Dorothy Ann Brown Crosby was the fourth child of Robert Crosby & Mary Ann Brown born November 7th, 1875 at Sherburn Hill, Co Durham.
In 1881 Dorothy was living at home at 10 Front St. Sherburn where her father was a butcher. She had a brother Benjamin & 2 sisters, Mary Jane, & Edith.
Dorothy was still living at home at Front St in 1891 as was her sister Mary Jane.
Dorothy married William Henry Oliver in Jan-March 1895 in Sunderland. William was born April-June 1873 in Sherburn, the son of Martha & Henry Oliver, a horse-keeper.
Sadly Dorothy & William’s marriage was turbulent & on November 4th 1903 William declared that he would not be responsible for any debts incurred by his wife Dorothy.
An article in Durham County Advertiser of November 6th, 1903 shows Dorothy applying for a separation order on the grounds of cruelty. A number of factors seem to have led to the marriage breakdown. Dorothy stated that on her father’s death she received farm stock valued at about £60 & they took a small farm called Croft House Farm & at that time William, who had trained as a butcher with her father, had no means of his own. Recently William’s parents had come to live with them at the farm & disagreements had arisen. Dorothy accused William of frequently losing his temper & violently assaulting her on a number of occasions. William countered with accusations of Dorothy being drunk & not looking after the children properly. Farm servant witnesses stated that they had not seen Dorothy drunk in the 8 years they had been working for them. The bench found that there was not sufficient evidence of persistent cruelty & the case was dismissed.
Dorothy Ann was living at 9 South Terrace, Hesleden, Co Durham in 1911 with a boarder, Joseph Chadwick, a coal miner. It was noted that she had had 9 children, only 2 of whom were still alive. These 2 surviving daughters, Irene Crosby Oliver & Mary Ann Brown Oliver were with Dorothy’s husband William, a butcher & farmer at Croft House, Shadforth at the time of the 1911 census.
William met an unfortunate death in June 1923. He & his farm lad were returning from Sherburn Hill on a flat cart with a movable seat. On reaching home the lad descended to open the gate & when the horse started away again it would appear the movable seat had become unfastened & William was thrown backwards. He struck the upper part of his back causing spinal injury & died soon after. (Hartlepool Northern Daily Mail, June 28th, 1923)
Daughter Mary Ann & her husband George H Gilson who married in 1920 were still farming at Croft House Farm at the time of the 1939 register.
Daughter Irene married William Robinson in 1921 & in 1939 they were living at the Halfway House Pub, Easington where William was the licensee.
The children of Dorothy Ann Crosby & William Henry Oliver were:
c.4.3.2.4.1 Edith Mary Oliver christened August 6th, 1895 in Shadforth, Co Durham; died July-September 1895 in Shadforth
c.4.3.2.4.2 Irene Crosby Oliver born April 29th, 1897 & christened May 27th, 1897 in Shadforth, Co Durham; died Jan-March 1975 in North Cleveland
c.4.3.2.4.3 Mary Ann Brown Oliver born October 14th, 1898 at Sherburn & christened November 24th, 1898 in Durham; died July-September 1982 in Central Durham
c.4.3.2.4.4 Freda Violet Oliver born April-June 1902 at Sherburn; died Oct-December 1903 at Hartlepool
c.4.3.2.4.5 Agnes Adelaide Oliver christened July 11th, 1903 at Shadforth; died September 1903 at Croft House, Shadforth
c.4.3.2.4.6 Henrietta Oliver christened December 11th, 1904 at Shadforth; died July-September 1905 at Shadforth
c.4.3.2.4.7 William Henry Oliver born Oct-December 1906 at Shadforth; died April-June 1907 in Easington
It appears that Dorothy continued to live with Joseph Chadwick & together they had 5 children, 3 of whom died in infancy.
There is a marriage for Dorothy Ann Oliver & Joseph Chadwick in Oct-December 1927 in Sunderland. Joseph was born in 1853 in Wigan, Lancs, the son of Margaret & William Chadwick, a coal miner.
There is a death for Joseph Chadwick aged 75 in Jan-March 1928 registered in Easington.
The children of Dorothy Ann Oliver (nee Crosby) & Joseph Chadwick were:
c.4.3.2.4.8 Joseph Chadwick Oliver born July-September 1908 in Easington; died July-September 1908 in Easington
c.4.3.2.4.9 Esther Chadwick Oliver born Jan-March 1910 in Easington; died Jan-March 1910 in Easington
c.4.3.2.4.10 Joseph Chadwick Oliver born Oct-December 1911 in Easington; died Jan-March 1913 in Easington
c.4.3.2.4.11 Dorothy Oliver born September 1st, 1913 in Easington; died July-September 1997 in Bradford, Yorks
c.4.3.2.4.12 Norman Chadwick Oliver born Jan-March 1915 in Easington;
The 1939 register shows widowed Dorothy living at 38 Oliver St, Bradford. She was living with daughter Dorothy, a café waitress, & her husband George W Bate, a journeyman baker & family. Also living there was Dorothy Richardson (17), a café waitress. (Daughter Dorothy had married in Bradford in Oct-December 1933 giving her name as Dorothy Chadwick.)
Dorothy died in Jan-March 1961 aged 85, her death being registered in Worth Valley, Yorks.