Hallo Andi. Thanks for info - I don't do Ancestry but will look up your family when I have time. I haven't got back further with Robert's parents Thomas & Euphemia - may have to go to Scotland for this! also I can't get back further than Elizabeth's (Betty's) parents Mary Lunn and Robert Longworth. There's a gap in Eccles baptism register for Robert. I have accounted for Betty's Thomas, Mary 1 & John (twins), Jno., Hannah and Mary 2. Both Longworth parents died in Barton (Winton) Workhouse. My reading of info so far is that Robert almost certainly left Kirkcaldy (with his mate and later neighbour David Swirles) in 1836/7, as a result of James Nasmyth's advert in Edinburgh papers for suitable workers for the Bridgewater Foundry when he was faced with a strike. By 1841, Robert had been married for 2 years and it looks as though he had found his handloom weaving father-in- law an new occupation as a shopkeeper, probably in the company's 'Foremans Row' opposite the Foundry where they were all living in Green Lane. Their children Robert Longworth, Euphemia, Mary and Martha Annie were born at Green Lane, Thomas Henry and Elizabeth Harriet Agnes (my great great grandmother) at Hunslet, where Robert (aka Black Bob) was by 1846 Foreman of The Railway Foundry (E.B.Wilson & Co). He gets several mentions in the David Joy Diaries, which show that he not only built railway engines but also sometimes drove them with passenger trains attached! He is credited with the world's first agricultural traction engine (Willis's Farmer's Engine) but didn't stay to see it through; Joy was involved in 'bringing it out' in 1856 but my guess is that the design was handed over to Joy's friend John Fowler, giving rise to the dynasty of Fowler traction engines, built in the next street. He appears to have lost his job following a 'great dustup' in May 1850 and by 1851 was 'engineer 2 of firm employing 32 men'. I don't know where but very different from 4-500 employees at the Railway Foundry! In 1851, 15 months after EHAW's birth, Betty died as a result of unsuccessful childbirth.She was buried at Barton Wesleyan Chapel (daughter Mary 1 joined her in the same grave in 1857). Robert remarried, the following year, Mary Ann Sawdon (his housekeeper?) at Malton when he was living at Bradford. In April 1852 he had a 4 year contract as General Works Manager back at the Bridgewater Foundry (I'm looking into which house went with the job and hope to find more at the Salford library later this year). I don't know where he worked from 1856; when he made his will in 1859 he was living somewhere in Liverpool. When he died at Barton in 1859 (don't know where he's buried), Martha Swirles was present and registered the death. I have assumed that Martha Annie was named after her. I haven't managed to find much about Martha's family yet (busy with other branches of the family). I do, however have several things which may interest you: a beautiful leather-bound prayer book inscribed 'New Year's Gift To Miss E.H.Willis From E & A Hodgson 1869', an oil painting of Betty Willis, probably in her late 20's and, in the Minnis photo album, a not very clear photo of the matching painting of Robert Willis (probably taken in the 1890's), I wonder who had it? There are also some unidentified photos of female relatives in the album, which could be relevant.
In 1875, EHAM married John Minnis at Malton (and died at her daughter Lizzie Longworth Minnis's home at Harrogate in 1906. Her other child, John Harold Minnis, was my grandfather. His daughter Marjorie (my mother) also had Longworth as her middle name.
I hope I've been able to tell you SOMETHING you don't already know!
Ken
