John Thomas Hoghton
Sarah Elizabeth’s husband but almost certainly not Hannah’s father.
He married Sarah in 1878 and they were together in the 1881 census. There is no record of their living together after this date, and Hannah’s birth certificate gives her father as “Thomas Smith”. However Hannah called herself Hannah Smith Hoghton and describes herself as John’s daughter on his death certificate and her marriage certificate. I think perhaps Hannah considered herself the daughter of an earlier marriage, with John Thomas as her step father.
The details:
Birth: John Thomas Hoghton was born 9th Nov 1849 in Blackburn. His parents were John Frederick Hoghton and Catherine Sandham.
1851 census: John Thomas was living at 23 Spring Gardens, Blackburn with his parents and a widowed lodger called Titus Wade. Both John senior and Titus were joiners.
Birth of brother: Frederick was was born 17 May1854
1861 census: All four family members plus a servant and two boarders were living at 67 Leyland Street, Blackburn, Lancashire, England,
Death of son: Frederick died in the Summer of 1869 aged 15; the family were living in Victoria Street.
1871 census: The remaining three family members were at 42 Anvil Street. John senior was unemployed. John junior was working as a joiner.
Marriage: 17th January 1876
Dugdale Street and Leyland Street were next to each other; was Sarah Elizabeth in service in Blackburn for the 1871 census? Did she move there with her employers?
Death of mother: Catherine died in the October of 1878.
1881 census: John and Sarah Houghton are listed in Sandy Lane, Lower Darwen. He was a joiner, she was a Rag Sorter. His father John Frederick was boaring about a mile away, also in Lower Darwen.
By 1891 John and Sarah were no longer livig together.
Death of father: John Frederick Hoghton died of Bronchitis on 14th March 1891 at 54 Hazel Street, Blackburn. John Thomas was present at the death and living at the same address. 39 Hazel Street is where John Thomas’s half-sister-in-law, Amy Rebecca Blakemore was living when her son was born in 1892, and where Charles Blakemore (his father-in-law) was living when he died in 1894. Did Charles come to Blackburn to look for his daughter Sarah after she split from John Thomas?
1891 census (5th March): John Thomas was still living at 54 Hazel Street. He was descibed as married but not living with his wife. The head of the household is given as Richard, and John Thomas is described as Richard’s son. His father is dead at this point so something odd has been recorded – possibly a garbled account given to the census enumerator.
1901 census: Can’t find him.
1911 census: He was lodging at the Fleece Inn, 24 Penny Street, Balckburn. He described himself as a widower, working as a joiner. There are 37 people listed for this address so it was either very crowded or very large!
1921 census: Can’t find him. Tried the workhouse/infirmary
Death: 10th October 1922 in the workhouse infirmary; registered by his “daughter”, Hannah:
