4 - The Lucas Family

The Lucas household consisted of 4 members; parents Joseph and Martha Lucas and their two children Mary and William. The family would face a great deal of tragedy after the census of 1871.

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Just a few months after the census, 5 year old Mary passed away. Then in 1873 on 26th August, Joseph Lucas was in a horrific coal mining accident that took his life.

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Martha, doubly bereaved, widowed and with young William to look after, married a wheelwright named James Howard. Six months later she passed away, leaving William orphaned.

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It seems that James Howard did not want to bring his stepson up as his own and William was eventually adopted by a butcher named Joseph Westwood. He learnt the trade and took over the business when Westwood retired. 

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William was a successful businessman, running a butcher's in the centre of Woodley (now approximately where the precinct is) and also buying land and a farm. He married and had two sons named Ernest and Walter, both of whom helped to run the businesses.

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On 30th March 1927, William took his own life and was found by his son.