On 13 August 1864, when the United States was in the middle of the their civil war and Canada was only being planned as a Dominion (to be discussed at the Quebec Conference in October of that year), in the parish of Scalford in Leicestershire, England John Henry Glover was born.1,2
John Henry was the oldest son of Thomas Glover and Harriet Padmore. Thomas was 33 at the time and Harriet was 23. At the time of John Henry’s birth his father Thomas was a farm labourer. His mother reported the birth on 1 September 1864 and made her mark on the entry. He joined his half-sister Elizabeth Padmore, who was born in the third quarter of 1862.
John Henry and Elizabeth were both baptized on 04 September 1864 by the vicar Thomas Frith Salmon.6
In the 1871 census, the family was living in Scalford Leicestershire. Thomas was a farm labour and both Elizabeth and John Henry were listed as scholars. Also included in the family at that time was Mary (born 1867).7
The family eventually grew to eight children including Charles Albert (1870), Ellen (1872), William James (1875), Minnie Louise (1878), and Harriet Ann (1881). Unfortunately, the last three died very young. William James died at one year, Minnie Louise at age three and Harriet Ann at eight months.
By the time of the 1881 census came around, John Henry had left home to work as a railway labourer and was living in Dalby in the Wolds, Leicestershire.8
Family story is that John Henry left Scalford and went north with intention of joining the workforce that was building the Forth Bridge in Scotland where construction started 1882 and was completed in 1890. At the time, it had the longest single cantilever bridge span. The navvies were the labourers of the railway. It was back-breaking work in harsh conditions.24 Gordon Lightfoot sings of the navvies in his Canadian Railroad Trilogy.
Around the time that John Henry left, the construction of the Fordham to Mildenhall spur was being constructed, starting in January of 1883. Living in Fordham at the time was a young lady named Eliza Wells, the daughter of James Wells and Selina Gray.
John Henry and Eliza must have gotten together for a short time, as the result was Eliza’s daughter Agnes Glover Wells who was born on 22 Apr 188419,20 in Mildenhall, Suffolk, England19,20. She became a Salvation Army nurse and moved to Canada where eventually she married Thomas Richard Tomlinson on 03 Nov 191723 in Calgary, Alberta, Canada23. They lived in north-western British Columbia in the village of Meanskinisht and raised three children. She died on 15 Sep 195121,22,20 in Prince Rupert, British Columbia, Canada21,22,20. You can read about how I discovered John Henry was the biological father of Agnes here.
At some point, whether at the same time or later, John Henry also met Annie Crawford, the daughter of John Crawford and Alice Casper. There is no civil record of their marriage found, nor can a church record be found; however, Annie used the last name Crawford subsequently and her death record lists her name as Glover. Another family researcher believes that Annie and her sister were likely pithead girls26 who often made extra income through prostitution. It is possible that John Henry and Annie may have had a navvy’s wedding. A navvy wedding consisted of the couple jumping the broom.25
John Henry and Annie had three daughters:
1. Harriet Ellen Glover was born about 188612 in Horwich, Lancashire, England12. She never married and died on 20 September 196113 in Horwich, Lancashire, England13.
2. Mary Elizabeth Glover was born about 188814 in Horwich, Lancashire, England14. She also never married and died in 07 January 194615 in Horwich, Lancashire, England15.
3. Minnie Glover was born on 21 Dec 188916 in Horwich, Lancashire, England16. She married George Henry Leech in 191418 in Bolton, Lancashire, England18 and they had 12 children. She died on 23 November 197517 in Bolton, Lancashire, England17.
The lifestyle of the navvy must have paled over time, as at the time of the 1891 census, John Henry and Annie were living in Horwich, Lancashire on 39 Beatrice Street and he was working as a stationary engine man. Their three daughters lived with them as well as four lodgers who all worked as excavator navvies.9
In 1901, the family was 13 Julia Street in Horwich with their three daughters. The oldest daughters, Harriet Ellen and Mary Elizabeth were working as cotton weavers.10
By 1911, the family had moved again to 6 Emmett Street in Horwich. Their three daughters still lived with them. At that time, Annie and Harriet Ellen were doing house work at home and Mary Elizabeth and Minnie were cotton weavers. Also living there was a niece of John Henry’s Edith Skerritt.11
According to a family source, as well as raising Edith, John Henry and Annie looked after two other daughters of his sister Ellen (Hannah and Sybill), and a daughter of his half-sister Elizabeth (Mary Witts). It seems John Henry was surrounded by women in his life. During this time, family information is also that John Henry also owned a shop and rented out a couple of houses, so he apparently had an entrepreneurial spirit.
John Henry outlived both of the mothers of his children as Eliza died in 1898 in Fordham and Annie died in 1918 in Horwich. John Henry died at home at 146 Lee Lane in Horwich, Lancashire on 11 February 1928 of chronic myocarditis.3,4,5 His daughter Mary Elizabeth was the informant and he is described as a retired steam crane driver, railway works.
