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| J. M. W. Turner: Keelmen Heaving in Coals by Night (1835) |
Today, and in a series of posts, I turn to Robert's father, Joseph Strong with a reconstruction of his family of origin. My technique, such as it is, involves searching census data for a surname (in this case, Strong), and date of birth around that of the known sibling (in this case, around 1810), and then correlating the individuals discovered in this manner with baptismal (and other) records.
First off, I do now have the birth certificate for Robert Strong (my 2x great grandfather) from scotlandspeople.gov.uk. Born in Middle or New Parish, Greenock Scotland. The Scottish birth
certificate reads:
Robert Strong
1856 July nineteenth 11h PM
3 Trafalgar Street, Greenock
father: Joseph Strong, Steamboat Master
mother: Susannah Strong maiden name Hughes
reported by: Susannah Redhead Cousin x her mark present [at birth]
Either Jane went by the alternative name of Susannah (attested nowhere else), or there is a clerical error in the record, possibly because Susannah Redhead reported the birth. It does not seem likely to me that our Robert Strong has a different mother to his siblings.The exact manner in which Susannah Redhead and Robert Strong are cousins will be explored later.
And now for siblings of Joseph Strong (my 3x great grandfather), whose 1851 England Census describes as "Master Steem Boat". The most specific reference for a place of birth for Joseph comes from the 1871 England Census with Felling Shore, Durham. Felling is on the south bank of the Tyne near Heworth. Census searches for Strongs born around 1810 in Heworth or Felling found the family of one John Strong, born about 1772 in Newburn, Northumberland, which is near Scotswood.
The 1851 England Census for Commercial Street, Middlesbrough (along the same street as Joseph and Jane Strong) gives:
John Strong Head Mar 79 Steam Boat Owner Northumberland NewburnHannah Strong Wife Mar 58 Durham Heworth
Robert Strong Son U 35 Steam Boat Owner Durham Heworth
William Strong Son U 34 Steam Boat Owner Durham Heworth
Nicholas Strong Son Mar 30 Steam Boat Owner Durham Heworth
Thomas Strong Son U 25 Steam Boat Owner Durham Heworth
Henry Strong Son U 21 Steam Boat Owner Durham Heworth
Mary Ag Strong Daur U 13 Yorks Middlesbrough
Ann Hamilton Servant U 22 House Servant Cumberland Carlisle
(Source Citation: Class:HO107; Piece: 2383; Folio: 246; Page: 40; GSU roll: 87061.)
The same year, and also on Commercial Street, Middlesbrough is:
John Strong Head Mar 50 Steam Boat Owner Northumberland ScotswoodJane Strong Wife Mar 25 Yorks Osmotherley
Alister Patterson Visitor Widower 37 Furniture Broker Scotland
Elizabeth Patterson Visitor 5 Scholar Scotland
Jane Thompson Servant U 17 House Servant Yorks Middlesbrough
(Source Citation: Class: HO107; Piece: 2383; Folio: 242; Page: 33; GSU roll: 87061.)
So, three households of Strongs associated with steamboats (including our Joseph), making it difficult to resist the temptation that they have family connections. By 1861, while our Joseph Strong is living in Greenock, the other two households are in Birkenhead. The 1861 England Census for 127 Bridge Street has:
Hannah Strong Head Widow 66 Steam Tug Proprietor Durham HeworthJohn Strong Stepson Mar 60 Not employed Northumberland Scotswood
Robert Strong Son Un 44 Steam Tug Proprietor Durham Heworth
Hannah Bell Daughter Mar 37 Supported by Hannah Strong
Durham Heworth
Thomas Strong Son Un 36 Steam Tug Proprietor Durham Heworth
Hannah Akenhead Gd Daugh 16 Supported by Hannah Strong
Yorkshire Middlesbrough
Mary Akenhead Gd Daugh 14 Scholar Yorkshire Middlesbrough
Hannah Bell Gd Daugh 14 Scholar Yorkshire Middlesbrough
Elizabeth Bell Gd Daugh 9 Scholar Yorkshire Middlesbrough
Elizabeth Fegan Servant 37 House Servant Wales
(Source Citation: Class:RG 9; Piece: 2641; Folio: 131; Page: 59; GSU roll: 543004.)
John Strong, Sr. must have died between the two censuses. The FreeBMD Death Index has:
John Strong Mar1858 Wirral 8a 331
And this is confirmed by the England and Wales, National Probate Calendar in 1858:
John Strong 7 September The Will
of John Strong formerly of Middlesbrough in
Effects under L4,000 the County of York and late of 127 Bridge
-street Birkenhead in the County of Chester
Steamboat Proprieter deceased who died
10 March 1858 at Bridge-street aforesaid was
proved at Chester by the oath of Hannah
Strong of 127 Bridge-street aforesaid Widow
the Relict and one of the Executors.
One can imagine that in 1861 Hannah was none too pleased to be supporting the families of two daughters! The presence of step-son, John, Jr. suggests that his father had been previously married. The 1851 census has Hannah twenty-one years younger than her husband, and the 1861 census has her only six years older than this step-son.
