South Yorkshire Times, February 23rd, 1934
A Wath Matriarch
Head of Five Generations
On this photograph are represented five generations of one family.
Mrs. Elizabeth Marklew, 85, 9, Warehouse Lane, Wath; Mr. James Horton (son); Mrs. Wooton (grand-daughter); Mr. George Wooton, (great-grandson) and Mr. Wooton’s baby boy, all of Prince Albert, Canada.
Mrs. Marklew is a native of Birmingham but has lived in Wath for over 40 years. She came to the district when her father obtained employment at Wath Main. At the age of twelve Mrs. Marklew went into farm service and remained there until her marriage to Mr. George Horton. Mrs. Marklew has been twice married, her second husband being Mr. Joseph Marklew. Mrs. Marklew has wonderful sight and hearing. She reads the newspapers, writes her own letters and does her own housework. For a number of years she has been identified with the Salvation Army, for whom she still collects, and earlier with the Wesleyans.
Mrs. Marklew has had fifteen children, seven of whom survive. She has 63 descendants, 27 of whom are grand-children. Mrs. Marklew has not much use for the ultra-modern girl and she dislikes the radio, except for the church services.
Her son, Mr. James Horton, was born at Norton Cross, near Birmingham, and was a well-known local preacher on the Primitive Method plan. He is a good cricketer, and still plays the game in Canada. Mr. Horton was a coal merchant in Walsall where he was married. He went out to Canada with his family of seven children and began farming, but had to give up owing to ill health. For a time he was caretaker of a girls’ college and is now caretaker at elementary school. On going to Canada Mr. Horton and his family settled 20 miles from Prince Albert where he established a tiny chapel for neighbouring farmers. He is now a deacon at one of the Baptist churches in Prince Albert.
Mrs. Wooton, who was born near Birmingham, is also a keen supporter of her father’s church. Her husband, who also lived in Birmingham, is a foreman in a boot factory. He is a nephew of Mr. Wooton, a Sheffield building contractor.
Their son, Mr. George Wooton, a Canadian by birth, is in business in Prince Albert.