Rebecca Louisa Rose Wood

1st November 1897

On the birth certificate her mother was named as Elizabeth Poxon and her father as Edwin Wood. They were living in 16 Windmill Street, Urban District (Darlaston). Edwin's profession is 'carter'- one who carries or conveys goods in a cart - at the time of her birth. When he arrived in Wednesbury, her father worked as a furnaceman in the tube works, later he was a carter for the tube works - a less punishing job!

The history of the tube works in interesting - take a look.

Today Windmill Street looks very different of course, but the type of house can be clearly seen: terraced, two up, two down, with the front room opening onto the street. These terraces would have been built about 1880.

Darlaston started life as a small hamlet, on top of a hill. The Anglo Saxon preferred the high ground, presumably because it was easily defendable, and had suitable land for their cattle and crops. Since those early times, bread has been an important part of the diet, and flour was a necessity. The earliest powered flour mills in the country were watermills.

Windmills started to be built in England in the later part of the 12th century. Darlaston was an ideal location for a windmill, particularly above the western slope of the hill, facing into the prevailing wind. There were two windmills in the area, the largest being Darlaston Mill, which stood on the brow of the hill near to where Dorsett Road is today.

Darlaston's second windmill stood near the junction of Mill Street and Birmingham Street and was known as King's Hill Windmill. Unlike Darlaston Windmill it was a post mill, made of wood, mounted on a central pole. The whole building would have been turned into the wind so that the sails could rotate. It is listed in Plot's 'History of Staffordshire' published in 1682, and seems to have remained in use until the end of the 18th century.

31st March 1901

Age: 3

Census Entry

Address: 10, Russel (Street, House, Place, Square?) Wednesbury, Staffordshire, England.

This area has been completely demolished, but there is a Russell Street in the town now.

The original location must be near Camp Hill Lane as that is near on the census listing, and there is a Camphill Lane housing facil;ity near to this Russel Street so it is highly likely that this is the correct area.

Relation to Head of House: Daughter

This entry has Rebecca entered as 'Louisa', the name she liked to be called, but it is difficult to read. She is living with her five siblings, two uncles and her grandmother in four rooms in Wednesbury.

Her father, Edwin, is a carter for the tube works. Wednesbury was a leading producer of tubes and several tube works were in the town at that time. (The link takes you to an interesting article on the place of Wednesbury in production and development of tube manufacture).

Her mother Elizabeth is a 'grocer', working for herself (own account). Therefore the house may well have been used as business premises. It was common in those days for a front room to be used as a shop, and having carter husband and brother-in-laws would mean that delivery and picking up of produce would be easier and perhaps allow selling from the street and home delivery of heavy items..

Her father is a carter, as are his brothers. One specified as a coal carter - a coalman.

2nd April 1911

Age 13

This entry sees Rebecca living with her maternal Aunt Rebecca's family at 48, High Street, Bilston.

The shop is now a tanning salon, but in the day it was a fine butchers shop. Henry is pictured here with the first local soldier to return on leave from WW1.

Aunt Rebecca was married to Henry Sutton. Rebecca is listed as a 'servant' but that simply means she was employed by the family. She probably did domestic chores and worked in the shop. She is named as Lousea... a spelling error for Louisa, the name she went by rather than her first given name.

Henry Sutton was a master butcher and had been incharge of the shop in the high street for over ten years at the time of the census, but Violet Gough (another neice of the Suttons), who is also listed in this census entry is a 'fruitier', so the Suttons may well have had a grocery outlet as well as a meat one!

The Suttons had five sons living at home with them: Harry (1890 – 1946), William Job (1892 – 1973), Wilfred (1893 – 1953), Sidney James (1897 – 1970) and Llewellyn (1899 – 1940).

17th June 1917

age 19

Marriage

Groom was age 22

George's surname was incorrectly recorded as Howells. He was age 22 and a soldier. He was living on the Willenhall Road - presumably at Edwin's Old Hall farm. His father Thomas is listed on the certificate as an engineer.

Rebecca was age 19 and also living on the Willenhall Road. Her father Edwin is listed as a farmer on the certificate.

1918

age 20

Birth of daughter

1925

age 27

Birth of son

Albert Leonard Howell born on 19/3/1925 - sister Ada was aged 7 years

By this time Louisa and Thomas owned a smallholding and collier's cottage: 39 Parkfield Colliery, Parkfields, Coseley, Staffordshire. This was termed 'The Cott' by the family. The cottages have long been demolished but a new Parkfield Colliery has been built, giving some idea of its location.

1927

age 29/30

Birth of a son

Birth of a daughter

Denis Donald Howell born in the first quarter of 1927.

Elizabeth (Betty) Howell born in the last quarter of 1927

1929

Age 31

Birth of a son

1930

Age 32/33

Death of a son

Birth of a daughter

Denis Donald Howell died in March 1930 - he would have been just three years old.

Margaret Rose Howell born on 22/11/1930 - her sister Ada was aged 12 years, her brother Len was 5, her sister Betty was 3, and her brother Raymond was only one. The birth involved complications - it could well have been a breech birth - and Louisa was taken to the Royal Hospital where she developed septicaemia and died, leaving Tom with a very young family to care for.

1931

Age 33

Death

In first quarter of 1931, Louisa's death was registered. She died in the Royal Hospital Wolverhampton of septicemia after a difficult breech birth.