John Lister was the fifth child of Thomas Lister & Ann Pattison christened March 30th, 1822 at Ormesby, Yorks.
There is a record of John Lister, aged 19, in the 1841 census at Stockton St, Middlesbrough where he was an apprentice ….? He was living with the Waistell family.
In Oct-December 1849 John married Elizabeth Taylor at Eston, Yorks. Elizabeth was the daughter of Elizabeth & Benjamin Taylor christened January 28th, 1827 at Eston.
By 1851 John & Elizabeth & had an 11 month old son Benjaman. They were living at Ormesby & John was a cordwainer. Living next door to them were his sisters Margaret & Isabel Lister & brother Thomas.
The English term cordwainer, meaning shoemaker, first appears in 1100. By the late 13th century a distinction grew in England between Cordwainers proper, called alutari, who used only alum "tawed" cordwain, and another class of shoemakers called basanarii, who employed an inferior "tanned" sheepskin which was prohibited for footwear apart from long boots. Since this period the term cordouan, or cordovan leather, has been applied to several varieties of leather. Today cordovan leather is a "vegetable tanned" horse "shell," and like the Medieval cordwain is used only for the highest quality shoes.
In Slater’s Commercial Directory of Durham, Northumberland & Yorkshire of 1855 John is listed as a boot & shoemaker of Ormesby.
By 1861 John had become a blast furnaceman & they were still living at Ormesby. At home was Benjaman, & new children Thomas (8), John (6), Richard (5), Robert (2) & Elizabeth A, only 2 weeks old. They had a 16 year old servant Sarah Alderson. Living next door was the Smith family who had a house servant named Mary Lister, aged 19. She was to become John’s second wife.
Son John died on October 10th, 1867 at Ormesby aged 13.
Elizabeth died aged 35 & was buried on October 11th, 1862 at Christchurch, Eston.
The children of John Lister & Elizabeth Taylor were:
li.5.1 Benjamin Taylor Lister
christened May 18th, 1850 at Eston, Yorks; died June 21st, 1883 at Sydney, NSW
li.5.2 Thomas Lister christened October 1st, 1852 at Ormesby, Yorks; buried January 3rd, 1891 at St Cuthbert’s, Wilton
li.5.3 John Lister christened June
21st, 1854 at Eston, Yorks; buried October 10th, 1867 at Christchurch, Eston.
li.5.4 Richard Lister christened
March 4th, 1856 at Eston, Yorks; died Jan-March 1938 at Cleveland
li.5.5 Robert Henry Lister christened August 11th, 1857 at Eston, Yorks; buried August 23rd, 1857 at Christchurch, Eston.
li.5.6 Robert Henry Lister
christened January 4th, 1859 at Eston, Yorks; died Jan-March 1905 at Newcastle-upon-Tyne
li.5.7 Elizabeth Ann Lister
christened March 22nd, 1861 at Eston, Yorks; buried June 20th, 1943 at Eston Cemetery.
li.5.8 Margaret Elizabeth Lister born June 6th, 1862 at Stokesley, Yorks; died May 16th, 1941 & buried May 20th, at St Joseph’s Catholic Cemetery, Middlesbrough.
John remarried between 1862 & 1864 to Mary Lister, however no marriage record has been found so far. Mary was born July-September 1842 at Middleton on Leven, Yorks, the daughter of Elizabeth Fawell & Robert Lister. In 1851 Mary aged 9 was living with her widowed father, sister Jane (13) & brother Watson (11) at Middleton on Leven. Living next door was Mary’s grandfather, Watson Fawell a farmer & licensed beer seller.
John & Mary’s first child, Watson, was born in 1864 & the christening record shows John to be a horse keeper.
In 1871 John & Mary (listed as Lidster in census) were living at Claylane Cottages, Eston with John’s children Richard, Robert (both labourers at ironworks) & Elizabeth. There were 3 other children at this time – Margaret (8), Mary (4) & John (9 months). John’s occupation was a horse driver at the ironworks. Margaret Lister was born April-June 1862 at Stokesley, father unnamed on GRO register & no christening record has been found. Her parentage is therefore uncertain, but she was brought up as John & Mary’s child.
In the 1881 census John (58) appears to have returned to his original trade of a shoemaker & is living in Normanby, Middlesbrough. He & Mary have 3 children with them – Margaret (20), John (10) & Anne M (7).
In 1891 John & Mary were living at Eston, Middlesbrough with their children John, now 20 & working as a blast furnace lime filler, & daughter (Anne) Maria (18). Visiting them was a grandson Thomas Herbert Turner (7), son of John’s daughter Elizabeth Ann now married to Thomas H Turner.
A death is recorded for John Lister in Jan-March 1894 at Middlesbrough, aged 73.
In 1901 widow Mary (60) was living at North St, Normanby. At home with her was John (30), a moulder of pig iron, Maria (now 22!), & a little boy Tom listed as ‘son’ aged 9.
The children of John Lister & Mary Lister were:
li.5.9 Watson Lister christened August 29th, 1864 at Eston, Yorks, died December
23rd, 1865
li.5.10 Mary Jane Lister christened
February 22nd, 1867 at Eston, Yorks
li.5.11 John Lister born July 22nd
1870 at South Bank, Eston, Yorks; died Oct-December 1928 at Middlesbrough
li.5.12 Anne Maria Lister born January 16th, 1872 at 117 Wood St, Grangetown, & christened May 16th, 1888 at South Bank, Eston, Yorks