John Earnshaw was the first child of George Earnshaw & Elizabeth Laing born at Silksworth in 1833, christened March 3rd, 1833 at Seaham parish church, Co Durham.
In 1841 John was living at Houghton-le-Spring with his parents & 2 sisters.
By 1851 John had left home & was lodging with the Booth family at Club Row, Houghton-le-Spring. He was a clerk.
John married Sarah Reed in July-September 1857 at Newcastle-upon-Tyne. Sarah was born c1834 at Felling, Co Durham, the daughter of Mary Robson & John Reed, a labourer. Sarah’s mother died & in 1851 Sarah was living in Houghton-le-Spring with her father & step-mother, Jane (nee Mather) who had married in 1842.
By 1871 John & Sarah were living at California, Winlaton, Co Durham where John was a clerk in the engine works. Visiting was Elizabeth H Reed, Sarah’s sister-in-law (married to her brother Ralph) & her 2 children Mary & Isabella. Also visiting was Caroline Sophia Henderson, aged 2.
John died on July 25th, 1874, aged 42, at St Cuthbert's Place, Blaydon.
In 1881 widow Sarah (Ernshaw in census) was a boarding house keeper living at 76 Sandyford Rd, Newcastle-upon-Tyne. She had 2 Danish boarders, M Kirtopl, a clerk & Gustav Pingel, an artist (sculptor).
By 1891 Sarah had moved to Day St, Newcastle where she was still a lodging house keeper. As well as a number of lodgers, also listed on the census with Sarah was her niece Caroline Henderson, aged 21.
In 1901 Sarah, aged 68, was still at Day St taking in boarders.
Sarah was still at 4 Day Street in 1911 where she had 3 boarders – a cook/housekeeper, a hospital nurse & a French school teacher. The house had 6 rooms.
Sarah lived until the age of 82 & died in Oct-December 1915, her death
being registered at Newcastle.