Nat Gould

Joseph Phillips 1847-1916

Joseph Phillips was born in 1847 at Wetton in Staffordshire, the son of John Phillips 1806-1891 and his wife née Mary Frost 1810-1890.

When the Census was taken in 1851 he was a lead and copper miner living at home with his parents, and was a lead miner in 1861. When the Census was taken in 1871 Joseph Phillips was recorded as being an iron miner boarding in the household of Thomas Lax at 7 Grange Street, Brotton near Redcar in Yorkshire (1). With him was his married brother William Francis Phillips, also working as an iron miner.

In 1874 he married Susannah Colburn 1853-1917, born in Staithes, Yorkshire. Presumably they met while he was working at Brotton, and seem to have lived there when first married as there two eldest children were born there at Carling How. They had moved to Buxton by 1881 however, where Joseph Phillips worked for the local gas works, eventually becoming a meter inspector.

When the Census was taken in 1881 they were living at 30 South Street in Buxton, but by 1891 had moved round the corner to 21 Market Street, and John Phillips (the widowed father of Joseph Phillips) was living there with them. By 1901 they had moved to 12 High Street, and by 1911 to 6 Torr Street nearby.

They had the following children (2):

John Robert Phillips. He was born in 1874 at Carling How, Brotton near Redcar in Yorkshire.

James Alfred Phillips. He was born in 1875 at Carling How.

Richard Broadhurst Phillips. He was born in 1880 at Buxton, and died in 1885 aged five years.

Mary Phillips. She was born in 1883 at Buxton.

Signature on 1911 Census Return

Ernest William Phillips. He was born on 15 November 1885 in Buxton. He emigrated to the United States and married Laura Gwyn 1891-1978. He died on 26 April 1948 at Scranton, Philadelphia, United States of America.

Their father Joseph Phillips died at Buxton in 1916 aged 68 years.

His widow Susannah Phillips née Colburn died there in the following year aged 63 years.

(1) Information of Julie Riddiough http://www.communigate.co.uk/ne/brottonhistory/ The Brotton Ironstone Mine was opened in 1865 and closed in the 1920s. The recorded output ranged from around 1,500 to 2,000 tons per day. There were about 500 employees.
(2) Only the five known children are here listed. There was another child, as the 1911 Census records that they had six children of whom only four were then living.