My paternal Grandfather William ANDERSON was born on November 07, 1878 in Cowpen, NBL and worked in the mines in NBL all of his working life.  He died at the age of 54, in Newbiggin, NBL. 

William married Mary Elizabeth RENNER on July 04 1901, in Woodhorn, NBL.  Mary Elizabeth was the second daughter of Henry Brown RENNER and Mary Ann BLAIR, who had nine children.   

William ANDERSON my paternal Great Grandfather was born in 1847 in DUR and moved to NBL where he worked as a coal miner all of his working life.  He died at the age of 65. He married Mary SNOWDON on September 10, 1874 in Tynemouth, NBL. 

Mary SNOWDON was the second daughter of William SNOWDON and Margaret ROBSON.  Mary had six siblings; Matthew SNOWDON, the eldest brother started his work life as an agricultural labourer before changing to coal mining.  In his thirties, he was an innkeeper at the Ship Inn, Blyth but returned to coal mining, where he stayed for the rest of his working life.  Mary’s other brother, Edward NOBLE/SNOWDON was adopted by William and Margaret SNOWDON when he was an infant.  He started work as an agricultural labourer but “disappeared” after the 1861 census returns.

 SNOWDON men were employed in the agricultural industry, but in later years ((around 1850’s) changed occupations to the mining industry. 

George ANDERSON, my second paternal Great Grandfather was born in 1825, in Houghton-le-Spring, DUR.    He was a coal miner all of his working life. He married Ann DITCHBURN, the daughter of William DITCHBURN and Elizabeth PAXTON on November 08 1846, in Gateshead, DUR.  They had eight children, six of which were sons.  All of the sons worked the mines in Durham and Northumberland in the roles of  pattern maker, hewer, driver and trimmer. 

George ANDERSON my third paternal Great Grandfather, was born in 1791, in Lanchester Durham.  He was a coal miner all of his working life and moved several times, within Durham, to get work where the most lucrative mines were.  George married Ann ------- from Whickham, when he was in his twenties.  They had six children, five of which were boys.  All of the boys worked in the mining industry in DUR and NBL.  Thomas ANDERSON, the fourth son did work as a shipyard labourer when he moved to NBL.  He did not return to mining and died a pauper in the Tynemouth Union House in 1902.

 My fourth Great Grandfather John ANDERSON was born around 1751.  I believe the county of birth was Durham but this has not been confirmed. 

 He married Isabel RICHEY on November 08 1783, in Lanchester, DUR.  Isabel who was born on February 11, 1751, in Gateshead DUR, was the daughter of Joseph RICHEY and Isabel GREEN.  They had five sons all of whom worked in the coalmines in DUR and NBL.

My maternal Grandfather Robert Tayler STEEL was the youngest child of William Lloyd Taylor STEEL and Florence Daisy Freeman BOND.  He had 4 siblings. 

My maternal Great Grandfather William Lloyd Taylor STEEL was born October 14, 1857, in Greenwich, which was then in the country of KEN.  He married Florence Daisy Freeman BOND on November 01 1880, in Newington, SRY.  They had five children.

My maternal second Great Grandfather was Robert STEEL.  He was born in 1820, in Taunton, SOM and married Elizabeth T Taylor on October 17, 1853 in St. Marylebone, MDX.  Robert was a school master.

This site was last updated July 24, 2008