George Ellis was the sixth child of William Ellis & Mary Allsop christened November 14th, 1819 at Pinxton, Derbyshire.
In 1841 George was living with his parents at Pinxton Wharf & was working as a coal miner.
George married Ann Mee in Jan-March 1844 at Pinxton, Derbyshire. Ann was born c1825 at South Normanton, Derbyshire.
In 1851 George & Ann were living at Pinxton Wharf & George was still a coal miner. They had 3 children – John (6), Mary Ann (3) & Samuel (7 months). Samuel had a twin brother, William, who only a survived for a few days & Samuel himself only lived to the age of 3. Daughter Jane was born in 1849 but was not found in the 1851 census.
By 1861 the family had moved to Speedwell Cottages, Staveley, Derbyshire & George continued to be a coal miner as was 16 year old son John. Other children at home were Mary A, William (8), Sarah (5) & Hannah (2).
Daughter Mary Ann married Edward Hodson, a coal miner, on June 5th, 1865 at Staveley. They were to have 14 children before Mary Ann’s death in 1906. Edward died in 1912 aged 75 & was given a military funeral by the Staveley Old Comrades Association. He was an old volunteer & bandsman & many respects were paid on his death. (Derbyshire Courier, September 3rd, 1912)
The Derbyshire Times & Chesterfield Herald of March 10th, 1866 reported on an accident which occurred to George at the Old Hollingwood Pit, Staveley where he worked. George, of Speedwell Terrace, who had only just recovered from an accident which disabled him for some months, was ‘foolishly riding on the limbers of a corve’ (corve or corf is a wicker basket used to transport coal). The corve came off the rails & George was thrown off & his left leg seriously fractured.
George & Ann were living at Chesterfield Rd, Staveley in 1871. Son William was now a coal miner like his father. Also at home were Sarah, Hannah, Martha (8) & son John, a coal miner, now married to Dorothy & their daughter Sarah A (8 months).
Daughter Hannah married George Houldsworth, a coal miner, on June 19th, 1876 at Staveley.
Son William married Martha Ann Harris on April 11th, 1878 at North Wingfield, Derbyshire. Following their marriage they lived in Staveley until Martha’s death in 1897. They appear to have had no family. A report in the Derbyshire Times & Chesterfield Herald of March 22nd, 1893 told of a serious accident at Ireland Colliery where William worked. A mishap with the cage in which the miners were travelling resulted in it crashing to the bottom. William was one of the 12 men travelling in the cage & received serious internal injuries. This incident appears to have caused William to change his occupation & he applied for a licence to sell beer on his premises at Prospect Place in 1896. The 1901 census shows William had now become a provision dealer & beer retailer. Living with him was Martha’s 80 year old widowed Mother, Martha Harris, & an 11 year old niece, Mary Harris.
George died on June 10th, 1879 at Speedwell & was buried on June 13th, 1879, aged 59, at Staveley, Chesterfield.
In 1881 widowed Ann was living with her daughter Sarah who had married George Cupitt on Christmas Day, 1875. They were living at Chesterfield Rd, Staveley. George was a coal miner & he & Sarah had a daughter, Sarah E (6 months). Also with them was George & Sarah’s niece, Sarah A Ellis, aged 10, presumably the daughter of John & Dorothy Ellis (see 1871 above). There was also a boarder, Robert Plant, a 25 year old colliery labourer.
In 1882 daughter Martha married Edward Holmes on January 17th at Staveley. Martha had a son, John James, who was christened in August 1882 but sadly died in September of that year. In 1891 Martha & Edward were living in Tankersley,W. Yorks which is where Edward died in March 1898. Widowed Martha married again on August 7th, 1899 in Chesterfield. Her second husband was 39 year old James Gray, a bricklayer.
Ann was still living at Chesterfield Rd in 1891 with George & Sarah Cupitt & their 2 children Sarah E & Mildred (5).
Ann died on March 30th 1892, aged 68, at Chesterfield Rd, Staveley.
The 1911 census shows Sarah & George Cupitt living at 4 Skinner St, Cresswell, with only daughter Emma Hilda (14) still at home. It also showed that Sarah had given birth to 9 children only 3 of whom were still living in 1911.
The children of George Ellis & Ann Mee were:
el.5.6.1 John Ellis born at Meadow Houses & christened August 30th, 1844 at Pinxton; died Jan-March 1909 in Chesterfield
el.5.6.2 William Ellis born July-September 1846 at Pinxton; died Oct-December 1846 at Pinxton
el.5.6.3 Mary Ann Ellis christened November 28th, 1847 at Staveley, Derbyshire; died October 18th, 1906 in Staveley
el.5.6.4 Jane Ellis born at Meadow Houses & christened November 5th, 1849 at Pinxton
el.5.6.5 Samuel Ellis born at Meadow Houses & christened August 17th, 1850 at Pinxton, died December
18th, 1853 at Pinxton
el.5.6.6 William Ellis born at Meadow Houses & christened August 17th, 1850 at Pinxton, died August
23rd, 1850 at Pinxton
el.5.6.7 William Ellis born at Meadow Houses & christened April 17th, 1853 at Pinxton; died April 6th, 1901 at Prospect Place, Staveley
el.5.6.8 Sarah Ellis born Oct-December 1855 at Pinxton; died at Skinner St, Creswell & buried August 30th, 1911 at Creswell, Derbyshire
el.5.6.9 Hannah Ellis christened March 21st, 1859 at Staveley, Derbyshire; died June 1912 at Staveley
el.5.6.10 Martha Ellis christened October 4th, 1863 at Staveley, Derbyshire