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| Article by Mollie Smith, 2025 |
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The Church Family
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My Church Family begins in Wymington in 1806 when John Church was born. He married Hannah, born in 1808 in Rushden. They moved to Stanwick, date unknown, where he worked as an agricultural labourer. Their eldest son Thomas was born in 1833, followed by Charles, born in 1835, and John, born in 1837, and daughters, Betsy born in 1840 and Mary, born in 1842. All the sons were agricultural labourers. On 1st October 1858 at Chelveston, Charles Church married Elizabeth (nee Newell, daughter of Thomas, born 1832), and they lived in Back Lane, Stanwick. A son, William was born in 1860. Father John Church was living at his daughter Elizabeth's house next door. From the 1871 census records it would appear that Charles Church had died and Elizabeth had married William Holman, a stone mason, and William was living with his mother and stepfather in Bunkers Hill, Higham Ferrers. He is listed in the 1881 census as single, aged 21 and a shoe clicker, still living in Bunkers Hill. William Church 1860 - 1902. William married Amelia Smith (daughter of Thomas), born in 1859 in Irchester, on 6th June 1881, and his father's occupation had been an engine driver but now deceased. By 1891 they were living in Kilsby's Cottages, Rushden with their children, Charles Edward aged 8, Nelly (Edith Ellen) aged 6, George aged 4 and Dora aged 6 months. William was a shoemaker.
In 1901 the family had moved to 2 Midland Road, Rushden. The family had now increased to include a daughter Frances aged 9 and Evelyn Maud aged 4 years. Dora had died in1892 aged one year. Charles Edward's occupation was a shoemaker, like his father. |
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Charles Edward Church 1882 – 1935.
In 1908 my grandfather Charles Edward Church married Annie Short, born in 1885, who was living with her family at 6 Beaconsfield Terrace, Rushden.
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A son Charles Edward (Eddie) was born in 1909 and a daughter Edith Mary (Edie) in 1911. The family lived at 88 Crabb Street, Rushden.
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During WW1 my grandfather enlisted into the Northants Regiment. I believe this was the Reserve 3/4th Battalion which was formed in February 1915.
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Late in 1917 my maternal grandmother, Mary Short, and my great aunt Eugenie arrived from Australia for a holiday. The reason for the journey was to try to discover news of my great uncle Frank, last heard of in1916 in Egypt. The family photograph was taken at the time of the visit.
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I have been unable to discover the shoe factories where my grandfather would have worked. He suffered several bouts of ill health with respiratory problems so was off work for periods of time. He did however have a love of fishing and belonged to the Working Men’s Club, Griffith Street Angling Club. The dates of these photographs are unknown, but probably in the 1920s.
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Annie Church (nee Short), Eddie Church and Edie Church. My grandmother Annie was a staunch Baptist and the Park Road Baptist Church was an important part of family life. While the children were younger she was an outworker closing shoes at home. When my grandfather was not working she provided the family income. After his death she worked in the shoe factory of Alfred Sargent’s in Portland Road as a closer. She continued working there into her seventies. Annie Church died in 1967, aged 84 years, and was buried in the cemetery alongside her husband. Eddie Church 1909 - 1998. The children attended South End School. Charles junior was always known as Eddie, except at school when this report was written in 1923 as he was leaving school.
In June, one week before the death of his father, Eddie married Ada Poole at the Park Road Baptist Chapel.
In August 1935 Edie married John William (Bill) Houghton at the Park Road Baptist Chapel. |
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When war was declared in September 1939 Eddie was working as a printer, his trade from leaving school. |
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Eddie arrived home in late 1945 and returned to the printing trade. A son, Barry was born in August 1946. Ada died in 1968, and in the early seventies Barry married Joyce Partridge of Upper Queen Street, Rushden. Eddie died in 1990, Barry in 2012 and Joyce in 2017. They had no children. Bill and Edie Houghton continued in the dairy trade after the war but life was becoming more difficult for small farmers. Bill was a dairyman farming at Sanders Lodge by Skew Bridge, and had a milk round and the produce was sold in the shop. He was therefore considered as an essential worker in the production of food. I was born in January 1940 and my wartime memories are on the “Hearts and Soles” website.
A second child, a daughter Maureen born in 1947 was a deciding factor in leaving farming. New regulations on dairy produce and a shortage of farm workers was also a contributory factor. Bill returned to the shoe industry where he had trained as a clicker years before. Edie died in 1998, aged 87 years and Bill died in 2004, aged 94 years. |
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Nellie Church married Alfred W Richardson in 1913 .
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Amelia Church, George Church, Frances Church and Maud Church. Amelia continued to live with her children at 2 Midland Road, Rushden, until her death in 1928.
George was 14 years of age in 1901 and worked as a shoe finisher. He served in the army in WW1 and returned to the shoe trade after the war. He never married and continued to live at 2 Midland Road until his death in the sixties. Frances was 9 years of age in 1901 and still at school. She entered the shoe trade, never married and died in 1946. Maud was only four years of age in 1901. She also entered the shoe trade where she continued until her retirement in the sixties. She never married and continued to live at 2 Midland Road until her death in the early seventies. Written by Mollie Smith. 2025. |
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