In nash_fod@yahoogroups.com, "Matt Nash" wrote: Dear Nashes, I have just made contact with Margaret Longley, descendant of Richard Nash the younger, 1808-1848, son of John Nash. Below is an excerpt from Margaret's message, which fleshes out Richard's family and fills in a question mark under "marriage" on Moira Gilfeather's research. Note that this info also clarifies the identity of the Nashes at #37 in the 1851 census of Sling--these are the children of Richard Nash (see the transcription of this census in my article in the "Files" section of this website, "Nash History - Early 1800s", or on Toni Nash's website at http://members.aol.com/_ht_a/lynnash911/wanderingmatt.html . I need to revise this article in light of recent evidence. --Matt Hello Matt Thanks for the e-mail I have been checking your names on my tree and there is a connection, your Richard Nash bn 1808 married an Eliza Jane Keir on the 18th July 1829 in Hewelsfield. They had children. all born Coleford Sarah Ann bn 1831 Benjamin bn 1834 Eliza bn 1840 Emma bn 1842 ---- Emma married into my line a William Henry Baggs on 23rd July 1863 Coleford they had my G G Great Grandmother Ada Eleanor Baggs bn 1864. Emma died 18th November 1867 Coleford. If you like to get back to me I have more on them. --Margaret In nash_fod@yahoogroups.com, "Matt Nash" wrote: Interview of Richard Nash, extracted from "The Royal Commission Reports on Children in The Mines, 1842," provided to Matt Nash by Ian Winstanley on 6/16/05. Report by Elijah Waring, Esq., on the Employment of Children and Young Persons in the Collieries and other Works in the Forest of Dean and on the State, Condition, and Treatment of such Children and Young Persons. Interviewee: Richard Nash, Mining Agent to Messrs. Jackson and Co., Sling Pit Iron mine, near Coleford, April 13, 1841. "I am a free miner, and let the Sling Pit to Messrs. Jackson and Co., who opened it. I took the Gale of the Crown. We employ 35 hands. There are three boys under 13 years of age, the youngest is nine. He is a billy boy and carries about 60 or 70 lbs. of ore down a steep descent to the horse way. He earns 1s. a day at piece work, under the miner who employs him. I fix the wages, and pay them. The other two boys sometimes cart the ore, and sometimes carry billies. They earn from 1s. 4d. to 1s. 6d. a day. I believe we have no young person over 13 and under 18 years of age. We work by shaft, 106 yards deep, and a steam engine. Our pit has no water as we are on a dry tump. We had bad air all last summer but are now cut down to some old workings, beyond the memory of man and this gives us a better circulation of air. Our boys are healthy. Iron mining is a great deal healthier work than coal cutting. One man had his leg fractured, about six months ago, by the fall of a large stone. No other accident has occurred during the whole five years that we have been working. I have lived always in the Forest, and my father and grandfather before me. They were real old miners. I remember things well 20 years ago and think there is a great improvement in the foresters since then. They are more civilised, and better taught, a sight. Two of our boys can read, the others can not. The two eldest go to a night school within 40 yards of the pit. They pay 6d. a week. The least boy is the son of a widow, who has nothing but what he earns, and has one small girl to support besides. He has no change of clothes but a clean shirt but wears the same on Sundays that he wears in the pit." Mem.- The above evidence contains an instance, among many I have met with, of the peculiar destitution of instruction, to which the children of poor widows are subject. Partly from want of means to pay even a small weekly contribution to the school, and partly from inability to procure clothing, such as they like them to appear in, among their less impoverished yoke-fellows. It is a curious fact connected with the Sling Pit, that in the old workings spoken of in the evidence, there was found an ancient shovel, made entirely of wood, but shod with iron. It fell to pieces on being touched. Very interesting news from Margaret Longley - that seems to solve the mystery of the 'orphan' siblings on the 1951 Census living at 37 Ellwoods: Sarah Ann - Head - 20 - occupation looks like 'Dress Maker" Benjamin - brother - 17 - Coal miner Eliza - sister - 11 - Pauper Emma - sister - 9 - Pauper. Richard died in January 1848 and their is a death record on the IG Index for an Eliza Nash dated 1847. Do you think this could have been Eliza Jane Kear? How ironic that Richard should have spoken about the plight of orphaned children in the above interview! Thanks Margaret for filling in lots more pieces of the puzzle. Would love to hear more. Do you know about Benjamin? I have been searching on Ancestry - he married a Mary Ann who was about 8 years older than himself and migrated to Salford, Lancashire. (Near Manchester). They appear on the 1891 Census with their children William 20, Albert 18 and Edith 14. By 1901 William is married to Susannah from Hanley, Staffordshire with children Doris 6 and William 4. - still in Salford. Benjamin's occupation seems to read 'Stone Miner' which is odd as Salford is not known as a mining area - very much the 'dark satanic mills' of the cotton industry and young Edith was certainly a 'cotton' worker' - but I need to do some more research on that. Another co-incidence - Benjamin would have been living just a few miles from his Forest of Dean relative, Robert Hawker Nash, who spent the last years of his life in Manchester with his sons Robert (my grandfather) and then Philip who both had butchers' businesses there. Regards Moira