Ancestry popped up a birthday reminder the other day for my paternal great-grandmother, Rachel, which prompted me to collate the slightly sparse story I’ve been able to collate for her. She was born in Pontefract to Harriet and Peter Heptinstall on 2 September 1846, their eldest daughter.

The family shows up in Back George St, Bradford for the 1851 census, otherwise Rachel’s childhood and youth are spent in Pontefract.

Rachel married James Normington Mills at Ebenezer Chapel, Pontefract, on 2 December 1865.

James, a plumber, and Rachel settled together in Halifax after their marriage; in 1871 they are living in Launceston Street (off Hanson Lane) with Polly, Helena and one-year-old Harriet, named after Rachel’s mother who had died in February 1869.

Rachel bore 12 children over the next 22 years or so; the eldest, Mary Hannah, known as Polly, was born in 1866 and the last being my grandmother, Amy Florence (known as Flossie), born in 1888. Thomas, born in 1871, sadly died aged only 6 weeks. Edgar was the only other son among the 11 surviving children. My grandma would speak fondly of Beattie, Martha, Clara and all her other siblings, but did note that her mother, when calling for her youngest, would run through all the other names before getting to Flossie!

Our next reference to the family in official records pops up on 16 May 1875 when 5 of the children are baptised: Mary Hannah, “Eleanor” (which will be Helena, presumably said with a good Yorkshire accent and a missing H), Harriet (at least she got her H!), Edgar and my namesake, Ruth. (James is also listed as James Normanton Mills, one of many name variants in the records.)

By 1881 They have moved to 36 Gibbet Street and James is listed in the census as a Master Plumber. No. 36 is now a modern business building but looking at no. 38, it looks as if this was perhaps a move up in the world from Launceston Street, which appears to be small back-to-back terrace houses.

The family is at 63 North Parade by 1891, an area with few old buildings left for comparison. This is just round the corner from Akroyd Place where Amy Florence started school aged 5, on 18 Sept. 1893. 9 Pollard Street is listed as the home address, also 63 North Parade and 8 Villiers Street.

1901 sees Rachel and James in 14 Villiers Street with 6 children still at home. Polly left for America and son Edgar went ther with his new wife Sarah Ann in 1903. The rest of the family mostly remained in the Halifax area.

Rachel died in 1906 at the age of 59 when their youngest, Flossie, was not quite 18. Rachel’s grave is at Illingworth where she lies at rest with her son-in-law Herbert Hellewell, Helena’s first husband who died young, and joined in 1927 by husband James.

Amy named her daughter (my lovely late aunt) Rachel Joyce.