My story starts in a small farm cottage in Barugh [near Barnsley, Yorkshire]. On May 17^th 1867 my dad was born. Robert Smith's parents [Miriam's grandparents] were Joseph and Jane. Jane's maiden name was Briggs. She had a sister, Elizabeth who never married.

They lived at Barugh, and had four sons, John, Thomas, Robert and Walter, and one daughter, Elizabeth.

Dad was brought up very humble, but to know the right. He had little schooling, but enough. He went to school on Monday morning to take his school money, and the rest of the week he helped his father with the milk round.

Both my grandparents died when they were 84 years old.

It was told to me that Grama [sic] Smith said that every time our Bob had another child, someone died - its not quite true.

When Roland was born in 1897 [September 25th], my Auntie Lizzie died [her funeral card was in the file - 'Died August 28th, 1897, aged 26 years, interred at Barnsley Cemetary August 31st'.].

When Olive was born in 1907 [May 19th], my grandad died [hence born ~1823].

When I was born in 1911 [January 18th], grama died [hence born ~1827].

My dad [Robert] worked in farm service, then as a platelayer on the line running from Barnsley to Darton, and later at North Gawber [Colliery] still as a platelayer.

Annie Wozencroft was born in a backstreet in Sheffield on March 15th 1871. We know little of her. Her mother died when she was 2 years old [~1873]. Her father died when she was 5 years old [~1876]. She told us little for her early days, only that she was brought up in Poor Law. She had a teacher that she loved very much, and a thing I remember her telling me was that her teacher told her always to "Trust God where you cannot trace him". She didn't like school and at 11 years she could choose between school, going into service, or going to live in someone's home, but she was still in care until she was 16. [Other notes say that she was brought up 'in Poor Law until about 11 years old' - 'in care' may therefore include her stay at the Hibbert's - see below]

She went to Mrs Hibbert's, but where I do not know [Hundall, near Unstone, Derbyshire - see Hundall page]. We have some photos from this time. In the main photo [go to Annie's page to see the picture] Mrs Hibbert is sitting down, my mother is the girl in the white dress. The smaller photo [which I havn't been able to find] is of mother on her own - it makes me think she wasn't paid because the small photo was such a big thing to have. She was given 6 pence [6 old pence!] and spent it on that photo.

Mrs Hibbert had a family. Bernard Hibbert, the son, went to Canada or America and came back when we lived down Wentworth Road [Staincross, ~1903-1937] to see mother, and to ask her if she ever got the money that his mother had left for her (well, she did not) - but we never heard from him again. His address was Mr B Hibbert, 11 Chesterfield Avenue, New Whittington, Chesterfield (that's from the list in the back of my recipe book [Mum'd recipe book doubled as an address book!]). He had a sister Mrs Gabbitas (or Gabbitass). Her son Peter Gabbitas used to come to our house. His address (again from my recipe book) was P Gabbitas, 74 New Bridge Lane, Old Whittington, Chesterfield. Peter lived at Sherry Hill, Mansfield for many years when I was young.

After leaving Mrs Hibbert she was in service. How she got Barnsley way I don't know. She was with a Parson Bailey and a Mr. Asquith (a businessman) (I think this date will be in the Bible given to her [look this out]); then at a farm - Malison's [? or Mallinson's] at Barugh; then to Barnsley. She was married from Mr and Mrs Barron's of Greenfoot Lane to Robert Smith at St Mary's Church, Barnsley, on April 3rd 1894. They took one witness, but they needed two, so the sexton at the church stood in for them. Mrs Barron, where Annie was maid, made a cake, and Mam and Dad had their wedding breakfast at Grama Smith's. A very humble beginning to a life full of change.

When out of service she had no 'home' but was friendly with Elizabeth Jukes (her funeral card is among the papers ['Died May 5th 1893, aged 28 years, interred Darton May 7th]') and stayed with her at Cawthorn. We kept in touch with Mr Tom Jukes [? Elizabeth's husband] all his life and he came to our house every Mapplewell Feast Sunday with a lovely bunch of roses. We called him Uncle Tom. We used to visit as children, we walked to Cawthorn and back.

Robert and Annie started their married life at Old Town [Barnsley], and Edith was born there [March 6th 1895]; then on to Gawber, Roland was born there [September 25th 1897] then to Barugh Green, Mabel was born there [September 9th 1902]. Why they moved so often I do not know, I'm sure it was to better themselves.

Now they had a lot of sickness about this time. There were doctor's bills and money was short, so dad changed his work place but doing the same kind of work. He went to North Gawber Colliery where he got 24/- [24 shillings - £1.20 in 'new' money] wages and coal allowance. And so they moved to Staincross in December 1903 where they lived until 1937. Olive was born here [May 19th 1907] and so was I [January 18th 1911].

We lived a quiet life, never much money but we had a happy life with the things we could afford. We could not go on holidays, but we enjoyed ourselves - Woolley Dam one day, Barnsley Park another, a walk down the lane and a picnic - you had to make your own pleasure.

I don't know whether my father ever saw the sea. I know my mother went to Blackpool for a day when Edith was young, and I remember her going to Bridlington with the Women's Fellowship for the day. Otherwise we never had holidays, but we never missed them because we never had them.

I stayed at home after school days, looking after Mam and Dad, doing what I could for them. Mam could not see very well, and Dad could not get about. Mam died August 19th 1939. In 1940 Dad had a stroke and was confined to bed for the rest of his life, he died October [31st] 1945 and it was a very big blow to me when that sad day came.

My mother's parents died and Annie went to Ibbott's (? Hibbert's) at Unstone (near Dronfield / Eckington / Chesterfield [?]) - they were farmers - she may have been adopted and may have been due to inherit some money at 21. One of the family [Hibbert's] married a Gabbitas ('Uncle Peter' was their son).

When the Hibbert's died, she went into service and came to Barugh - Forelands near Brooks Motors. Then to a farm - Mallinson's - where she met Robert Smith who came from the farm behind the Wesleyan Chapel. Robert Smith went to work of the railways and they lived at Cutty Lane, Oldtown.

In about 1900, Robert Smith went to Horsfield, the Registrar or Town Clerk, and paid for an investigation into the Ibbott money. Auntie Ada had burnt the will.

- Annie had a step sister, Ada Coates, about 6 or 8 years older than Annie. She married a Farrell then a Cherry. [See Eliza Ada Coates' page]

- During the First World War, my grandfather Robert told Annie not to mention her maiden name (Wozencroft) to anyone because it sounded German. [See Wozencroft page.]

- At some point Robert and Annie had to fill in a form giving Annie's date of birth. They had no birth certificate but knew that she had been born in 1871. Being a pragmatists they did not bother finding the exact date and made up a date in June. Later (in 1931) they paid for a certificate and found the date to be 15^th March. [My mum still had the certificate - see Annie's Records].