George and Sarah Ellen were married in St. James Parish Church, Church Kirk in the village of Church, Lancashire, June 18th 1892. George was 22 at the time and Sarah Ellen was 18. George was recorded as being a weaver, but Sarah Ellen had no profession listed, although she had been recorded as being a cotton grinder (winder?) on the 1891 Census** when she was still living at home with her parents, Thomas and Ruth Bird, so perhaps she was out of work at the time of her marriage.

George and Sarah Ellen had three daughters by the time of the 1901 Census**. The eldest was Lydia, born in 1896, then Mary Alice (who was always known as Cissie) in 1899, and then Evelyn, my grandmother, who was born in 1900. My Aunt Bell told me they also had three sons, who must have been born after 1901, James (Jim), George, and Robert. The family were living at 24 Cog Lane, Burnley at this time. Interestingly, this is the street in which my parents, Jack and Joan Williams lived when they were first married in 1946.

By 1901, George Senior, who had been a Cotton Weaver at the time of his marriage, was now listed as a Cotton Mule Spinner. When I first read this I thought it must have been a misprint and should have been Cotton Mill Spinner, but then I found there was a machine called a Cotton Mule, invented by Samuel Crompton in 1775.

There is an interesting website that describes the various processes involved in the cotton industry at the Historic UK site. .

Previous Generation: George's parents were EDWARD & MARY ANN (nee DRIVER) DEWHURST

Sarah Ellen's parents were THOMAS BIRD & RUTH McDADE (nee Hargreaves)..

 ** Used with the permission of Ancestry.com

My maternal grandmother was born Eveline (Evelyn) Dewhurst on October 23rd, 1900 in Padiham, Lancashire. I don't remember my grandmother, as she died of uterine cancer a year after I was born. Before I had ever become interested in my family history, my mother had given me her parents birth certificates, which I had found interesting because they had been issued, not the year they had been born, but when each had reached the age of twelve. This was because, under the Factory and Workshop Act of 1901 they were needed as proof that they were old enough to work in the mills.

Eveline's parents were George Dewhurst and Sarah Ellen Bird. My Aunt Bell remembers her grandmother, Sarah Ellen as a tiny woman who was very sweet. She lived with her daughter Eveline's family for ten years before she died around 1951.

George Dewhurst was born December 14th 1870 in Burnley to Edward and Mary Ann Dewhurst. He had a younger brother Robert who was born in 1873. Their father, Edward, died in 1880 of T.B. when George was only 9 years old. In the 1881 Census* he was 10 years old and living in Higher Booths, Lancashire with his mother Mary Ann and brother Robert. Their address was Slydings, Higher Booths (which later became part of Haslingden, Lancashire). He was listed as a half-time scholar and working half-time in a cotton mill. This was common at the time and children from the age of six until twelve were allowed to work half time. The Education Act of 1870 stated that children between aged five through ten had to attend school, but they were allowed to work half-time because they were an important part of the Victorian work force and because their meagre wages were important to their families.

Ten years later, in the 1891 Census**, Mary Ann had remarried and was living at 14 Albert Street in Oswaldtwistle, Lancashire. Her husband was James Crabtree, a card room labourer - this was presumably referring to carding, which is a process in the manufacture of cotton. George was aged 20 and a cotton spinner.

Sarah Ellen was born July 28th 1873 in Rawtenstall, (pronounced "Rottenstall"!!) Lancashire to Thomas and Ruth (nee Hargreaves) Bird. In 1891 her family was living at Vale Court, Huncoat, Lancashire. Huncoat and Oswaldtwistle are a few miles apart, (see map of the area and scroll to enlarge) so I'm not sure how the couple would have met, but they married in the village of Church, and Oswaldtwistle is in the parish of Church. They may have met through work or by going to the same church.

* Reprinted by permission. Copyright (c) 1999 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc.