Owen & Minnie Smith

click Families for other local families

click Smith for others in this family

Mosh Saunders, Owen's grandson published a book entitled "Children in a Bodgers World" recording his childhood experiences with his grandfather and the bodgers, (put bodgers in Search for other men who were bodgers)

Mosh wrote- " My Grandfather, Owen Smith was his name, was a great Liberal, a man of spiritual wealth, and a Superintendent of his Chapel (Methodist, Lacey Green) for many years."

Ted Janes wrote in his obituary of Owen's daughter Florence "Florrie Smith was born of a strong non-conformist family, her father was Sunday School superintendent of the Methodist Chapel for more than Half a century.

Owen Smith

outside Hillock Cottage, Lily Bottom Lane. Standing at back l-r. Florence Smith, Elsie Smith, Daisy Smith. seated left Owen Smith, seated right Minnie Smith, boy, Harold Smith, girl, Jessie Smith. photo lent by Edwin Williams (grandson-in-law.)

Owen Sidney Smith born 1876 was the son of Alfred & Elizabeth Smith

Minnie Rogers was

Owen and Minnie married in 1897.

1901 census they were living at Hillock Cottages no 3

Hallmark. Jessie Boorman, Minnie's married daughter, later sent a permit to Hallmark which had belonged to her mother. It read as follows :-

Wood Permit no.52, dated 11th February 1917, giving Mrs Owen Smith of Hillocks Cottages permission to remove dead and fallen wood, by hand, from Hillocks and Monkton Woods on the Hampden Estate. No saw to be used. Payment 1 shilling per year, signed by the Estate Agent, A G Hobart-Hampden.

Hallmark editor's comment "No waste of paper as seems to bedevil present day society - The permit is renewed on the back yearly from 1918 to 1923.

Research note. This would not have been necessary in the past before all the Parish Woodlands had been cut down in Lacey Green and Loosley Row (all gone before 1900. In the 1880's they were already reduced to digging up the tree roots)

Owen and Minnie had 5 children as follows : -

Florence Bertha Smith born 1898 married William John Saunders in 1920. Click William John & Florence Saunders for their life story.

Daisy M Smith born1899 married Allan 'Ralph' Lacey in 1920. click James & Ada Lacey for more about 'Ralph' Lacey

Elsie Edith Smith born 1902. Married at Lacey Green Methodist Church, April 1923 to Haydn Wilson 1900-1972 from Aylesbury

Harold Boaz Smith born 1908-1992

Jessie Smith born 1910-1977. Married 1937 Eric Charles Boorman born Somerset. click Eric & Jessie Boorman for their life story.

1927. Owen Smith bought Hillock Cottage no 4 from Reg Tilbury. click Reg & Lucy Tilbury