Thomas Watson Catlow 1865 - 1924

Thomas Watson Catlow, son of William & Mary Catlow, was born in 1865 in Trawden, Lancashire. Trawden is a medium sized village in the Trawden Forest parish of Pendle, at the foot of Boulsworth Hill, in Lancashire, England. Agriculture was the main industry of the village and surrounding area, although it did have several mills, most of which have now been demolished for, or converted to, housing.

So far no baptism has been found but his birth was registered in the 2qtr of 1865, in the 1871 census Thomas Watson was aged 5, living with his parents and siblings Richard 14, Martha Ann 11 and baby James 11 mths at 80 Todmorden Rd, Newchurch in Pendle, Lancashire. They were still there in 1881 then in the 2qtr of 1885 Thomas Watson Catlow married Millicent Dobson. Over the next 30 years they lived variously in Bacup, Newchurch in Pendle and finally settling at 39 Moore St, Nelson in a house named ‘Braeside’. Here they are in the 1911 census living at 38 Temple St, Nelson:-

Thomas Watson followed in his father’s footsteps working in the cotton weaving industry, first as a weaver gradually working his way up to a cotton loom overlooker. During this time he & Millicent had ten daughters, Annie, Cissie, Connie, Lizzie, Millie, Nellie & Winnie who all survived to adulthood. Triplets Rose, Lily & Violet were born in August 1900 but tragically Lily & Violet died before their first birthday in the 2qtr of 1901 and Rose soon after in the 4qtr. There were no sons.

Moore St, Nelson as it was in 2009 thanks to Google. I’ve been up and down it but there doesn’t seem to be a #39, it certainly doesn’t look anything like the house in the above photo with Thomas sitting in the garden but I expect that was the garden at the back of the house.

Thomas died at the Swinton Grove Nursing Home, Upper Brook St, Manchester on 20 Sep 1924, aged 59, and probate of his will went to his widow Millicent. Millicent died on the 22 Mar 1931, aged 67, at their Braeside home and the probate of her will went to her son-in-law James Wilkinson, overlooker.

Addendum 2-6-14: My thanks to Julie, a descendant of Thomas & Millicent, who tells me that due to subsidence, ‘Braeside’ was demolished and re-built half a mile away, she doesn’t know when but probably more than 50 years ago, it was originally more or less at the end of Moore St about where the blue arch is in the above photo. The address is now 50-52 Whitwick Rd, Nelson, and this is what it looked like in July 2011. Julie also sent me a copy of Thomas Watson Catlow’s obituary:-

Both Thomas Watson & Millicent were buried in the Nelson Cemetery, plot 4 grave 189, the same grave that daughter Cissie  Hartley was buried in.

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Tomorrow we continue with Thomas & Millicent’s eldest daughter Annie Catlow.

The CATLOW Family

It all started with Mary Hartley, the daughter of Bernard & Martha Hartley of Trawden & Colne in Lancashire.

Mary was born at Trawden in 1833 and baptised at Colne on the 7 April that year. About 20 years later she met William Catlow and on the 12 Nov 1859 she married him in the St Mary the Virgin Church in Trawden, neither had been married before.

William was the son of John & Nanny Catlow of Trawden, baptised on 1 Jul 1832 at St Bartholomew’s Church in Colne. In 1841 William was living with his father & siblings at Whitelee Head so it seems his mother had died by then, by 1851 his father had also passed away & William & his brother James were both living with another brother Thomas.

William & Mary had four children and what follows is the story of their second son, Thomas Watson Catlow, and his ten daughters, over 30 photographs of whom I recently found on eBay, all with lots of fascinating information written on the back of them.

Over the next few weeks I will be posting the photos and information on each daughter in separate articles, starting tomorrow with Thomas Watson & his wife Millicent Dobson.

I hope you will enjoy reading the story as much as I have in researching them.

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