The Sunter story so far…
1841…Thomas and Mary Sunter, knocking on a bit at 60, live in Lodge Green, Gunnerside, Melbecks, Yorkshire. They have a 15 year old son called William and the family earns its trade in the lead mining industry. Thomas and Mary Sunter are my great, great, great grandparents.
1851 William Sunter has married Hannah. They are my great, great grandparents. The family still live at Lodge Green where William is a Grocer and Draper. They have a young family – Thomas (6), James (4) and Joseph (2). William and Hannah Sunter are my great great grandparents.
1861 Thomas James and Joseph are all working as lead miners. Joseph is just 12 years old. William and Mary now have expanded their family with William (9), George (7), Mally (2) and Ann (2 months).
1870 final quarter – Joseph Sunter and Isabella Guy get married in the distric of Reeth, North Riding of Yorkshire (vol 9 p1031).
1871 In addition to being a draper and grocer, William is now also the postmaster at Lodge Green. The children are growing up and Joseph, now aged 22, has married Isabella. Together they lodge at the family home. Joseph and Isabella Sunter are my great grand parents.
1881 There is no census record of Joseph. However Isabella appears to be living at 106 Edge Land, West Derby, Lancashire and is a milk dealer. There is a son, William, who is 9 and a ‘scholar’. Hannah is her daugher, she is aged 3 and was born and Bishop Auckland. Matty Sunter lives with her.
1883 first quarter. Isabella dies.
1891 Joseph has remarried – to Jane Anne Snowball. They have moved to 21 Grove Street, Stockton on Tees. A short distance from where Lofty was to be born in Brunswick Street. Joseph’s son William from his marriage to Isabella is now 19 and living with them. Joseph and Anne have a young family – Grace, Dorothy, Gertrude and Cleva. Charles is 9 years old but is away the night of the census. Joseph and Jane are my great grandparents.
1901 Joseph has died. Widow Jane now lives with her family in Victoria Street, Thornaby, Stockton. Charles, her son, is 19 and is a stoker on the railways.
1911 Charles is now lodgin at Unicorn Yard, West Street. The family which runs the lodging (and there are 20 people living there) is called Marsh. At the head of the family is John William Marsh who is married to Jane. They have a daughter Emma who is just 17 years old. The positioning on the census has Charles as the first of the lodgers listed – could this be because he is having a relationship with Emma?
The answer is almost certainly yes. Charles marries Emma in 1911. Charles and Emma are my grand parents.
19th November 1917 – John William Sunter is born at 62 Brunswick Street. John is my father.
‹ …and now what was Isabella doing in 1881 The Meredith Family Bible ›
Hi Tim, Just reading your Sunter page……I live in NZ……Thomas and Mary Sunter are also my gt gt gt gp’s, William and Hannah Sunter are also my gt gt gp’s……You are descended from their son Joseph…….I am descended from their son James. James Married Hannah Pratt in Reeth. Sometime between 1881 and 1891, James and Hannah and family travelled to NZ. Hannah snr dies there in 1891 and is buried in Auckland. Their daughter, also Hannah, married a NZ’er called Rowley. ( my father was a Rowley ) James returned to UK after Hannah died in NZ and he remarried. His daughter, Hannah, now Rowley, lived in a mining community called Karangahake, but died at age 35 and is buried in Paeroa and one of her sons is also buried close by. We actually went to visit the graves a couple weeks ago. Just thought I would share….neat to think we are realated!