John Williamson

John was the son of John Baker Williamson and his third wife, Ellen Eliza (formerly Siddall née Jenkinson). John Baker Williamson was born in Kelham in about 1837, the son of John and Sarah Williamson; he was baptised at St Wilfrid on 5 March 1837. He married first Mary Ann Holmes in 1859 (reg. Bourne, Lincolnshire) by whom he had four children: Charles Baker b. 1860 and Frederick John b. 1862 both born at Little Bytham, Lincolnshire, Alice Kate b. Wortley Yorkshire 1864 and Mary Ann Holmes b. Sheffield 1866. In 1861 he and Mary were living at Little Bytham, Lincolnshire, where he was a signalman for the Great Northern Railway. However, they later moved to Yorkshire where their youngest child was born in Sheffield in 1866. John's wife, Mary Ann, died in 1866 aged 36. John Baker married secondly Elizabeth Dawson in 1867 (reg. Wortley) and in 1871 they were living in Penistone, Wortley, with John's four children by his first marriage. He was now working as a labourer. Elizabeth Williamson died in 1871 (reg. Wortley) aged 33. John Baker married thirdly Ellen Eliza Siddall (née Jenkinson), a widow, on 7 June 1874 at Sheffield St Philip. Ellen Eliza was born in Dronfield, Derbyshire, in about 1834 (bap. Dronfield 2 September 1834) the daughter of Thomas and Sarah Jenkinson. She married James Siddall on 26 September 1855 at Dronfield St John the Baptist and they had three children, Reuben b. 1856, Ellen b. abt 1861 and Gertrude Eliza b. Dronfield 1872. Ellen and James, a joiner, were living in Dronfield at the time of the 1861 and 1871 Census. James died in 1873 aged 42. John Baker and Ellen had two children who were both born in Dronfield, Derbyshire: John b. 1875 and Sarah Eveline Maud b. 1878. In 1881 John Baker, a labourer at an iron works, and Ellen were living at Guider Bottom, Hoyland-Swaine, Wortley, Yorkshire, with two of John's children by his first marriage, Charles and Mary Ann, Ellen's daughter by her first marriage, Gertrude Eliza Siddall, and their two children John (5) and Sarah (3). John and Ellen were living on Bird Lane, Thurgoland, Wortley, in 1891, only Gertrude Siddall, a nurse servant, John who, like his father, was a labourer at an iron works, and Sarah, who was at school, were still living at home. The family later moved to Kelham, John Baker's birthplace. John Baker died in 1901 aged about 63. At the time of 1901 census John Baker's daughter Sarah was living on Ollerton Road, Kelham, and was a sub-postmistress and the designated head of household. Living with her were her widowed mother, Ellen, and her nephew, Donald Rupert Siddall b. 1891, bap. Thurgoland Holy Trinity 1895; the baptismal register gave his mother's name as Ellen Siddall, occupation domestic servant, of Bird Lane, Thurgoland. It is probable that Donald's mother was Ellen Eliza's daughter by her first husband. Ellen Williamson died in 1908 aged about 72. John Williamson was also living in Kelham in 1901; he was working as a brick burner at the local brickyard and, according to his address on the census return, 'Brickyard Kelham', was living on site. Sarah married Joseph Curtis Taylor, a widower, in 1903. Two years earlier in 1901 the widowed Joseph, a gamekeeper, had been living in Kelham with his three young children, William, George and Edith, together with a domestic servant. By 1911 Joseph (42) and Sarah [Maud on the census] (33) were living at the Gamekeeper's Cottage, Plumtree, Nottinghamshire, with his son George, and their three daughters Dorothy (6), Maud (5) and Gwendoline (1). In 1911 John (35) was living at the Post Office, Kelham, where he was sub-postmaster; he may have been appointed to the position when his sister left after her marriage in 1903. Also in the household was his nephew, Donald Rupert Siddall, a postman. Donald was John's legatee.