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William & Norah Johnson's family in the census

In 1901, living at 6 Caroline Terrace, Oxford:

William Johnson, head, 35, bricklayers lab, b. Towersea, Oxon

Norah Johnson, 41, b. Ireland

John Williams, son, 13, printers apprentice, b. Warwick

William Johnson, son, 6, b. Thame

Nellie Johnson, dau, 6, b. Thame

George Johnson, son, 3, b. Thame

 

in 1911, living at 6, Bath Cottages, New Headington:

William Johnson, head, 50, general lab, b. Thame

Nora Johnson, wife, 56, laundress mar 18yrs 4 children all living) b Co Waterford, Ireland

Willie Johnson, son, 15, printers lab, b. Thame

George Johnson, son, 13, school, b. Thame

Eileen Johnson, dau, 14, general domestic, b. Thame (is this Nellie from 1901?)

Nellie Johnson, dau, 7, school, b. Thame - another Nellie?

Bill Powell, visitor, 15, shop assistant (birthplace not recorded)

in the 1921 census, William senior, Norah and two of their children were at 51 High St, Headington:

Mr W Johnson, head, 58, labourer

Mrs N Johnson, wife, 65, b. Waterford, Ireland

Miss Norah Johnson, dau, 19, b. Chelsea, servant

Miss D Johnson, granddau, 1, b. Headington

Mr G Johnson, son, 23, b. Thame, Fireman

also in 1921, William and Norah's elder son with his wife and daughter were living at 5 Church St, New Headington:

William Johnson, head, 26, b. Thame, Fireman on GWR

Kathleen Annie Johnson, wife, 23, b. Clontarf, Ireland

Kathleen Mary (Marie?) Johnson, b. 1920, Headington

 

in the 1939 Register, William Johnson was living alone at 51 High St, New Headington, Oxford:

William Johnson, born 16 may 1863, wid, general builder's labourer (retired)

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Mastel Family History

Mastel Family History

Great grandparents -

William Johnson and Norah O'Shaughnessy

NoraJohnson&children

William JOHNSON was born on 16 May 1864 at Towersey in Buckinghamshire.  His father was George Johnson, a farm labourer and his mother Eliza, formerly Chapman, of Towersey (Birth Certificate).

 

William married Norah Williams on 26 feb 1894 at the Parish Church in Thame, Oxfordshire.  At the time of his marriage, William was a labourer, the son of George Johnson, bricklayer of Thame.  Norah was a widow (nee O'Shaughnessy) of Thame, daughter of John O'Shaughnessy, a tailor.  The witnesses were C Rust and Elizabeth Horland (Marriage Certificate)

 

William Johnson was buried in the same grave as Norah on 25 mar 1946 at Rose Hill Cemetery Oxford, aged 81 years (plot E2, 20).

 

Norah O'SHAUGHNESSY was born in Co Waterford, Ireland in about 1855.  She had previously been married to Sidney Williams in Cork in 1882 and they had had two children: a daughter Norah, born on 9 Jan 1885 in Aldershot, and a son John Sydney Williams, born  in Woolwich in about 1887. Norah was buried in Rose Hill Cemetery on 20 Dec 1934, aged 79 years

 

Children of William and Norah JOHNSON:

 

twins William and Aileen Johnson (born 21 dec 1894 at Thame) - although the female twin was called 'Nellie' in the 1901 census and Eileen in 1911, when her birth was registered she was definitely Aileen and when the twins were christened on 25 Nov 1897 (along with George) she was Eileen.   William married Kath Dearl in Dublin in 1919 and they moved to Port Talbot  - see previous generation

 

George Johnson, born about 1898 - he was a Petty Officer in the Marines in WW1.  Soon after his brother William moved to Wales, George followed and also worked at Duffryn Yard as a fireman.  He married Edith Pitt from Bargoed and they had three children - Vincent (died in infancy), Kenny (who lived in Castle Street most of life, married Monica and had three children Patricia, Kevin and Bernadette), and Gordon.

 

Nellie Johnson - this child was born about 1904 according to the 1911 census she was ALSO called Nellie, but I cannot locate a birth registration or a christening for another daughter at all in 1904.  Also Norah would have been about 50 in 1904 which is rather old to be giving birth at that time. However, Norah DID say that she had four children, all living, from her current marriage in 1911, so I will keep on searching.

 

I have been told that one of William and Norah's daughters married ... Rowles and had a son Billy, but I am sure that it was Norah's daughter Norah Williams from her first marriage who married Henry Rowles in 1903 - they had three sons that I know of: they were also born in Oxford.  (Perhaps the mysterious Nellie who appears in the 1911 census is actually a daughter of Norah Rowles or her brother John Williams?)

In the 1921 census, William senior and Norah plus their daughter Norah and son George (along with their daughter Norah and one of her children) were all living in New Headington.  However, both William junior and his son George were employed by the Great Western Railway in Port Talbot - life must have been easier when the younger members of the Johnson family moved to Wales!

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