ann. Their two eldest sons became boatmen, with Irving later working on the trawler 'Nil Desparandum' out of Hull. It is possible he was still working on the boat during World War I, and therefore had a fortunate escape. German U-boats frequently targeted the fishing fleet off the Yorkshire coast and on the night of 24-25 September 1916, a U-Boat surfaced near 19 trawlers fishing off Scarborough. It forced the crews to abandon ship then sank all the trawlers by shelling them – except the ‘Nil Desperandum’ which had a bomb placed on board. Irving survived World War I and died in 1953. Hannah died in 1934 but it is not known when her husband William died.

 

Addison (c1866 - 1936) did not follow his father onto the canals but became a cabinet maker instead. He married Elizabeth Broadley (c1896 - ?) and they had eight children: Richard Broadley, Arthur, Wilfred, Ellen, Ethel, Amy, Laura and Norman. Sadly, only Richard, Ethel and Norman survived infancy. The family lived very close to his parents’ home and never moved away. Addison died in 1936 and was buried in All Saints Church on 23 June.

 

Next: Richard Lister


Footnotes