Arthur Barber

Arthur was the son of Sarah Ann Barber (née Silvester).

Sarah Ann Silvester was born in 1859, in Chard, Somerset, and married Jessie (Jess) Barber, who was also born in Chard, at Chard St Mary's on 24 December 1879.

According to information given on the 1911 census, Sarah Ann had eight children, three of whom had died by 1911. Five children from her marriage to Jess have been identified from census returns and birth/baptismal records: Elizabeth Ann b. Chard 1880 bap. Chard 29 August 1880; Walter Henry b. Nottingham birth registered Chard 1882 (JFM) bap. Chard 17 December 1881; Lucy b. Nottingham 1883 JAS bap. Nottingham St Ann 7 June 1883 address 12 Ashover Terrace; William John b. Nottingham 1886 bap. Ilkeston St John 3 June 1897 (parents Jess & Sarah Ann Barber) and George b. Nottingham 1888 JAS bap. Nottingham Emmanuel 5 November 1888 address 9 Glenroy Terrace died 1888 OND. No further records have been traced for Lucy who was born in 1883 and she may have died in infancy.

Jess, Sarah and their infant daughter, Elizabeth, were living on Bath Street, Chard, in 1881; he was a labourer and his wife a lace hand. The birth and baptismal records of their other children show that they were living in Nottingham between at least 1881 when their second child was born and 1888 when their son George was born (died 1888).

Jess Barber died in 1889 (reg. OND Chard) aged 29.

In 1891 his widow Sarah Ann, a winder (lace mill), was living on Field Bars Lane, Chard, with their three children, Elizabeth, Walter and William. Arthur was born in Chard on 15 February the following year (1892 JFM). He was baptised at Ilkeston St John on 3 June 1897; the baptismal record named his parents as Jess and Sarah Ann Barber, address Nottingham Road, Ilkeston, Derbyshire.

Sarah married Joseph Walker (b. 1841 Radford) in 1893 (reg. AMJ Nottingham). Their daughter Harriet Walker was born in 1894 (AMJ) and baptised at Ilkeston St John on 3 June 1897; parents Joseph and Sarah Walker of Nottingham Road, Ilkeston.

In 1901 Joseph Walker (60), a twist hand, his wife Sarah (41) a brass bobbin winder, and Harriet Walker (7) were boarders at 43 Stanton Road, Ilkeston, living with Sarah's eldest son, Walter Henry Barber (20), a twist hand, who was head of household. His three siblings, Elizabeth (21), William (14) a miller's boy and Arthur (9), were living with them and also Edith Barber (2) who was born in Ilkeston in 1899 and listed on the census as one of Walter's siblings. The possible birth registration for the youngest child is Edith May Liniger Barber b. 1899 AMJ Basford (also on the Derbyshire registrars' records for Ilkeston).

Joseph Walker died in 1905 (reg. Nottingham) and in 1911 his widow Sarah Ann was living at 52 Oldham Road, Nottingham, with her eldest son Walter, a lace maker, who was described as head of household. Walter was married (m. Sarah Jane Hill, Ilkeston St Mary 26 December 1903) but his wife was not in the home on the night of the census. Also in the household were William (m. 1914 Mary Ann Woolley), who was also a lace maker, Arthur a stoker and Edith, who were recorded on the census as Walter's brothers and sister, and Harriet Walker, a cotton winder, who was described as Walter's step-sister. Sarah's eldest child, Elizabeth, has not yet been traced after 1901.

Arthur married Daisy Bagshaw on 3 August 1912 at St Matthias Church, Sneinton. Both were living at 34 Seymour Street, Sneinton. The marriage certificate has Arthur's father's name as 'Joseph Barber' occupation twisthand.

Arthur and Daisy had four children: Arthur Bertram b. 1912 (reg. 1913 JFM), Lewis b. 1914, Maisie Elizabeth b. 1916 and William b. 1918 (reg. 1919 JFM). They lived at 59 Oldham Street, Carlton Road, Nottingham.

Daisy married Alfred James Holmes in 1921 (reg. JFM Nottingham). They had two daughters, Dorothy birth reg. 1922 JFM and Hilda b. 1926. Daisy died in 1934 aged 45.