Nat Gould

William Smith Gould 1831-1913

William Smith Gould and Rachel Gould

William Smith Gould was born on 14 October 1831 at Grindon in Staffordshire, the son of John Gould and his wife nee Anne Smith. He was baptised on 24 June 1832 at Grindon.

Dunge Bottom Farm 1905

He married Rachel Smith on 31 March 1856 (1). She was born in Longnor in Staffordshire on 31 October 1833, the daughter of George Smith 1805-1891 and his wife Ann Horobin 1808-1897.

When first married they lived in Waterfall in Staffordshire, but moved to Grindon in 1862.
They lived there until the 1880s when they moved to Dunge Bottom farm near Alstonefield in Staffordshire.

They had the following children :

Ann Gould. She was born on 11 January 1857 at Waterfall, and died in 1923. She married William Bennington of Milldale on 9 December 1878 at Grindon. She died in 1923, and was buried in Grindon churchyard in an unmarked grave between those of her parents and her brother John Gould, both of which graves have memorial headstones.

Ellen Smith Gould. She was born on 11 October 1858 at Waterfall and baptised on 13 November 1858 at Grindon. In 1894 she was married to Joseph Gould of Moorside, Elkstone in Staffordshire. They had three children, one of whom died young. She died in 1932 aged 73 years.

Jane Gould. She was born on 22 October 1860 at Waterfall, and living there with her parents in 1861. She had two children. She died at Leek in 1929.

Mary Gould. She was born on 26 September 1862 at Grindon, and baptised there on 26 October 1862. In 1882 she was married to Matthew Millward of Grindon. They had eight children of whom three died young. She died on 5 January 1946 aged 83, and was buried at Grindon where there is a memorial gravestone.

Rachel Gould. She was born on 2 January 1865, and died on 10 January 1866 at Grindon aged one year.

John Gould. He was born on 8 February 1867 at Grindon, and died on 28 June 1943. In 1866 he married Harriet Weston who was born in 1868 and died on 7 June 1960. She was the daughter of John and Mary A. Weston of Hobcroft, Warslow, Staffordshire. They had three children.

William Smith Gould. He was born on 22 May 1871 at Grindon, and was baptised there on 25 June 1871. He was unmarried and died in 1936 aged 64 years.

Joseph Gould. He was born on 9 December 1874 at Grindon. He married Ellen Redfern of Mootlow farm near Alsop-en-le-Dale in Derbyshire. He died in 1941 aged 66 years.

William Smith Gould died on 11 February 1913, and his wife Rachel Gould nee Smith on 31 October 1922. They were buried at Grindon, where there is a memorial gravestone inscribed :

"IN LOVING MEMORY OF/WILLIAM SMITH GOULD/THE BELOVED HUSBAND OF/RACHAEL GOULD (2)/OF DUNGE BOTTOM ALSTONEFIELD/WHO DIED FEB.11.1913/AGED 81 YEARS/ALSO OF RACHAEL GOULD/WHO DIED OCT.31.1922/AGED 89 YEARS/ALSO OF RACHAEL THEIR DAUGHTER/WHO DIED JAN.10.1866/AGED 1 YEAR/SO HE GIVETH HIS BELOVED SLEEP".

(1) "Marriages. On Monday last, by the resident minister of Grindon, The Rev. F. Stoke, Mr W. Gould of Grindon, to Rachel, eldest daughter of Mr George Smith, farmer, of Longnor. The Grindon choir of singers afterwards attended at the wedding-house, and sang the wedding anthem, "Blessed are all they that fear the Lord". Buxton Advertiser Friday 4 April 1856.

(2) This gravestone gives her name as "Rachael", but it is spelt "Rachel" on both her marriage certificate and the birth certificate of her daughter Ann Gould.