I was recently contacted by a descendant of John B Smithson of Goole and his wife Edith Mary [nee Binnington]. The couple lived at first in Estcourt Street, where John had a rag and bone yard, and then for many years in Richard Cooper Street, at number 52 where they were well known and respected. John was a chimney sweep.
Their great grand-daughter is happy for me to share this information about them here:
"John and Edith reared a pig in their backyard and the residents of Richard Cooper Street would take their scraps of food to feed the pig until it was ready to be harvested. My Great Grandfather would then distribute the meat to the residents who had helped to feed it and a feast was had by all!
My Great Grandmother was a very stern, stiff upper lipped lady who had her own wooden chair, pride of place, adjacent to the wood burner in the Queen Victoria public house on Hook Road, Goole. There she would sit smoking an old Warden pipe. Not one of the locals would ever dare to sit in this chair for fear of the wrath of Edith Mary, my great gran.
John and Edith had six children; John, Billy, Owen, Sam, George Henry and Mary. Sam and my Grandad were both boxers known as Sam 'Boy' Smithson and 'Sonny Boy' Smithson."
I remember an Ian Smithson from when we lived at 9 Richard Cooper Street in the 1960's - 1970. That was mum and das's first house and I was born in 1960. A Mrs 'Annie' Appleyard lived next door and when I joined the RN in 1976 her grandson was in my entry's division at HMS Fisgard. A close friend that went to Alexandra Street school also joined in our entry.
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