29 - The Rowe Family at Romiley Station

At Household 29 we find the young Rowe family living at the Stationmaster's house, right by the railway platform.

Joseph Rowe is just 23 years of age and has been in the post of Stationmaster for a year. His wife Mary is 24 and both Joseph and Mary have come from rural farming communities to Romiley. Staying with them on the 1871 census was Frederick William Shepherd, their 3 year old nephew.

Joseph's job was an important one in the community but I wonder if they would have felt a little separate from the rest of the village, peering down from their house on the hill. Joseph was in charge of the running of the train station and had to deal with anyone defrauding the railways by not buying the correct ticket. The station had been built in 1862 and provided the residents with much faster, and often cheaper, travel.

In 1874 Mary gave birth to the couple's first child, Harry, but sadly he died within days.

Later that same year Joseph took a new post as stationmaster at Hayfield. They had another son there in 1876 named Frederick but he suffered with health problems. He also passed away in infancy.

The couple went on to have 2 healthy daughters and a third son, who also passed away. Mary died soon afterwards, leaving Joseph widowed with 2 children. He was working as stationmaster at Hyde by then.

Joseph married a 48 year old widow named Elizabeth a year after his wife's death and the 2 families amalgamated.

Joseph died aged 59 and was described as “one of the oldest and most highly valued servants of the company.”

You can find out more about the Rowe family in the book "Residents of Romiley Road" which will be coming soon.