The Smiths
In 1881 Robert and Catherine Smith left England and traveled to America with their children, Mary Ann, John William, Anne, Edwin, Alexander, and James. They came from the northern county of Yorkshire in England. Robert had worked in the woolen mills and followed the same work here.
They first settled in the Olneyville section of Providence, R.I. Robert worked as a “wool sorter” and later followed this trade from Olneyville to Bristol, R.I.
What follows is what I’ve been able to discover about this American family.
The Nook
The Nook The Nook 1978 In 1978, my parents, Ted and Helen Smith, traveled to England to find the birthplace of Ted’s father, Edwin Smith. They first looked for and found Edwin’s birth certificate which located the place of birth as “The Nook”, Keighley. So they headed north to Keighley in Yorkshire. At the town...
Origins in England
Origins In England As far back as reliable records are available, everything indicates that our Smith family came from the Harden section of the parish of Bingley in the county of Yorkshire in northern England. The closest large city was, and still is, Bradford. At the beginning of the nineteenth century, this region was engaged...
Enoch & Hannah
The span of Enoch and Hannah Smith’s lives covers nearly the entire nineteenth century. In the nineteenth century, Britain became the world’s first industrial society. It also became the first urban society. By 1851 more than half the population lived in towns.
Enoch Smith, the oldest son of William and Jane Smith, was born on April 5, 1798. He was baptized at the parish church of All Saints in Bingley on May 5, 1798 . . .
Robert & Catherine
Robert and Catherine Robert Smith was born in Bingley on April 6, 1841. The birth certificate shows Robert’s father as Enoch, his mother as Hannah Moore Smith, and Enoch’s occupation as “Woolcomber.” Note that the “Signature of Informant” block contains “mark of Enoch Smith, Father.” Enoch was illiterate. The place of birth and residence of...
The Children of Robert & Catherine
The Children of Robert and Catherine Mary Ann, John William, David, Anne, Edwin, James, Alexander