Interesting about them not being 'so poor'. There's certainly this from 1871
https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/KDZ5-429 with her being retired and looking after two kids?!
Also Ellen's father, William Barraclough, was a wool merchant. I wonder if it was a sheep farm?
John junior's 1861 occupation would have been a Machine Overlooker. I thought [from lotsa reading up] that had meant overlooking the kids to work hard and be on time but.... as you imply, overlooking the machinery itself I hadn't considered.
Why would Ellen Tinker, a Wool Carder's daughter, go with the younger John Hauxworth to Germany? Just musing! The oddest I'd surmised was this Law Times Report from 1870: [ broken link removed ]
& oddly enough, on the marriage cert. [ broken link removed ] Urbigan is mentioned as Ellen Tinker's incorrect birthplace! Also their daughter Anna Marie [my ggrandma] was born in Uebigan?!
And yeah, Ellen and Phoebe are quite trackable right thru to Phoebe's institutionalization in 1911. As you bring up, there was always the question in my mind of how Ellen and Phoebe got by....
1851:
https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/SP9V-FP41861:
https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/MWM4-SHR1871:
https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/KDZ5-4291881:
https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/Q27R-85CFBut, nothing on 'not so poor' father John Hauxworth's origins prior to 1800 can I find.
Also interesting the observation you make on Ellen's 1841 household laborers..
So, now they're rich and catholic. Hah!! Maybe Ellen Barraclough's family had the do-re-mi? Ach!
Thanks for stretching my mind on this!