1 Births (CR) England, Scalford, Clawson, Leicester and Nottingham. 13 August 1864. GLOVER, John Henry. RD Clawson, SRD Melton Mowbray. No. 326.
2 Births (CR) England, Scalford, Clawson, Leicester and Nottingham. 13 August 1864. GLOVER, John Henry. BXCA 353901.
3 Testamentary Records, England. 2 April 1928. GLOVER, John Henry. Probate Index. England & Wales, Index of Wills and Probates, 1853-1943. https://www.myheritage.com : accessed 23 March 2021.
4 Deaths (CR) England, Horwich, Lancaster. 11 February 1928. GLOVER, John Henry. No. 496.
5 Deaths (CR) England, Horwich, Lancaster. 11 February 1928. GLOVER, John Henry. DYA 758706.
6 Baptisms (PR) England, Scalford, Leicestershire. 4 September 1864. GLOVER, John Henry. Leicestershire Baptisms. http://www.findmypast.co.uk : accessed 20 March 2021.
7 Census Records, 1871. England. Scalford, Leicestershire. RG10/3296. p 19. https://www.ancestry.ca : accessed 20 March 2021.
8 Census Records, 1881. England. Dalby in the Wolds, Leicestershire. RG 11/3183. p 7. https://www.ancestry.ca : accessed 20 March 2021.
9 Census Records, 1891. England. Horwich Lancashire. RG12/3105. p 53. https://www.ancestry.ca : accessed 20 March 2021.
10 Census Records, 1901. England. Horwich, Lancashire. RG 3/3609, p 6. https://www.ancestry.ca : accessed 20 March 2021.
11 Census Records, 1911. England. Horwich, Lancashire. SD 4 ED 3 RG14/23330. http://www.findmypast.co.uk : accessed 21 March 2021.
12 Birth Indexes (CR) England, Bolton, Lancashire. Quarter 4 1886. GLOVER, Harriet Ellen. Volume 8C. Page 353. http://www.findmypast.co.uk : accessed 18 September 2021.
13 Testamentary records, 22 March 1962. GLOVER, Harriet Ellen. England & Wales Government Probate Death Index 1858-2019. p. 196. http://www.findmypast.co.uk : accessed 18 September 2021.
14 Birth Indexes (CR) England, Bolton, Lancashire. Quarter 1, 1888. GLOVER, Mary Elizabeth. Volume 8C. Page 385. http://www.findmypast.co.uk : accessed 18 September 2021.
15 Testamentary records, England. 01 October 1946. GLOVER, Mary Elizabeth. England & Wales Government Probate Death Index. http://www.findmypast.co.uk : accessed 19 September 2021.
16 Births (CR) England, Horwich, Bolton, Lancaster. 21 December 1889. GLOVER, Minnie. BXCA 353308.
17 Testamentary records, England. 28 January 1976. England & Wales Government Probate Death Index 1858-2019. Page 5041. http://www.findmypast.co.uk : accessed 18 September 2021.
18 Marriage Indexes (CR) England, Bolton, Lancashire. Quarter 2, 1914. LEECH, George H. and GLOVER, Minnie. Volume 8C, Page 890. http://www.findmypast.co.uk : accessed 18 September 2021.
19 Births (CR) England. RD: Mildenhall, Mill Street, Mildenhall RS W, Lakenheath, Suffolk. 22 April 1884. GLOVER, Agnes.
20 The War Cry, Official Gazette of the Salvation Army. 1951. A Native Indian Work Poineer, Mrs. Sr. Field Captain R. Tomlinson Promoted to Glory. Saturday October 15. No. 3490, Page 13 (plus picture on page 12). in The War Cry, Official Gazette of the Salvation Army, http://salvationarmy.soutronglobal.net/Catalogues/Search.aspx : accessed 2017.
21 Deaths (CR) Canada. Prince Rupert, British Columbia. 16 September 1951. TOMLINSON, Agnes. http://search-collections.royalbcmuseum.bc.ca/Image/Genealogy/69117910-1253-4ccb-bea4-24c31836862e : accessed July 2018.
22 Monumental Inscriptions. Canada. Meanskinisht Cemetery, Cedarvale, Kitimat-Stikine Regional District, British Columbia. 1951. TOMLINSON, Agnes. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/141577494/agnes-tomlinson#view-photo=115909738 : accessed July 2018.
23 Marriages (CR) Canada. Calgary, Alberta. 5 November 1917. TOMLINSON, Thomas Richard and GLOVER (Parr), Agnes.
24 https://www.railwaymuseum.org.uk/objects-and-stories/navvies-workers-who-built-railways
25 https://htt.herefordshire.gov.uk/1210.aspx
26 http://nationalminingmuseum.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/FF11-Women-MiningCommunities.pdf