While next door at 128 Bridge Street, Birkenhead are:
Nicholas Strong Head Mar 40 Steam Tug Proprietor Durham HeworthMaryann Strong Wife Mar 39 Northumberland Bedlington
Sarah Strong Daughter Un 14 Scholar Durham Heworth
Hannah Strong Daughter 12 Scholar Yorkshire Middlesbrough
Mary G Strong Daughter 10 Scholar Yorkshire Middlesbrough
Elizabeth Strong Daughter 5 Scholar Cheshire Birkenhead
Margarett Strong Daughter 4 Cheshire Birkenhead
Margaret Colebourn Servant Un 26 House Servant Lancashire Liverpool
(Source Citation: Class: RG 9; Piece: 2641; Folio: 131; Page: 59; GSU roll: 543004.)
And, going back to the 1841 England Census on Commercial Street, we have:
John Strong 60 Ship Owner N[ot born in the county]Hannah Strong 50 N
Elizabeth Strong 25 N
Robert Strong 25 Engine Man N
William Strong 20 Sailor N
Hannah Strong 15 N
Thomas Strong 15 N
Henry Strong 11 N
Mary Strong 3 Y[es, born in the county]
(Source Citation: Class: HO107; Piece: 1258; Book: 3; Civil Parish: Middlesbrough; County:
Yorkshire; Enumeration District: 1; Folio: 22; Page: 39; Line: 15; GSU roll: 464234.)
Here are some birth and baptism data for this family, from England, Births and Christenings, 1538-1975, including a series of baptisms in Heworth, Durham, south of the Tyne, for children of John Strong and Hannah, given here with their respective dates of baptism.
Elizabeth Strong 11 Sep 1814Robert Strong 13 May 1816
William Strong 26 Oct 1817
Henry Strong 22 Aug 1819
Nicholas Strong 15 Oct 1820
Hannah Strong 13 Jul 1823
Thomas Strong 25 Sep 1825
Henry Strong 17 Jan 1830
These are clearly the same family as the 1841 Census above, missing Henry (born 1819) – who must have died before 1830, since they give the name to another child – and Nicholas (born 1820) – who is among them in 1851 – and with the addition of Mary Ag[nes] who was born in Middlesbrough. Her birth certificate gives the name of their mother, Hannah Elliot.
Mary Agnes Strong BMD Birth Mar1838 Stockton 24 189Birth Certificate reads:
March 27th Morning 5 o’clock Middlesbrough/
Mary Agnes Strong/ Girl/John Strong/ Hannah Strong formerly Elliot/
Steam Boat Owner
X The Mark of Hannah Strong Mother Middlesbrough/
March 29th
Mary Agnes Strong was baptized 28 Apr 1838 West Acklam, Yorkshire
Looking for a baptism for the stepson, John Strong, yields a set of four for children of John Strong and Elizabeth Fair(e)s in Newburn, Northumberland, north of the Tyne:
William Strong born 1 Feb 1798 bapt. 20 May 1798John Strong born 6 Feb 1801 bapt. 8 Mar 1801
Anthony Strong born 30 Apr 1803 bapt. 22 May 1803
Joseph Strong born 11 Jun 1807 bapt. 26 Jul 1807
From the Register of Baptisms of the Parish of Newburn, Northumberland:
"Joseph Strong of Scotswood [born] June 11 [baptized] July 16 [1807] 4th Son of John Strong Keelman Native of Ryton Parish by his Wife Elizabeth Faires of St Johns New Castle Tyne"
The John of these baptisms makes a good candidate for John, Hannah’s stepson. And the Joseph of these baptisms makes a good candidate for our Joseph Strong, the “Master Steem Boat” of the 1851 England Census, and father of Robert Strong. There is a marriage record for John Strong and Elizabeth Fairs at Newburn, Northumberland 18 April 1796. Thus, it appears likely that John Strong, husband of Elizabeth Fairs, remarried after her death to Hannah Elliot, along with a move across the Tyne from from Newburn, Northumberland to Heworth, Durham, and eventually to Middlesbrough, Yorkshire.
The John of these baptisms makes a good candidate for John, Hannah’s stepson. And the Joseph of these baptisms makes a good candidate for our Joseph Strong, the “Master Steem Boat” of the 1851 England Census, and father of Robert Strong. There is a marriage record for John Strong and Elizabeth Fairs at Newburn, Northumberland 18 April 1796. Thus, it appears likely that John Strong, husband of Elizabeth Fairs, remarried after her death to Hannah Elliot, along with a move across the Tyne from from Newburn, Northumberland to Heworth, Durham, and eventually to Middlesbrough, Yorkshire.
The Tyne Keelmen loaded coal from the pits into shallow draught boats (called keels) and out to the waiting colliers which would transport the coal by sea, mostly to London. They were paid by the keel-load of about 20 tons, which had to be loaded onto the keel, transported to and unloaded into the collier. This was necessary because the Tyne was too shallow to load colliers from the banks. By the end of the eighteenth century, the use of short piers (or coal staithes) enabled direct loading of coal from the shore to the collier, reducing the available work for the keelmen. The introduction of steam tugs in the nineteenth was yet another blow to the keelmen. It would appear that John and his family followed the trend of industrialization, joining the steam tug business, and moving south to the Tees as increasingly coal was loaded from Middlesbrough.
The fog on the Tyne slowly lifts. Next time, a gravestone...
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