John (Burrell) STEVENS(1863-1944) & Amelia THOMAS(1868-1941)

[sleebooth]

My PENBERTHY researches have taken me to John STEVENS (aka John BURRELL), fisherman, who married Amelia THOMAS in 1887. It looks as if they are proper St. Ives folk. They were both born in St.Ives and died in St.Ives. Up to 1901, at least, it looks as if they brought up their family in St.Ives. Yet, in 1911, the family is in Darwen, near Blackburn, Lancashire in the Cotton Weaving Industry. I have transcribed what I have found so far at here on my sleebooth genealogy website (a work in progress, of course).

Does anyone know anything about their story? Why did they go up north? Were there other folk from St.Ives who did the same? How long did they stay? What, apart from the natural drawing power of St. Ives, brought them back? etc...

[Cornish Terrier]

John, there is one very simple (and very common) reason why the family was in Lancashire for a time ..... WORK!

Note that John Stevens was a fisherman all his life up to at least 1901 yet in 1911 he is a 'cotton factory oddman'. If you were to wade through the Census records for Lancashare, Yorkshire, Durham and other areas of Northern England you would find many people from St Ives and other parts of Western Cornwall and largely it was work that drew them there. Some returned to Cornwall, some stayed where they were and others moved on to other parts of the World.

For your information Sarah Ann Burrell Stevens, sister to John, married Joseph Henry Boulton in 1884. Joseph's brother John Quick Boulton married Mary Matilda Trewhella in 1886 which provides a link to my own family.

CT