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During the 1850's times were very hard and two of Elizabeth's brothers
decided to emigrate and take their families to find a new life. William
went to America and Benjamin went to Australia. Elizabeth's son John also left the district and settled in Lewisham, Kent. So in the 1861 Census on 7th April only Elizabeth and her husband John are left at home. In 1862 Elizabeth's mother Mary died at the age of 87. Her husband John died in 1866 at the age of 75 and her son John in 1867 at the early age of 34, he left her £5 in his will. As there was no old age pension in those days Elizabeth had to support herself. In the 1871 Census on 2nd April she is living at Cross End Farm as a housekeeper to a local farmer. After she left there she moved to a cottage in Meeting End nearer to her married daughter Fanny and supported herself as a laundress. At the age of 78 she finally had to apply for parish relief and the sum of 3/- a week was granted. She was still living by herself at Meeting End on 3rd April, 1881 the night of the Census but shortly after this she went to live with her daughter Fanny and her husband Thomas Hart, a local builder and the Parish Clerk. He built the house where he lived and also the local Baptist church, where Elizabeth was a regular attendee. In 1896 her grandson Jesse Kenworthy Biggs died, so she had outlived her husband, son and grandson. |
On Saturday 28th January, 1899 she died of
general debility and heart failure at her daughter's home. According to
the report in the Bedfordshire Times quite a gloom was cast over the |
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THE GREEN
FAMILY