George Thomas Roebuck 1 was Cynthia's father. He was the son of Obadiah Roebuck and his wife Ellen, who feature just above him in the main Roebuck photo index on this site. George was born on 14th August 1877 at 10 Green Lane, Rawmarsh, near Rotherham, South Yorkshire. (When we go through the modern photos we will add a photo of that house). George was baptised at two months old, at the Primitive Methodist Church which the family attended regularly at that point.
George married Annie Louisa Moore (one of the daughters of Francis and Hannah) on 14th September 1896, at St Mary's Church, Rawmarsh. Research indicates that the Methodist church at that time, being Non-conformist, was not licensed to hold marriages itself. They had seven children, including Cynthia, and all will be depicted in this collection.
George was a coal miner in his younger days, but quit this job and trained in the Insurance industry, first collecting premiums, and then being promoted to Area Manager and moving to Chorley, Lancashire from Yorkshire. They had lodging in Dole Lane while their new house was being built. His youngest child, Cynthia, was born just after they moved into 21 The Crescent, Chorley.
Cynthia's mother, Annie Louisa, died of an haemorrhage in 1925, and daughter Grace, who was engaged to a Sheffield man, was called over to look after the two young ones, Edgar and Cynthia. The following year George married again, to Lily Howarth, who had two children of her own of similar age, Jack and Alice, who were brought up at The Crescent along with Edgar and Cynthia. The older Roebucks had mainly left home, two more of them marrying the same year (indeed week?) as George.
George died of cancer on 22nd July 1941. By that time some of the Roebucks, including Cynthia, had migrated to Coventry to find work. After his death, Lily lived on until 1958, and she died at 6 Shakespeare Terrace, Chorley, where daughter Alice still lives. Son Jack went to live in Coventry, and it is thought that he has now passed away.
Left: This picture shows the family home at 21 The Crescent in the early 20th century. On the page "Roebuck places" elsewhere on this site, modern photos of this and other houses where Roebucks lived are depicted, with explanations of their significance.
Right: This photo of George as a middle-aged man was taken at Sheffield. Cynthia was not born then, so this identification was probably made by Grace who was 21 years older and would remember the garden. George seems to be reading "Spiritualist Monthly", which he took regularly, in one issue of which the story of Cynthia's naming was told. George was very studious, and very keen on current affairs. Vitamins had not long since been discovered, and all Roebucks at his table ate blackcurrant jam for Vitamin C. He was a pacifist in the First World War. He had a habit of writing notes in the margins of magazines and newspapers. Among the papers now in safe keeping is a bound copy of several editions of "Spiritualist Monthly" containing such notes. (Source: Cynthia).
Left: This un-dated photo was most likely taken in the garden at Chorley. Cynthia often spoke of the fob watch whose chain you can just see - we believe it was passed on as an heirloom.
Right: This photo has certainly been controversial over the years. It is of George, in the light-coloured suit, with a medium, and with a spirit lady appearing behind them. Cynics say that the spirit images are printed beforehand on the glass photographic plates - genuine believers say not, and that the special process picks up the ectoplasm. The photo was taken on 8th July 1926, at 107 Wellington Road, Ashton, Preston, Lancs, and the medium's name was Mr J P Tomlins.
After the disillusionment with Methodism in the very late 19th century, Spiritualism had since enjoyed quite some popularity. Seances and other events were widespread, and this kind of photo was very prevalent. George was very keen on Spiritualism, and the story in the magazine mentioned above says that a spirit lady appeared to George before Cynthia was born, asking him to name her thus. She was also baptised at the Spiritualist Chapel on Park Road, Chorley. Incidentally the name Cynthia also belonged to one of her ancestors, several generations back, not known personally to that present generation - unless it was seen in the old family bible, whose whereabouts is not known at this time.
Various snapshots of George taken from family group portraits:
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Left: George in a boarding house group on holiday (before 1925) |
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Left: George at Grace and Spencer's wedding in 1926. |
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Left: George in a holiday group on the beach (before 1930) |