The Family of Sarah Johnson

Sarah was born 12 November 1855 at Ironville, a daughter of Edward Johnson and Elizabeth (Hawksley) who married 16 May 1853, at Pentrich. Sarah's baptism has not been found. It may have been overlooked in the Ironville register since George was baptised at Christchurch, Ironville, 2 March 1856. It seems scarcely possible that George would have been baptised 2 years after his birth and for Sarah not to have been baptised at the same time. Sarah's first child was:
  1. Edward George. He was born about 1872 at Ironville. He married Lizzie and died at Nottingham.

Sarah married John Edwards (born 1839 at Belper) on Christmas Day 1873 at Alfreton, when the witnesses were George Johnson and Rebecca Johnson. They lived in Furnace Row, next to Hiram Gillam, an iron roller (born 26 August 1853 at Ironville) and his young wife Fanny Tinsley. Sarah and John's children were:

  1. John. He was born 1875 at Ironville.
  2. James. He was born 1877 at Ironville and died about 1935 at Nottingham. 'Jim' was a soldier in World War 1. He married Gladys.
  3. Sarah Ann. She was born 1879 at Ironville. She married William Benett.
  4. Rebecca. She was born 4 January 1881 at Ironville and died 15 March 1929 at the Crossed Daggers Inn, Newbold, Chesterfield. She married James Bowler (born 9 April).
  5. Jesse. He was born in 1883 at Ironville and married Gert.

In the 1881 Census, the Edwards family, with two lodgers, was living at 5, Furnace Row. John Edwards, a puddler, Sarah's husband, died 30 July 1885 at Ironville, leaving her with her six children, and Hiram Gillam's wife died shortly afterwards, leaving him without children. The widow, Sarah and the widower, Hiram, married 5 August 1888 at the Baptist Chapel, Swanwick. They had two sons:

  1. Hiram. He was born 12 July 1889 at 26 King William Street, Ironville. He died 19 January 1956/7 at Newbold, Chesterfield, and his occupation was a turner. Hiram junior married Emily Constance Pearson 2 November 1914 at St John the Evangelist, Newbold. Emily Constance (Connie) Pearson (b 30 June 1887, Whittington Moor, Chesterfield and died 6 April 1973 at Walton Hospital, Chesterfield) was a daughter of the Pearsons who ran the gentleman's outfitters, which became Pearson and Gillam, in Chesterfield. Hiram and Connie and their family lived in St John's Road, Newbold, Chesterfield.
  2. William Edward. He was born January 1891 at Ironville and died 26 August 1892 at Carlisle Street, Whittington, Chesterfield.

Soon after the second child was born, Hiram and Sarah began to live apart. Hiram stayed in Ironville and died there in Tank Street in July 1927. Sarah and her children moved to Whittington, Chesterfield and then to Attercliffe, Sheffield, where she died on 26 July 1899. Her son Hiram was brought up by his half-sisters, Sarah Ann Benett (Sheffield) and Rebecca Bowler (Newbold, Chesterfield).