THOMAS WILLIAMS OF GNOSALL by Syd Williams (his Great Grandson) Thomas was born in the Parish of Gnosall in the county of Staffordshire in 1847. His parents were James and Elizabeth Williams (nee Frost); he had two brothers and three sisters. It is recorded in the 1851 census that James and Elizabeth were living in Outwoods, along with four of their six children, Sarah aged 17, Elizabeth 8, THOMAS 4 and Eliza 2. Outwoods is a hamlet about two miles SW of Gnosall village, in the Moreton quarter of the parish. The next census was in 1861 and this recorded that James and his wife were still living in Outwoods but of their children only Eliza was still living in the family home. One can only assume that Thomas who would have been 14 years of age, was working, possibly as a farm labourer and no longer lived at home. In the 1861census his sister Sarah is also listed - as a House Servant living in Outwoods with Sarah Frost, her maternal grandmother, and her uncle Robert. In the census of 1871 Thomas is listed as living in Outwoods with his parents, his sister Sarah and his nephew James Crockett. According to the 1871 census, Thomas was was a blacksmith. Thomas moved to Barrow-in-Furness between 1871 and 1873 to find work. He was one of the thousands attracted by the prospect of better paid work in heavy industry - iron and steel, ship building etc. Barrow was a boom town in the early 1870's the population growing from 18000 in 1871 to over 36000 in 1875. In 1873 Thomas married Ann Fisher, a widow, her father was a local butcher who came originally from Preston. The 1881 census records Thomas and Ann as living at 16 Lorne Road in the Newbarns area of Barrow with their five young children, Margaret aged 9, JAMES 7, Lily 6, Thomas 4 and George 1. James is my paternal grandfather. In the 1881 census Thomas's occupation is listed as "General Labourer", although eight years earlier his marriage certificate quoted him as being a "Bricksetter". Thomas was the "founder" of the Cumbrian branch of our family. You will see in the Descendants section that many of Thomas's descendants have moved away from Cumbria, looking for better prospects, just as Thomas himself did, when he moved "up North" a hundred and thirty years ago. Home Page