Blackwell Colliery Explosion 1895..those who lost their lives
John Gibson
John Gibson was born in 1879 in Blackwell, and was the youngest to lose his life on November 11th 1895, aged just 16. He was the second child of William Gibson and Anne nee Weightman. William was born in Oxton, Notts. and Anne in Alfreton, where they had married in 1876.
In 1881 the family were living at no 66 in the Colliery Rows, and were still there 10 years later in 1891, by which time father and first son, Willie, were Colliery Banksmen and John was a Miner. No 66 was home to parents and 7 children, so would have been very cosy! By 1901 the number had grown to parents and 10 children including Rose Weightman aged 11 and described as “orphan”.
John would have known 7 siblings at the time of his death in November 1895, Willie (1877), Samuel (1881), Mary Ellen (1884), George (1886), Henry ( 1887), Edith ( 1890), and Robert (1892). The family would have been looking forward to the birth of another sibling, Martha, who was born exactly one month after John was killed. Another sister, Lily, was born in 1899.
Brother William was still at The Colliery Rows when he died in 1941, Samuel married Lily Cosford in 1906 and they had a daughter Doris in 1907.
Mary Ellen married Samuel Coope and 4 children are registered to them, Ida Isobel, Sidney, William Eric and Charles Dennis.
George married Lily Straw in 1910 and they had 9 children: Lillian, Gracie, George, Jessie, Samuel, Florence, Ellen Gladys plus another son. ( George jnr. was killed in Germany in WW2).
Henry married Ethel Ann Barnes in 1915 in Blackwell. As yet no children have been found.
Edith married Bertie Gent in 1913 in Blackwell. They had 2 sons Bertie and Alfred, but there may be more.
Robert James, here in WW1 uniform, married Ada Till in 1916, and in 1939 they were occupying no 66 Colliery Row, with 2 sons, Kenneth and Robert. Another son John was born in 1949, and there may be others not yet found.
Lily married William Hamilton in 1935 and they had a daughter Jean.