http://virtualwaterways.co.uk/The_Story_of_the_Smith_Family.html
This is the story of the Boatmen on the canals. Emanuel Smith’s wife Eliza Hawkins was the great granddaughter of my Great Great Grandmother Mary Ash (Hawkins, Bromwick) by her first husband William
Hawkins, who died in 1761, only a few months after their marriage, and before the birth of his only son
Thomas Hawkins. I have seen the church records from St. Nicholas Church in Willoughby which show
that he had a son Thomas born 8 Feb 1789, the only Thomas Hawkins born in Willoughby in that decade.
The census record below (saved as Picture Thomas Hawkins 1851 census), shows that Thomas was a
boatman and was resident on a boat in Northampton at the time of the census, in a boat next to
Emanuel Smith, the hero of this story. Moreover, his 15 year old daughter Eliza was with her father
Thomas, and she was later to marry Emanuel Smith. Hence Eliza was my father’s second cousin through
their great grand-mother, and Emanuel Smith Jr. is my third cousin. The “Where Born” for Thomas
Hawkins of Warks, Willoughby proves he is ours.
View original image To see this image blown up, hold down the Control key as
you click on the magenta link.
Source Citation: Class: HO107; Piece: 1740; Folio: 119; Page: 52; GSU
roll: 87695.
The Story of The Smith Family
John Manning is a descendant of a waterways family and is able to trace his boating
ancestry all the way back to Peter Smith, the first known documented boatman of the
Smith family.
The son of John and Martha Smith, Peter was baptised at St John the Baptist, in
Brinklow, Warwickshire on the 24 September 1783. In 1807, Peter married Ann
Goddard at Brinklow Parish Church. We are able to discover Peter’s occupation from
the evidence of the baptism records of his children and the 1841 census which both
state that he was working as a boatman. Although we do not know much about the
Smith family during this period, the 1841 census does reveal that the family was
living in a house and not on a boat at this time. Peter Smith was buried at Brinklow on
the 16 November 1848.
Peter’s son Emanuel Smith also worked as a boatman. Baptised at Brinklow on 8 June
1828, evidence reveals that he later married Eliza Howkins at St Edmunds Church in
Hardingstone, Northamptonshire on 12 July 1852. Their marriage certificate reveals
that at this time they were living at Cotton End where the Northampton Arm of the
Grand Junction Canal meets up with River Nene. Eliza was also descendent from a
boating family, her father Thomas Howkins from Willoughby, Warwickshire also
being employed as a boatman.
Emanuel Smith (Junior) was
baptised 2 September 1860 at
All Saints Church,
Braunston in
Northamptonshire. He later
married Jane Elizabeth
Brooks at Long
Itchington parish church,
Warwickshire in May 1884.
Elizabeth was the daughter of
John Brooks and Sophia Wright two other boat families.
The 1851 census reveals that Emanuel Smith started off work as a
boatman; on the census he was moored at Higgins Wharf in
Northampton with his brother Peter. It is interesting to note that
the brother’s ages on this census have been wrongly recorded.
Just below on the same page of the census are Eliza Howkins and
her father Thomas moored at Adnett Wharf. By 1881, we
discover that Emanuel is now a boat owner with boats registered
at Hinckley. He now has a wharf at Braunston in Northamptonshire and carries coal
from the Moira Collieries to Northampton. This is confirmed by the evidence of the
1881 census, where we find Eliza Smith at home in Braunston, her occupation being
coal merchant; Emanuel is on a boat on the Ashby Canal at Stoke Golding Wharf.
From death announcement cards we are able to discover that Eliza Smith died aged
60 in 1895 and was buried at Braunston, while Emanuel died in 1900 aged 72 and
was also buried at Braunston.
Emanuel Junior expanded his father’s business. By the early 1900s he not only had
quite a large fleet of canal boats both narrow and wide beam, but had also diversified
onto the Thames with Thames Barges. The 1901 census reveals that he is a lighter
man and publican.
By 1929 Emanuel’s business was in trouble and he was having difficulty paying toll
fees to the Oxford Canal Company. The company eventually went into liquidation
and the fleet was auctioned off on 17 July 1930.
This was the end of the Smith Families connection to the canal for some years,
however it was not quite for the great grandson of Emanuel Smith, John Manning
now works at Braunston Marina, at almost the same place as his great grandparents
had a coal wharf.
Using the evidence of traffic movement documents and toll tickets, it is possible to
track the movement of Emanuel Smith’s boats and discover much about the cargoes
they carried.
Brentford traffic register, 1911
Nene navigation records, 1911 - Northamptonshire Record Office
Page 1 | Page 2 | Page 3 | Page 4 | Page 5 | Page 6 | Page 7
Partner links: (open in a new window)