Eliza and Thomas Dent's children - Amelia

Amelia (Meelie) was Eliza and Thomas' 4th child born on the 23rd October 1896  - She was born at 78 Grieveson House Woodland, near Bishop Auckland.  

I only have two photographs of Meelie - they were taken when she was visiting her brother Luke, his wife Janet Dent, at 13 Gregson Street Scotswood, and Janet's half sister Ellen Pattison who was also visiting.

A little blurred but a happy phtograph - better than nothing!
Left Ellen Pattison, Luke (with Ellen and Meelie on his knee)
and Meelie

Left just managed to get Amelia, Meelie Davison (nee Dent) on photograph!
Ellen Pattison and Janet Dent (nee Clark)
13 Gregson Street Circa 1950s?

In the 1911 Census Amelia was 14 and was living with her parents and all her brothers and sisters - Jinny, Luke, John Robert, Edna and a lodger Ralph Ingram at 22 Montague Street Scotswood.

22 Montague Street 2019

At the age of 25, Amelia married Thomas Davidson who was also aged 25 - Amelia and Thomas went on to have 4 children:-

1.  Edna Millicent - born 1921 - 1994. Married George William Stoves who died in 1989 - They had no children.

2. Freda - born 1925 married James Marshall. They had one child  born in 1958 who married Malcolm Philip Hall.

3.  Elsie - born 1930 married Eric Hardy, they had one daughter born 1958 who married Howard Walker. 

4.  Thomas - born 1938 married Freda Dingle, they had one son.


The following photograph of an old rocking chair was a typical piece of furniture you could find in a colliery house and belonged to Auntie Meelie and Thomas. I can only assume that at sometime she must have given it to her brother Luke, and it was then in turn passed on to their daughter Jenny, my mam, and eventually passed down to me.

I love it - unfortunately the webbing has worn away with old age, thereby nothing holds the springs in place, so they  hang down. I have been loathed to have it repaired, as not surprisingly the black covering is no longer produced. I suppose the cover could be replaced with black leather but somehow I don't think it would be the same, so nobody is allowed to sit on it.

As you can see I have placed the two black dolls that my Grandma's half sister Auntie Ellen bought for my sister Dorothy and I about 55 years ago, thereby stopping people sitting on it.  

The dolls had to be repaired a couple of years ago, I found them on the chair completely collapsed, not surprising the elastic holding them together had perished, so, with great difficulty I found someone to repair them, and as you can see they have pride of place on the rocking chair.

Auntie Ellen's Christmas Present to Pauline & Dorothy Stafford about 55 years ago and the Rocking Chair inherited from Auntie (Meelie) Amelia Davison (nee Dent) 

I found this photograph of the same rocking chair in a typical interior of a colliery house.

A typical miners house - a blazing fire and washing drying above the cast iron stove and oven - not quite the luxury we have these days in 2019!

Sadly I don't have a lot of information about Meelie and Thomas but records show that Thomas died on the 8th December 1938 at the age of 59.  

Amelia (Meelie) died in 1984 aged 88.